Leonardo to develop a digital twin of a space cloud-based supercomputer
The Space Cloud system will process and store data, as well as communicate and exchange data autonomously with other satellites. (Image: Leonardo)
Military Space Cloud Architecture (MILSCA) will be able to store more than 100 Terabytes of data generated on Earth and in space on board each constellation satellite with a processing power exceeding 250 TFLOPS (250,000 billion operations per second).
Italy’s Leonardo has been awarded a contract by Italian MoD to help develop MILSCA which will support integrated cyber security models designed to provide greater speed and flexibility in the processing and sharing information.
The Space Cloud, which will be tested by creating a digital twin of the architecture, will be able to store more than 100 Terabytes of data generated on Earth and in space on board each constellation satellite.
The project will attempt to define a space architecture capable of providing government and national armed forces with high-performance computing and storage capacity directly in space.
The study will be expected to last 24 months and involve a first phase for defining the architecture, while the second phase will end with developing a digital twin of the satellite with the High Performance Computing (HPC) solution and the multi-constellation satellite terminal demonstrator.
The goal will be to simulate the different application scenarios in a digital environment and these tests will be carried out using Leonardo’s supercomputer, the davinci-1. The study will be a precursor to a further experimental phase which, if confirmed, will involve the deployment in orbit of a demonstrative constellation of satellites.
The Space Cloud for Defense project also sets the basis for future uses to support civil Earth observation programmes and space exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, which could benefit from an in-orbit cloud computing architecture to download and process data more quickly.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality]()
Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality
Artificial intelligence has supported C2 systems and decision-making for more than two decades. It has gradually built up a head of steam in the 2020s, but what is it achieving today and what role could it play in the future?
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Sean O’Neill, Senior Business Development Manager with Iris Technology, discusses the growing importance of tactical power management systems for modern military operations.
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Austin Farnham, President of Octane Wireless, discusses how direct feedback from special operations forces is helping shape the next generation of battlefield communications technology.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system]()
World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system
The Northrop Grumman Integrated Battle Command System is in service with Poland and the US Army with another 20 countries believed to have expressed an interest.
-
![Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials]()
Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials
The Thales DigitalCrew package, first unveiled at last year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference, is designed to merge imaging and apply a layer of decision-making and observation algorithms to support crew and other personnel.
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
