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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Drives Innovation at the Extreme Edge on the International Space Station with 24 Completed Experiments

Since launching to the ISS a year ago, HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 has accelerated time-to-insight, from months to minutes, to advance healthcare, image processing, natural disaster recovery, 3D printing, 5G, AI and more

HOUSTON — (BUSINESS WIRE) — April 4, 2022Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced that the HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 (SBC-2), the first in-space commercial edge computing and AI-enabled system to run on the International Space Station (ISS), has successfully completed 24 research experiments, accelerating time-to-insight from months and days, to minutes.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220404005739/en/

HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 is the first commercial edge computing and AI solution installed on the International Space Station (May 2021). Image credit: NASA

HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 is the first commercial edge computing and AI solution installed on the International Space Station (May 2021). Image credit: NASA

The experiments involved real-time data processing and testing of new applications to prove reliability in space as part of an effort to increase autonomy for astronauts. These experiments spanned uses cases supporting healthcare, image processing, natural disaster recovery, 3D printing, 5G, and solutions enabled by artificial intelligence.

VIDEO: Northrop Grumman CRS-15: HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 accelerates space exploration with first ever in-space commercial edge computing and artificial intelligence capabilities

“By introducing edge computing and AI capabilities to the International Space Station with Spaceborne Computer-2, we have helped foster a growing, collaborative research community that shares a common goal to make scientific and engineering breakthroughs that benefit humankind, on space and here on Earth,” said Dr. Mark Fernandez, principal investigator, Spaceborne Computer-2, at HPE. “We are proud of this ongoing work, which has already resulted in 24 completed experiments, from various organizations, demonstrating new possibilities for space exploration and milestones for humanity.”

Breaking ground for edge computing and AI in space with Spaceborne Computer-2

HPE launched Spaceborne Computer-2, in collaboration with the ISS National Laboratory, to space in February 2021 and was installed on the ISS in May 2021. The solution is comprised of HPE’s edge computing solutions, the HPE Edgeline Converged EL4000 Edge system, which provides a rugged and compact system designed to perform in harsher edge environments, such as space, and the HPE ProLiant DL360 server, a trusted, industry-standard server, for additional high-performing capabilities to target a range of workloads, including edge, HPC, AI, etc.

SBC-2 is part of a greater mission to significantly advance computing and reduce dependence on communications as humans travel farther into space to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The solution also demonstrates potential ways astronauts can increase self-sufficiency when processing data directly on the space station, in real-time, bypassing longer latency and wait times that occur when relying on sending raw data to Earth to be processed, analyzed, and sent back to space.

Enabling faster computing and shorter download times to Earth with 20,000X speed-up

The edge computing capabilities delivered through SBC-2 also have the potential to enable astronauts and space explorers to send data to Earth, whether to be further analyzed or used in another way, at a radically compressed size and faster speed. Previously, 1.8 GB of raw DNA sequence data took an average time of 12.2 hours just to download to Earth for initial processing. With SBC-2, researchers onboard the space station processed that same data in six minutes to gather meaningful insights, compressed it to 92 KB and sent it to Earth in just two seconds, representing a 20,000X speed-up.1

Spaceborne Computer-2 completes 24 experiments using in-space edge computing and AI

Since its installment on the ISS, Spaceborne Computer-2 ran dozens of experiments by processing data at the edge, in real-time, for researchers with organizations developing breakthrough capabilities for space exploration such as Axiom Space, Cornell University, Comucore, Microsoft, NASA and Titan Space Technologies. Example experiments include:

Join HPE at Space Symposium – April 4-7, 2022

HPE is exhibiting at the annual 37th Space Symposium conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at booth #1457

HPE, NASA and Microsoft will demo the AI Hand Glove experiment at the HPE booth during the conference.

Dr. Mark Fernandez, principal investigator of Spaceborne Computer-2 at HPE, will also present in the following panel:

To learn more about Spaceborne Computer-2 and how to submit a proposal to use the system, please visit: www.hpe.com/info/spaceborne

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) is the global edge-to-cloud company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining the future and innovating to advance the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions as a service. With offerings spanning Cloud Services, Compute, High Performance Computing & AI, Intelligent Edge, Software, and Storage, HPE provides a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, helping customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information, visit: www.hpe.com

1 Based on data logged on HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 on a DNA sequencing experiment



Contact:

Nahren Khizeran
Nahren.Khizeran@hpe.com