Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO, Financial), a worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet, is going to the moon, and it could take investors with it (in terms of its stock price at least - sadly, no seats on the spacecraft yet).
Cisco is partnering with Lockheed Martin (LMT, Financial) and Amazon (AMZN, Financial) for the trip, which aims to bring their voice technology and video collaboration to Earth’s neighbor. The tech giants have teamed up to integrate unique human-machine interface technologies into NASA's Orion spacecraft, providing an opportunity to learn how future astronauts could benefit from far-field voice technology, AI and tablet-based video collaboration.
Cisco’s stock barely moved in response to this news, so it seems that the news has failed to spark a buying frenzy. The buzz among dedicated investors is that the relatively low price provides a solid value opportunity given this latest development.
The Callisto technology demonstration will be integrated into NASA's Orion spacecraft for the agency's Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon and back to Earth. Callisto uses Amazon's Alexa and Webex by Cisco to test and demonstrate commercial technology for deep space voice, video and whiteboarding communications, according to a joint press statement published on PRNewswire. Lockheed Martin, which designed and built the Orion spacecraft for NASA, is leading the development and integration of the payload.
Webex by Cisco develops and sells web conferencing and videoconferencing applications. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007.
"Callisto will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind technology that could be used in the future to enable astronauts to be more self-reliant as they explore deep space," said Lisa Callahan, vice president and general manager of Commercial Civil Space for Lockheed Martin. "Callisto is a shining example of how new partnerships with commercial technologies can be flown on Orion to benefit future human deep space missions."
Callisto, named after a favorite companion of the Greek goddess Artemis, features a custom hardware and software integration developed by engineers from Lockheed Martin, Amazon and Cisco, and includes innovative technology that allows Alexa to work without an internet connection, and Webex to run on a tablet using NASA's Deep Space Network.
"The Star Trek computer was part of our original inspiration for Alexa, so it's exciting and humbling to see our vision for ambient intelligence come to life on board Orion," said Aaron Rubenson, vice president of Amazon Alexa. "We're proud to be working with Lockheed Martin to push the limits of voice technology and AI, and we hope Alexa's role in the mission helps inspire future scientists, astronauts and engineers who will define this next era of space exploration."
"The future of technology is about igniting human potential whenever and wherever that may be – which will soon extend to the depths of space," said Jeetu Patel, executive vice president and general manager of Security and Collaboration at Cisco. "Through Callisto, Webex is enabling boundless video communications and collaboration in deep space while helping to provide the next generation with inclusive and immersive technology. This first-of-its-kind solution could one day support future crewed missions, providing face-to-face interaction between crew, command center and loved ones."
