Space Events

Bright Ascension launches HELIX Edge

Posted 2 March 2026

Bright Ascension has announced the launch of HELIX Edge, a mission-ready payload software package designed to dramatically reduce the time, effort and risk involved in developing spacecraft payload software.

Image courtesy Bright Ascension

HELIX Edge will be officially introduced at Space-Comm Expo Europe 2026 (4th–5th March, ExCeL London).

Designed for supported payload computers and fully integrated into the HELIX ecosystem, Edge provides a pre-defined, validated software foundation that covers the essential requirements of a typical mission – reducing the learning curve and engineering effort typically associated with getting started on a new payload hardware.

“In many missions, teams spend significant time simply making hardware flight-ready,” Peter Mendham, Chief Technical Officer. “HELIX Edge shifts that effort away from generic infrastructure and back to mission innovation.”

Fully integrated with the broader HELIX suite, Edge connects users to further capabilities including modular and rapid flight software development and intuitive mission operations.

To help teams quantify impact, Bright Ascension has also developed an interactive savings calculator that demonstrates how much engineering cost can be reduced using HELIX Edge. Edge represents a major step in Bright Ascension’s aim to unify flight and ground software into one cohesive, lifecycle-spanning ecosystem.