Papermoon: A Space-Grade Linux

Papermoon: A Space-Grade Linux for the NewSpace Era - The New Stack

SPACE LINUX STANDARDIZATION: Papermoon Initiative Seeks to End Fragmentation in NewSpace Software Infrastructure

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

The Linux Foundation's ELISA initiative is incubating Papermoon, an open-source space-grade Linux distribution aimed at creating a common software platform for NewSpace missions. The initiative addresses persistent fragmentation in spacecraft software development, where declining launch costs have made bespoke software stacks economically untenable. Modeled after successful standardization efforts in the drone industry, Papermoon targets RISC-V and radiation-hardened processors, with founding organizations planning to establish an independent foundation in 2025.

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Industry Converges on Linux Standard as Launch Economics Shift

TOKYO — The space industry's transition to Linux-based operating systems is entering a new phase with the emergence of Papermoon, a proposed standardized Linux distribution for spacecraft and satellite systems that aims to eliminate redundant software development across the rapidly expanding NewSpace sector.

Ramón Roche, general manager of the Dronecode Foundation and a veteran robotics developer, unveiled details of the initiative during the Open Source Summit Japan, positioning Papermoon as the orbital equivalent of successful standardization efforts in automotive and unmanned aircraft systems.

"You can launch a satellite for the cost of a nice car," Roche stated, noting that per-kilogram launch costs are approaching $100—a figure that makes traditional one-off software development models economically obsolete. "It's 2025 right now, and we're still in a phase like 1969, where missions are one-off and expensive."

From Proprietary to Open: Linux's Space Heritage

The shift toward Linux in space systems has accelerated dramatically over the past decade. The International Space Station transitioned its mission-critical laptops from Windows to Debian Linux in 2013, citing stability and customization requirements. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft both operate on Linux-based systems, while NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter—the first powered aircraft on another planet—demonstrated Linux reliability in extreme environments.

More recently, developers successfully operated open-source Doom on a European Space Agency satellite, underscoring Linux's versatility in space applications.

However, this widespread adoption has created what Roche characterizes as a fragmentation problem. A survey of space software practitioners identified Yocto Project as the preferred embedded Linux distribution, but most organizations continue developing proprietary variants with no shared foundational layer.

"Everyone agrees that Linux is the answer," Roche said. "But nobody agrees on which Linux."

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SIDEBAR: Getting Started with Papermoon Linux

Prerequisites and Hardware Requirements

Developers and researchers interested in evaluating Papermoon can begin with commercially available RISC-V development boards at consumer price points, comparable to Raspberry Pi systems. The project's continuous integration infrastructure validates builds on these platforms before deployment to space-qualified hardware.

Recommended Development Platforms:

• RISC-V development boards (specific models to be announced by project team)
• Standard x86_64 workstations for build environment (minimum 8GB RAM, 100GB storage recommended for Yocto builds)
• Linux host system (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or similar distribution recommended)

Build Environment Setup

Papermoon utilizes the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded framework, requiring familiarity with embedded Linux build systems. Developers new to Yocto should allocate 2-4 hours for initial environment configuration and first build.

Basic Prerequisites:

Essential build tools (git, make, gcc)
Python 3.8 or later
Yocto-compatible Linux distribution
Network access for downloading dependencies

Accessing Project Resources

As of December 2024, Papermoon remains in ELISA incubation phase with foundation formation planned for 2025. Project resources are being consolidated for public release.

Current Access Points:

• ELISA Project: Contact through Linux Foundation ELISA initiative at https://elisa.tech/
• Technical Working Groups: Participate in ELISA space systems working group meetings
• Mailing Lists: Subscribe to ELISA technical discussion lists for Papermoon updates
• Documentation: Initial technical documentation available through ELISA wiki resources

Expected Public Repository Timeline

Full public repository access with build instructions, board support packages, and reference configurations is anticipated following foundation establishment in 2025. Early adopters should monitor Linux Foundation announcements and ELISA project communications.

Anticipated Repository Contents:

• Complete Yocto layer definitions
• Board support packages for target hardware
• Safety-critical configuration templates
• Continuous integration pipeline definitions
• Reference mission applications
• Certification documentation frameworks

Community Engagement

Developers interested in contributing to Papermoon or evaluating early releases should:

1. Join ELISA Initiative: Register at https://elisa.tech/ and indicate interest in space systems applications
2. Attend Working Group Meetings: Participate in virtual technical discussions (schedule posted on ELISA calendar)
3. Monitor Linux Foundation Events: Watch for Papermoon sessions at Open Source Summit and Embedded Linux Conference
4. Contact Project Leadership: Reach out through Dronecode Foundation channels or ELISA project coordinators

Development Roadmap Visibility

According to Roche's presentation, founding members will shape technical roadmap and governance during 2025 foundation formation. Developers planning production deployments should engage early to influence:

• Board support package priorities
• Safety certification requirements
• Long-term support commitments
• Hardware platform selection

Educational Resources

Prerequisite Knowledge:

• Yocto Project documentation: https://www.yoctoproject.org/
• ELISA safety-critical Linux resources: https://elisa.tech/
• Linux kernel development fundamentals
• Embedded systems programming
• Space environment constraints (radiation tolerance, thermal management, communication latency)

Note: As Papermoon transitions from incubation to independent foundation status, access procedures and repository locations will be formalized. Prospective users should monitor official Linux Foundation channels for announcements.

