Orbital and cislunar data centers are moving from speculative concepts toward a new engineering discipline. Using Lonestar Data Holdings’ StarVault platform as a case study, this talk examines how familiar computing technologies—including high-performance processors, solid-state storage, PCI Express, embedded controllers, and model-based systems engineering—must be reconsidered for radiation, constrained power and thermal resources, intermittent communications, and limited opportunities for repair.
Jim Burns-Montante,
Lonestar Space
Particular attention will be given to data integrity, autonomous fault recovery, single-fault tolerance, and the connections among hardware, software, system models, and verification evidence.
The talk will also distinguish credible near-term capabilities from the hype surrounding orbital computing. Creating dependable infrastructure beyond Earth requires both system-level architectural reasoning and detailed understanding of component behavior, alongside thoughtful consideration of its environmental and societal consequences. For graduate students and researchers, this emerging field offers interdisciplinary problems spanning computer architecture, embedded systems, AI, cybersecurity, reliability, and systems engineering—as well as opportunities for participation through research, student satellite programs, hackathons, and internships.
Jim Burns-Montante is the Chief Engineer for Lonestar Space. With a BSEE from Georgia Tech (2005) and an MSCompE from Univ. South FL (2014), Jim started his career in real-time signal processing FPGA/ASIC design and has maintained that reconfigurable logic and computer organization focus while expanding scope to cover space payload and spacecraft composition. He applies his 20+ years of computer engineering experience on solving the hardest technical problems in the harsh environment of space. His career started with both civilian and warfighter computer vision systems for DARPA and the DoD and private industry for Sarnoff Corporation (now SRI). While at Honeywell Space Systems, he engineered flight computers for the THAAD missile defense shield and for other space assets in national security. Prior to joining Lonestar, he developed systems for the Trident missile guidance computer, Dreamchaser spaceplane, NASA/Dynetics Artemis lander, and a host of other interesting projects. Now at Lonestar, he is focused on defining the networks, computation, space-ground comms, and security for Lonestar’s Resilience as a Service space infrastructure.