Supercomputers with artificial intelligence don't have a gleaming reputation as intergalactic travel pals — you know, HAL 9000 and that old yarn. But that didn’t stop space agencies from making a robot astronaut assistant anyway.
In 2018, a $6 million basketball-sized, floating computer named CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) gained fame for its interactions with Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut and geophysicist with the European Space Agency. Now, a new and improved version of the robot — CIMON-2 — launched into orbit on Thursday, where it will soon join the International Space Station crew and aid astronauts.
