BIFROST, a joint satellite initiative between Denmark and Sweden, is delivering maritime situational awareness from orbit by identifying and documenting vessel activity, regardless of whether or not the vessel concerned is broadcasting its position and without requiring ground infrastructure.
Terma has engineered the onboard AI solution for BIFROST, which is being undertaken in collaboration between the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). Instead of delivering raw satellite imagery, defence operators receive actionable findings that support faster, better-informed operational decisions. BIFROST provides evidence-grade insight into maritime activity in remote areas that no surface or airborne asset can economically cover.
The mission is currently in its testing phase, with the first BIFROST satellite images now being received and used to validate the AI model against real operational data. As BIFROST moves toward a full operational demonstration, it is establishing the technical foundation for a new generation of space-enabled sovereign defence systems, where situational awareness and intelligence is built into the architecture, not added afterwards.
Mats Warstedt, Terma’s SVP Space, commented “This mission shows our ability to deliver advanced situational awareness capabilities in demanding operational environments under the hard constraints of space. It creates a strong foundation for the next generation of space-enabled defence solutions.”
Headline image: A rendering of the BIFROST satellite mission. (Terma A/S)
