Satlyt Tests Orbital Computing Software in Space

Satlyt says it has completed an in-orbit test of software designed to assign computing tasks across satellite networks, in a NASA-funded project with the University of Houston. One physical computer aboard a spacecraft ran the software, which evaluated a simulated network of four computing hosts, four users and eight services, then generated and returned a task plan. The test showed the software could plan computing assignments using orbital hardware, but did not demonstrate separate satellites exchanging data or performing shared workloads. Satlyt says its software is installed on three satellites and aims to let operators set limits and priorities while software allocates available computing resources. The company says broader testing across hardware, workloads and connectivity—and testing with multiple physical spacecraft—will be needed before its larger vision is validated.