Concept of Llama Space tech stack. Photo: Meta

Booz Allen and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, tailored a version of Meta’s open source platform, Llama, for space, to be deployed on the International Space Station (ISS). 

Dubbed ‘Space Llama,’ the tech stack could help researchers retrieve information from technical reference documents and instructions without the internet. Booz Allen and Meta’s goal in building Space Llama is to replace paper documents onboard the ISS National Lab and decrease reliance on instructions received from the ground.

The tech stack is made up of Booz Allen’s open architecture platform A2E2 and a version of Meta’s Llama 3.2, using Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Spaceborne Computer-2 and Nvidia CUDA software. The companies said this resulted in a compact, energy-efficient system similar to those used in satellites. 

Bill Vass, Booz Allen CTO, said this development contributes to redefining how work is done in space. 

“In the power and communications-constrained environment of space, the ability to quickly assess, research, and solve on-board issues is paramount,” said Bill Vass, chief technology officer at Booz Allen. “This proof of concept overcomes the historical limitations of low-power, low-capability space-based computing by enabling simple, power-efficient AI use in space without relying on Earth network connectivity.”

Last year, Booz Allen deployed a generative AI LLM in space onboard the ISS National Lab.