Autonomous Observation Challenge

About the challenge

Completed • 2021-2022

The Autonomous Observation Challenge was a NASA TechLeap Prize challenge to advance observation capabilities made possible through adaptive, distributed, heterogeneous networks of spacecraft, suborbital, and ground-based sensors working cooperatively. NASA’s Flight Opportunities program invited innovators to submit applications for integrated, compact precision pointing systems for small spacecraft that could be used to autonomously detect, locate, track, and collect data on transient terrestrial events.

Related news:

Meet the winners

Pomona, California

The Bronco Space Club At Cal Poly Pomona

Bronco Ember: Autonomous Nascent Wildfire Detection and Prevention

The Bronco Ember technology is designed to autonomously detect, track, and log nascent wildfires or similar phenomena. Bronco Ember consists of a custom two degrees of freedom (2DOF) precision pointing system and edge computing system for onboard artificial intelligence/machine learning acceleration. This flight demonstration will be observed in the short-wave-infrared (SWIR) wavelength range.

Nunn, Colorado

Orion Labs LLC

Quantum Machine Learning Enhanced Sensor Combination for Earth Observation (QMLS-EO)

The Orion Labs team demonstrated the capabilities of classical, quantum, and hybrid machine learning onboard a CubeSat. With an array of sensors, they evaluated quantum/classical machine learning approaches on Earth observation tasks, including atmospheric gravity wave measurements or multispectral image classification and segmentation. The team demonstrated that on-board data processing and machine learning result in reduced downlink bandwidth.

Visit the Orion Labs LLC website
College Station, Texas

Texas A&M SEAK Lab

Satellite for Natural and Artificial Plumes (SNAP)

The SEAK (Systems Engineering, Architecture, and Knowledge) Lab’s SNAP technology uses visible and infrared imaging to automatically identify and classify aerosol plumes, such as fire and volcanic activity, for improved monitoring of aerosol plumes on a much finer spatial scale than was previously possible.

Visit the Texas A&M SEAK Lab website

About NASA's Flight Opportunities program

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program rapidly demonstrates promising technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital and hosted orbital testing with industry flight providers. The program matures capabilities needed for NASA missions and commercial applications while strategically investing in the growth of the U.S. commercial spaceflight industry.

Visit NASA’s Flight Opportunities program website