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Deployment

Phi-Sat-1 at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

ESA technology-demonstration cubesat (launched 2020-09-03) and the first satellite to fly an onboard AI inference chip (Intel Movidius Myriad 2) for autonomy-as-product: it autonomously detects and discards cloud-covered hyperspectral imagery in orbit before downlink, so only useful data is transmitted. Observation targets are ground-planned; the cloud-filtering decision is made autonomously onboard.

Phi-Sat-1 by European Space Agency · Operated by European Space Agency · Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified

Track Phi-Sat-1 at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Machine-readable surfaces

Key facts

Mission
Phi-Sat-1 onboard-AI demonstration
Outcome
First satellite to run an onboard AI inference chip; autonomously filters cloudy imagery in orbit before downlink
Trust tier
Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-06-06
Model
Phi-Sat-1
Company
European Space Agency
Location
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Operator
European Space Agency
Status
active
First seen
2020-09-03
ID
26371198-7f63-43c5-bfff-57d03a2ce08e

Sources (1)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi-Sat-1
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-06

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-06

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: research

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Phi-Sat-1 at Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Common questions

What is the Phi-Sat-1 deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?
Phi-Sat-1, built by European Space Agency, is recorded as a deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on the DEPLOY registry. European Space Agency operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Phi-Sat-1 at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?
European Space Agency, the manufacturer of Phi-Sat-1, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Phi-Sat-1 deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting September 3, 2020 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Is the Phi-Sat-1 deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) still active?
As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is currently operating.
Have there been incidents at the Phi-Sat-1 deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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