Bright Ascension to reveal Helix Groundkit at Space Tech Expo Europe

Image courtesy Space Tech Expo Europe

Helix Groundkit marks a major step forward in Bright Ascension’s mission to provide an integrated, scalable and flexible software environment spanning the entire spacecraft lifecycle — from onboard software to mission control. The launch follows extensive development and integration work across several upcoming missions, further demonstrating the growing adoption of Bright Ascension’s HELIX technology for next-generation space systems scheduled for launch later this year.

Sandy Damm, CEO of Bright Ascension said: “Groundkit delivers a major milestone in our vision of a truly unified space operations ecosystem.

“By bridging existing systems into HELIX, we are empowering mission teams to evolve — not replace — their infrastructure and unlock the full potential of our connected platform.”

A unified ecosystem for mission software
Helix Groundkit joins Helix Flightkit and Helix Ops to form a complete ecosystem for spacecraft development and operations. Together, these products provide:

• End-to-end integration between flight and ground systems.
• Modular, reusable components to accelerate software development both on spacecraft and on the ground.
• Built-in scalability from single-satellite missions to multispacecraft constellations.

By leveraging Helix’s modular and service-based architecture, mission teams can customise, extend and easily evolve their systems, reducing development time, cost and risk.

Following the in-person debut, Bright Ascension will host a pair of live technical webinars showcasing Groundkit and Flightkit. These sessions will feature hands-on demonstrations and expert discussions, providing deeper insight into how the HELIX suite enables rapid, reliable and future-ready mission software development.

Space Tech Expo Europe: 10th anniversary
Space Tech Expo Europe brings together over 950 exhibitors and more than 10,000 attendees at the MESSE Bremen and this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Gordon McHattie, Event Director, Space Tech Expo, said: “Our 10 years in Bremen have brought together the European space community in ways we could barely have imagined.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming the global space community back this year, as the event continues to be a vital platform for connecting industry leaders, fostering partnerships and showcasing the latest advancements in space technology.”

Space Tech Expo Europe breaks new ground this year with the expansion of strategic security and defence programming, reflecting the perception of space as critical infrastructure for multiple domains. It will also feature Specialised Conferences – an Industry Conference, Smallsats Conference, Connectivity Conference and a Technology Forum, plus (new for 2025), the Skills Lab, a specialised stream for masterclasses and workshops designed to enhance industry skills.

The global space technology market size was estimated at US$466.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$769.7 billion by 2030.