China deploys AI on its space station to help astronauts in extravehicular activities

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – China has for the first time deployed an artificial intelligence (AI) system aboard its orbiting space station to assist astronauts with extravehicular activities, state-run media reported on Saturday.

The AI system, known as "Wukong AI," was delivered by the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft and has been designed to provide astronauts with specialized, real-time support, according to Global Times.

Wukong AI, based on domestic open-source models, integrates crewed spaceflight mission requirements with tailored pre-training and fine-tuning, creating a domain-specific knowledge base centered on spaceflight standards.

"Wukong AI provides rapid and effective information support for astronauts' complex in-orbit operations and emergency troubleshooting," Zou Pengfei of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center told state broadcaster CCTV.

According to Zou, astronauts can ask Wukong AI about daily tasks, and during their work, they may inquire about guidelines.

On Friday, the Shenzhou-20 crew completed their third spacewalk, spending six and a half hours outside the station, assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a ground control team.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid