How to better test and validate your spacecraft’s flight software
The space industry is booming, with commercial constellations like Starlink and OneWeb promising global internet access, and multiple private companies planning lunar missions. But behind the glitz of satellites and landers lies a crucial, but often overlooked component: Flight Software (FSW). But the way we currently develop and test flight software is antiquated and inefficient, the top 3 reasons being:
Many flight software systems are built on decades-old codebases. While reliable, they're often inflexible and difficult to modify for new missions.
Building flight software is a monumental task, with companies often starting from scratch for each new satellite. This is like if every company decided to make its own Outlook app before sending an email-- it makes no sense! Standardization and modularity are needed to create reusable components that can be adapted for different missions.
Testing flight software thoroughly is critical, but it's incredibly complicated, time-consuming and expensive. The current "state of the art" techniques involves finding a way for multiple disconnected softwares to communicate efficiently with each other and share data. Once you've solved that problem, then you can get started on the herculean effort of simulating your software on either real or virtual hardware.
The current "State of the Art" in software testing
Commercial satellite companies can't afford to make mistakes, and this pressure for ultra-reliable operations leads to a slow, risk-averse software development process that stifles innovation.
We at ATTX Engineering think this approach is entirely backwards. Your spacecraft needs robust and versatile flight software, and the only way to accomplish that is by testing often and iterating quickly.
Our platform, ModelSpace, is the most user friendly tool for the design, development, test, and qualification of flight software and GN&C. The most expensive element of any software development project is the engineers' time. ModelSpace saves developers time through a simple and friendly integration interface, extensive documentation, and elimination of repetitive tasks. We even offer an AI assistant, ATTX Assist, that is available 24/7 to answer questions about our codebase.
Easily drop your FSW / GN&C into ATTX's ModelSpace platform
Just like the tools we use to build websites and apps have gotten better, so too can the tools for building spacecraft flight software. ATTX helps modernize the toolset by leveraging the latest and greatest innovations in software development and bringing that to the aerospace industry. Using ModelSpace can make flight software creation faster, more efficient, and easier to maintain.
Develop over 50% faster by leveraging FSW / GN&C tools within ModelSpace
While leveraging the modular flight software development approach within ModelSpace has many immediate benefits, it also supports long-term capabilities. One of these is the ability to quickly test component level code "in-the-loop" without having the entire flight software suite debugged and ready. It also allows you to re-use many aspects of your current flight software in the development of new vehicles and spacecraft.
Easily test and reuse individual modules
Developing and testing flight software doesn't have to be stuck in the past. By embracing new technologies and fostering a more collaborative approach, we can create a future where space exploration is driven by robust, adaptable, and efficient software. The final frontier awaits, and it's time our code caught up.
If you're interested in learning more about implementing ModelSpace in your program, send us an email at: info@attxengineering.com
Space Cowboy & ATTX Partnership
Hey everyone — we're thrilled to announce a new partnership with Space Cowboy, an innovative Austin-based company cleaning up space debris through a technique called Active Debris Remediation (ADR). Their mission is to operate a fleet of debris remediation spacecraft capable of tracking and eliminating debris to protect our critical military and space missions. Space debris is a present and growing problem, and we're excited for the opportunity to collaborate with a company that's doing something to address it.
Space Cowboy will leverage ATTX technology, including our embedded flight software and innovative simulation framework to actively find and eliminate space debris. Helping fantastic companies like Space Cowboy achieve their mission is exactly why ATTX was founded. If you'd like to help us support one of the most innovative startups out there, give them and their founder, Joe Guzman, a follow on LinkedIn at:
Where It All Began
The story of where ATTX began… and where it’s going.
In the picture: The original home of ATTX. I built the wall, door, and desk from scratch, then built countless projects right there in the attic.
Our Story
One of the questions I get asked most often is, “Why the name ATTX?” And I get it, because it is a strange name to those who are unfamiliar with our story. For those who don’t know, our name isn’t pronounced like A-T-T-X, it’s pronounced like “attics.” And the story of why goes all the way back to our company’s true founding, long before I graduated high school.
When I was a kid, I loved working on projects. Whether it was a model rocket, my own airplane, an RC car, or a crossbow literally made of some hangars and my underwear, I was always working on something. Eventually, my parents got tired of me littering our house with the remains of whatever the latest objective was, and decided I should have a workshop of my own. So at 12 years old we pushed aside all of our boxes in the attic, and I built a desk (pictured) on which to do all of my engineering projects. Thus, ATTX was born.
I was always entrepreneurial, and to my 12 year old self attics was the logical thing to call a made up business in an attic. Then, of course, I had to replace the “cs” with an “x” to make the name cooler. What I didn’t expect was that I would eventually name a real company ATTX.
When I left my job, there was a period of time where I brainstormed what the name of my new company should be. The final list of ideas was 5 names long, and didn’t include ATTX. When I told my mom of the potential names, she insisted that it should be ATTX. Then she insisted again. And again. And every time we talked for a couple weeks. Finally, I agreed to include it on the list of possibilities, thinking it would go nowhere. But something strange happened — when I sent the list of possible names out to my trusted friends and family, everyone insisted that ATTX was the best choice, even those who didn’t know the history. To be fair, that may be a testament to how bad the other ideas were, but I decided to roll with it, and it stuck.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the name. I didn’t really look forward to the task of explaining it over and over again to people. The first couple times folks asked me what the acronym “ATTX” stood for and I couldn’t tell them, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. But as time has gone on, I’ve fallen back in love with the name. It keeps our company connected to why we’re doing this in the first place, and helps to remind us where we want to go. When I first came up with ATTX at 12, I wasn’t thinking of money, titles, or prestige — I just wanted to build awesome stuff. That goal is still at the center of ATTX today. A lot of companies make money, but few ever change an industry. We want to be the few. Our name reminds us of that every day.
- Alex
