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Satlyt tests orbital software to share compute among satellites
Satlyt said a NASA-funded test this month ran its task-planning software on one spacecraft computer, TechCrunch reported.
- New headline Was: “Satlyt takes another step toward turning satellites into space data centers”
- Our desk filed its story
Satlyt said it completed an in-orbit software test earlier this month intended to help satellites share computing work, according to TechCrunch1.
The startup, founded in 2024 by Rama Afullo, is building software meant to turn existing spacecraft into networked processors, similar to an orbital data-center concept1.
TechCrunch reported the trial followed 13 months of work with the University of Houston on a NASA-funded research project1.
In the test, Satlyt created a simulated network of four computers, four users and eight services, and the software assigned tasks based on available compute and communications1.
Only one physical computer on a spacecraft in orbit ran the software; the other three machines were simulations, and results were sent back to Earth1.
Afullo told TechCrunch users of the system will only need to define permissions, priorities, and operating limits1.
The company said its software is already on three satellites, and that NASA has not selected the technology for a particular mission1.
Afullo said the finding involved a trade-off, with one approach working best but using more computing power than others1.
The team also found the software stamped delays as arrival time rather than elapsed delay, he said, while still calling onboard execution and return of outputs a success1.
Satlyt said it still needs tests under varied workloads, hardware and connectivity, plus operator permission, secure transfers and recovery when links fail, with next steps aimed at sharing work across separate spacecraft1.
