Hardware Podcasts

Software for Rockets with Charles Aylward

The Amp Hour · 4 Apr 2022 · 1h 37m · Episode 584

What this episode covers

Charles Aylward, a software and hardware consultant at Grizzly Peak Systems, discusses his time at Astra, a 'new space' launch vehicle company. He explains how he designed flight control software for small rockets using rigorous engineering principles, such as eliminating software modes and treating debug data as first-class telemetry. Aylward details the technical challenges of distributed systems, real-time constraints, and the use of Ethernet and CAN bus to ensure deterministic behavior in a lean team environment. He emphasizes that this rigor, including specific design reviews and checklists, is essential for safety and reliability in high-stakes hardware development.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Astra, Grizzly Peak Systems, Planet Labs
Also
Zephyr, CAN bus, Ethernet

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