Loft Orbital Altair-1 Satellite Combines Five Sensors With AI Computing for Earth Observation
Satellite infrastructure company Loft Orbital has deployed the Loft Orbital Altair-1 satellite to support two Earth observation programmes operated by France's space agency, CNES. The spacecraft combines five sensing capabilities with onboard computing, allowing it to collect different types of information and run AI applications directly in orbit.
Altair-1 launched on October 1, 2026, aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission. It marks the first delivery under CNES's Multi-Sensor High Revisit (MS-HR) programme and the first mission completed by Loft under the agency's In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) initiative. Loft announced the milestone on October 27.
Five sensing capabilities on one satellite
The Loft Orbital Altair-1 satellite brings together five sensing technologies on a shared spacecraft platform:
High-resolution optical: Captures detailed images of the Earth's surface.
Shortwave infrared (SWIR): Provides information about materials and surface conditions that may not be visible in ordinary optical imagery.
Thermal infrared (TIR): Detects heat signatures and temperature differences.
Hyperspectral imaging: Collects information across numerous spectral bands to help identify materials and environmental characteristics.
Radiofrequency (RF): Detects and analyses radio-frequency signals from the ground.
Combining these capabilities allows the spacecraft to collect different forms of information over the same areas. This can help government users investigate activities, monitor environmental changes and respond to events without relying on separate satellites for every sensing requirement.
NVIDIA computing brings AI processing into orbit
Altair-1 also incorporates NVIDIA GPUs for onboard computing. This allows AI models and software applications to process information directly in space rather than sending all raw observations to Earth before analysis.
Onboard processing can help identify relevant observations, filter data and flag changes that require further attention. This approach could reduce the time between collecting satellite information and delivering useful results to users.
The system also relies on ground-based processing. Magellium Artal Group supports payload calibration, image-quality monitoring and the processing of observations into usable data products.
This combination of onboard computing and ground expertise is intended to make Earth observation services more responsive. It also allows satellite operators to manage different customer applications through shared infrastructure.
Two CNES programmes use the same satellite infrastructure
The first programme, MS-HR, is a multi-year contract awarded to Loft Orbital in partnership with Magellium Artal Group under France 2030. It is intended to provide high-resolution, high-revisit Earth observation services to French institutional users.
Potential applications include civil security, maritime awareness, disaster response, environmental monitoring and defence. The broader MS-HR programme envisages a ten-satellite constellation, with the complete service demonstration expected by the end of 2027.
The second programme is CNES's IOD/IOV initiative, which gives French technology companies access to orbit to validate new space capabilities. Altair-1 carries SEEING 230 Ident, a compact optical imaging instrument developed by Safran Reosc. Magellium supports its in-orbit calibration and image-quality validation.
A shared platform for future space missions
Altair-1 demonstrates how satellite infrastructure can accommodate several instruments and customer missions on one platform. Loft provides the spacecraft infrastructure and mission operations, while specialist partners contribute sensing technologies and data-processing capabilities.
The satellite was assembled and tested in Abu Dhabi by Orbitworks, a joint venture between Loft Orbital and Marlan Space. Its deployment also supports the development of the UAE's commercial satellite manufacturing capabilities.
The Loft Orbital Altair-1 satellite is an early milestone in a wider shift towards multi-sensor spacecraft with onboard AI. Its longer-term value will depend on the quality of the data it delivers, the reliability of its instruments and how effectively the system serves operational users as the broader constellation expands.
