Regarded as one of the “game-changing” cutting-edge technologies by the main powers， artificial intelligence （AI） is expected to improve the reliability， rapidity， and autonomy of space equipment and exert a disruptive impact. In this study， the development state of AI and its applications in space equipment are briefly analyzed. Then， the application architecture of AI in space equipment is established. On this basis， the application scenes of AI in space equipment is studied from several aspects， such as launch vehicles， satellite communications， satellite remote sensing， satellite navigation， manned spacecraft， and space situational awareness according to the dimensions of going into space， utilizing space， and controlling space. Finally， the trends of AI applications in space equipment are summarized. This work can be a reference for the development of AI applications in space equipment in China.