SpaceX to launch supercomputer in space today

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will reportedly launch a supercomputer in International Space Station (ISS) today that is supposed to help astronauts go into deep-space for research purposes.

Dubbed as the ‘Spaceborne Computer’, the rocket Falcon 9 will lift the cargo from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The project is collaboration between the manufacturer Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and NASA. According to HPE, communicating in space is a really tough job. Sending and receiving messages from Mars to Earth and vice versa is delayed from over 24 minutes one-way which is why an innovative technology was required to complete the task.

The computer will be tested for a year aiming to make sure if the technology can put up with harsh environment of outer-space while functioning efficiently for longer time durations. HPE claims that the supercomputer has already cleared 146 safety tests and certifications in order to get approved for space travel by NASA. Also, the rocket will try to make a safe landing back on Earth to see if the components can be used again.

As NASA explains, the computer is dependent on software upgrades instead of hardware so that it can overcome radiation exposure differently. It operates on an open-source Linux operating system and is programmed to identify when a high-radiation is happening. Then, it responds through throttling its systems and reducing its operating speed in an attempt to save power and keep away from damage, as per The Verge.

Tech Juice reported the weather agency predicting that at the time of launch, the weather is expected to be good and not harsh.

The senior vice president and general manager of HPE’s Data Center Infrastructure Group, Alain Andreoli exclaimed, “The Spaceborne Computer experiment will not only show us what needs to be done to advance computing in space. It will also spark discoveries for how to improve high-performance computing (HPC) on Earth and potentially have a ripple effect in other areas of technology innovation.”