Decreasing costs of deploying space vehicles to low-Earth orbit have fostered the emergence of large constellations of satellites, offering the potential for new, Earth-observation applications that provide global, real-time insights. However, old operating strategies for these systems do not scale as satellites proliferate. Orbital edge computing, which filters data on satellites before transmission, addresses the downlink bottleneck with autonomy in orbit. Space systems need a new operating strategy with more autonomy at the edge as satellites proliferate.

Brad Denby works at the intersection of computer systems and space systems. His research centers around enabling edge computing for satellites in orbit. He has presented his work on nanosatellite constellation design and machine learning in space at the HPCA and ASPLOS conferences, where he was awarded "Best Paper" for "Orbital Edge Computing: Nanosatellite Constellations as a New Class of Computer System." He has led multiple teams to design and build nanosatellites. Tartan Artibeus, a picosatellite, launched into orbit in January 2022.