Professor’s Research on Space Debris Informs Hands-on AI Education

Earth’s orbit is growing more crowded every year. Thousands of satellites, spent rocket bodies and fragments of debris now circle the planet at high speeds, creating risks for GPS systems, communications and future space missions.  

Space debris in Earth orbit creates growing risks for satellites and future missions 

With increased orbital traffic, accurately identifying space debris has become a pressing challenge — a challenge that one Cedarville University professor is using to test the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence (AI). 

Cedarville computer science professor partners with Air Force Academy space research center 

Dr. George Landon, head of computer science and cyber operations at Cedarville University, is working with the Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (CSSAR) at the United States Air Force Academy to improve how space debris is identified and classified using ground-based telescopic data. Because space debris is often small and moves rapidly, much of that data is limited and noisy, with objects sometimes appearing as little more than single pixels moving across a telescope’s field of view. 

That makes the task difficult for traditional analysis, but Landon found that it could benefit from narrowly focused AI. Through their research, Landon and his colleagues confirmed that specialized AI can help identify and classify space objects. 

AMOS 2025 conference presentation shares AI research on space surveillance 

Landon presented his research at the 2025 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) conference, a leading technical conference focused on space surveillance. His research reached organizations like NASA, Amazon and SpaceX, all of which share concerns about the dangers posed by space debris. 

Landon’s research was not a simple process. “AI can be great for specific problems like this one,” said Landon. “But when you’re working with real-world data sets, it’s never straightforward.” 

The research process involved limited data and constant trial and error, resulting in gradual, imperfect progress. “Methods that looked great on paper often failed in their real-world applications,” said Landon.  

Real-world artificial intelligence shows limits, shaping AI literacy in the classroom 

The experience convinced him that real-world AI is messy and constrained — progress is incremental, and many problems never feel “finished.” As a professor at Cedarville University, Landon wants to teach his students the same thing. He deliberately brings that messiness into the classroom, showing students research examples where the model only partially works or where data is noisy and incomplete. 

His goal is to show students that AI literacy goes beyond just knowing how to build models. It involves understanding what those models can and cannot do — and being able to explain those capabilities and limitations clearly. “We don’t want students to be scared of AI, but we also don’t want them to have a higher view of it than they should. We want to prepare them to use it and take advantage of it but to be skeptical of it too.” 

Cedarville students join AI research to track rocket bodies and reduce collision risk 

As Landon has continued his work with the CSSAR, he has recruited two current students to join the research. Doxa Kudari, a junior double-majoring in computer science and cyber operations from Bloomington, Illinois, and Elijah Lewis, a senior majoring in computer science from Willard, Ohio, are helping Landon develop AI that can identify and understand how rocket bodies move in orbit, work that could help reduce collision risks or guide future debris removal efforts. 

About Cedarville University 

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.