Developed in Gliwice, the Intuition-1 satellite will be launched into orbit in November. Its task will be to collect and analyse data for the needs of agriculture, forestry, and environmental protection.

Work on Intuition-1, carried out by the Gliwice-based space company KP Labs, has taken more than five years. In November, the satellite will be launched into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-9 mission. The first data will reach Earth after equipment calibration in space.

‘This is not only a step into the future for space exploration, but also an investment in technologies that could revolutionise many areas of our lives in the coming years, benefiting the global community’, assesses KP Labs COO Michal Zachara.

KP Labs has been providing solutions for space projects for years. The work of Gliwice engineers includes the Leopard computer, whose computing power is about 100 times more powerful than units previously used in space missions. As part of the current mission, another advanced on-board computer, Antelope, will be launched into orbit.

Its main task will be to use artificial intelligence to monitor telemetry data acquired from the satellite’s components.

“With its ability to detect errors in advance, this functionality will improve the safety of future satellite missions. Antelope is a dedicated solution for missions focused on Earth observation and satellite communications”, explain KP Labs representatives.

Intuition-1 costs about PLN 20 million, with about PLN 13 million financing from the National Centre for Research and Development. Thanks to the data processed on board, it will be possible to interpret the health of plants and forests, create soil maps, forecast yields, plan reforestation or monitor changes in the environment – e.g. by creating maps of pollution emissions, maps of water and soil contamination, analyse and manage land use.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński