LINUX IN SPACE!

From a shaky start, Linux is becoming much more established in astronautics. Mike Bedford looks at its success to date and its future prospects.

- Mike Bedford

NASA's upcoming Artemis programme, which will use this SLS rocket, doesn't have onboard Linux machines, but back on Earth Linux is critical to pre-launch simulations.

Why do astronauts use Linux? Because you can't open Windows in space. Joking aside, the truth is that the heavens aren't full of Linux-toting computers. But all that's changing, so we'll be looking at how Linux is becoming an important facilitator in space exploration. And that takes us from NASA's supercomputers here on Earth, through to laptops in orbit on the International Space Station (ISS) and flight control computers on SpaceX's launch vehicles and spacecraft, to a single board computer empowering a helicopter flying on Mars.

As well as looking at where and how Linux is used in astronautics, we'll also delve into why it's used. The migration of Linux into space is a recent phenomenon, though, and it's still far from universal. So, we'll also investigate what's held Linux back in space and, to a significant degree, continues to do so today, and what the prospects are for it to boldly go where no operating system has gone before.

OSes beyond the Earth

We're going to be looking at where Linux is being used in space exploration. But first we need to consider space-based computing platforms and, in general terms, how they've influenced the operating system of choice.

Take, for example, the ISS, which was launched over 20 years ago. With Linux being the new kid on the block back then, it wouldn't have been given serious consideration, and upgrading now would barely be feasible. Much of the in-built computer hardware wouldn't support modern distros, and upgrading the hardware and software would be a costly and high-risk strategy.