Red Hat is providing the software for a prototype server made by Axiom Space. It will be launched to the ISS later this year and represents a step in the development of data center capacity in space.
Axiom Space is collaborating with Red Hat on the launch of AxDCU-1. This is a prototype of a system for data processing in space. The server will be sent to the International Space Station in spring 2025 to test applications in cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity.
With AxDCU-1, Axiom Space is developing a trial version of what it calls an Orbital Data Center (ODC). This prototype will function on the ISS as a test environment for cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), data fusion, and cybersecurity in space. Red Hat is providing the software infrastructure for this mission with Device Edge.
Red Hat Device Edge is a combination of MicroShift, a lightweight Kubernetes distribution derived from Red Hat OpenShift, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Additionally, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is deployed to support automated management. The platform enables running hybrid cloud applications and cloud-native workloads in the edge environment in space.
Edge, but Higher
Axiom Space aims to reduce dependence on Earth-based data centers with its ODCs by processing data closer to the source. In doing so, the company follows the logic of edge data centers. Only this edge is a bit further from Earth: Axiom Space is targeting data processing for satellites or spacecraft.
Just as in a traditional edge context, the approach reduces delays normally associated with data transmission to and from Earth and enables faster and more secure decision-making in space. Moreover, sending data to Earth is not always straightforward. By processing data in space, not all data needs to be transmitted.
Applications
According to Red Hat and Axiom Space, potential applications of ODCs include real-time data processing for Earth observation satellites, AI/ML training in space, multi-factor authentication and detection of cyber attacks, automated space missions, space weather analysis, and backup solutions for critical infrastructure on Earth.
When AxDCU-1 is launched, it will mark a significant step in Axiom Space’s plans to bring commercial IT applications to space. The project is part of the broader development of the commercial space station Axiom Station and the construction of scalable data center solutions in Earth orbit.
Axiom Space is not the only company working on extraterrestrial data centers. Lonestar Data Holdings has been working on a plan to establish a data center on the moon for some time. The usefulness and cost-efficiency of such plans still need to be demonstrated. More similar to Red Hat and Axiom Space’s current plan is HPE’s Spaceborne Computer, of which the second version has already proven that Earth-based servers can also function in the space station.