Hyderabad startups to launch India's 1st AI-image lab in orbit
Two Hyderabad startups, TakeMe2Space and Eon Space Labs, are teaming up to launch MOI-1—India's first AI-powered image lab in space.
Hitching a ride on ISRO's PSLV-C62 rocket this January 12, 2024, the 14kg CubeSat will process Earth images right in orbit, aiming to make space data faster and more affordable for everyone.
Specs at a glance:
MOI-1 is a compact 3U CubeSat (10x10x30cm) built for low Earth orbit at about 500km. It packs an NVIDIA GPU with special radiation shielding so it can run AI models directly in space.
At its heart is the MIRA telescope—India's lightest homegrown imaging system. Developers can upload their own AI code and use MOI-1's compute power for $2 per minute.
Why it stands out:
Instead of sending bulky raw images back to Earth like traditional satellites, MOI-1 does the heavy lifting up there—analyzing photos as they're taken and only sending down useful results like object counts or alerts.
This "think and send" approach means less data to download, lower costs (up to eight times cheaper than usual), and way less hassle for users needing quick insights from space.