Klepsydra Technologies AG, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), has successfully completed the MANDALA project, paving the way for the deployment of artificial intelligence on radiation-hardened co-processors for future space missions.

The project focused on enabling AI execution on the HPDP-40, a space-qualified co-processor designed for low power consumption, high flexibility, and extreme reliability. By integrating Klepsydra AI with its Streaming Distribution Optimiser (SDO), the team developed a powerful solution that brings together a fully European hardware/software AI stack for space.

This innovation addresses a long-standing challenge in the space industry: the lack of generic, qualifiable AI frameworks for radiation-hardened hardware. As a result of MANDALA, developers can now deploy AI models trained in common frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) directly to the HPDP without requiring low-level coding. The result is a simplified, framework-agnostic workflow that balances latency, power consumption and throughput according to mission needs.

Benchmark tests carried out with ESA-provided models—such as coronal mass ejection detection, cloud segmentation, and asteroid precision landing—confirmed the robustness, efficiency, and flexibility of the solution. The project delivered substantial improvements in computational performance and energy efficiency, while providing ease of use for developers.

“The outstanding achievement of MANDALA lies in completing a technically complex and ambitious project with a high level of success and excellence,” said Pablo Ghiglino, CEO of Klepsydra Technologies. “This milestone demonstrates the maturity of our technology and marks an important step toward Europe’s strategic autonomy in space-based AI.”

“We are very pleased with the success of this project, as the flexibility and efficiency of Klepsydra’s software now extending to the HPDP as well, making our hardware even more attractive to the market. Klepsydra has demonstrated that their framework becomes more and more mature and increasingly useful for the industry.” said Constantin Papadas, Managing Director of  Integrated System Development SA, provider of the HPDP.

The MANDALA project highlights Europe’s growing capacity to integrate AI into space-qualified systems, reinforcing leadership in autonomy, reliability, and mission-critical innovation. Future developments are expected to extend the solution to multi-node HPDP configurations and broader AI workloads, unlocking the full potential of onboard intelligence for space exploration.