Software is Eating Space: Introducing the first open-source spacecraft operating system, KubOS
Denton, Texas (PRWEB) July 18, 2017 -- The single most common point of failure in space missions is software, and the KubOS operating system is the solution.
Kubos, the space-grade software company, announced today the release of KubOS 1.0 -- the first complete, end-to-end software solution for small spacecraft. The operating software can be downloaded from the Kubos website, and users and developers are encouraged to join the community to improve this open-source product.
“Companies like Microsoft and Google have shaped industries with their software platforms, and I’m excited to be backing a company with the same approach,” said Tim Draper, founder and managing partner of Draper Associates, and lead investor in the company’s recent Seed round. “Kubos has the reliability and scalability of a solid software company, with all the excitement and opportunity of the rapidly growing space industry.”
Kubos is the first open source platform for space, with more than 200 active engineers in the Kubos open source community. Today’s release is also the first major release of Kubos that has been tested by and supports the On Board Computer (iOBC) from Innovative Solutions in Space.
“We built Kubos from the ground up for satellite developers,” said Marshall Culpepper, CEO and co-founder of Kubos. “Using our SDK, tools, and community, developers can stop worrying about writing basic mission operations software, and focus instead on the most business-critical part of the mission, the payload.”
Even if you don’t download the software directly, it’s likely that Kubos will be coming to a satellite near you soon, as the software is poised to become the default industry operating system. In the past year, Kubos has signed distribution deals with three industry-leading nanosatellite manufacturers; Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS), NanoAvionics, and Pumpkin, Inc.
“Our experience shows that software development is one of the most complex and often overlooked aspect of spacecraft design,” commented Owner and Director of Innovative Solutions in Space, Jeroen Rotteveel. “We are thrilled to be able to offer KubOS Linux to our iOBC customers, and expect this product to play a huge role in continuing to revolutionize the speed and accuracy of small spacecraft development.”
Packaged into an integrated distribution, Kubos is comprised of three parts: a customized operating system (RTOS or Linux), Kubos’ hardware abstraction layer (HAL), and Kubos Core flight middleware. KubOS RT and KubOS Linux provide the satellite runtime and APIs that unlock common satellite functionality like Telemetry, Command and Control, Subsystem and ground station communications, and remote software updates. The company also offers the Hopper Test Bed, the first of its kind development and testing environment available remotely to the satellite industry.
“The writing's on the wall. Space is rapidly becoming commoditized and is ready for a software platform that will accelerate and touch every corner of the industry,” concluded Kubos CEO Marshall Culpepper.
About Kubos
Kubos is bringing the software revolution to space, one small satellite at a time. Satellite software development today is an outdated and broken process, and we’re determined to make it better, faster, and more productive than ever. Kubos will de-risk your mission with space-grade software and savvy, ongoing support that’s available when you need it. http://www.kubos.com
Meagan Crawford, Brand Delta-V, http://branddeltav.com/, +1 (281) 908-0392, [email protected]
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