ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MARS MISSIONS AND SPACE EXPLORATIONS

Artificial intelligence in space exploration is gathering momentum. Over the coming years, new missions look likely to be turbo-charged by AI as we voyage to comets, moons, and planets and explore the possibilities of mining asteroids. The history of AI and space exploration is older than many probably think. It has already played a significant role in research into our planet, the solar system, and the universe. AI, and in particular ML, still has a long way to go before it is used extensively for space applications, but we are already beginning to see it implemented into new technologies. One area in which the potential applications of AI are being thoroughly investigated is in satellite operations. For instance, when analysing massive amounts of Earth observation data or telemetry data from spacecraft, ML plays an important role. In addition, it is becoming more common to find ML systems analysing the huge amount of data that comes from each space mission. The data from some Mars rovers is being transmitted using AI, and these rovers have even been taught how to navigate by themselves. Because it takes radio waves up to 22 minutes to travel between Earth and Mars, these robots must make some decisions without commands from mission control. Its development has come a long way over the last couple of decades, but the complicated models and structures necessary for ML will need to be improved before it can be extensively useful. Any data can then be collected and fed back to robots with artificial intelligence, who can process it and decide on a course of action.