According to Han Park, vice president of artificial intelligence integration at Northrop Grumman Space Systems, the technology represents a major leap forward for aerospace engineering.
“Physics AI is the next level of complexity in artificial intelligence and Northrop Grumman is putting this capability in the hands of our design engineers to dramatically accelerate hardware development,” Park said.
“Using AI to create something as small as a spacecraft thruster sets the stage for much bigger advances – including AI-designed large-scale components and potentially even entire spacecraft.”
The project is being developed using Luminary Cloud’s Physics AI platform, supported by Nvidia’s computer-aided engineering team. Northrop Grumman is drawing on its decades of expertise in propulsion physics to train an AI model that can design higher-performing thruster nozzles with greater speed and precision than traditional methods.
Tim Costa, director of accelerated computing at Nvidia, said the collaboration demonstrates the transformative potential of AI and high-performance computing in aerospace design.
“It’s something special to help Northrop Grumman supercharge innovation on complex spacecraft system design using Nvidia technology,” Costa said.
“By combining Nvidia’s accelerated computing with Luminary Cloud’s Physics AI platform, Northrop Grumman has shown how AI can rapidly optimise thruster nozzle designs and unlock new efficiencies.”
The partnership marks another step in Northrop Grumman’s broader strategy to integrate AI across its advanced systems portfolio, with the goal of shortening development timelines and improving performance across future space missions.
Together, Northrop Grumman, Luminary Cloud and Nvidia are laying the groundwork for the next generation of AI-driven spacecraft design from fine-tuning propulsion systems to developing fully AI-optimised platforms.
Northrop Grumman is one of the world’s leading aerospace and defence technology companies, providing innovative solutions that connect and protect people while advancing humanity’s reach across the solar system.