Software is the backbone of this artificial
intelligence. Dr. de Lafontaine and his staff
develop the code that goes into a com-
puter, which in turn runs and manages the
movement of various means of transport
in space.
The first type of vehicle NGC worked on
was the satellite. Presently, there are four
satellites (PROBA-1, PROBA-2, PROBA-V
and Sentinel 3A) in orbit that exhibit a high
level of intelligence due to the company’s
technology.
Traditionally, the successful operation of a
satellite depended on ground operators. A
long list of commands was prepared made,
and calculations were done on ground and
sent to the satellite days in advance. The
satellite then read these commands and
executed them in a dummy fashion. NGC
ended this type of satellite when it put all
of the intelligence of ground operators into
a software onboard the satellite. Referred
to as the Attitude Control and Navigation
System (ACNS), the software allows for
autonomous navigation, guidance and
control of the vehicle. The implications
of this are mind-blowing — the satellite
can orient itself using celestial bodies like
stars. It now knows which country it hov-
ers above using GPS satellites.
SEPTEMBER 2016
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