NTU Partners Japanese Firm Fusic to Build AI-Powered Satellite Ground Systems
Source: NTU Singapore
NTU Singapore and Japanese tech firm Fusic are collaborating to develop AI-enabled ground systems for managing next-generation satellite constellations. The partnership will explore how AI can assist with routine satellite operations, mission scheduling, and ground-station allocation, addressing the growing complexity of managing larger satellite fleets.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japanese technology company Fusic to explore the development of AI-enabled ground systems for managing increasingly large and complex satellite constellations. The agreement was signed at SPACETIDE 2026 in Tokyo as Singapore and Japan mark 60 years of diplomatic relations.
The collaboration will study how AI could assist ground-control teams with routine satellite operations, mission scheduling, ground-station allocation, and early detection of technical problems. The proposed systems are designed to automate routine tasks with human oversight, helping operators respond more quickly and manage larger satellite fleets more efficiently. The European Space Agency has projected that around 100,000 satellites could be in orbit by 2030.
Under the partnership, NTU's Satellite Research Centre (SaRC) — which has designed, built, tested, and operated 13 satellites since Singapore's first locally built satellite, X-SAT, launched in 2011 — will combine its operational expertise with Fusic's capabilities in cloud computing, AI, and software engineering. The partners plan to test software concepts using realistic mission scenarios, with future NTU satellite missions potentially validating selected technologies.
Singapore and Japan upgraded their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in March 2026, agreeing to deepen cooperation in AI, automation, deep technology, and secure digital systems. The MoU was one of three key space-related agreements involving Singapore organisations at the conference, including a cooperation agreement between the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) and JAXA.
Why it matters for Singapore: This partnership places Singapore's space sector at the intersection of two rapidly growing domains — satellite constellations and AI-driven automation. As satellite numbers surge globally, the ability to manage them efficiently through AI-enabled ground systems gives Singapore's space ecosystem a differentiated capability that could support commercial operators across the Asia-Pacific region, strengthens NTU's spin-off pipeline (Zero-Error Systems, Aliena), and deepens the Singapore-Japan technology corridor.