Slingshot Aerospace Unveils AI System for Anomalous Spacecraft Identification

Slingshot Aerospace announced that it has developed a system that can monitor satellite behavior in orbit and identify anomalous spacecraft within large constellations using artificial intelligence.

Trained on over 60 years of simulated constellation data, the Agatha AI system can verify whether satellites operate as expected and perform tasks that are near impossible for human analysts, Slingshot Aerospace executives said.

Agatha was developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contract. With governments and commercial space operators planning to deploy constellations consisting of thousands of satellites, the system is seen as an essential tool for improving space domain awareness and identifying satellite irregularities or malfunctions, Slingshot Aerospace said.

The company is in talks with U.S. government entities and commercial satellite operators about integrating Agatha into their existing SDA services.

According to Dylan Kesler, director of data science and AI at Slingshot Aerospace, the system has proven its ability to provide high-quality insights, addressing the complex challenge operators face in identifying anomalous satellites.

“The ability to quickly identify anomalies – whether a malfunctioning spacecraft or an intentionally nefarious ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ – is an increasingly important aspect of maintaining safety and security in space and on Earth,” Kesler said.