Startup Satlyt tests software for sharing computing tasks between computers in orbit
US startup Satlyt ran a test this month in which its software planned how to distribute computing tasks among computers in orbit. The test was part of a NASA-funded research project with the University of Houston.
Satlyt, a startup building software to turn existing satellites into a data processing network, has completed a successful test in orbit this month. The work is a step toward so-called space data centers, where computing would take place directly in space. The experiment was run with the University of Houston as part of a NASA-funded research project and took 13 months of work.
The test used a simulated network of four computers, four users and eight services. The software assessed how to assign and run tasks, taking into account available computing power and communication links. Only one physical computer on a spacecraft in orbit ran the software; the other three were simulated. The results were sent back to Earth.
What the test showed
The test demonstrated that Satlyt's software can generate plans on hardware in orbit. Founder and CEO Rama Afullo said the outcome involved a trade-off: the best-performing approach needed more computing power than the others. The team also found a flaw in how the software recorded delays, stamping the arrival time rather than the elapsed delay. Afullo said this does not mean the experiment failed.
NASA has not yet selected the software for any particular mission. Afullo said NASA missions face the same constraints Satlyt aims to address: limited computing resources and intermittent communication.
What comes next
Afullo, who previously worked at Google and SpaceX, founded Satlyt in 2024. Its software helps operators run AI and other applications onboard, closer to where data is collected, reducing dependence on sending data to Earth. For example, if a spacecraft spots a wildfire, the relevant information could be transmitted much faster. The software is already on three satellites in orbit.
The next steps are broader validation and integration, followed by demonstrations of computing work shared across separate spacecraft. The company still needs to test the software under various workloads and connectivity conditions, and it also requires usable communication links, permission from operators and secure transfers.
