HPE plans to send one of its Spaceborne computers to the Moon.
The company this month announced that Spaceborne Computer-4, a new compute module built for space environments, will be used to power artificial intelligence and the first high-performance computing benchmarks on the surface of the Moon.
The system will be deployed on Astrolab’s FLIP rover for an upcoming mission for the Moon Base program and will test the suitability of advanced computing for future missions and the emerging lunar economy.
The mission is intended to launch in late 2026 as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
After landing near the lunar South Pole region, Voyager Technologies’ Griffin-1 lander will transport Astrolab’s FLIP rover, carrying HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 as a payload.
“For more than 70 years, HPE innovation has supported some of the world’s most important space missions. The next chapter of lunar exploration will depend on the ability to turn data into insights at the point of discovery,” said Scott Wiest, vice president, fellow and global sales chief technologist, HPE.
“With HPE Spaceborne Computer-4, we are bringing AI and high-performance computing to the lunar edge, helping the acceleration of scientific discovery and building the infrastructure for the next era of exploration.”
Described as a lightweight, self-contained, and fanless compute module designed to survive the Moon’s harsh environment, especially that of the lunar South Pole, Spaceborne-4 will run core AI applications and the first high-performance computing benchmarks on the Moon that will inform future missions.
Equipped with a low-power central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU), along with flash memory storage inside solid-state drives from KIOXIA, the module will use large language models and process LiDAR data.
As part of the mission, HPE will support Astrolab’s mission control in Hawthorne, California, with a private cloud environment.
“The Moon presents a challenging environment for advanced computing, and we’re pleased to provide HPE with an opportunity to demonstrate its technology on the lunar surface,” said Jaret Matthews, founder and CEO of Astrolab.
“Our FLIP rover is designed to accommodate a variety of payloads, and this mission will demonstrate how commercial lunar mobility platforms can support technology development and scientific research.”
Designed as a proof of concept to show commercial off-the-shelf hardware could survive in space, the first HPE Spaceborne system was sent up to the International Space Station in August 2017 and came back to Earth in June 2019. The more powerful Spaceborne-2 was sent to the space station in 2024.
California-based Astrolab aims to develop a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers. An unmanned solar-powered vehicle, FLIP will be Astrolab’s first rover to deploy on the lunar surface and be used to test technologies and payloads.
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