The Sequoia ID/IQ contract will support the Maven Program, "which applies AI capabilities to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors and platforms, primarily through computer vision," the NGA announcement said.
China has launched 29 satellites through Sept. 30, compared 27 launched by the US. The US has far more satellites already in space.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping adversarial cyber operations at machine speed, requiring defenders to increase operational tempo while imposing pain and cost.
Tal Inbar, senior space analyst at the Space Research Center of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, says that Arab space initiatives pose no threat at the moment.