Aug 4, 2024

Introducing Falcon at SmallSat 2024

Space missions address critical challenges in defense, agriculture, disaster response, climate change, and even international trade. As these missions become more complex, the need for powerful computing capabilities increases.

Traditionally, satellites send raw data back to Earth for processing. This approach often causes delays that can impact the effectiveness of essential tasks, such as detecting wildfires, tracking missions, avoiding space junk, and controlling satellite fleets.

The real value of space data lies not just in capturing images but in detecting changes in near-real-time and delivering insights quickly to Earth.

High-stakes missions need high-performance computers

Take wildfire management, for example. Fires in the western United States are expected to exceed firefighting resources this season. Satellites help by using advanced sensing technologies like hyperspectral cameras and radar to generate valuable space-based data. This data is processed to detect the heat, intensity, direction, and conditions of a fire outbreak. This data helps detect wildfires sooner and coordinate ground responses and resources.

However, the amount of data satellites are contending with has increased by over 100x. Traditional space computing methods struggle under these conditions, leading to delays, high costs, and potentially missed windows of response time.

Another example is missile detection. Satellites use cameras and radar sensors to detect the heat from missiles as soon as they are launched and analyze their trajectory. This information helps ground teams know where the missiles are and where they might go, enabling them to take action to stop them. The Space Development Agency is building a new hybrid space architecture to support this capability.

Additionally, with thousands of satellites being launched each year and an estimated 100,000 objects already in space, satellites need more intelligence to make decisions to avoid collisions or respond to new mission parameters. Relying on data sent back to Earth for these decisions leaves these valuable machines vulnerable.

Introducing Falcon: Serious GPU for Serious Satellites

In space, the ability to process data and make decisions is crucial. GPU’s, like here on Earth, are the ideal computing solution for processing data onboard satellites, providing power-efficient hardware to run modern AI/ML workloads. GPU’s allow for real-time data processing and immediate decision-making.

Falcon is a GPU system that can be used to provide global, persistent indications, detection, warning, tracking, and identification of events on Earth and in space. Falcon enables a new level of computing and a key feature of "change detection," a capability used on Earth that hasn't been possible in space until now. It can ensure timely and precise actions, improving the effectiveness of space missions and their contributions to life on Earth.

Falcon is Smart

Falcon is designed for larger satellites in the 50-200 kg range, with more power capabilities, advanced sensors like hyperspectral imaging and SAR, and complex missions with strict latency requirements.

Falcon makes use of the increased electrical power available in these larger satellites. It enables running large AI models on-board, shifting beyond ground-controlled operations to true autonomy. Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin AGX module, Falcon boasts TOPS reaching 248, more than double the capacity of our predecessor, Kestrel. It supports the CUDA environment, making it easier to transfer ground algorithms to space.

Falcon is Reliable

Our first-generation GPU, Kestrel, is already operating in space under a mission with Loft Orbital. Falcon builds on these proven design decisions to ensure reliability. Based on the robust NVIDIA Jetson Orin AGX module, Falcon includes a built-in SSD for mass data storage and multiple connectivity options. An added FPGA offers flexible interfaces and extra compute hardware.

Falcon's design includes protection and telemetry circuits for routine monitoring, fault detection, and isolation. Each subsystem is protected with a resettable e-fuse circuit to mitigate radiation effects. Data is safeguarded with Error Correction Codes (ECC) for RAM, and the large capacity of non-volatile memory allows for multiple copies of key files.

Falcon is Flexible

Falcon addresses connectivity challenges by integrating an FPGA add-on board. This provides flexibility to connect various systems to the GPU with hundreds of Gbps of bandwidth. It also enables FPGA-offload to work alongside the CPU and GPU, enhancing overall compute capabilities.

Falcon is Available

Do you need high-performance compute for your next satellites? Email us at [email protected] to learn more.