Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ: FLY) announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to integrate on-orbit processing capabilities for its Ocula Moon imaging service. The partnership involves embedding an NVIDIA Jetson module on high-resolution telescopes built by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which were delivered to Firefly's spacecraft facility for integration on its Elytra orbital vehicle.

The Ocula service will launch as part of Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 2, targeted for late 2026. The Elytra spacecraft will operate in lunar orbit for approximately five years, capturing continuous imagery for lunar surface mapping, mineral detection, and reconnaissance missions.

The NVIDIA Jetson module will enable Firefly's AI software to process lunar imagery data on-orbit before transmitting results to Earth. This approach addresses bandwidth and latency constraints associated with deep-space communications by converting raw imagery into processed insights before downlink.

"Ocula is set to be the first commercial lunar imaging and mapping service available on the market," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. The company stated that other government-owned satellites in lunar orbit are approaching end of life.

Deepu Talla, vice president of Robotics and Edge AI at NVIDIA, noted that the integration enables "autonomous, on-orbit AI processing that transforms raw lunar imagery into actionable insights in real time."

The AI-powered software will also provide space domain awareness capabilities in lunar orbit, using algorithms previously deployed in Earth orbit missions. Following Blue Ghost Mission 2, Firefly has contracts to deploy two additional Elytra vehicles through Blue Ghost Mission 3 and Mission 4.

The information is based on a company press release statement.