Hardware Podcasts

102. Self-Flying Satellite’s Successful Space Mission

The Next Byte Podcast · 27 Dec 2022 · 23m

What this episode covers

Daniel and Farbod discuss the Agile Microsatellite (AMS) from MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, led by Principal Investigator Andrew Stymek, which successfully tested autonomous flight capabilities in space. They detail how the 12kg satellite, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9, uses AI models to manage collision avoidance and rapid response missions in low Earth orbit. The hosts also cover the satellite's 'side quests,' including the Camera mission for disaster imaging and the Beacon mission for optical laser communication and potential beaming. Additionally, they highlight a sponsor segment featuring Duro Labs and co-founder Kellan O'Connor, who leveraged his early SpaceX experience to build a modern cloud-based PLM tool.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Duro, SpaceX, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Products
Agile Microsatellite, SpaceX Falcon 9, Camera, Beacon
Also
Andrew Stymek, Transporter 5

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 02m

    153: Space Nerf Gun

    Patrick Yeon, an electrical engineer at Planet Labs, explains the company's strategy of building a constellation of shoebox-sized 'Dove' satellites to image the Earth daily at 3-meter resolution. He details how they use drag from the upper atmosphere, controlled by satellite orientation, to adjust orbital spacing without propellant, and why they rely on industrial-grade off-the-shelf components rather than expensive space-hardened hardware. Yeon also discusses the company's 'agile aerospace' philosophy, the regulatory challenges of ITAR, and their open data initiatives like Open California.

    Scaling productionMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • Robot Talk · 24m

    Episode 146: Embodied AI on the ISS - Jamie Palmer

    Jamie Palmer, co-founder and CTO of Icarus Robotics, explains how his company is building free-flying dexterous mobile robots to perform routine and risky tasks in low Earth orbit, starting with the ISS. Palmer details the engineering challenges of controlling a 20-degree-of-freedom robotic arm in microgravity, where moving an arm creates equal reaction forces that destabilize the base, requiring advanced flight control similar to underwater robotics. He highlights the role of recent AI breakthroughs, such as Google's RT-2 and Open X Embodiment, in enabling general-purpose manipulation models trained on teleoperation data, and outlines the company's path from remote testing to a 2027 mission with Voyager Space.

    Robotics & autonomyEmbedded firmware
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 02m

    106: I Am a Scientism

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the results of a Planet Labs satellite design contest, highlighting winning entries like Stuart's face-tracking camera and Jonathan's ESP8266 Wi-Fi beacons. They review survey results from the show's 100th episode, noting audience preferences for technical content and career advice, while also critiquing the new BattleBots TV show for its sports-style commentary. The conversation concludes with a review of Neal Stephenson's novel Seveneves and a discussion on the hosts' future technical interests, including inertial sensors and autonomous robotics.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsCareers & education
    9 chapters

  • Hackaday Podcast · 1h 04m

    Ep059: Hydraulic Rockets & Presses, Machine Vision Bounces & Stares, Smart Speakers Listen to You

    Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss several hardware hacks, including Joe Barnard’s silo-launched thrust-vectoring model rocket, which required solving pneumatic timing and sensor failures, and Graham Jessup’s 3D-printed robotic face with machine vision tracking. They also cover Daniel Riley’s solar-powered rover, which overcame steering and traction issues through iterative frame modifications, and a robotic ball bouncer using a parallel manipulator and OpenCV. The episode concludes with an analysis of smart speaker false activations and a discussion of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle, a space tow truck designed to extend satellite life in geosynchronous orbit.

    Mechanical engineeringEmbedded firmware
    10 chapters

  • Hackaday Podcast · 46m

    Ep 187: The Sound of Gleeful Gerbils, The Song of the Hard Drive, and a Lipstick Pickup Lullaby

    Hackaday Editor-in-Chief Elliot Williams and Assignments Editor Kristina Panos discuss NASA's DART mission, where a probe impacted the asteroid Dimorphos, and the resulting video transmission. They review several community hacks, including YYZ Kevin's PCMCIA-to-Wi-Fi adapter using a Raspberry Pi Pico, Greg Zumwalt's 3D-printed marble run elevator, and Garrett Morrison's laser-cut tone-wheel organ. The episode also covers historical engineering stories, such as the Texas Instruments TMX 1795 CPU, and features articles on the efficacy of small design teams versus large committees and the cognitive benefits of handwriting.

    PCB design & layoutMechanical engineering
    10 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Next Byte Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.