Meta’s Llama going to ISS with Booz Allen partnership

On Friday, Meta and Booz Allen Hamilton launched “Space Llama.”

Llama, Meta’s open-source artificial intelligence model, will help astronauts in low orbit at the International Space Station‘s National Laboratory with research.

“We see a future where open source AI models like Llama will play a vital role in fueling space exploration and research — enabling astronauts to undertake the next level of experimentation to solve complex scientific problems and drive innovation in entirely new ways,” Ahmad Al-Dahle, Meta VP and head of generative AI, said in a release.

The announcement builds on Booz Allen Hamilton’s ISS addition in August, when it deployed the first known large language model in space, per the company. Less than a year later, it is adding a tech stack with Meta’s “fine-tuned” Llama 3.2, powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise‘s Spaceborne Computer-2 and Nvidia graphics processing units, or GPUs.

The companies billed the new tech stack as “Space Llama” and are using it as an example of how large language models work in environments “denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited bandwidth,” per a release.

The project is looking to lower costs, reduce computing power and have faster outcomes for responding to maintenance issues or “onboard anomalies” without having to rely on Earth-bound internet.

Space Llama will help astronauts replace paper documents and reduce reliance on instructions from the ground, according to the release.

Last month, NASA laid off employees and shuttered three departments due to mandated cuts from Tesla CEO Elon Musk‘s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Business Insider reported, which affected some research.

The DOGE cuts also hit a federal government office that NASA relies on to safely make moon landings, as well as land robotic probes on Mars, according to The New York Times.