As the primary a part of a collection, [George Emad] takes us via just a few examples of the Linux working system being utilized in spacecraft. These vary from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to everybody’s favourite Martian helicopter. An attention-grabbing side is that the freshest Linux kernel isn’t essentially onboard, as stability is way extra essential than having the newest whizzbang options. This is the reason SpaceX makes use of Linux kernel 3.2 (with real-time patches) on the first flight computer systems of each Dragon and its rockets (Falcon 9 and Starship).

SpaceX’s flight computer systems use the standard triple redundancy setup, with three impartial dual-core processors working the very same calculations and a distinct Linux occasion on every of its cores, and the end result being in contrast afterwards. If any end result doesn’t match that of the others, it’s dropped. This method additionally permits SpaceX to make use of pretty off-the-shelf (OTS) x86 computing {hardware}, with the flight software program written in C++.

NASA’s efforts are comparable, with Ingenuity particularly closely utilizing OTS elements, together with NASA’s open supply, C++-based F’ (F Prime) framework. The chopper additionally makes use of some model of the Linux kernel on a Snapdragon 801 SoC, which as we have now seen over the previous 72 flights works very effectively.

Which isn’t to say utilizing Linux is a no brainer in terms of use in avionics and comparable crucial purposes. There’s a whole lot of code within the monolithic Linux kernel that requires you to customise it for a selected job, particularly if it’s on a resource-constrained platform. Linux isn’t notably good at laborious real-time purposes both, however utilizing it does present entry to a wealth of software program and documentation — one thing that must be weighed up towards the undertaking’s wants.