Still building your own software platform for space payloads?
Miklos Tomka on why payload teams should stop building their own software platform: SpaceRun (SpaceOS) ships formal verification, post-quantum cryptography, CCSDS/SDLS and Zero Trust isolation, with unikernel images up to 20 times smaller than the Docker equivalent.
As satellites become increasingly software-defined, the software platform they run is becoming just as important as the hardware itself.
Today's missions demand far more than simply deploying code to orbit. Customers expect:
- Secure isolation between applications
- Zero Trust architectures
- Post-quantum cryptography (PQC)
- CCSDS/SDLS compliant communications
- Formally verified software for mission-critical reliability
In some government and dual-use missions, the requirements go even further: applications must remain completely isolated so that even the satellite owner cannot determine what the payload software is doing.
Building such a platform from scratch is a significant engineering effort.
That's exactly why we created SpaceRun (also known as SpaceOS).
Instead of spending months or years building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure, your team can focus on what creates value: the applications that run in orbit.
With SpaceRun, you get:
- Formal verification for increased security and reliability
- Built-in Post-Quantum Cryptography and CCSDS/SDLS
- Zero Trust isolation between applications
- The ability for confidential deployment for highly sensitive missions
- Turnkey integration with your existing hardware and flight software
Simply tell us which processor and flight software you're using—we handle the integration.
SpaceRun is built on unikernel technology, allowing payload software to be up to 20× smaller than equivalent Docker-based deployments. That means faster uploads, lower bandwidth requirements, and a significantly smaller attack surface.
Development is equally straightforward. Build your application using familiar container-based workflows, test it on your laptop, and deploy it to orbit with a single click. SpaceRun handles the complexity behind the scenes.
The result?
- Less engineering effort
- Faster deployment
- Lower risk
- More capable satellites
- More time spent on mission software—not infrastructure
- Lower overall cost
Our technology has already demonstrated PQC and CCSDS/SDLS in orbit, with multiple additional missions currently in preparation.
If your budget is limited (we offer results-based pay: your satellite generates more revenues, or you don't pay) - or you simply want to maximize the value of your mission rather than building the infrastructure layer - I'd be happy to discuss how SpaceRun can help.