HPE today announced HPE Spaceborne Computer-4, an advanced compute module built for space environments, plans to power artificial intelligence and the first high performance computing benchmarks on the surface of the Moon. The system will deploy 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 touching down 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.
During the mission, HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 is scheduled to run core AI applications and the first high performance computing benchmarks on the Moon. The test results will help create the technological foundation required for future missions and research on the lunar surface.
Large language models will deliver insights, analyze visual data, and support autonomous monitoring at the lunar edge. Additional tests will process LiDAR data for mapping, navigation, terrain analysis and infrastructure development, while an AI services container will demonstrate reliable deployment of scalable AI service applications on the Moon.
HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 is purpose-built as a lightweight, self-contained, and fanless compute module designed to survive the harsh environment of the lunar South pole. It is equipped with both a low-power central processing unit and graphics processing unit. The compute module utilizes flash memory storage inside solid state drives from KIOXIA, continuing a long-standing collaboration with the HPE Spaceborne program to support missions with high performance data storage under lunar conditions.
HPE also assembled an extensive software suite that optimizes interaction with Earth-based resources and enables secure delivery of insights and results from the Moon back to Earth. HPE will support Astrolab's mission control in Hawthorne, California using HPE Private Cloud to support real-time insights, delivered in a turnkey solution. HPE CloudOps Software will provide a unified, flexible environment for managing and automating workloads.
NASA and Deloitte are set to join HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 to deploy AI workloads on the Moon and perform advanced solutions critical for maximizing the scientific return, underpinning the success of the emerging lunar economy.
Utilizing the Federated Learning for Unbounded and Intelligent Decentralization (FLUID) experiment, NASA will run an AI neural net model trained on data from Earth, the Moon, and on the International Space Station, demonstrating coordination of three separate AI models. NASA will also conduct a tuned LLM test with semantic processing abilities to assist in searching and interpreting onboard documents.
Deloitte's Silent Shield, a new system to detect cyber intrusions, will provide near real-time, predictive cyber-analytics and anomaly detection.
Building on years of successful deployment on the International Space Station, HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 is the latest successor to the HPE Spaceborne Computer project that will deliver real-time, advanced data processing to the newest frontiers of far-edge computing.
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