About Unibap

• Unibap is a Swedish company that provides state-of-the-art hardware and software solutions for edge computing and cloud computing in space.
• Their solutions are designed to act as a bridge between the modern advancements taking place on earth and the aging hardware found on satellites.
• Unibap's customers include NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA).

A space platform that creates space for innovation

Satellites are the driving force behind much of modern life. Navigation, communications, and disaster monitoring are just some of the use cases that have become so ubiquitous that we often forget they occur “off-planet”. However, these technological advancements are often supported by satellite hardware that predates them by 20-30 years, which presents a challenge for organizations looking to pioneer intensive, novel use cases like AI and edge computing in space.

Unibap's range of hardware solutions are designed to prioritize compatibility by default, providing a pre-assembled platform that is engineered for the idiosyncrasies of both the host satellites, and the physical challenges of space. Unibap selected Ubuntu as the operating system that could best match their hardware in terms of robustness and provide an accessible platform for developers to pioneer novel use cases in space.

Challenge

Satellite technology is somewhat paradoxical. It represents technological progress and serves as the foundation for many of the innovations we continue to see. At the same time, satellite hardware is aging, with many satellites exceeding their intended design life. This means that creativity is required to pioneer new use cases and sustainably introduce new innovations, like edge computing and AI, to the satellite context.

Unibap is tackling this challenge head on. Their mission is to deliver trustworthy innovation in space through their suite of hardware and software solutions which are designed to bridge the gap between cutting-edge advancements and aging satellite hardware.

Unibap's hardware is pre-built with the components needed to perform complicated operations that we take for granted on the earth's surface, whilst also being designed for maximum compatibility with restrictive satellite hardware. However, they needed to identify the operating system that would best complement their hardware and achieve the same, optimal balance between robustness and versatility.

Anders Persson, Product Manager at Unibap, summarizes it by saying “We needed an operating system that could perform, like our hardware, in the restrictive environment the host satellites offered. For the sake of innovation, the operating system needed to be nimble enough to empower developers to experiment, without compromising stability. Our customers expect to be able to run projects continuously, often for years – so striking the right balance between robustness and versatility was a challenge.”

Solution

Unibap knew that they would need a Linux OS, given that proprietary solutions would not offer the flexibility needed to accommodate such specialized hardware. The task then became a question of identifying the right Linux distribution. After comparing support cadences, package ecosystems and developer preferences, Unibap selected Ubuntu as the distribution that they would ship with their hardware.

Ubuntu is an open source operating system, published by Canonical, that is used by organizations to innovate across a whole host of industries. In the State of Open Source 2024, it was ranked as the #1 favorite Linux distribution amongst enterprise developers. Its accessibility and versatility lowered the barrier to entry for Unibap's customers, but the fact remains that satellite hardware will continue to age. Unibap needed to demonstrate to customers that Ubuntu was robust and would last the distance, especially considering that satellite projects are intended to run for years on end.

This is what prompted Unibap to enhance their solutions by including Ubuntu Pro as part of their offering. Ubuntu Pro is a security and support subscription that extends patching and maintenance for long term support releases of Ubuntu from 5 years to 10 years.

Results

The decision to ship their hardware with Ubuntu has had a positive impact in terms of customer experience. Unibap notes that when they are required to intervene to help a customer with a question or concern, it rarely concerns the software. Thanks to the 10 years of support included with Ubuntu Pro, Unibap has been able to target projects with a long lifespan.

Ubuntu's versatility has also meant that Unibap hardware has been at the forefront of some of the most exciting space projects. In collaboration with the European Space Agency, Unibap has undertaken three missions in which they allowed developers to book testing slots aboard the host satellite. Over the missions, Ubuntu was used to test over 40 applications involving real-time processing for agriculture, natural disasters, traffic and bush fires.

Unibap is planning to move ahead with further space projects in both the public and private sectors. With more than 30 launches planned during 2025, Unibap will continue to work hard to bring new innovations to space computing, and empower those who want to run transformative projects.