ImageSat International (ISI) announced on 2 December that its RUNNER satellite – already operational for over three years – is delivering real-time movement tracking from orbit.
The company asserts that “[…] real-time insights, powered by onboard AI and embedded AI agents, mark a new era of dynamic intelligence, fundamentally changing how organizations access and use space-based intelligence.”
RUNNER’s capabilities lift satellite intelligence from static images to live, actionable data for military and intelligence community operators as well as civilian agencies concerned with infrastructure monitoring, urban management and crisis response. The system’s advanced capabilities come about as a result of a unique multi-sensor architecture, highly effective image stabilization and fault-tolerant hardware, supported by a deep well of operational experience over decades. RUNNER’s embedded AI agents overlay eight onboard GPU processors, enabling live classification and analysis of movement in seconds, offering operators useful decision support and insight in applications in which timing and context are critical.
“RUNNER changes the rules for satellite intelligence,” observes Noam Segal, ISI’s CEO. “For the first time, analysts and operators have instant access to dynamic movement tracking, embedded AI agents and actual intelligence data, at the speed of operations and tailored for warfighter needs”.
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According to the company, its ‘secret sauce’ lies in a decades-long proprietary intelligence data archive. It claims to be the world’s first satellite company deploying generative AI models trained exclusively on its own unique database. While that aspect of the system on offer certainly addresses some of the major concerns for nations and agencies seeking to procure third-party intelligence support, it scarcely boosts confidence in the operator’s ability to maintain sovereign control over its own mission outcomes. A thorny issue and one that ISI is bound to have considered in minute detail. It will be interesting to see how this ‘intelligence as a service’ aspect of the RUNNER solution develops over time – particularly for commercial clients for whom data protection and integrity are sacrosanct.
RUNNER image of San Francisco International Airport courtesy ISI
