214 - COTs Infrastructure, Space-Grade Computers, and Opening New Mission Architectures
Constellations - Explore Space Network Technologies with Industry LeadersShow Notes
Did you know that a graphing calculator has more processing power than most satellites? In this episode, hear how Edward Ge, Co-Founder and CEO of Aethero, is working to change all of that by building the next generation of space-grade computers for computationally heavy space missions. Listen as he shared the details on what it takes to build powerful compute for space, how it benefits the industry and some of the challenges still ahead.
More from Constellations - Explore Space Network Technologies with Industry Leaders
Live from the show floor of SmallSat, Al Tadros of Redwire explores why orbital data centers are quickly becoming a realistic and exciting architectural possibility. He explores how advances in AI, launch capacity, power generation, and thermal management are making in‑orbit processing economically and technically viable. Autonomous operations, constellation‑based architectures, and future lunar infrastructure could position space‑based processing as a flexible extension of Earth's data center capacity, supporting critical workloads for both commercial and government missions.
Live from the show floor of Smallsat, Dr. David Voss of the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC) explores how next‑generation mission architectures are shifting toward hybrid, distributed and resilient designs. He explains how onboard processing, autonomy, multi‑orbit integration and cross‑domain interoperability are redefining how future constellations will operate in a contested space environment and why resilience must be engineered across systems, not treated as a single‑system attribute.
Chad Fish, CTO of Orion Space Solutions, outlines the core constraints that determine whether a VLEO mission is viable and how altitude choices reshape spacecraft behavior and sensing performance. He also discusses how missions like ACMES push thermal imaging, atmospheric measurements and multi‑instrument operations into more demanding territory.
In this episode, Kat Hickey and Federico Trovarelli of Novaspace discuss the industry's transition from voluntary best practices to measurable economic, operational and regulatory strategies for preserving the space environment. Kat and Federico explore how orbital sustainability is evolving from an environmental concern into a business imperative shaping investment, regulation, spacecraft design and operations.
Live from the show floor of Smallsat, Constellations is joined by Jonas Aslund and Viktor Pankov of SSC Space, who dive into one of the most important shifts happening across the sector: the emergence of a new space infrastructure built on global ground networks. As satellite demand continues to grow, the next generation of infrastructure is becoming more essential.