Wallaroo Labs, an enterprise platform for production AI, announced that it has bagged a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research study contract from the US Space Force. Under this contract, the company will model the performance of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms during space missions.
The contract was awarded by the technology arm of the US Space Force, SpaceWERX, in support of the Orbital Prime program. The program aims to develop technologies for space debris cleanup and other on-orbit services.
The five-year-old startup, Wallaroo Labs, based in New York City, has developed a software platform that enables businesses to assess the performance of AI applications. The platform determines if the data analyzed with artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms provide any real value.
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Wallaroo Labs, under this contract, will model the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning software that the Space Force will use in On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) missions. This is when the Space Force will have to rely on edge computers to analyze data in space.
The startup company will also examine the challenges of executing AI and ML algorithms on edge computers. The algorithms will be used for on-orbit refueling, active debris removal, satellite life extension, and the recycling of materials which will be used to build the foundation for manufacturing and assembly in space.
For OSAM and other missions, the Space Force will rely on edge computing. Edge computing involves moving computer power closer to the place where data is generated, e.g., a sensor in space. For spacecraft avoidance and automated retasking of sensors, machine learning is a crucial technology.
