A Meeting of Minds? How the Incorporation of AI into Space Activities Will Alter the Applicable Regulatory Framework

[Extract] On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts have increasingly relied on the support of CIMON, the astronaut robotic assistant, which was developed and built by Airbus for the German Aerospace Center Space Administration (DLR). The system, which has recently been updated with CIMON-2, is able to move to specific point inside the ISS on the basis of verbal commands. It is used to perform routine tasks, such as documenting experiments, searching for objects and taking inventory, as well as explaining complex information and instructions regarding scientific experiments and repairs to the vehicle. The capabilities of this AI-driven ‘robot’ will undoubtedly assist even more complex activities on the ISS in the future.