Software tools for space science and safer, cleaner aviation

CERN develops software tools for big data handling that can be effectively shared with the aerospace community
CERN manages large quantities of data regularly which is crucial for many aerospace applications: from astrophysics and Earth observation, to traffic control and aircraft engines performance monitoring
CERN software for Euclid

Euclid, ESA’s space mission to study the nature of dark matter and energy, is a prime example. This single space mission is expected to generate an enormous amount of data, later collected on the ground by ESA’s largest antenna and then distributed to a network of science data centres in nine different countries. In order to share software and codes in such a big data environment, the Euclid Consortium will use a CERN-developed system called CernVM-FS (CERN Virtual Machine File System).

Clean and safe aviation

In the field of aviation, two start-ups affiliated to the French Business Incubation Centre of CERN Technologies will use CERN-developed software tools for their business:

  • SAFETYN aims to improve safety for general aviation and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities by using the ROOT data processing framework.
  • NOVPOWER plans to use C2MON (CERN Control and Monitoring Platform) to monitor operating parameters of its optimised electric propulsion systems for light aviation.