Category: News & Insight

Planetary Systems AI Awarded Second Annual License Subscription by U.S. Space Systems Command’s Space Domain Awareness (SDA) TAP Lab 

From the period of 5 February through 29 April 2025, Planetary Systems AI successfully demonstrated the ability to use generative AI to read large quantities of semi/unstructured text and imagery to populate the Lab’s Target Model Database (TMDB). 

PSAI Awarded Annal 12-Month Subscription License

New York, NY, May 12, 2024 – Planetary Systems AI (PSAI), a dual-use space and defense tech company accelerating data flow and insight generation for decision-making in the space sector to optimize planetary support operations, announced today that it has been awarded a second annual subscription license by U.S. Space Systems Command’s Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools Applications and Processing (TAP) Lab after the completion of the Apollo Accelerator Cohort 6. This program enabled PSAI to demonstrate its capabilities for image-to-text object classification combined with the use of PSAI’s initial subscription license to the SDA TAP Lab – an application using generative AI to read large quantities of semi/unstructured text and imagery to populate the Lab’s Target Model Database (TMDB). The TMDB, once populated with details about a satellite’s payloads, power, and propulsion systems can be used to evaluate potentially threatening close approaches and automated alert system for the Welder’s Arc battle management system. 

“Welder’s Arc is a fully automated, multi-vendor, prototype space threat warning system building partnerships with industry, academia, government, partners, and allies (IAGPA) in the SDA TAP Lab. There have been over 100 companies that have participated in Apollo Accelerator from almost a dozen countries totaling several hundred individuals. Retention is fairly high. We are changing commercial SDA market forces for the better to ensure long term viability of the small business base.” – SDA TAP Lab Chief, Major Sean Allen on the vision of the Apollo Accelerator.

“PSAI is leveraging our multi-modal AI expertise and capabilities to work with the U.S. government, its allies, and our commercial partners to ensure that automated decision support subsystems are accelerated and enhanced through our AI solutions,” said CEO & Chief Space Officer Cindy Chin. “Our CTO Aaron Sloman and Mack Reed on behalf of the team were excited to showcase computer vision experience in an image-to-text capability during the SDA TAP Lab Cohort 6 Demo Day with U.S. Space Systems Command, the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command and other government and industry partners.” 

PSAI will continue to increase space vehicle imagery to its AI model and agentic AI capabilities in its architecture, responding to maneuver alerts in a given scenario related to threat warning and assessment. The current database is structured for direct integration with, query by, and display in SDA tools. PSAI’s APIs and applications can be used with maneuver-event data for inferring potential for threats and determining proximity. Entries were filtered for validity by an AI model trained on Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) Notice to Space Operators records and other trusted analytic sources.

About SDA TAP Lab (https://sdataplab.org/): The Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab accelerates the delivery of space battle management software to operational units. We decompose kill chains, prioritize needs with operators, map needs to technologies, and onboard tech to existing platforms quickly. We partner with industry, academia, and across the government to succeed. 

About Planetary Systems AI (www.planetarysystems.ai): PSAI is a planetary support company accelerating data flow and insight generation for decision-making in the space sector, optimizing planetary support operations.

Planetary Systems AI Press Contact:

Mack Reed
Head of Product
E: pr@planetarysystems.ai

Download a PDF of this Press Release

An application interface showing a satellite photo being analyzed
PSAI demonstrated its AI image analyzer, capable of estimating spacecraft size, mass, equipment, and capabilities.

Last week, PSAI demonstrated our expanded AI toolset for space domain awareness to an audience of military analysts, officers, data scientists, and interested contractors at the SDA TAP Lab’s Demo Day. 

We had capped lab Cohorts 4 and 5 in October and January by showing that our AI and machine-learning methods can generate deeply-detailed capability profiles of thousands of spacecraft from millions of public data records.

Output text from an image analyzing application designed to identify satellite capabilities.
Results from a live test of the image analyzer showing the physical characteristics and capabilities that it estimated after ingesting a photo of a satellite. Click to view this full size.

