HPE Sends an Edge-Computing and AI-Capable System to the ISS

The ruggedized Spaceborne Computer-2 system will double the space station’s computing power.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE’s) Spaceborne Computer-2 (SBC-2) sits near a white spacesuit, like the ones used for spacewalks and work outside the International Space Station (ISS). (Image courtesy of HPE.)

Recently, Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE’s) Spaceborne Computer-2 (SBC-2) headed for the International Space Station (ISS) via the Northrop Grumman CRS-15 mission. SBC-2 will give astronauts a powerful tool to run experiments quickly and reduce the need to transfer data to and from Earth.

SBC-2 offers twice as much computing power as its 2017 predecessor, SBC-1. It is also better engineered to withstand cold, dust and the shake-rattle-and-roll of a launch’s g-forces. In addition, the system will process data in space, speeding up time to insight, the amount of time it takes an astronaut or researcher to achieve results from a dataset or experiment.

SBC-2 will also test how well Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing service, and HPE edge computing, can assist with the analysis and transmission of data with Earth.

“One of the projects that will be done will involve writing an artificial intelligence/machine learning code. We will judge whether it’d be faster to download all the data and process it on Azure, or run it on SBC-2 and download the results. We’re looking at how to combine edge computing (computing in challenging environments like space) with core computing (performing computational tasks),” said Mark Fernandez, principal investigator for SBC-2 and solutions architect of converged edge systems at HPE.

A closeup image of HPE’s Spaceborne Computer-2. This AI, edge-computing system will double the computing power of the ISS. (Image courtesy of HPE.)

SBC-2 is built on the ruggedized HPE Edgeline EL4000 Converged Edge system that is engineered for harsh environments like space, mines and drilling platforms. The computer also relies on the industry-standard HPE ProLiant DL360 server for all-purpose computing needs.

SBC-2 will deliver the most advanced computing capabilities that the ISS has ever had and will utilize a low wattage graphics processing unit (GPU). This type of GPU allows SBC-2 to operate with a low power supply. SBC-2 also has more certifications and guarantees and has passed more quality tests and performance tests than SBC-1. These certifications are for a variety of factors that can disrupt processing—like dust. SBC-2 can also be oriented in any direction when packed into the payload. 

“We designed SBC-2 to be safe when packed on all three axes. It’s not like a growing plant that has to stand up a certain way. NASA can package it the way it fits best,” said Fernandez.

HPE asked that SBC-2 be installed within 30 days.

“That gives it one month in the spacecraft, exposed to radiation and with no power. Understanding how it functions under these conditions will help us tell the durability story. We can run health checks on the system and then benchmarks (running a program, set of programs, or other operations to test the performance of the computer),” said Fernandez.

Fernandez added that HPE wants to perform daily downloads. This will provide insight into what it will take for GPUs, central processing units (CPUs), networks and storage systems to process and download data in space.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter waits atop the Antares rocket at Virginia’s Wallops Flight Facility launch pad. The Northrop Grumman CRS-15 mission will be transporting SBC-2 to the ISS. (Image courtesy of NASA and Patrick Black.)

Fernandez said that HPE took only a year and a month to get SBC-2 to NASA.

“SBC-1 had its splashdown in June 2019. HPE signed the contract to turn around SBC-2 in October 2019. That tells you how important it was to NASA that we continue with them as partners. It also shows how hard we worked to finish SBC-2 in a timely manner,” said Fernandez.

The pandemic caused several delays and technology supply shortages.

“SBC-1 had a high failure rate for solid-state drives (SSDs) (storage devices within the computer). We hoped to send up a variety of SSD technologies in SBC-2 to see how they functioned,” explained Fernandez.

When the pandemic hit, the global supply of SSDs shrank.

“The highest-capacity ones were as rare as hens’ teeth. We got the more common medium-capacity ones, so we’ll test those,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez said that SBC-2 will effect a positive change for astronauts on the ISS by eliminating the need for multiple, different inverters. 

“On the ISS, electricity is generated by the station’s solar cells and its DC voltage (a power systems that use only one polarity of voltage). The different sides of the space station, like the Russian side, the U.S. side, and the European (European Space Agency) side all provide their own inverters. These convert the DC electricity to different voltages and frequencies of AC electricity,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez said the inverters have been unreliable.

“HPE’s Edgeline system will supply DC electricity directly. It will save time and increase reliability. It eliminates that single point of failure,” said Fernandez.

The ISS orbiting the Earth. By integrating SBC-2, astronauts hope to run experiments faster and with less need to transfer data to and from Earth. (Image courtesy of NASA.)

SBC-2 will be used for a wide variety of purposes. These include real-time monitoring of astronauts’ physiological conditions by processing X-ray, sonograms and other medical data to conduct diagnoses in space. The computer will also make sense of data collected by remote sensors on the ISS and satellites. Such data could track objects moving in space or in the Earth’s atmosphere, or measure air quality by determining the level of greenhouse gas emissions.

The ISS National Laboratory plans to run experiments using SBC-2 over two to three years.

HPE, NASA, and the ISS will conduct one experiment each using SBC-2.

“HPE’s [experiments] will involve the HPE Serviceguard for Linux (a suite of high availability and disaster recovery software solutions that ensures other applications on the computer will run continuously and without faults). Determining how well Serviceguard for Linux works will be applicable to all other experiments,” said Fernandez.

Researchers around the world are also invited to submit experiments through HPE.

“We will regularly schedule meetings with the ISS National Laboratory to evaluate these experiments. We are looking to see what the value of this experiment is to the researcher, their organization, the science and engineering community, NASA, space exploration, and all of humanity. There’s a hierarchy. The more entities for which the experiment creates value, the better its chance of being selected,” said Fernandez.

What would you want to test on SBC-2? Let us know below. If your experiment is accepted, enigneering.com would also love to hear about it.