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#24. Embedded Linux in Space
Here are this week's 3 links worth exploring:
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A panel discussion at the recent Embedded Open Source Summit (EOSS) about embedded Linux in space, featuring participants drawn from industry, NASA, and academia. Linux is being deployed in an increasing number of missions, and in areas where the default choice has traditionally been Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) there is a push to make the Linux kernel capable of "hard" realtime execution: https://youtu.be/LDtNld9-ISg
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A smartphone is (almost) a satellite - radio, computer, battery, camera, and gyro - but with no solar-powered array attached for external power (too unwieldy for texting). Open source is running on billions of embedded devices on Earth and is now finding its way into hundreds of space deployments. Linux can be found running on single-processor CubeSats all the way across multiple controllers on rockets. "Open Source in Orbit and Beyond": https://youtu.be/l_LbbvA0NiU
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VZLUSAT-2 is a CubeSat project developed by the Czech Aerospace Research Centre (VZLU). Launched in January 2022, its still in operation and successfully engaged in Earth observation tasks. Open source is in use throughout the project: the satellite runs Linux on its payload computer, MicroPython is used for attitude control, telemetry is provided via SatNOGS. Radiation makes space a tough environment for a satellite, and historically missions have deployed very expensive "RadHard" components. The project is exploring the suitability of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components - an example being the satellite's camera - to lower costs for greater space access: https://youtu.be/duKSXMB-AmU
Quote of the Week: "There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew." — Marshall McLuhan
Onward!
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