LEOcloud to send Space Edge datacenter to ISS

Debra Werner May 29, 2024

Collected at : https://spacenews.com/leocloud-to-send-space-edge-datacenter-to-iss/

SAN FRANCISCO – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the International Space Station National Laboratory, is offering LEOcloud an opportunity to demonstrate its Space Edge Infrastructure as a Service.

Under a cooperative agreement announced May 29, LEOcloud will install its first-generation Space Edge virtualized micro datacenter on ISS.

“Our target is to get to the ISS by the end of 2025,” Dennis Gatens, LEOcloud CEO and founder, told SpaceNews by email.

Through LEOcloud’s Service Management System, customers will be able to reserve cloud resources and migrate applications from the terrestrial cloud to the space-based cloud. Sierra Space, Microsoft and Red Hat are LEOcloud partners for the technology demonstration and commercialization project.

Potential customers for LEOcloud’s Space Edge “range from organizations performing research and development onboard commercial space stations, orbiting research platforms and short-duration free flyers to end users who see the benefits of running AI and analytics in space,” Gatens said. “For example, researchers performing R&D on space stations can run analytics against data they collect locally versus returning the data to Earth for analysis.”

AI-driven fusion of data gathered and analyzed in space can speed up the process of deriving insights, Gatens added.

“The space station represents a novel testbed to validate emerging technologies and capabilities that bring value to humanity and spur commerce in low Earth orbit,” ISS National Lab Chief Scientist Michael Roberts said in a statement. “We look forward to working with LEOcloud as they leverage the space station to further cloud computing efforts that may provide data solutions not only for this orbiting outpost, but future destinations in low Earth orbit and beyond.”

Working with Sierra Space

LEOcloud also announced an agreement with Sierra Space to develop a roadmap for cloud services on Sierra Space’s inflatable Large Integrated Flexible Environment, Dream Chaser spaceplane and Sierra Space Station facilities.

“Sierra Space is building and operating disruptive platforms and services in space that will drive the next great industrial revolution – the Orbital Age,” said Ken Shields, Sierra Space senior director of business development, said in a statement. “Working with LEOcloud to develop this in-space compute and cloud infrastructure are critical elements to building a robust economy in LEO and beyond.”

Gatens said LEOcloud is “proud for the opportunity to advance our service offering towards commercialization that will be vital in order for the emerging space economy to realize its full potential.”

LEOcloud was founded in 2021 to address the cloud computing needs of satellites, space-based research platforms and space stations in low-Earth orbit, the lunar region and deep space.

LEOcloud’s space-based infrastructure is designed to support cloud services from Microsoft, AWS, Google and private clouds.

“Our customers require the ability to support their end user customers with the cloud service that they use on Earth,” Gatens said.