MoonNET, an artificial intelligence (AI) system, similar version of current Internet sensation ChatGPT is about to make its way to the Moon. On December 11, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the Rashid rover to the Moon and it is expected to arrive this spring. The AI system has been developed by Canada’s Mission Control Space Services (MCSS) with funding from the Canadian Space Agency.
The Rashid rover, carrying the 10-kilogram MoonNET AI, will study the lunar surface and mobility on the moon’s surface. The rover is equipped with two high-resolution cameras, a microscopic camera, a thermal imagery camera, a probe, and other devices. MoonNET, in turn, will identify geological features, inform operators of potential hazards, and support path-planning activities.
This groundbreaking mission will demonstrate the use of AI on the edge in space and could lead to a huge market in various applications, from on-orbit servicing to Earth observation to space domain awareness. Mission Control believes that with a successful demonstration, they will become world leaders in deploying AI in space.
This is the second significant mission for the Emirates space agency, which made headlines when it launched the Hope probe to Mars and placed it in orbit on its first attempt. Rashid will operate on the lunar surface for one lunar day, which is equivalent to 29 Earth days. With MoonNET’s deployment, the world is on the brink of a new frontier in AI and space exploration.