Space missions are becoming more complex due to the increased sensitivity and capability of onboard instruments and the need to use multiple spacecraft to accomplish more challenging tasks. To meet this complexity, current ground and space operations will need to use new paradigms to implement these missions while keeping costs affordable. Automation will play a fundamental role in that sense by reducing the costs and increasing the efficiency and performance of spacecraft. In this context, the Italian start-up company AIKO is developing state–of–the–art AI algorithms for space applications where the most recent technologies in deep learning, expert systems, and intelligent agents are used to process spacecraft data generated during a mission in order to take decisions autonomously without relying on ground station operations.