ESA and Mistral Sign Agreement to Expand Artificial Intelligence Collaboration

PARIS — The European Space Agency (ESA) and French artificial intelligence company Mistral signed a Letter of Intent in Paris on 16 September to establish a strategic framework for deeper collaboration on artificial intelligence.

The agreement was signed by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch. According to the organisations, the framework is designed to combine Mistral's AI models and infrastructure with ESA's engineering, scientific, and operational programs to bolster European technological capabilities in AI and space.

The partnership aims to investigate the deployment of AI across several key domains, including Earth observation data processing, mission design, engineering analysis, and operational decision-making. The framework also focuses on automating repetitive tasks, facilitating knowledge access, and supporting human-led technical decisions.

ESA stated that the two entities will examine methods to deploy AI on European infrastructure while maintaining safeguards for security, resilience, traceability, auditability, and data protection.

The newly established framework expands on earlier joint work between ESA and Mistral. Existing projects include Orbit, an AI assistant used for engineering support, and EVE (Earth Virtual Expert), a tool developed through ESA's Φ-lab alongside European partners to assist with Earth science and observation.

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