AstroForge Will Deploy AI Navigation System in 2027

The company is developing an autonomous flight system to guide spacecraft where radio signal delays hinder human control.

Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Isometric editorial illustration of a modular spacecraft frame with thrusters and antennas orbiting a distant planetary body. — AstroForge plans to deploy its autonomous Autonomy-1 navigation system in 2027 to enable independent spacecraft operation in deep space. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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AstroForge is building an AI-driven navigation system called Autonomy-1 to enable independent decision-making for deep-space missions. The technology is scheduled for its first mission test in 2027.

Why it matters

Real-time human control of spacecraft is impossible in deep space due to extreme radio signal delays. Developing autonomous systems is essential for successfully navigating and operating probes in these distant environments.

The Autonomy-1 system utilizes transformer-based AI models integrated with NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier Industrial flight computers. Core flight safety functions are managed by radiation-hardened SAMRH71 microcontrollers.

The players

AstroForge

AstroForge is a space technology company founded in January 2022 that focuses on developing systems for deep-space exploration and autonomous navigation.

The details

The onboard compute stack uses a combination of radiation-hardened microcontrollers and advanced flight computers to facilitate real-time tracking and navigation. This architecture is designed to support the electric propulsion systems used on the 200-kilogram DeepSpace-2 spacecraft.

AstroForge was founded in January 2022.
The Odin spacecraft launched in February 2025.
The DeepSpace-2 spacecraft is scheduled to launch in late 2026.
A reconnaissance mission is planned for mid-2027.
The Autonomy-1 system test mission will occur in 2027.

The Tech Race

The adoption of the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier Industrial flight computer as a standard component in the Autonomy-1 navigation system signals a broader shift toward off-the-shelf high-performance compute modules in space flight hardware. This integration follows a trend of leveraging industrial-grade, radiation-hardened edge computing to replace legacy bespoke processors in small spacecraft.

While the technology is designed for deep space, its successful implementation will demonstrate the reliability of high-performance AI in extreme, remote environments. This could accelerate the development of autonomous systems for other industries that require reliable operation in signal-denied or high-radiation conditions.

The takeaway

Autonomous systems are becoming a critical requirement for scaling operations in the solar system as mission distances increase. These AI-driven approaches are effectively replacing legacy manual control methods that are no longer feasible at scale.