Programmer Gets Doom Running On a Space Satellite

An Icelandic programmer remarkably ran the game Doom on the European Space Agency's OPS-SAT satellite, a "flying laboratory" for advanced computing. This achievement demonstrated how the classic 1993 shooter could operate in orbit with the on-board ARM processor. The OPS-SAT satellite was equipped with experimental and more powerful computing hardware than typical spacecraft. Olafur Waage utilized Chocolate Doom 2.3, an open-source version, for its compatibility with the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS system already running. Porting Doom represented a challenge in adapting code for space hardware and mission control's constraints. Updating software in space is challenging, making the ease of porting Doom crucial for success. The team initially verified the game's operation through log entries. To visually confirm, they replaced the game's Martian skybox with real-time Earth images captured by the satellite. Creating the in-game background using satellite photos and the game's limited color palette required significant adjustments. The successful integration of Earth imagery into the game confirmed the successful Doom execution. Waage concluded that the game ran flawlessly, highlighting its seamless integration.