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Slow time to market in space missions | Modular flight software
Why traditional flight software development can’t keep pace
In today’s fast-paced space sector, missions need to move from concept to orbit faster than ever. Traditional, bespoke and hardware-dependent approaches struggle to keep pace with the demands of modern satellite programmes.
Instead of building everything from scratch, modular flight software allows engineers to quickly cover all the standard satellite functionality with the library of pre-validated software components and focus solely on the mission-specific components that differentiate their spacecraft. This significantly shortens development cycles, reduces cost and cuts down on testing and integration time. 
However, setting it up once is never enough — large space systems are constantly evolving. Small satellites have short operational lifespans and must be replenished regularly. New satellites often come with different hardware or may even be built by completely different integrators, which in turn demands new software.
Very quickly, a constellation becomes a highly heterogeneous, dynamic environment where hardware and software are always changing — yet still need to function as one coherent system. Without a reusable and component-based foundation, development effort grows with every new satellite.
HELIX® provides a model-driven framework that supports rapid development, seamless integration and straightforward software reuse across missions. As a result, each new project builds on the last, accelerating delivery while reducing engineering effort and risk.
How HELIX solves time-to-market challenges
HELIX’s component-driven, model-based architecture allows teams to:
- Reuse software developed for previous missions
- Integrate new spacecraft quickly, regardless of hardware variations
- Automate testing, deployment, and validation
- Scale development across multiple satellites with minimal extra effort
By enabling software reuse and modularity, HELIX transforms mission timelines and reduces engineering overhead.
| Challenge | HELIX solution |
|---|---|
| Slow development cycles | Pre-validated modular software |
| Repeated custom integration | Reusable components across missions |
| Heterogeneous fleets | Unified software framework for any hardware |
| High testing & validation effort | Automated model-based workflows |
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Hub: What is HELIX? Overview
HELIX accelerates missions by combining reusable software, unified architecture, and automation. Teams can launch faster, scale fleets more efficiently, and focus on mission success instead of building from scratch.
Accelerate your next satellite mission with HELIX
Request a demo or speak to our engineering team today.