Satellite remote sensing technology significantly contributes to intelligent transportation by optimizing traffic planning via global perspectives and rich data, enhancing traffic efficiency and reducing environmental impact. However, current target detection models frequently exhibit low accuracy in vehicle detection tasks due to complex background interference in satellite imageries and a need for critical semantic information. To improve vehicle target detection accuracy, this study introduces SatDetX-YOLO, a vehicle detection model for satellite remote sensing images based on YOLOv8. The model involves reconstructing the backbone network with FasterNet for enhanced feature extraction, a redesigned decoupled head for improved computational efficiency and complex data processing, and incorporating the Deformable Attention Module (DAM) to increase sensitivity to small targets and feature correlation capture. Employing the Maximum Probabilistic Distance IoU (MPDIoU) loss function enhances adaptability and generalization to diverse vehicle targets. Experimental results demonstrate that under comparable FPS, SatDetX-YOLO’s Precision (P), Recall (R), and Mean Average Precision (mAP) improved by 3.5%, 3.3%, and 3.2%, respectively. Despite a minor reduction in FPS, the model significantly enhances detection accuracy, striking a balance between accuracy and speed.

Satellite remote sensing technology significantly aids road traffic monitoring through its broad observational scope and data richness. However, accurately detecting micro-vehicle targets in satellite imagery is challenging due to complex backgrounds and limited semantic information hindering traditional object detection models. To overcome these issues, this paper presents the NanoSight–YOLO model, a specialized adaptation of YOLOv8, to boost micro-vehicle detection. This model features an advanced feature extraction network, incorporates a transformer-based attention mechanism to emphasize critical features, and improves the loss function and BBox regression for enhanced accuracy. A unique micro-target detection layer tailored for satellite imagery granularity is also introduced. Empirical evaluations show improvements of 12.4% in precision and 11.5% in both recall and mean average precision (mAP) in standard tests. Further validation of the DOTA dataset highlights the model’s adaptability and generalization across various satellite scenarios, with increases of 3.6% in precision, 6.5% in recall, and 4.3% in mAP. These enhancements confirm NanoSight–YOLO’s efficacy in complex satellite imaging environments, representing a significant leap in satellite-based traffic monitoring.