ABOUT US

We're a team of international space experts. We’ve acquired decades of first-hand experience in small satellites programmes and have been involved in many small satellite “firsts” for many different missions, applications and services for customers around the world.

The growth of small satellites in recent years has been remarkable, but we believe that the small satellite industry is still in its infancy.

Only in the past few years have commercial organisations, institutions, society and individuals started to access and benefit from small satellites and envisage the opportunities that can be created and the problems that can be solved with space-enabled systems.

We’re building on our end-to-end systems engineering and mission experience with the latest ideas and cooperative design approaches to apply the terrestrial Open Source philosophy to Space missions and applications.

OUR VISION

Our Vision for the Open Source Satellite Programme is to make Space more accessible, and to promote the responsible and sustainable utilisation of Space. Through our own personal experiences in designing, building and operating spacecraft and the full system architecture we’ve seen at first-hand the utility of small satellites, the ideas that they have stimulated and the value that they have provided to many sectors and industries.

We can also see the potential of small satellites to influence and make a positive impact to everyone's lives in the future.

We want to take the promise that we see in small satellites, the thirst for innovations in microsatellites and cubesats and the technological advances in many industrial sectors.

We want to satisfy the growing demand for solutions that utilise space-enabled data; but at a lower cost and faster pace than is currently available.

We are excited about how technology and demand can intersect, and we can see that there is a pressing need - and also a clear way - to further our pursuit to make space even more affordable and accessible.

OUR MISSION

Our Mission is the development of a highly capable, flexible and affordable open source microsatellite platform. We believe that a next-generation small satellite platform is what industry needs to be able to stimulate and create new possibilities beyond what has already been accomplished.

We want the satellite platform to meet the needs of customers, operators, payload providers and applications developers and use the open source framework and resources to enable stimulation and exploitation of the system. We know what needs to be created to generate new opportunities, but it doesn’t exist today. So, we’re going to develop it ourselves, in collaboration with international contributors, partners and clients.

There has been a growth in the understanding and acceptance across many segments and sectors of the space industry of what small satellites can deliver to support life on Earth and beyond. There has also been a rapid improvement in the capabilities of small satellite systems, driven by trends in miniaturisation, manufacturing processes and technologies, software, AI and processing capabilities and launch vehicle options, driven by the thirst for space-enabled applications and services.

We are going to take these capabilities and integrate them using rigorous systems engineering principles, to ensure that we maximise the flexibility, scalability and utility of the Open Source Satellite Platform through all stages of the mission life cycle.

Our mission is to develop a fully open source flexible small satellite platform, developed, built and operated using open source systems and technologies, to create:

  • A performant, capable and modular microsatellite platform.
  • A design that can be readily tailored for a given mission.
  • A sustainable approach using readily available parts, processes and tools.
  • A platform that can be upgraded and reconfigured after launch.
  • A solution that can operate with multiple ground station networks.

OUR PLATFORM PHILOSOPHY

We believe that the way to maximise the accessibility, affordability and flexibility of the small spacecraft is to develop a fully open source satellite platform.

By developing a fully open source platform, the entire end to end life cycle of the mission will be enabled and delivered using open source and commercial off the shelf tools, processes, parts and technologies. Our open source approach means that:

  • The designs and tools will be accessible to anyone who wants to participate.
  • The microsatellite platform can be utilised and exploited in ways that suit the user and enhance the user experience.
  • The usability and accessibility of all segments of the value chain will be enhanced through the use of standard interfaces between spacecraft platform, payload and the ground.
  • We will achieve price-performance points that make it easy for individuals, teams and organisations to get involved.
  • We will be able to grow the community of collaborators and contributors who want to refine and exploit the design and its capabilities.

INTERESTED?

We are creating an ecosystem for sharing knowledge and ideas. Do you want to play a part in helping to develop the solution, by contributing to and collaborating with the opensourcesatellite.org community?

Sign up below or contact us to find out more.

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