During Cohort 6 – as shown in last week’s demo – we developed an image analyzer, adding a significant new capability to the lab’s work helping U.S. Space Force Guardians identify and assess unknown, concealed, or hostile spacecraft. 

Our newest tool can ingest a photo of a payload – either from orbit or in a pre-launch clean room – and perform a pixel-by-pixel analysis of its potential capabilities. 

The tool estimates the spacecraft’s size, shape, and mass. It counts and estimates the size of antennas and solar panels. And from these and other visual clues, it can infer onboard capabilities including sensors, cameras, radio equipment and frequencies, and the presence and orientation of thrusters. 

By deploying this tool in their analytical processes, Guardians can gain context for the decisions they must make when interrogating targets for evidence of camouflage, concealment, deception, and maneuvers; What sensors are on board? How powerful might its solar panels, batteries, and thrusters be? Can it take high-resolution photos, jam our radio frequencies, or fire an energy weapon? 

While this tool is in its infancy, we hope to refine and grow its capabilities further when Cohort 7 kicks off later this month. 

Watch this space.



The PSAI Team at the SDA TAP Lab 

A lot has happened in Planetary Systems AI’s first year of operations:

While we spun up the company and began user research before designing our systems, the space business absolutely boomed:

We researched, studied, listened, and learned. 

We spent time absorbing knowledge and needs from astrophysicists, U.S. Space Force Guardians, satellite operators, and experts in fields ranging from launch, spacecraft engineering and near-earth imaging to digital communications and space-domain awareness.

As we listened, a common problem emerged: data practitioners and leaders find themselves working inordinately hard and long – with a risk of costly human error – to reliably process multidisciplinary data sources for critical, rapid decision-making. 

The space industry and newly-spawned data sources are growing so fast as to outstrip industry participants’ abilities to keep up their own demands for clarity, safety, and decision support. And as they start to drown in data, they remain starved for insights. 

So, Planetary Systems AI leaned in to meet the challenge: 

PSAI joined the work at SDA TAP Lab in August, 2024

We joined the U.S. Space Force’s SDA TAP Lab‘s Apollo Accelerator at Space Systems Command – an extraordinary collaboration among dozens of private firms, government, and academia working on a system to track and identify threats to U.S. and allied assets in orbit. 

Last fall, we developed AI methods there for reading large quantities of semi/unstructured text to populate the SDA TAP Lab’s Target Model Database (TMDB). Once populated with details about a satellite’s payloads, power, and propulsion systems, the TMDB can be used by USSF analysts to evaluate close approaches by potentially threatening spacecraft.

Over the winter, we have worked to expand these capabilities for the USSF over at Space Systems Command, with new developments that we will be announcing in a couple of weeks.

 

CEO Cindy Chin (front row, center) at the KPMG/Seraphim Accelerator event in London, October, 2024

We joined the Seraphim Space Accelerator, a leading, dedicated accelerator for startups in the global SpaceTech industry. Since 2018 the accelerator has been working with early-stage SpaceTech companies on a global scale. To date, supporting 109 companies across 30 countries, helping them raise over $540 million in funding for the first time. Seraphim remains dedicated to finding and supporting early-stage companies through every stage of their journey.

We are developing working partnerships with companies in satellite operations, radio-frequency security, and spacecraft hardware equipment testing. 

We added two deeply experienced and valuable space domain experts to our board of advisors, Dr. Steve Crews (U.S. Army and U.S. Space Force, Ret’d.) and Eileen Vidrine, former U.S. Air Force Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer. 

PSAI’s newest advisors, Steve Crews & Eileen Vidrine

And we are sharpening our larger AI toolset for the data-dense future we see taking shape in launch and orbital operations. 

As the industry expands, data processing needs will balloon. As rocket companies like Blue Origin,, rise to compete with SpaceX, satellite operators like Turion Space offer bespoke near-earth imaging services, and firms like Blue Ring tool up to deliver on-orbit servicing for orbital industrial applications that are still taking shape, Planetary Systems AI will be there with critical data-management and decision-making infrastructure now under development. 

