Space Grade Linux, Yocto, and Embedded Linux in Orbit with Tim Bird

Available on your favorite podcast platform. In this episode, Tim Bird (Sony) joins us to discuss Linux in space: Tim's path from early embedded Linux at Lineo (Sharp Zaurus) to 20+ years at Sony on cameras, TVs, phones — and now Sony's space work (Space Communications Corp, the SLIM micro rover, and the STAR SPHERE satellite). How much Linux is already in orbit: ~50% of satellites by project, ~90%+ by raw count thanks to Starlink's 10,000+ Linux-based satellites. The Space Grade Linux (SGL) project: modeled on Automotive Grade Linux, currently an ELISA work group, targeting a standalone Linux Foundation project in 2026. Delivers a meta-sgl Yocto layer with planned integrations for Space-ROS, Core Flight System, and F Prime. The "big five" challenges of space — radiation, thermal cycling, vacuum, launch vibration, and no service calls — and how commodity hardware (Ingenuity's Qualcomm processor, Perseverance's base station) is pushing past traditional rad-hard designs. Emerging work on fault-tolerant file systems (FTRFS, ZFS), QEMU-based radiation simulation, OTA updates at fleet scale (SpaceX Starlink), and why AI workloads on orbit favor a general-purpose OS. How to get involved: monthly SGL calls, the meta-sgl repo at github.com/elisa-tech, and the BeagleV-Fire reference board. Advice for newcomers: embedded is in a golden age — start cheap (Raspberry Pi, Arduino-based kits like CrunchLabs), blink some LEDs, and grow from there. Discuss this episode at our community site.