AI just piloted a satellite—no humans needed
For the first time ever, Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg's tiny InnoCube satellite changed its orientation in space all by itself, thanks to artificial intelligence.
This milestone happened on October 30, 2025, and could totally change how satellites operate in the future.
How did it work?
The secret sauce is an AI-based attitude controller developed as part of the LeLaR project. It learned how to steer the satellite using deep reinforcement learning—basically training on tons of simulations before launch.
Once ready, the AI controller took over in orbit and used reaction wheels to smoothly turn the satellite, handling real space conditions that are way trickier than any simulation.
Why does this matter?
Normally, adjusting a satellite's position takes lots of manual effort and human supervision.
With the AI controller developed within the LeLaR project running things autonomously, satellites can react faster and more efficiently—especially when they're far from Earth and waiting for human commands isn't practical.
This could make future space missions cheaper, quicker, and more reliable.