A new CIMON for the International Space Station (ISS): CIMON-2 (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) lifted off on its journey into space on 5 December 2019. This modified version of the astronaut assistant has been equipped for new tasks and was developed and built in Germany. Like its predecessor, CIMON-2 will be deployed in the Columbus European research module. CIMON is a free-flying, spherical technology demonstrator for human-machine interaction and features artificial intelligence. "CIMON-1 – our prototype – landed back on Earth on 27 August 2019 after spending 14 months on the ISS, and has now arrived at Airbus in Friedrichshafen," says Dr Christian Karrasch, CIMON Project Manager at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration in Bonn.

One of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's autonomous Astrobee robots is operating on the International Space Station. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astrobee robot is now up and running on the International Space Station (ISS). The goal of the robot, named Bumble, for its first autonomous mission was to undock itself, follow a flight plan consisting of a list of waypoints and objectives uploaded to the robot from the ground, and then return to its dock in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the ISS. So far, the biggest hurdle to the robot accomplishing its goals has been getting its localization to work in a robust way. The robot navigates visually, but it is dependent on preexisting maps rather than doing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

The Crew Interactive Mobile CompaniON (CIMON) mobile astronaut assistant, which is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), returned to Earth on 27 August 2019. The SpaceX CRS-18 Dragon spacecraft carrying CIMON was undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 16:59 CEST; the capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 480 kilometres southwest of Los Angeles and was recovered at 22:21 CEST. "We expect CIMON to return to Germany at the end of October," reports Christian Karrasch, CIMON Project Manager at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration. He looks back on the past few months: "CIMON is a technology demonstration that has completely met our expectations. During its initial operation in space – a 90-minute mission with the German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst on the ISS in November 2018 – it showed that it functions well in microgravity conditions and can interact successfully with astronauts. We are very proud to have been the first to use AI on the Space Station and have been working for several months on an improved successor model. With CIMON, we were able to lay the foundations for human assistance systems in space to support astronauts in their tasks and perhaps, in the future, to take over some of their work."

Bengaluru: As India's second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, is poised to make a soft landing on the southern surface of the moon in the early hours of Saturday, the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered rover of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), will play a significant role in this mission's success. Christened'Pragyan' (wisdom in Sanskrit), the homegrown solar-powered robotic vehicle that will manoeuvre the lunar surface on six wheels, comprises a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) from the Laboratory for Electro Optic Systems (LEOS) in Bengaluru to identify elements present near the landing site, and an Alpha Particle Induced X-ray Spectroscope (APIXS) from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad that will inspect the composition of the elements near the landing site. The AI-powered Pragyan rover, which can communicate only with the Lander, includes a piece of motion technology developed by IIT-Kanpur researchers that will help the rover manoeuvre on the surface of the moon and aid in landing. The algorithm will help the rover trace water and other minerals on the lunar surface, and also send pictures for research and examination. Homegrown Pragyan is simply a case in point that AI has been gathering pace in space exploration over the years.

A dedicated team is extending IBM's cloud-based technology to outer space, and bringing us one step closer to a science fiction future where intelligent talking helper robots collaborate with astronauts. At the end of June, a SpaceX rocket carried an autonomous AI device to the six astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The historic launch carried 5,900 pounds of cargo which reportedly included a delivery of ice cream -- plus some fresh blueberries and some "super-caffeinated coffee." And 11 pounds of that was a talking robot, roughly one foot in diameter. All of its plastic and metal was generated by 3D printers.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will welcome a new passenger later this year: a floating, talking robot. Cimon, a free-flying ball-shaped robot with a smiling face, an appreciation of music and a vocabulary of more than 1,000 sentences, is set to join the crew of the ISS. Short for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, Cimon is designed to float and fly around the ISS offering technical help, warning of system failures and dangers, and providing a source of entertainment. Free-flying drone Cimon, pictured, is'taught' to recognize a face. He has an artificially intelligent brain, an eight inch display screen, and uses propeller-driven thrusters to move about in weightless conditions.

This article contains an overview of recent and ongoing projects at Boeing's Huntsville Advanced Computing Group (ACG). In addition, it contains an overview of some of the work being conducted by Boeing's Advanced Civil Space Systems Group. One aspect of ACG's charter is to support the efforts of other groups at Boeing. Thus, AI is not considered a stand-alone field but, instead, is considered an area that can be used to find both long- and short-term solutions for Boeing and its customers. All the projects listed here represent a team effort on the part of both ACG researchers and members of other Boeing organizations.