Europe · Onboard AI research and flight demonstration

Edge SpAIce onboard AI research

This project focuses on onboard AI research and flight demonstration.

Edge SpAIce is an Agenium Space-led EU research program that demonstrated a compact marine-litter detection model on EnduroSat's BALKAN 1. CORDIS reports successful image acquisition followed by onboard processing. A separate ground test ran a small neural network on NanoXplore NG-Ultra using CERN HLS4ML. This does not establish a shared data-center service or flight use of NG-Ultra.

Agenium Space-led consortium · Onboard AI workflow demonstrated

Scope: Enabling research · Named enabling AI software and FPGA research with a reported onboard experiment. Not a dedicated shared data-center platform.

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Technical specifications not disclosed

Figures retain their disclosed units and scope. Launched hardware does not establish demonstrated performance; targets may change. Not disclosed means no figure in the reviewed sources.

PROJECT RELATIONSHIPS

Suppliers & project partners

CERN

Research participant

Program organization: Agenium Space

Partnership

Provided open-source HLS4ML technology for hardware adaptation, including separate NG-Ultra ground tests.

Research consortium role. NG-Ultra testing is not established as flight hardware.

Announced Publication date not supplied · Evidence checked 28 Oct 2026

CORDIS Edge SpAIce results

EnduroSat

Host

Program organization: Agenium Space

Partnership

Payload integration

Supplied satellite imagery and led in-orbit validation on the BALKAN 1 satellite.

Official research-host role. No separate spacecraft sale or procurement price is disclosed.

Announced Publication date not supplied · Evidence checked 28 Oct 2026

CORDIS Edge SpAIce results

National Technical University of Athens

Research participant

Program organization: Agenium Space

Partnership

Developed and trained the marine-litter detection models used by the Edge SpAIce research program.

Research consortium role. No procurement order or contract value disclosed.

Announced Publication date not supplied · Evidence checked 28 Oct 2026

CORDIS Edge SpAIce results

NEXT MILESTONE

End-of-program reporting after November 2026. A proposed ALMAGEST application is not an awarded follow-on.

Manual review 28 Oct 2026. Compared the complete official CORDIS results. BALKAN 1 onboard processing is reported as demonstrated. NG-Ultra testing is ground-only. Optional undisclosed specifications do not invalidate the supported results. Primary body last observed not available. Source monitoring: unavailable. Source collection and substantive profile review are separate checks. Plans and dates may change.

European Commission CORDIS results, updated October 23, 2026

WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN

Exact date of the BALKAN 1 experiment and processor configuration are undisclosed.
No sustained throughput, orbital hardware power, storage capacity or paid service is established.
NG-Ultra ground-test hardware must not be attributed to the BALKAN 1 flight experiment.

Project updates

Verified announcements and milestones linked to this project, newest first.

23 Oct 2026

EU reports Edge SpAIce onboard AI demonstration on BALKAN 1 (opens in a new tab)

The EU reports that Edge SpAIce demonstrated image acquisition followed by onboard marine-litter detection on EnduroSat BALKAN 1. Agenium Space compressed the model, NTUA trained it and CERN supported hardware adaptation. A separate ground experiment ran a neural network on NanoXplore NG-Ultra.