In the latest episode of SpaceNews' Space Minds podcast, Mike Gruss sits down with Lorne Graves, CTO of FrontGrade, to chat about the not-so-glamorous but absolutely critical topic of processing power on spacecraft. As megaconstellations multiply like rabbits, the demand for on-board computing is skyrocketing, and Graves is here to explain why your satellite needs a better brain.

FrontGrade, the company that has supported every U.S. crewed space mission since Apollo 11, is now focusing on RF systems, mission processing, microelectronics, and motion control. Their goal? To help customers build modular, scalable architectures and move critical capability to mission faster - because apparently, space is the new IT department.

Graves discusses how the space community can learn a thing or two from electronic warfare, presumably to give satellites the reflexes of a fighter jet dodging missiles, minus the explosions. The episode promises insights into what benefits enhanced satellite processing power would enable, likely including the ability to process data in orbit rather than beaming it all back to Earth, saving time and bandwidth.

Space Minds is a weekly podcast from SpaceNews that features interviews with scientists, founders, and experts who are way too excited about space. Hosted by David Ariosto, Mike Gruss, and the SpaceNews team, new episodes drop every Thursday on SpaceNews.com, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple channels. Because who doesn't want to daydream about space while commuting?

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