SONATE-2 demonstrated the ability to train its onboard AI models for detecting anomalies on the Earth's surface directly in orbit within one year after launch.
The Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz funded the SONATE-2 mission.
Professor Hakan Kayal leads the Professur für Raumfahrttechnik team that operates SONATE-2.
The SONATE-2 mission performs steering, monitoring, and data reception entirely locally at JMU’s Mission Control Center on the Campus Hubland since launch.
SONATE-2 was developed at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU).
WüSpace e.V. operates SONATE-2 jointly with JMU, providing students with hands-on experience in satellite operations and mission planning.
The operational APRS digipeater on SONATE-2 has led to widespread international use by the amateur radio community.
Pyxis Space GmbH was founded as a startup based on the technologies and expertise developed through the SONATE-2 mission.
SONATE-2 has operated continuously for two years and continues to deliver data after prolonged exposure to harsh space conditions.
SONATE-2 launched on 4 March 2024.
The primary mission of SONATE-2 centered on testing novel hardware and software for artificial intelligence under extreme space conditions.
SONATE-2 carries an amateur radio APRS digipeater payload that enables amateur radio operators worldwide to exchange digital short messages and position data via the satellite.
SONATE-2 is integrated into JMU’s teaching and functions as a 'flying lecture hall' for students in aerospace informatics and related disciplines.
SONATE-2 is a shoebox-sized nanosatellite that completes roughly 15 orbits of the Earth per day.
SONATE-2 successfully identified objects in the desert, including the Nile River and its adjacent green areas.
The Sahara was chosen as the target area for anomaly detection by SONATE-2.
SONATE-2 is expected to function for another one and a half years before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and burning up.
SONATE-2 has achieved all its mission goals, including training an artificial intelligence on board.
Despite the official end of the mission, SONATE-2 remains fully operational and will continue to be operated.
SONATE-2 took 270 photos and stored them in two datasets containing 90 and 180 images.