AstroForge Builds Solo AI to Troubleshoot Spacecraft Without Earth Commands

AstroForge is pursuing a spacecraft that can respond to problems without waiting for Earth. It has built Solo, an onboard control system it plans to test on DeepSpace-2 before a planned autonomous flight in 2027.

The failure Solo is meant to address

AstroForge’s Odin launched into deep space in 2025, but communication difficulties meant the company could not regain control. Both of AstroForge’s prototype spacecraft have suffered anomalies that prevented them from achieving most mission objectives.

A narrow system for specific failures

AstroForge describes Solo as constrained autonomy, not a general-purpose spacecraft pilot. The stack combines conventional control software, models trained on test data for individual systems, and an intelligence layer trained on data from about 2,500 spacecraft sensors.

The intended job is anomaly response. AstroForge says Solo could link a power problem to star-tracker trouble after a craft loses its position, then toggle the affected system. That proposed capability remains unproven in orbit.

Traditional control algorithms remain common in spacecraft autonomy because neural-network reliability is a concern. AstroForge is adding its model layer to conventional controls rather than claiming it has solved general spacecraft autonomy.

The software around the experiment

DeepSpace-2’s baseline software is designed to handle operations onboard rather than through continuous direct commanding after launch.

Two planned operating modes

• Safe Mode is among the modes AstroForge describes for DeepSpace-2.
• Minimum Power Mode is another named mode in the planned architecture.

A staged path to a harder handoff

DeepSpace-2 is expected to launch alongside Intuitive Machines’ third lunar mission by the end of 2026. AstroForge says Solo will run in shadow mode so its engineers can put the system through its paces before the Autonomy-1 mission.

The 2027 mission is planned for Stock Space’s first rocket, with NASA backing and an aim of gathering scientific data about the Sun. Chief executive Matthew Gialich said he does not currently plan to include radios able to receive commands from Earth, though that decision could change before launch.