“Firmware updates are terrifying.”
The product is deployed, but update failures can brick devices, recovery is manual, or the release process depends on tribal knowledge.
Firmware development & flight software
Firmware for connected products and spacecraft.
Hughie Systems provides firmware development and consulting for connected devices and satellite systems. We define architectures, integrate subsystems, and solve unreliable communications, incomplete telemetry, failed updates, and fault-recovery problems—from initial design to deployed operation.
Firmware · Flight software · RTOS/Linux · Connectivity · Telemetry · Recovery
When to call us
When a connected product becomes hard to build, integrate, or operate.
The hardest embedded problems can appear at any point from prototype to field deployment: architecture stops scaling, subsystems refuse to integrate, production requirements expose gaps, or deployed devices become difficult to update, diagnose, recover, and support.
“The pieces work separately, but not together.”
Firmware, hardware interfaces, networks, and backend services are each functional in isolation, but integration failures are blocking a prototype, milestone, or launch.
“What worked at 100 devices is breaking at 10,000.”
Provisioning, connectivity, device identity, observability, and fleet operations become infrastructure problems as deployments grow.
“The original firmware architecture no longer fits the product.”
Inherited code, unclear boundaries, hardware revisions, and accumulated workarounds are slowing releases and increasing operational risk.
Capabilities
The software behind the connected system.
We work across firmware, hardware interfaces, connectivity, and operational software—for connected products on the ground and satellite systems in orbit.
01 / SPACE SYSTEMS
Satellite flight software & systems integration
Define satellite bus software, integrate peripherals, and connect onboard systems to optical ISL networks and ground communications. Scope the work from initial architecture through network entry, telemetry, fault recovery, and deployed-system support.
Explore satellite flight software02 / ARCHITECTURE
Firmware architecture & rescue
Untangle fragile or inherited firmware, establish clear system boundaries, and build an architecture that can support future hardware and product growth.
Explore firmware architecture consulting03 / FLEET INFRASTRUCTURE
OTA, provisioning & device management
Design the infrastructure required to securely provision, update, recover, identify, and manage connected devices after they leave the factory.
Explore OTA and device management04 / OBSERVABILITY
Telemetry, logging & remote diagnostics
Build field visibility into the platform so failures can be understood remotely instead of requiring physical access or unreliable reproduction attempts.
Explore diagnostics and production hardening05 / CONNECTIVITY
Connected-system reliability
Design communications and fault recovery behavior for products that must operate across cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, mesh, or intermittent network links.
Explore embedded systems integrationHow we engage
Start with the problem. Scale the engagement only when it makes sense.
Hughie Systems is not a generalized staff-augmentation shop. Engagements are structured around specific embedded-system outcomes and can expand when deeper implementation or ongoing technical leadership is valuable.
You work directly with the engineer responsible for architecture and implementation. Each engagement includes a practical handoff: maintainable code, documented decisions, and the operating knowledge your team needs to continue the work.
01
Embedded Architecture AssessmentA focused 1–2 week review of firmware architecture, update strategy, logging, connectivity, provisioning, recovery, security, manufacturing flow, remote diagnostics, and production risks.
02
Implementation & Production HardeningA typical 6–12 week implementation effort focused on architecture, integration, deployment readiness, and the highest-value reliability improvements identified during assessment.
03
Fractional Embedded Platform LeadOngoing architecture, release, and technical leadership without requiring a permanent embedded-platform lead.
Start a conversation
What needs to work before your next product or mission milestone?
Describe the device, spacecraft, or subsystem, the software responsibility you need covered, and the outcome you need to demonstrate. We can help define a new architecture, own implementation, or investigate a specific failure.