by Aliya Musa, D-RisQ
In 2010, during a mission aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman encountered a problem as mundane in appearance as it was intractable in space: a broken antenna required two identical cables to be joined. The complication, however, was that both ends were male connectors—identical in size and seemingly incompatible.
Brute force failed. But orbital mechanics offers its own peculiar toolkit. Noting that sunrise was imminent—a rapid event in low Earth orbit—Reisman improvised. He exposed one cable to the rising sun, while shielding the other in his gloved hand. As the temperature of the exposed metal increased to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, it expanded just enough to create the fractional difference needed. With a calculated push, the cooler connector slid into its newly accommodating counterpart.
It was an elegant solution born not of strength, but of physics, timing, and an astronaut’s capacity to remain cool under pressure. However, imagine problems arising in low-orbit where there is no inventive human to intervene. What then? This question becomes especially critical in domains that demand full autonomy. Take in-orbit manufacturing and servicing for example.
Manufacturing in low orbit is now, no longer, a matter of imagination. The UK Space Agency has identified In-space Servicing, Asssembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) as a key market opportunity, estimating it could secure 25% of the global market valued at nearly £11 billion by 2031. In-space manufacturing—producing materials, components, or entire systems in the microgravity environment of space—is gaining traction, especially in low earth orbit. The benefits include:
This sector is evolving rapidly due to advances in robotics, automation, and space logistics, with commercial players like Space Forge, ClearSpace and BioOrbit (recently part of the first cohort of the Airbus UK Space Accelerator), driving innovation alongside government agencies.
However, it does have its challenges – how to ensure autonomous systems can function flawlessly in one of the most unforgiving environments imaginable.
A crucial part to get right is the software controlling these systems. Embedded control software must orchestrate complex manufacturing processes—welding, printing, assembling—often without real-time human input. These systems must make dynamic, real-time decisions, detect and recover from faults autonomously, and communicate reliably despite the constraints of low-latency, high-risk orbital operations. Every line of code must contend with the brutal realities of space: radiation, vacuum, temperature extremes, and limited processing power. The software must also integrate seamlessly with a constellation of hardware systems—robotic manipulators, additive manufacturing tools, precision sensors—each demanding exact timing and coordination. The result is a new frontier in embedded intelligence: systems that are not only mission-critical but self-reliant, secure, and capable of managing the industrial ballet of manufacturing, mid-orbit.
As the orbital industry shifts from science fiction to industrial fact, regulation is racing to catch up. In both the UK and EU, policymakers are beginning to grapple with the governance of autonomous, software-driven systems operating in low Earth orbit. The UK’s Space Industry Act 2018, alongside updates to licensing under the Outer Space Act, already mandates detailed technical disclosures for mission-critical software. Across the Channel, the EU’s AI Act could classify in-space autonomous systems as “high-risk,” triggering requirements for transparency, explainability, and real-time oversight—features not easily reconciled with bandwidth-limited, latency-prone environments. Meanwhile, initiatives like ESA’s ECSS standards and the European Commission’s push for cybersecurity regulation in space systems are tightening the screws on developers. For embedded software engineers, the implications are profound: code will need to be auditable, resilient to cyber threat, and capable of justifying its decisions—potentially in courtrooms as well as mission logs. In the rush to automate orbit, regulation is no longer a footnote. It’s fast becoming part of the architecture.
The complexity of embedded software for ISAM in low Earth orbit is not merely a technical hurdle—it risks becoming a barrier to entry. The demands of real-time autonomy, regulatory compliance, fault tolerance, and cyber resilience are creating a software burden that many SMEs in New Space may struggle to meet. These are not just lines of code—they are systems that must be rigorously validated, auditable under scrutiny, and robust in the harshest of environments. Without access to specialised expertise, there is a real risk that innovation will be constrained not by ambition, but by architecture.
At D-RisQ, we understand these pressures. Our user-friendly tools support SMEs navigating this new frontier in creating high-integrity, safety-critical embedded software systems – quietly enabling the extraordinary.
About D-RisQ
D-RisQ Ltd develops advanced software verification tools that apply formal methods to the design and assurance of autonomous and safety-critical systems. With roots in aerospace, defence, and automotive, D-RisQ’s tools are being used to accelerate innovation in autonomy while maintaining the highest safety and regulatory standards, at a much reduced cost. D-RisQ was part of the first cohort of 10 companies chosen by Airbus for its UK Space Accelerator.
To learn more about how D-RisQ supports verified autonomy in critical systems, visit www.drisq.com
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Email: njt@drisq.com
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