https://blog.hackster.io/launching-open-hardware-satellites-93813a1fe842
Created almost twenty years ago the CubeSat standard has lowered the barrier to entry to the point where you can put your own satellite into orbit for not much more than the price of a high end car. The 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm cubes have become so common that you can buy most of the structural and flight components of your satellite straight off the shelf.
But what if you don’t want to build something with off the shelf parts?
The UPSat cubesat was constructed by the Libre Space Foundation, and aspired to the first completely open source satellite ever launched.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
New Antennas Will Take CubeSats to Mars and Beyond
https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/new-antennas-will-take-cubesats-to-mars-and-beyond
and we welcomed the chance to push CubeSat technology to its limits. These tiny spacecraft have become the go-to vessel for researchers and startups doing Earth imaging and monitoring. Compared with traditional satellites, they are relatively inexpensive and small, weighing just a few kilograms, and they can be ready to launch in a matter of months, rather than the years it typically takes to prepare a standard spacecraft. Over time, the onboard sensors and processing that CubeSats can carry have been the beneficiaries of Moore’s Law advancements in electronics, growing more powerful and sophisticated, lighter in weight, and energy efficient.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Communcation Satellite Construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksVNIRY-_nY
Tutorial video shows the construction of a modern communication satellite.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FossaSat-1, an Open Source Satellite for the Internet of Things
https://blog.hackster.io/fossasat-1-an-open-source-satellite-for-the-internet-of-things-7f31cab00ef5
The very first satellite built entirely with open hardware was only put into orbit in May last year. It was the UPSat cubesat, and was constructed by the Libre Space Foundation, who tried to keep the amount of off the shelf parts to the absolute minimum, with all of the critical subsystems of the satellite being designed from scratch using open software and open hardware
However, despite significantly lowering the barrier to entry to putting your own satellite into space, even if you build your satellite using the 10 × 10 × 10 cm CubeSat standard you’re probably looking at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars to launch once construction and launcher costs are taken fully into account.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Startup Wants to Launch Giant Glowing Ads Into the Night Sky
https://futurism.com/startrocket-giant-ads-night-sky-cubesats/
An array of cubesats will create brand-sponsored new constellations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
PyCubed Sends Python-Based Projects to Space
https://blog.hackster.io/pycubed-sends-python-based-projects-to-space-8697a6e5d8b3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Virgin Orbit plans to launch first commercial small satellites to Mars
https://tcrn.ch/2nw6PiB
Tomi Engdahl says:
From the good news department: The Quetzal-1 team’s Arduino-based CubeSat was put in orbit today! They’ve already shared the dashboard that lets you follow along with its journey: https://bit.ly/2W7dNrO
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nontoxic, Salt-Based Propellant Could Power Rockets
https://www.aerodefensetech.com/component/content/article/adt/stories/insider/37557?utm_source=TB_Aero_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200903&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
In smaller spacecraft such as CubeSat satellites, a salt-based monopropellant is showing promise. The propellant, called FAM-110A, is a mixture of two commercially available salts. It can be used in a combined chemical-electric thruster.
A rocket engine using the propellant could be practical at almost any pressure level; however, it also leaves a significant amount of liquid residue after it burns. This is undesirable because it means that the combustion is incomplete. The formulation requires changes in order to improve efficiency of its combustion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hacking satellites
https://www.facebook.com/groups/majordomo/permalink/10161447265394522/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Japanese Company Wants to Send Wooden Satellites Into Space
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-japanese-company-wants-to-send-wooden-satellites-into-space-03150c7b369e
It sounds silly, but a company called Sumitomo Forestry, along with Kyoto University, is developing wooden satellites to reduce space junk.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Japan to create first wooden satellites that completely burn up on re-entry to eliminate space junk
The satellite would burn up without releasing harmful substances when it comes back to Earth
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-wooden-satellite-space-junk-b1779829.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reducing Reliability Risks in Space Missions Starts with Component Selection
Consider several factors to help reduce risk when weighing COTS and space-qualified component options for space missions.
https://www.eetimes.com/reducing-reliability-risks-in-space-missions-starts-with-component-selection/
Tomi Engdahl says:
30 Days Of Terror: The Logistics Of Launching The James Webb Space Telescope
https://hackaday.com/2021/11/02/30-days-of-terror-the-logistics-of-launching-the-james-webb-space-telescope/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/01/23/listening-to-a-flashlight-lunar-flashlight/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Satellite powered by 48 AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor shows a low-cost way to reduce space junk
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-satellite-powered-aa-batteries-microprocessor.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/06/19/diy-picosatellites-hack-chat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/07/04/quetzal-1-satellite-goes-open-source/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Guatemala’s first satellite, Quetzal-1, operated successfully for 211 days in-orbit a few years ago. Now, the team is making its Arduino-compatible CubeSat design open to everyone! https://github.com/Quetzal-1-CubeSat-Team
Tomi Engdahl says:
College students built a satellite with AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor
Space garbage is gunking up the skies, but a drag sail keeps the satellite’s lifespan brief.
https://www.popsci.com/technology/college-cheap-satellite-spacex/?fbclid=IwAR2h89s0rIW0k2j6AZHHrd4tU8qwNIInDJLJAi-XVie9ZiAz01FPkVPPd2Y
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/10/22/libre-space-foundation-aims-to-improve-satellite-tech/
There’s no shortage of movies, TV shows, and books that show a dystopian future with corporations run amok in outer space with little or no effective oversight. Dune, The Expanse, and The Dispossessed spring to mind as predicting different aspects of this idea, but there are plenty of other warnings throughout sci-fi depicting this potential future. One possible way of preventing this outcome is by ensuring that space is as open-sourced as possible and one group, the Libre Space Foundation (LSF), is working towards this end. Their latest is a project with Ondsel to develop and model a satellite deploying mechanism using almost entirely open source software.
https://ondsel.com/blog/libre-space-foundation-mbd-solver/