Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has recently confirmed that its supercomputer based on the International Space Station (ISS) has had successful experiments.

Indeed, the HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 (SBC-2) was sent to the ISS in order to help researchers use artificial intelligence (AI) for missions to Mars as well as to test out ways for astronauts to bypass the latency issues and wait times when sending data back to Earth. The supercomputer is then able to reduce drastically data processing times, reduce data size, and allow researchers to process their data locally.

The supercomputer has also conducted experiments to test new applications to assess their reliability when run in space so as to increase the autonomy of astronauts. The experiments were done through use cases supporting healthcare, image processing, natural disaster recovery, 3D printing, 5G, and solutions enabled by artificial intelligence.

These had for aim to demonstrate new possibilities for space exploration and advance collaborative research to make scientific and engineering breakthroughs. The supercomputer was launched in February 2021 and installed on the ISS in May 2021.