Rwanda: Six Rwandan Students Develop Tech to Power China's First AI Satellite

12 October 2023
The New Times (Kigali)
By Heritier Bahizi

The Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) and STAR.VISION Aerospace Limited (STAR.VISION) have made a leap in satellite technology by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into China's WonderJourney-1A (WJ-1A) satellite.

The WJ-1A satellite, launched in August, now features a cutting-edge AI algorithm created by talented Rwandan students. This innovative algorithm, designed to enable machines to learn, analyze data, and make autonomous decisions, will soon be integrated into the satellite's String Edge AI platform. RSA and STAR.VISION entered into a memorandum of understanding in March, with the aim of pushing the boundaries of space technology.

The primary objective behind this achievement is the development of AI algorithms capable of autonomously assessing land use and generating essential statistics. To bring this vision to life, a team of six students from the University of Rwanda (UR), Carnegie Mellon University Africa, and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) collaborated under the mentorship of RSA engineers.

These pioneering algorithms will empower the WJ-1A satellite to process images in real-time, eliminating the need for data transfers back to Earth.

At the heart of this remarkable technological advancement is the String Edge AI Platform, a robust AI system embedded within the satellite. This intelligent operating system equips the satellite to observe and process data in real-time, eliminating the necessity of transmitting data to Earth for processing.

Col. Francis Ngabo, CEO of RSA, expressed his enthusiasm for the project's success, saying, "With the guidance we provided, we challenged students from academic institutions we have partnered with to develop satellite-based algorithms addressing real-world challenges. The result is a Rwandan-developed technology for automated land use assessment and statistics generation using AI algorithms."

Ngabo added that the aim is to establish Rwanda as a key player in space technology and its diverse applications.

Noor Fan, co-founder of STAR.VISION, praised the fruitful collaboration, stating, "We take pride in the achievements of our collaboration with RSA. The AI algorithms, crafted by Rwandan students for automated land use assessment, have undergone successful testing. I am delighted to announce that this innovation will soon be integrated into one of STAR.VISION's satellites."

Fan also emphasized their intention to expand the scope of this collaboration, with the goal of catalyzing transformative changes both within Rwanda and across the global space technology community.

Read the original article on New Times.

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