In a recent announcement to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State Jitendra Singh disclosed that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in various upcoming missions, including the high-profile Gaganyaan mission. The significance of AI has already been demonstrated in the successful Mars mission and the meticulous soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

Singh highlighted the pivotal role played by AI in interplanetary missions, specifically in orbit maneuvering and the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, including the identification of the landing site. Among the notable achievements cited were satellite data analysis for India's remote sensing, meteorological, communication, and navigation satellites. ISRO's utilization of AI extends to Earth observation applications such as crop yield prediction, weather forecasting, disaster forecasting, land use and land cover maps, urban expansion planning, and detection of various features like encroachment, settlements, and forest cover changes.

The Minister of State emphasized that AI solutions are integral to several ongoing projects and programs, encompassing the Gaganyaan Program, Chandrayaan-3, operational launch vehicle and spacecraft programs, Earth observation data analysis, and more. ISRO is actively developing AI and machine learning solutions for launch vehicles, spacecraft operations, big data analytics, space robotics, and space traffic management.

Singh provided insights into the Department of Space's initiatives, which include AI applications for launch vehicle and spacecraft mission trajectory design, autonomous operations, health monitoring, and prediction from telemetry data. The scope also extends to satellite data processing for resource mapping, weather prediction, disaster prediction, geo-intelligence, precision agriculture, agroforestry, humanoid robots, chatbots, space robotics, and smart manufacturing in space.

Collaborative efforts between ISRO and renowned institutions like IITs and IISc are underway to develop niche AI applications. These projects are currently at different stages of feasibility studies and implementation, reflecting ISRO's commitment to advancing space exploration through cutting-edge technologies.