We can’t wait to show you what we’re working on. In the meantime, check out our new website design and bookmark it for more news.

an officer in camouflage fatigues addresses an audience from a podium, standing before an orange wall and a display monitor
U.S. Space Force Col. Gina Peterson addresses the audience at the SDA TAP Lab’s Demo Day on Jan. 30, 2025

Space domain awareness (SDA)  – and all the data that must flow to support it – no longer hovers in a theoretical future.  

Today, spacecraft operators must know swiftly and reliably what space trash, errant satellite, or hostile might threaten their operations – and the discipline is crying out for investment.

For the well-equipped U.S. military, better SDA tools are under development as a complex and powerful orbital-defense system at the United States Space Force’s SDA TAP Lab. That’s where we have been collaborating these past six months with dozens of other companies. 

In the Lab’s Cohort 5, Planetary Systems AI finished building AI tools that help U.S. Space Force Guardians identify the launch history, onboard sensors, and jamming frequencies of space vehicles that are hidden, unknown, or potential threats. 

As we accelerate into Cohort 6 next week, one thing has become very clear: This vital project – and indeed SDA overall – needs a huge boost in operating budget to keep pace with the space boom.

With more companies and international partners joining the SDA TAP (Tools, Applications & Processing) Lab, more payloads and satellites reaching orbit, and the increasing risk of collision with debris and each other impacting critical communications and cybersecurity infrastructure on the ground, it will be difficult to keep up with the pace of innovation such as the SDA TAP Lab’s rapidly-expanding work without more Congressional and the Pentagon’s monetary support or capital investment from the satellite and telecommunications industry to protect their in-orbit assets. 

 

a group of technologists and researchers assemble for a group photo
Cohort 5 of the SDA TAP Lab’s Apollo Accelerator project

The SDA TAP Lab needs a significantly bigger budget to support its complex logistics, the cohort’s rising headcount, and a newly-available, multi-terabyte source of SDA data that must be imported, sorted, and made available to us and international partners to continue the work. 

The need will be even greater for the commercial sector, where spacecraft operators work with SDA discipline in mind but without universally-available tools at hand.

While the Lab is building tools to sharpen the U.S. Space Force’s awareness and improve the timeliness and accuracy of the Guardians’ response, those military tools won’t be available to civilians. 

 

 

an executive stands before an array of display monitors talking with a uniformed U.S. Space Force general
PSAI CEO Cindy Chin and Aquarious Workman present to Lt. General Douglas A. Schiess during the Demo Day on Jan. 30, 2025 at the SDA TAP Lab

 

For commercial launch and orbital companies, U.S. Guardians are tasked with issuing notifications to space operators. These email advisories advise U.S. allies and corporations who subscribes to them whenever a rocket launch is detected or an orbiting spacecraft makes a maneuver. 

But the notifications don’t deliver operational context; While Guardians have access to multiple SDA data sources, sensors, satellites and other tools to support their defense-oriented mission (and will soon have the TAP Lab’s defense system as well), no such service exists to warn and protect the commercial sector against orbital mishaps. 

It is up to launch and orbital companies to blend orbital data sources with whatever in-house SDA experience they might have to keep their spacecraft and space assets safe. Therefore, more capital investment in this critical infrastructure is needed in and adjacent to orbit before calamity happens.

 

 

A slide depicting the benefits of delivering satellite capability data to USSF warfighters
A slide from PSAI’s presentation to the SDA TAP Lab explaining the benefit our work has brought to the U.S. Space Force’s battle management system

Just as Planetary Systems AI is bringing deep experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data fusion to SDA for the U.S. Space Force, we plan to deliver SDA solutions for our partners in the commercial sector and their space strategies

Watch this space.

Contact: Mack Reed, Head of Product, mack@planetarysystems.ai

Aquarious Workman, CISM, Head of Cybersecurity for Planetary Systems AI, demonstrates the company’s AI service for U.S. Space Force

Colorado Springs, CO. – The Planetary Systems AI team capped three months of intensive multidisciplinary work this week with a demonstration of the company’s capabilities in AI-driven data management for space domain awareness (SDA) at the U.S. Space Force’s SDA TAP Lab. 

