Agentic AI in Space: Both Traditional and Agentic AI Are Revolutionizing Space
Session Overview
AI is becoming prevalent onboard spacecraft, where it can analyze imagery, manage resources, and organize spacecraft teams to accomplish mission goals. This session explores how these capabilities are combining to revolutionize both Earth observation and deep space exploration.
While the discussion centers on breakthroughs applied to space, the underlying techniques, designs, and use cases extend to a wide range of terrestrial applications β including edge computing, personal and wearable computing, and the Internet of Things.
Key Takeaways
- How onboard AI enables spacecraft to analyze imagery, manage resources, and coordinate spacecraft teams autonomously.
- The shift from traditional AI to Agentic AI in mission-critical space operations.
- How space-proven AI techniques translate into edge computing, wearables, and IoT applications on Earth.
Speaker
Steve Chien has been deploying AI in space for decades, applying it to missions such as ASE/EO-1, SensorWeb, the Mars Exploration Rovers, ESA's Rosetta, and the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. He has advised numerous US government entities, including the Defense Sciences Board, the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, the US Army Science Board, the National Security Commission on AI, and the US Congress. Dr. Chien has received numerous awards for his work, including the Lew Allen Award (1995), the AIAA Intelligent Systems Award (2011), multiple honors in the NASA Software of the Year Competition (1999, 1999, 2005, 2011), five NASA Medals (1997, 2000, 2007, 2015, 2025), and the ISPRS Li Deren Award for achievement in Spatio-temporal Intelligence (2026).