SPAICE Technology

SPAICE Technology Ltd is a London-based company founded in 2023 that develops artificial intelligence software for autonomous operations in space and defense. The company's core offering is a spatial AI software designed for perception, navigation, and robotic operations, enabling satellites to autonomously navigate and conduct missions. This technology is focused on scaling up In-Orbit Services (IOS), such as satellite life extension and active debris removal, a market segment that has been historically limited by high costs and tailored operations.

The company was founded by CEO Matteo Cuccorese and CTO Guillem Garrofé Montoliu. Cuccorese has a background in Aerospace Engineering and a Master's in AI from Imperial College London, with prior experience at AI startups and in collaborations with major aerospace firms like Thales Alenia Space. Montoliu is a Computer Scientist and Electronics Engineer with over seven years of research experience in multimodal sensing and robotics, also holding a Master's in AI from Imperial College London. The founding team comes from institutions including Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, and Oxford.

SPAICE's business model centers on being a technology enabler for the space industry. It provides its software through a plug-and-play kit that can be integrated into existing satellites, transforming them into multi-tasking robotic servicers. This approach aims to make in-orbit services more accessible and cost-effective, addressing the 99% of the satellite market not currently served by these capabilities. The technology leverages Generative AI and Deep Reinforcement Learning and is supported by a proprietary dataset of over one million photorealistic images of orbiting assets. Beyond space, the company's data-driven technology has dual-use applications in terrestrial, underwater, and aerial domains. SPAICE is backed by several entities, including ESA, the UK Space Agency Accelerator, and Innovate UK.

Keywords: In-Orbit Services, Spatial AI, autonomous navigation, satellite servicing, debris removal, space robotics, situational awareness, guidance navigation and control, edge computing in space, rendezvous and proximity operations, machine learning, computer vision, space and defense, satellite life extension, dual-use technology, sustainable space economy