Jane Edwards
Microsoft has teamed up with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to connect its Azure cloud to the International Space Station through HPE’s Spaceborne Computer-2.
SBC-2 is set to fly aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft as part of Northrop’s 15th commercial resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory on Feb. 20, and will bring artificial intelligence, cloud connectivity and edge computing capabilities to the ISS, Tom Keane, corporate vice president of Azure Global, Microsoft Azure, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.
“HPE and Microsoft are collaborating to further accelerate space exploration by delivering state-of-the art technologies to tackle a range of data processing needs while in orbit,†said Mark Fernandez, solutions architect of converged edge systems at HPE and principal investigator for SBC-2.Â
The two companies have established a connection between SBC-2 and Microsoft Azure cloud through NASA and the HPE ground station to support space-based research efforts, including weather modeling of dust storms to support future modeling of Mars missions.Â
“By bringing together HPE’s Spaceborne Computer-2, which is based on the HPE Edgeline Converged Edge system for advanced edge computing and AI capabilities, with Microsoft Azure to connect to the cloud, we are enabling space explorers to seamlessly transmit large data sets to and from Earth and benefit from an edge-to-cloud experience,†Fernandez added.
