TASHKENT  –  Uzbekistan has successfully launched the Samarkand-2028 hyperspectral satellite, Qazinform News Agency reports. The satellite was assembled jointly with China’s STAR.VISION company. It was launched from a sea-based launch platform off the coast of Shandong Province, China. “As part of the project, specialists from the Uzbekcosmos Agency developed an artificial intelligence module that enables hyperspectral data to be processed directly onboard the satellite. This capability significantly improves the efficiency of data transmission and analysis while expanding the practical application of AI in space technologies,” the Uzbek Ministry of Digital Technologies says. The “Samarkand-2028” mission expands the application of space technologies in agriculture, environmental protection, natural resource monitoring, water resource management, disaster risk reduction, urban planning, and other strategically important sectors, according to the ministry. The mission marks one of the largest international space projects in Uzbekistan’s history and represents a significant milestone in the country’s national space program.

It also further strengthens scientific and technological cooperation between Uzbekistan and China