Real-Time Deployment and Simulation for the Cosmic Edge

Wind River will be presenting at the upcoming NASA Core Flight System (cFS) Symposium being held on Jan. 27-29. We will present "Real-Time Deployment and Simulation for the Cosmic Edge," and will showcase how we are changing mission-critical space computing. Wind River has a long history of providing technologies for space missions.

NASA’s Core Flight System (cFS) is a reusable, modular, and extensible software framework for spacecraft flight software. It is designed to support a wide range of missions by providing a set of core services, such as task scheduling, inter-process communication, and data management. The cFS architecture is highly portable and can be adapted to various hardware and operating system platforms, including VxWorks, which is one of the real-time operating systems (RTOS) cFS is compatible with, alongside Linux, RTEMS (RealTime Executive for Multiprocessor Systems), and various other OSes.

From lunar surface operations to deep space exploration, tomorrow's missions demand computing systems that can handle numerous mission requirements on a single chip: real-time hazard detection while an astronaut navigates treacherous terrain, AI-powered autonomous decision-making in communication blackouts, and safety-critical life support systems running alongside general-purpose applications—all on a single, radiation-hardened, power-constrained platform operating in the harshest environment. 

Addressing these challenges is critical to mission success and advancing space exploration technologies.

Wind River is a leader in space technology with a multiplanetary RTOS that has been deployed on dozens of successful space missions spanning three decades. Today Wind River offers a robust suite of embedded software operating systems, including Space Grade ready Linux, multi-core safety critical RTOSes, and classic RTOSes, which utilize a modern software development environment for each mission.

Wind River has helped develop approaches that consolidate multiple systems onto a single compute platform without compromising safety or performance. At the heart of this solution is VxWorks—our deterministic, priority-based preemptive RTOS that delivers the low latency and minimal jitter essential for mission-critical applications.  It now supports AI/ML and machine learning (ML) workloads on general-purpose GPU hardware to enable ML algorithms alongside traditional real-time tasks. Wind River Linux, based on the Yocto Project, can be integrated into our true type-1 hypervisor. Helix Virtualization Platform enables true mixed-criticality computing so that flight management systems can coexist safely alongside other mission functions. Each system is isolated in a secure domain with non-overlapping memory allocation and is certifiable up to DO-178C DAL A. Helix actively supports NASA's risk classifications for payloads on Class A through D missions—from high-value flagship missions to innovative technology demonstrations.

Multiple safety levels can be supported on the same processor. This means that highly critical applications such as flight management or navigation can coexist with less critical functions such as lighting control, instrumentation cluster, logging, monitoring in a safe and predictable manner.

Our VLAB suite is transforming how space systems are developed. It is powered by QEMU (Quick Emulator), Intel Simics, and physical hardware connections to enable rapid prototyping of flight software without hardware dependencies. With OCI-compliant container support on VxWorks, we are bringing cloud-native workflows to safety-critical space applications, thus enabling modern DevOps practices while maintaining the deterministic behavior that space missions demand. Our seamless integration with NASA's cFS provides the scalable, flexible software architecture that modern space missions require

Whether supporting Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), managing space stations, or enabling extravehicular activities in deep space, our platform provides the foundation for humanity's multiplanetary future. The cosmic edge is calling, and Wind River is ready to answer with technologies that will power the missions establishing permanent lunar bases, enabling Mars exploration, and ultimately expanding human civilization throughout the solar system.

Join us at the cFS Workshop to learn more about how Wind River is enabling the next generation of space exploration. For more information: https://etd.gsfc.nasa.gov/capabilities/core-flight-system/events/

Additional Resources:
Wind River Labs: VxWorks Software Development Kit (SDK)

• Access to VxWorks SDK features and tools
  • Rapid prototyping and evaluation environment

VxWorks SDK Labs

VxWorks SDK Forum

Wind River Linux 24 GitHub

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By Hans Weggeman, Field Application Engineer, Wind River