India is getting its first orbital computing satellite today. Hyderabad based startup TakeMe2Space is launching its MOI-1A satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The interesting thing about MOI-1A is that it can process data directly in space instead of sending everything back to Earth first. The satellite weighs around 14kg and has Nvidia processors to run AI models in orbit. It will launch today, October 1, as part of SpaceX Transporter-18 mission.
What Is MOI-1A?
You can basically consider MOI-1A as a small AI computer in space. Normally, satellites collect a lot of images and data and then send them back to Earth where computers process them.
MOI-1A is trying to do this differently. It can process some of this data itself in space and send only the useful results back. This could save both time and the amount of data which needs to be downloaded.
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Nvidia Processor Will Run AI in Space
TakeMe2Space has given Nvidia Orin NX processors inside the satellite. These processors can provide up to 117 TOPS computing power and are capable of running different AI models.
For example, if a company wants to check a particular area using satellite images, it doesn’t always need thousands of complete images. AI can analyse them in space and send only the required information. This is basically what TakeMe2Space wants to do with MOI-1A.
23 Customers Have Already Signed Up
TakeMe2Space says it already has 23 customers for its new satellite. These customers are from different areas including agriculture, mining, insurance and supply chain.
Instead of these companies launching their own satellite, they can use computing power available on MOI-1A. US based Little Place Labs is also among the companies which have signed up for the satellite.
MOI-1A Will Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9
TakeMe2Space is not launching its own rocket. MOI-1A will go to space with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket under the Transporter-18 mission.
The launch is scheduled for October 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch window will open at 11:18 AM PT, which is around 11:48 PM in India. MOI-1A is one of 130 payloads which SpaceX is carrying on this mission.
What TakeMe2Space Plans After MOI-1A
This is not the first time TakeMe2Space is sending its technology to space. The company earlier launched MOI-TD in 2024 for testing. More than 20 experiments were conducted, although some of its main imaging and AI goals couldn’t be completed because of technical problems.
Now MOI-1A is the next and more important step for the company. This time, actual customers will be able to run their AI models in space. In future, TakeMe2Space wants to launch bigger satellites and create a network where different satellites can process data together.
For now, MOI-1A first needs to successfully reach the orbit. The launch is scheduled for today but rocket launches can always get delayed because of weather or technical problems. SpaceX has also kept October 2 as a backup launch date.
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