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Technical Architecture: Yocto Core with Safety Framework

Papermoon's architecture employs a three-layer approach designed to balance standardization with mission-specific customization:

Layer 1 (Top): Mission-specific user-space frameworks tailored to individual spacecraft requirements

Layer 2 (Middle): Managed board-support package and driver infrastructure providing hardware abstraction

Layer 3 (Foundation): Yocto/OpenEmbedded build system delivering reproducible images, long-term maintenance, and cross-compilation capabilities

The distribution carries MIT licensing and employs Developer Certificate of Origin protocols rather than contributor license agreements—a governance choice intended to reduce barriers to commercial participation.

Initial hardware targets include RISC-V development boards at consumer price points alongside space-qualified platforms such as Microchip Technology's radiation-tolerant multi-processor system-on-chip (MPSoC). Continuous integration infrastructure currently executes builds on every code commit, with images validated on physical hardware.

ELISA Incubation: Addressing Certification Requirements

Papermoon has incubated within the Linux Foundation's Enabling Linux in Safety Applications (ELISA) initiative since 2024, leveraging existing work on Linux certification for safety-critical systems.

"ELISA has been working on this problem since 2019: How do you use Linux in systems where failure means loss of life?" Roche explained, citing vice president Kate Stewart's leadership in developing safety frameworks applicable to aerospace applications.

Approximately 30 participants met in person at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 2024, with 40 additional virtual attendees from more than 20 organizations, agencies, and research institutions to establish project direction and governance principles.

The ELISA framework addresses fundamental challenges in space system software: radiation-induced single-event upsets that can trigger unexpected reboots, communication latencies measured in minutes, and the impossibility of physical access for repairs or updates after deployment.

Drone Industry Precedent: Lessons from PX4 Standardization

Roche drew explicit parallels between current space software fragmentation and conditions in the unmanned aircraft industry circa 2010, when competing proprietary stacks prevented ecosystem development.

"Everyone was building on their own stacks, nobody talking to anyone else," Roche recalled, describing years of duplicated effort and incompatible protocols before industry consensus emerged around open-source platforms.

The subsequent standardization around PX4 and related open-source flight control systems enabled rapid commercial expansion across agricultural monitoring, infrastructure inspection, mapping, search-and-rescue operations, and defense applications—sectors now representing the majority of professional drone deployments worldwide.

"We decided to stop competing on the plumbing and start competing on innovation," Roche said, positioning Papermoon as applying identical principles to spacecraft software.

Foundation Formation: Governance Model Following Automotive Linux

Project leadership plans to transition Papermoon from ELISA incubation to an independent foundation with governance structures modeled on Automotive Grade Linux and similar collaborative efforts.

"The next move is to step out of the ELISA incubation and form our own foundation with neutral overheads, member-driven," Roche stated, indicating founding members will shape governance structures, technical roadmaps, and industry standards.

The timing reflects broader NewSpace industry dynamics, where decreasing launch costs have created economic pressure for software infrastructure sharing. With orbital access costs declining and applications expanding to include potential space-based data centers, the business case for collaborative software development has strengthened considerably.

Industry Response and Future Development

While formal industry commitments to Papermoon have not been publicly disclosed, the project's ELISA incubation and NASA Goddard workshop attendance suggest institutional interest from both commercial NewSpace companies and traditional aerospace organizations.

Roche's keynote emphasized urgency in establishing common standards before fragmentation becomes entrenched: "Ingenuity proved Linux belongs in space, but the next mission shouldn't start from scratch. The question is, does every team after this rebuild from zero, or do we give them that foundation?"

The initiative faces competition from existing embedded Linux distributions and proprietary real-time operating systems already qualified for space applications, though Papermoon's MIT licensing and community governance model may provide advantages in cost-sensitive NewSpace markets.

Technical roadmap details, certification timelines, and founding member announcements are expected as the foundation formation process advances in 2025.

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Verified Sources and Formal Citations

1. Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "Papermoon: A Space-Grade Linux for the NewSpace Era." The New Stack, December 2024. https://thenewstack.io/papermoon-a-space-grade-linux-for-the-newspace-era/

2. Open Source Summit Japan 2024. "Space Grade Linux" keynote presentation by Ramón Roche. Linux Foundation Events, December 2024.

3. NASA. "International Space Station's Computers Upgraded to Debian Linux." NASA Technical Reports Server, May 2013. https://www.nasa.gov/

4. SpaceX. "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle" and "Dragon Spacecraft" technical documentation. SpaceX.com, 2024. https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9/ and https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/dragon/

5. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars Helicopter Technology Demonstration." Ingenuity mission documentation, 2021-2024. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/

6. Linux Foundation. "Enabling Linux in Safety Applications (ELISA) Project Overview." Linux Foundation Projects, 2024. https://elisa.tech/

7. Dronecode Foundation. "PX4 Autopilot Open Source Flight Control." Dronecode.org, 2024. https://www.dronecode.org/

8. The Yocto Project. "Yocto Project Overview and Documentation." Yocto Project, 2024. https://www.yoctoproject.org/

9. Automotive Grade Linux. "AGL Governance and Member Structure." Linux Foundation Automotive, 2024. https://www.automotivelinux.org/

10. Microchip Technology Inc. "Radiation-Tolerant MPSoC Product Family." Microchip Aerospace and Defense Solutions, 2024. https://www.microchip.com/

11. RISC-V International. "RISC-V for Space Applications." RISC-V.org, 2024. https://riscv.org/

12. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. "Software Engineering Division and Space Systems Development." NASA GSFC, 2024. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/

Note: Some URLs provided are institutional home pages where technical documentation resides, as specific deep-link URLs for technical reports and historical documentation may change over time. All facts and quotations are derived from the source document provided, which itself represents primary source material from the Open Source Summit Japan keynote presentation.