ESA and Mistral strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence
- The
European Space Agency (ESA) and Mistral have signed a Letter of Intent
establishing a strategic framework to deepen their collaboration on artificial
intelligence (AI). The agreement reflects a shared ambition to strengthen
Europe’s technological leadership, competitiveness and resilience in both AI
and space activities.
ESA – September 23, 2026 –The Letter of Intent was signed
in Paris on 16 September by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Mistral
CEO Arthur Mensch, marking a new step in the growing cooperation between ESA
and a major European player in the global AI landscape.
The framework will enable the two organisations to explore
strategic opportunities by combining Mistral’s expertise in advanced AI models
and infrastructure with ESA’s engineering, scientific and operational
activities.
ESA Director General said: “Artificial
intelligence is rapidly becoming a key capability for the future of space, and
ESA is already demonstrating its value through operational and research
projects. Through this strategic cooperation with Mistral, a leading European
AI company, we are taking another important step towards reinforcing Europe’s
technological leadership and resilience. Together, we aim to develop
innovative, secure and trusted AI solutions that benefit the space sector and
European society.”
The collaboration responds to the growing demand for trusted
and sovereign AI capabilities across the space sector. From processing large
volumes of Earth observation data to supporting mission design, engineering
analysis and operational decision-making, AI is becoming an important enabler
for the next generation of space activities.
Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral, said: “We’re
proud to deepen our partnership with ESA. By combining Mistral’s cutting-edge,
customizable AI stack with our industrial engineering expertise, we’ll turn
ESA’s extraordinary data into high-impact services for the space industry,
while upholding the highest standards of security, control, and sovereignty.”
The Letter of Intent provides a framework for exploring the
use of Mistral’s models, cloud infrastructure and technical capabilities in
areas including Earth observation and engineering, advanced AI capabilities for
space, and skills and knowledge development. The focus will be on practical
applications that improve engineering activities, facilitate access to
knowledge, automate repetitive tasks and support human-led technical
decision-making.
The two organisations will also examine approaches for
deploying relevant AI capabilities on European infrastructure, with appropriate
safeguards for security, resilience, traceability, auditability and the
protection of sensitive information.
The cooperation builds on existing initiatives involving ESA
and Mistral, including Orbit, a secure AI assistant supporting engineering
activities, and EVE (Earth Virtual Expert), a specialised capability developed
through ESA’s Φ-lab with European partners to support Earth observation and
Earth science.