By aggregating more than 2.3 million open-source records on satellites owned by U.S. and foreign entities, the team was able to build out a body of knowledge that will help the Space Force spot and defend military, government, and commercial spacecraft against hostile actions by other countries in space.

Aquarious Workman, PSAI’s Head of Cybersecurity, presented the demo to an audience of investors and U.S. Department of Defense officials, surrounded by nearly 60 companies, many of whom the company had collaborated with closely during Demo Day for Cohort 4 of the Lab’s Apollo Accelerator program.

The company will be continuing its work at the SDA TAP Lab into Cohort 5, which kicks off Nov. 5 and runs until late January. 

 

At the recent NYSE Wired East Coast AI Leaders’ Reception & Media Event at South Street Seaport and at the NYSE Space Summit, Planetary Systems AI had the honor to share the massive opportunities with space data in the space sector our innovative AI solutions and vision for the future, led by CEO Cindy Chin, FRSA.

The NYSE Space Summit brought together leading voices in the space industry to explore opportunities for growth and innovation. Executives from key space companies and institutional investors discussed how public markets are supporting the space sector, highlighting the intersection of innovation, regulation, and investment. The event emphasized the increasing role of space in shaping industries beyond aerospace, including finance, technology, and sustainability. Discussions ranged from advancements in space technology including artificial intelligence to the growing importance of satellite connectivity and space exploration in economic development.

Chin articulated the challenges with spacedata opportunities in AI with the company’s strategic goals and collaborative initiatives during an interview above the New York Stock Exchange floor with John Furrier of SiliconANGLE & theCUBE to make clear that PSAI is poised to make a significant impact in the space tech landscape.

NYSE Wired is an open-source community built to support entrepreneurs and their companies building cutting-edge AI technologies.

October 1, 2024 – New York, NY 

Planetary Systems AI (PSAI), a planetary support company providing cyber-first artificial intelligence and machine-learning solutions for space and satellite operations, announced today that Eileen M. Vidrine joins the company’s Advisory Board. 

Ms. Vidrine is a national security executive, U.S. Army veteran and the former Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence officer for the Department of the Air Force (Ret) at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. She possesses more than 35 years of experience leading transformative change initiatives in defense, intelligence, air and space. 

CEO & Chief Space Officer Cindy Chin said, “It is an incredible honor to welcome Eileen to PSAI’s Board Advisors. Her groundbreaking leadership in public and military service combined with her extensive wealth of knowledge in the data and artificial intelligence domains between the commercial space and defense industries makes her a powerhouse in disrupting outdated processes and DoD space value chain improving our ability to provide world-class enhanced and dual-use capabilities at enterprise data management levels that is necessary to bring the global space industry into its next phase of growth with the United States leading the charge with its allied partners.

She is an exceptional leader and visionary which aligns with the PSAI standards of excellence. We are extremely grateful that she has come on board and continues her professional leadership and service beyond her military career.”

A visionary leader within the Federal Senior Executive Service, Ms. Vidrine was handpicked to serve as the Senior Strategic Advisor for Data to the Federal Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C., where she spearheaded data and emerging technology strategies.

In her leadership roles, Ms. Vidrine has consistently driven innovation by establishing new programs that enhance workforce capabilities and promote best practices in data management and AI. Known for her ability to disrupt outdated processes, she has built high-performance teams and cultivated collaborative work cultures that value individual skills, inspire confidence and foster professional growth. She continues to mentor and develop the next generation of data and AI leaders. 

She was recently named to the Blackhat AI Security Council and is an advisory board member to the Mark Cuban AI Foundation. Ms. Vidrine’s contributions to the AI and data community have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the AIM AI 100 Visionary Leader, CDO Magazine Executive of the Year 2023 and the DataIQ 2024 Life,me Achievement Award. Ms. Vidrine received her M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and attended executive leadership programs at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

About Planetary Systems AI (www.planetarysystems.ai): Planetary Systems AI (PSAI) is a planetary support company addressing the challenges of building software applications with space and satellite data building artificial intelligence and machine learning tools and solutions, the foundations for neural networks in the space industry, digital twin technology, data models, digital and reliability engineering to empower planetary interoperability and computationally accessible data for space and satellite operations decision support.

