Clint Crosier
Director, Aerospace and Satellite Solutions, Amazon Web Services
Under Clint Crosier’s leadership, his team conducted two first-of-kind on-orbit demonstrations in 2022 that helped show the value cloud can provide to space customers.
Last summer, they also sent an AWS edge computing device called a “Snowcone” to the International Space Station. The device used machine learning models to analyze images of onboard research experiments and optimize the limited bandwidth available between space stations and Earth.
In November, AWS announced it had been analyzing Earth observation imagery directly in space using a purpose-built cloud computing package integrated into an orbiting satellite. Crosier and his team demonstrated that with AWS machine learning, it is possible to reduce massive raw images and data files by 42%, which helps speed up processing time, enables real-time insights and demonstrates the value of cloud computing in space.
“Our space customers continue to turn to the cloud to reimagine their space missions, taking advantage of edge computing, machine learning, and digital engineering tools,” said Max Peterson, vice president of worldwide public sector at Amazon Web Services. “It’s exciting to see how Clint and his team are helping customers leverage the cloud to drive innovation, reduce costs, and generate meaningful insights from their space data.”
Why Watch
In 2023, Crosier and his team are heavily focused on building on the successful on-orbit cloud demonstrations in 2022 to help customers push the boundaries of what’s possible in space even further. From innovative applications of artificial intelligence and high-performance compute to digital engineering and digital twin applications, they are focused on bringing industry-leading cloud-based capabilities to customers to help them achieve missions not previously possible. The goal is to change the way space companies build, launch and operate their space systems.
“The world will never rely on space capabilities less than we do today, nor will space ever be less important to the global economy than it is today ⏤ our reliance on space will only grow,” Crosier said. “From my 35 years of experience in the space industry, the cloud is a gamechanger, and it will become the indispensable platform upon which nearly all future space capabilities will be built.”