Altair-1 Reaches Orbit Running Mistral AI Models on NVIDIA Hardware
The deployment puts large language model inference directly on an orbital satellite, enabling autonomous Earth observation without round-trip ground communication. The planned 50-satellite scale means the system, if completed, would provide continuous AI-generated alerts for time-sensitive queries.
Altair-1, the first satellite in a planned 50-satellite constellation, has reached orbit carrying NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin modules running Mistral's Ministral 3 model for real-time Earth observation. The satellite was integrated by Loft Orbital and built in Abu Dhabi by Orbitworks, a joint venture between Loft Orbital and Marlan Space. The constellation is described as a $1 billion program designed to deliver AI-generated alerts to users within minutes.
Altair-1 reached orbit carrying NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin modules running Mistral's Ministral 3 model for autonomous Earth observation, confirmed October 13.
The satellite was integrated by Loft Orbital and built in Abu Dhabi by Orbitworks, a joint venture between Loft Orbital and Marlan Space. Mistral said the constellation is designed to deliver AI-generated alerts to users within minutes, with the program described as a $1 billion, 50-satellite effort of which Altair-1 is the first.
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