The countdown is over - welcome to the Ecosmic Compiler!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away
Hey there,
If you signed up for our updates, chances are you’re a space debris fighter, a software developer with a passion for space, a space engineer who thrives on startups, a startup enthusiast who wants to know what’s happening in the space industry… whatever is the case, I want to personally thank you for joining our newsletter!
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I’m Benedetta, the CEO and co-founder of Ecosmic, and I’m a space enthusiast with a never-ending curiosity about what we can achieve with the power of software. For months we have been talking about starting our very own newsletter, but stuff kept getting in the way and this was procrastinated for a long long time (yes, founders and managers also procrastinate, even if they try very hard not to).
This newsletter is our way of keeping you in the loop about everything happening behind the scenes. Honestly, working at a startup is amazing—there’s always something going on. I am not exaggerating: ever since I quit my corporate job, I stopped yawning.
Ecosmic in a nutshell
Now, a quick description of what Ecosmic does (because if I don’t, my marketing-expert co-founder might kill me—no names will be mentioned!). At Ecosmic, we’re dedicated to making space operations safer and more efficient. We develop modular, innovative, and independent software solutions to help satellite owners and operators manage risks and optimize their missions.
The Challenge
The space software stack can be significantly improved by addressing key software challenges and adopting modern development practices.
Currently, legacy systems struggle to support modern demands such as API-driven integrations, AI-powered insights, and real-time data processing. This creates inefficiencies and limits the ability of satellites to adapt to evolving mission requirements, and also prevents modernisation of the way of working of space companies.
Despite this reluctance, many of their employees already turn to AI tools like large language models for assistance, often attempting to redact sensitive information—though not always successfully. This cautious yet inconsistent approach to modern technology highlights a gap between policy and real-world practices.
Additionally, the space industry faces a skills gap, as software developers are often the last to be hired by space companies. Instead, space engineers—who may lack expertise in software best practices and system architecture—are responsible for coding, leading to inefficient, rigid, and error-prone software solutions.
Another major issue is the reliance on manual processes. Many space organizations continue to develop software internally, believing they can achieve better results than external experts. This approach slows down development, increases costs, and results in outdated methodologies.
Furthermore, many satellite systems rely on patchwork solutions, where software from previous missions is reused without proper optimization. This leads to compatibility issues, inefficient operations, and security vulnerabilities.
These issues are already significant today and will only worsen with the continued expansion of the space industry. Over the next decade, the number of satellites launched is expected to increase fivefold, making a scalable infrastructure essential to support this exponential growth.
The Path Forward
To address these challenges, the space industry must embrace modern software practices.
Shifting to a modular and reusable software approach, such as using microservices, allows for easier updates, reduces security risks, and prevents cascading failures. This approach ensures that the core functionality of a service remains flexible and reusable, allowing developers to adapt it to new requirements without having to rebuild it from scratch each time. It also allows to develop in parallel different services that can be easily integrated in different combinations, depending on the mission needs. Breaking down monolithic architectures into microservices will enhance flexibility, scalability, and maintainability.
Defining Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a fundamental practice that allows companies to manage and scale their infrastructure with greater efficiency and reliability. By codifying infrastructure configurations, teams can version, collaborate, and review changes just as they would with software development. This approach eliminates the risks associated with manual setup, where only a few individuals understand how systems are configured, creating potential bottlenecks. Instead of relying on undocumented, one-off setups, IaC ensures consistency, reproducibility, and easier disaster recovery, ultimately making infrastructure more resilient and adaptable to changing needs.
Automation is another key principle that drives efficiency and reliability in modern software development. By automating as many processes as possible, companies embrace the DevOps mindset, enabling continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Reducing reliance on manual tasks not only minimizes errors but also frees up valuable time for engineers to focus on innovation and product development. Every minute saved from repetitive, time-consuming operations is a minute that can be invested in improving functionality, security, and overall system performance. Automation streamlines workflows, accelerates delivery cycles, and ensures that updates and fixes are deployed rapidly and seamlessly.
By adopting these modern software strategies, among others, the space industry can achieve more efficient, secure, and resilient satellite operations.
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Starting from Space Situational Awareness
At Ecosmic, we started by looking at the mission and science operations (Phase E of a satellite lifecycle), that can last up to 10 years and typically take up to 25% of the total mission cost. Most satellite owners and operators still rely on large teams working in shifts to provide 24/7 monitoring, a practice that is both labor-intensive and inefficient. Instead of leveraging automation and AI-driven anomaly detection, they depend on human operators to manually oversee routine operations, leading to high costs, slower response times, and increased potential for human error.
The escalating space debris problem threatens satellite operations, significantly increasing the risk of collisions that could damage or destroy critical assets. With thousands of defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragmented debris congesting Earth orbits2, operators must frequently adjust satellite trajectories to prevent potential impacts. As a result, the operational workload continues to rise, reaching an unsustainable level.
The issue is further compounded by the limitations of traditional algorithms, which struggle to accurately predict collision risks. This results in a high number of false alerts, needlessly consuming operators' time and resources. Conversely, genuinely high-risk events can be overlooked when the algorithms underestimate the actual danger, putting satellites at risk of undetected collisions.
Our flagship product, SAFE, is a ground-based software designed to streamline the collision avoidance process. Using advanced algorithms, it calculates collision probabilities with high accuracy, reducing false positives and unnecessary maneuvers. When a risk is detected, it provides optimized avoidance strategies tailored to the operator’s needs.
Do you want to try SAFE? Send us an email at hello@ecosmic.space
With the growing challenge of space debris and increasing collision alerts, our technology ensures precise, data-driven decision-making, helping operators maintain safer and more reliable satellite operations.
Why should you subscribe to our newsletter
At Ecosmic, we are dedicated to shaping the future of software in the space industry.
Our mission is to drive advancements in space software by fostering collaboration, conducting cutting-edge research, and influencing industry standards. Through this newsletter, we aim to provide insights, frameworks, and solutions that empower space agencies, startups, and operators to navigate the evolving landscape of space software.
We’re a laser-focused diverse team of space engineers and software developers, all under 35. We think software is changing the world and the space industry is lagging behind. We need to catch up, before it’s too late.
What we do:
Come find us
If you want to connect with us in person, you can always pass by our office in Turin. If it’s more convenient for you, you will also find us here: