LWN: Comments on "A discussion on Linux in space"

A discussion on Linux in space

ibukanov — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 08:58:52 +0000

There are more options these days. VxWorks supports running Linux in untrusted domain https://www.windriver.com/products/vxworks/safety-platfor...

Then even Nvidea Jetson is supposedly can be used as a part of a trusted system, although details are few as one has to sign NDA.

A discussion on Linux in space

DemiMarie — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 01:50:37 +0000

https://sel4.systems

A discussion on Linux in space

ibukanov — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:57:25 +0000

There are newer embedded SOCs that run Linux in a VM as a sort-of untrusted part under the control of some trusted certified OS or bare-metal code. Some companies in automatic driving developing solutions based on that.

This has nice property that one can certify the whole thing for very high level like PLd with max one failure per million hours of operation while getting the full flexibility of Linux to run parts that do not need such high level of assurances.

I wonder if such systems are considered for space?

A discussion on Linux in space

willy — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:24:13 +0000

Looks like Electron (or maybe Photon?) does too: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/careers/positions/embedded-f...

A discussion on Linux in space

smurf — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:48:26 +0000

So do the Starlink satellites.

A discussion on Linux in space

Cyberax — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:19:17 +0000

SpaceX Dragon spaceship also uses Linux: https://www.zdnet.com/article/from-earth-to-orbit-with-li...

The flexibility of a full-featured OS

tbird20d — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:01:48 +0000

I thought the panelists raised a number of interesting points about using Linux in aerospace applications and space missions. My biggest regret as the moderator was that I didn't follow up on the comments about the benefits of using the Linux shell after deployment.

In my research, a number of space mission developers reported that the ability to perform new operations "on the fly", that were not in the original software or operational designs for the mission, was extremely useful. I think that using the "Unix way" of composing new features using command line combinations of existing programs, provides some great flexibility for changing system activities in the "field". It is also relatively easy with a full-featured OS to upload new user-space programs, after deployment. These are things easily done with Linux, that are probably different from most historical RTOS deployments in space missions.

A discussion on Linux in space

jake — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:58:32 +0000

> Technical University of Liberec is actually in Liberec, not in Prague, some 100 km north-north-east of Prague

my apologies as I apparently misunderstood that somehow ... patch applied to the article, thanks!

jake

A discussion on Linux in space

ceplm — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:53:24 +0000

> Lenka Třísková, a lecturer and researcher at the Technical University of Liberec (which is in Prague, Czechia as was the conference),

Sorry, the Technical University of Liberec is actually in Liberec, not in Prague, some 100 km north-north-east of Prague (https://is.gd/4ndg85).

A discussion on Linux in space

tbird20d — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:48:15 +0000

Thanks for this great article about the panel session, Jake! I feel the need to clarify that I wore my Star Wars Jedi costume for the closing game (which is a fun "after-party" session at ELC), and not for this panel. :-) But my costume was in keeping with a conscious effort to incorporate space-related content at the event.