AI-controlled mini satellite captures stunning first images of Earth as art
Incredible first images from a new AI-controlled mini satellite show the Earth as art.
The European Space Agency (ESA) say satellite Φsat-2, pronounced phisat-2 and the size of a shoebox, has completed its commissioning and has begun delivery of science data.
It uses algorithms to efficiently process and compress Earth observation images, as well as detect wildfires, ships, marine pollution and more.
Fsat-2 view of Port Said, Egypt. (Pix via ESA/Open Cosmos / SWNS)
Fsat-2 view of Bahia Blanca Estuary in Argentina. (Pix via ESA/Open Cosmos / SWNS)
Orbiting at an altitude of 510 km, its AI capabilities include selecting images with clear visibility, while discarding images obscured by cloud cover.
The algorithms can also detect and analyse disaster areas, for example zones affected by wildfires, earthquakes or floods, and identify access routes for emergency response teams. It can also be used to detect ships, gather data on illegal fishing and marine pollution.
The cubesat, measuring 22 x 10 x 33 cm, was launched in August 2024 and the first image was delivered four days after launch.
This true-colour image, showing the city of Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian state of Tyrol, was captured on 2 May 2025. (Pix via ESA/Open Cosmos / SWNS)
This true-colour image shows sediment off the coast of Carthage, in the Gulf of Tunis in Tunisia. (Pix via ESA/Open Cosmos / SWNS)
Since then, the Φsat-2 team has spent nine months commissioning the satellite’s multispectral imager and its onboard AI applications, which carry out a range of activities.
To mark the transition from commissioning to science phase, five images have been showcased to show a range of capabilities for various end-uses over diverse types of terrain.
Φsat-2, pronounced phisat-2, is a 6U cubesat that will further demonstrate the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for innovative Earth observation. (Pix via ESA/Open Cosmos / SWNS)
All images are true colour using red, green and blue spectral bands, except for the image of the Bahia Blanca Estuary, which is false colour using near-infrared spectral band.
The Φsat-2 satellite captured stunning imagery of the Clavering Øer glaciers in Greenland, the Bahia Blanca Estuary in Argentina, the city of Innsbruck in Austria, sediment in the Gulf of Tunis in Tunisia, and ships in Port Said, Egypt.
