Testing data processing in orbit is one of the experiments that astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will conduct on the ISS. The LeopardISS computer from the Gliwice-based company KP Labs will be used for this purpose. According to its co-creator Dawid Lazaj, data processing in orbit is an intensively developing sector.
The Polish technological and scientific mission 'IGNIS' to the International Space Station (ISS), with the participation of Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, will take place in spring at the earliest and will last about 14 days.
As part of the mission, Uznański-Wiśniewski will conduct several technological and scientific experiments. One of them will involve testing the LeopardISS device.
'An important argument for choosing our experiment was its nature. A unit we have built for testing machine learning algorithms and data processing in orbit will be sent to the International Space Station. The profile of this experiment fits perfectly into a certain trend, widely promoted by the European Space Agency. This was probably our greatest asset', says Dawid Lazaj.
He adds that the device will run applications developed by other research units. 'They will provide algorithms and data sets, and we will provide them with remote access to the computer on board the ISS', he explains.
He mentions an application developed by the Poznań University of Technology, which will analyse images collected by a lunar rover tested in a simulated Moon environment created in a special hangar on Earth.
Lazaj points out that the sector of data processing in orbit is currently developing intensively, due to the growing technological limitations related to transmitting information.
'I will show this with an example. Images taken by a satellite must be sent from orbit to a ground station. The instruments operating on board the satellites, including cameras, are getting better and better, which means that the images have an increasingly higher resolution. The size of satellite images is growing disproportionately faster than the data transmission speed. Therefore, the costs of communication with the satellite are increasing. This is the first challenge. At the same time, only some of the numerous images taken by the satellite have real value. For example, many images taken by the European Sentinel-2 satellite show clouds through which you cannot see anything', he explains.
Here comes the task for artificial intelligence. For example - as the PAP interviewee points out - a Leopard unit operating on the Polish Intuition-1 satellite since 2023 performs several tasks. 'Firstly, it can select images with so few clouds that the image is worth sending to Earth. Secondly, even with relatively heavy cloud cover, it can select a useful fragment of the image. The program can detect relevant elements of interest to us, such as vegetation, soil, buildings or streets. Similar technology can be used to track various phenomena, such as moving fires', he describes.
In the next step, algorithms will also help to compress the photographs so that they have the smallest possible volume, making it easier to send to Earth. Intuition-1 is a test platform, but the images it provides can be viewed on our social media , says Dawid Lazaj.
According to Lazaj, the same data processing unit that will fly to the ISS operates on board Intuition-1.
'However, it had to be adapted to the conditions on the ISS. The device will be connected to the ICE Cubes Service. You could say that it is a system of ports for connecting various devices and integrating them with the Station. So we had to design an appropriate interface board and we enclosed the whole thing in a cubic housing compliant with ISS requirements, measuring 10x10x10 cm', he explains.
The Polish astronaut will be mainly responsible for connecting the device to the ICE Cubes. 'This will allow for the flow of electricity, communication and the entire operation of Leopard. In fact, this is where our astronaut's role will end. After connecting, the system will receive data from Earth, process it and send it back', Lazaj describes.
He says that the technology tested in the device can find various applications. He emphasises that the development of this system is a success of the entire team, but the support from the Polish Space Agency and the European Space Agency was also of great importance.
He adds that it is not yet known what will ultimately happen to Leopard. It will be maintained in operational mode on the ISS for six months. After that time, the device will either return to Earth or be disposed of.
PAP - Science in Poland, Marek Matacz
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