Loft Orbital has entered into an agreement with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to host and operate artificial intelligence software demonstrations in orbit as part of a NASA-funded Earth science technology program.
The collaboration supports the Federated Autonomous MEasurement (FAME) project, which is funded by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and focuses on advancing autonomous satellite operations and onboard data processing capabilities.
Under the agreement, JPL’s AI software will be deployed on Loft Orbital’s AI-enabled satellite infrastructure, with flight demonstrations scheduled to begin in 2026 and additional deployments planned through 2028.
Advancing On-Orbit AI Processing
The project is designed to evaluate artificial intelligence applications that can process Earth observation data directly in space rather than relying solely on ground-based systems.
By analyzing information onboard satellites, the technology aims to reduce delays between data collection and delivery of actionable insights.
NASA said the software is intended to support Earth science missions by improving the speed of data analysis for events such as wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters.
Autonomous Satellite Operations
A key component of the FAME project involves testing autonomous tasking capabilities that allow satellites to respond to observations without requiring immediate ground intervention.
The software will demonstrate autonomous tip-and-cue operations, enabling satellites to identify events of interest and initiate additional observations automatically.
The spacecraft involved in the program will also utilize intersatellite communications links, allowing information to be exchanged between satellites and transmitted to Earth more efficiently.
Commercial Infrastructure for Government Missions
Loft Orbital provides satellite infrastructure services that enable government and commercial organizations to deploy payloads and software in space without building dedicated spacecraft.
The company said its onboard computing architecture supports edge processing and deployment of lightweight AI applications directly on orbiting platforms.
The collaboration with JPL is intended to demonstrate how commercial satellite infrastructure can be used to host advanced government-developed software systems.
Supporting Future Earth Science Missions
NASA has previously tested artificial intelligence and autonomous operations technologies in space, but the FAME initiative aims to evaluate approaches that could support broader adoption across future missions.
The project is expected to contribute to NASA’s long-term Earth observation objectives while providing experience with scalable AI deployment models for satellite constellations and remote-sensing platforms.
As Earth observation systems generate increasing volumes of data, onboard processing and autonomous decision-making are becoming important areas of development for both government agencies and commercial satellite operators.
