A China-based space intelligence company — have integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into the WonderJourney-1A (WJ-1A) satellite.
Launched on August 11, 2023, the WJ-1A is an AI-powered satellite developed by the Chinese space company and the RSA. Its AI payload and intelligent operating system allow it to process data in real time without sending it back to ground control systems.
It validates and tests several intelligent applications for orbital efficiency. These applications include monitoring environmental variables like soil moisture, pest diseases, and forest fires and connecting to drones and future smart cars.
Six students from Rwandan universities worked together to make the project a reality with the help of RSA engineers.
RSA and STAR.VISION signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 14, 2023, to expand the boundaries of space technology. The partnership concentrated on creating and implementing AI algorithms to evaluate land use and produce statistics automatically.
Per Francis Ngabo, CEO of RSA, “With the guidance we provided, we challenged students from academic institutions we have partnered with to develop satellite-based algorithms addressing real-world challenges. The result is a Rwandan-developed technology for automated land use assessment and statistics generation using AI algorithms.”