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Leading U.S.
Space Systems Contractor
Civil Space: Crewed Spacecraft Docking Flight Software Support
Challenge
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Safety-critical docking ops
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Lunar-mission reliability bar
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Validate across architectures
Solution
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Sensor init, nav, FDIR, control
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QEMU cross-arch simulators
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Fault injection + CI/CD
Value
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Official fleet-wide baseline
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Scope grew to DX-A1 program
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Faster, more reliable upkeep
Key Capabilities
QEMU Simulators
ARINC 653
Fault Injection
CI/CD Pipelines
Dev Containers
Key Capabilities: QEMU Simulators • ARINC 653 • Fault Injection • CI/CD Pipelines • Dev Containers
Customer Challenge
A leading U.S. space systems contractor required reliable flight software for safety-critical docking, undocking, and close-proximity operations of a crewed exploration spacecraft tied to a national crewed lunar landing mission. These mission-critical phases demand precise navigation, fault tolerance, and rigorously validated performance across multiple processor architectures, with little tolerance for risk or schedule slip.
Lynx Solution & Capabilities
Lynx supports critical vehicle flight software functions including sensor initialization, navigation filter selection, Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR), and control commands for manual vehicle operation. The team validates this software using proprietary, QEMU-based simulation environments that run cross-compiled flight software across x86, ARM, aarch64, and ARINC 653-defined platforms.
To validate system behavior, the team applies sophisticated testing methodologies, including simulator-based fault injection, subframe timing analysis, and validation of telemetry and sampling-port data, combined with best-of-breed CI/CD practices such as containerized development environments and efficient pipeline management.
Customer Value & Outcomes
These capabilities reduce risk and ensure consistent performance across diverse system configurations while streamlining testing and improving development efficiency. Beyond the technical work, Lynx advocated for more efficient development workflows that reduced wait times, addressed resource-allocation challenges, and shortened development cycles, leading to improved tooling, more reliable build processes, and increased leadership confidence. Lynx team members are now recognized as subject-matter experts and trusted advisors within the customer's broader engineering community.
Key Skills & Differentiators
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- Expert-grade pipeline management
- Proprietary QEMU-based simulators with cross-compiled flight software loading for x86, aarch64, and ARINC 653 platforms
- Advanced test development using simulator injection and subframe timing to validate telemetry and sampling-port data
- Creation of dev containers
- Design, development, code integration, and unit test development
- Verification-level testing, system integration, and data validation
- Sustainment and support of software releases
Modernize Your Mission-Critical Aerospace Software
Whether you're upgrading legacy aircraft systems, developing next-generation onboard diagnostics, or advancing digital sustainment, Lynx delivers secure, scalable software solutions from concept through deployment.