AIX-1+ launched on November 28, 2025, at 10:44 a.m. PT (7:44 p.m. GMT+1) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission (Transporter 15) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and was deployed into a 520 km Sun-synchronous orbit about an hour after liftoff.
Together with the earlier AIX-1 and AIX-1p spacecraft, AIX-1+ forms a fully operational first-generation constellation designed to process information directly in orbit using a hybrid edge and cloud architecture that combines artificial intelligence, blockchain functions, and modular application deployment to deliver secure, real-time insights.
The AIX-1+ satellite operates as a digital laboratory in space, supporting domain-adaptive AI inference, app store-based experimentation, low-latency information delivery to users, and a template for scaling commercial Earth observation services.
Unlike traditional Earth observation missions that depend on ground-based processing, the AI eXpress satellites run AI analytics onboard to enable near-zero data latency, smart tasking, and autonomous decision-making, and they host an orbital Space App Store for app-based experimentation.
This architecture allows users to obtain answers quickly, reduce data handling workloads, and execute customized analytics in orbit, while partners and customers can already join the ecosystem to test, validate, or deploy their own AI models as in-orbit services.
The AI eXpress mission is led by Planetek Italia in collaboration with D-Orbit and AIKO and co-funded by the European Space Agency's InCubed programme, managed by ESA F-lab, with the aim of turning satellites into real-time data hubs through an operational and flexible in-orbit processing solution.
Giovanni Sylos Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia, said: "With this third flight of the AIX-1+ satellite we are going to demonstrate the full capacity of our SpacEdge concept, aligning sensing, onboard thinking and actions. This is a true demonstration of the strength of our alliance with D-Orbit".
"The AIX-1+ satellite marks an important milestone in our collective journey to a thriving space economy," said Viney Jean-Francois Dhiri head of Business Development for Space Cloud Services at D-Orbit. "Through our collaboration with Planetek Italia and AIKO, we're demonstrating how digital infrastructure deployed in orbit unlocks real-time intelligence and autonomous operations. By leveraging the versatility and launch frequency In Orbit Now Services, integrated with our SpaceCloud architecture, we anticipate fast-forwarding into this new era of Edge Intelligence and expanding what's possible in space".
"AI-eXpress is more than just a satellite; it's a complete, integrated ecosystem." observes Giuseppe Borghi, Head of the ESA F-lab division. "From advanced imaging to onboard AI processing and seamless data delivery, ESA has supported the development of a truly end-to-end system that delivers insights faster and more efficiently than any traditional Earth Observation approach. This marks a fundamental change in how we access and utilise space-based information".
Operationally, AI eXpress supports onboard AI models for maritime domain awareness and anomaly detection, rapid disaster response, infrastructure and land-use monitoring, and adaptive tasking and prioritization of targets.
The programme already has multiple early adopters, including Eni, which is developing low-latency AI-based onboard processing pipelines for direct delivery of actionable information to users via the AI eXpress infrastructure.
S and T, VAKE, and NOSA are using the constellation's in-orbit demonstration service to validate the REMIS intelligent monitoring technology, while Ubotica is experimenting with neural network optimization and edge-AI portability on the platform.
IBM is deploying its TerraMind.tiny foundation model on AI eXpress to support software-defined satellite services that generate real-time Earth insights at the edge.
As part of the broader AI eXpress satellite series, Microchip is using the missions to validate and characterize its PolarFire SoC and VectorBlox acceleration IP for radiation-tolerant AI-capable onboard computing; these technologies flew on earlier AI eXpress missions in 2025 and are planned for integration into D-Orbit's next-generation avionics for future in-orbit infrastructure.
By networking satellites as intelligent nodes in a distributed orbital cloud, the AI eXpress system shifts processing, analysis, and many operational decisions into space itself, establishing a model for an AI-powered space cloud for future commercial and institutional Earth observation services.
Planetek is inviting additional organizations to participate in the AI eXpress ecosystem through in-orbit experimentation, validation activities, and co-development of new services that exploit onboard AI and edge processing capabilities.
Related Links
Planetek Italia AI eXpress mission
Space Technology News - Applications and Research
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