SatNOGS (Satellite Networked Open Ground Station) project is a free software and open source hardware platform aimed to create a satellite ground station network. The scope of the project is to create a full stack of open technologies based on open standards, and the construction of a full ground station as a showcase of the stack.

History

The SatNOGS project was initiated during

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

SpaceApps Challenge in 2014 at Athens Hackerspace. The project then took part in and won the first place of the Hackaday Prize 2014 competition. SatNOGS is currently a project of the Libre Space Foundation.

Overview

SatNOGS aims to provide a stack of technologies needed for a distributed network of

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

satellite ground stations. In order to implement such a stack the four following different sub-projects are developed SatNOGS v2 in FOSDEM 2015

Network

SatNOGS Network is a web application for scheduling observations across the network of ground stations.

Database

SatNOGS Database is a crowd-sourced application allowing its users to suggest satellite transmitter information for currently active satellites. Its data is available via an

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...

Client

SatNOGS Client is the software to run on ground stations, usually on embedded systems, that receives the scheduled observations from the Network, receives the satellite transmission and sends it back to the Network web app.

Ground Station

SatNOGS Ground Station is an open source hardware ground station instrumentation with a rotator, antennas, electronics and connected to the Client. It is based on

3D printed 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...

components, readily available materials.

Operation

A November 2019 SatNOGS blog post summarizes total statistics since establishment: * 300+ operational ground-stations * 12,000,000+ observations * 380+ satellites with 810+ transmitters monitored * 51,000,000+ data frames

Tracking

The global array of ground stations contribute to an effective network for monitoring orbital satellites. The European Space Agency utilized the SatNOGS network to gain initial status observations from the OPS-SAT

CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...

after launch in December 2019.

Notes and references

{{reflist

External links

SatNOGS Website
Ground stations Open-source hardware Amateur radio Software using the GNU AGPL license