 

Planetary Systems AI Press Contact:
Mack Reed
Head of Product
E: pr@planetarysystems.ai

Download a PDF of this Press Release

PSAI officially joins NVIDIA Inception, a program dedicated to accelerating startups working on cutting-edge technology. 

New York, NY, September 10, 2024 – Planetary Systems AI (PSAI), a planetary support company providing cyber-first artificial intelligence and machine-learning solutions for space and satellite operations, announced today that it has has officially joined NVIDIA Inception, a program dedicated to accelerating startups working on cutting-edge technology and providing access to the latest technical resources from NVIDIA.

“Being part of NVIDIA Inception is a strategic move that will boost our development efforts and bring cutting-edge research, resources, and techniques to accelerate the delivery and improve the accuracy of our models,” said Cindy Chin, CEO & Chief Space Officer of PSAI. “Joining NVIDIA Inception opens doors for us to continue pioneering new techniques in making data computationally accessible and interoperable that will allow applications to be built off of our models, delivering better and faster outcomes for our customers in decision support in the space and satellite industries.”

“Joining NVIDIA’s Inception program allows us to harness cutting-edge AI capabilities to enhance our solutions cyber posture, driving more innovative defenses and strengthening the security landscape for our applications, clients and partners,” said Aquarious Workman, PSAI’s Head of Cybersecurity.

 

About NVIDIA Inception

(https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/): NVIDIA Inception is a free program designed to help startups evolve faster through cutting-edge technology, opportunities to connect with venture capitalists, and access to the latest technical resources from NVIDIA.

About Planetary Systems AI (www.planetarysystems.ai): Planetary Systems AI (PSAI) is a planetary support company developing decision support systems for operational efficiency, situational awareness, and logistical planning to serve companies, government agencies, and small businesses that will increasingly rely on clarity and speed in multiple- context data sources that they must consult to make decisions around space and satellite operations. 

Planetary Systems AI Press Contact:

Mack Reed
Head of Product
E: pr@planetarysystems.ai

Download a PDF of this press release

 

Second in a series of notes from our residency at SDA TAP Lab:

We are working to solve a core problem in business:  Everyone is drowning in data and starved for insight. 

No-one feels this pain more deeply than people in the booming domain of space operations.

Rockets blast off from U.S. spaceports that still operate on antiquated, stovepiped 20th-century hardware and software not designed for the digital age – 232 launches are scheduled this year (given no mission delays).

Satellites orbit the earth with data packets crossing space in myriad formats, languages, and even purposes among their users, operators and stakeholders.

So rather than flowing, data drips sluggishly through channels gated by piecemeal infrastructure and security and intellectual-property protocols – or choked by the need to translate it from one use case to the next on a case-by-case basis.

Here in Colorado Springs, we are collaborating with other companies to answer a uniquely complicated data-flow question: Is that space debris or a satellite threat? 

The challenge here is that intelligence data flows in many forms from many sources towards the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, which is responsible for safety and national security. There, human operators must filter the real threats out of more than 44,000 other satellites and rocket bodies, and hundreds of thousands of particles of debris orbiting Earth.

So our SDA TAP Lab teams are collaborating on methods of sorting through all that data to help SSC operators decide whether to flag an object: Threat? Non-Threat? Or simply Unknown?

At PSAI, we are seeking to understand how the operators make those decisions today so they can use data from new “events” more effectively.

We believe that by making these data sources interoperable – and understanding the meaning that those decisions give to the data, we can help them take action in the future with with greater clarity, confidence, and speed.

Watch this space.

#spacedata, #sdataplab, #decisionsupport, #ai, #artificialintelligence, #ussf, #satellites, #satellitedefense