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How the First Open Source Software and Hardware Satellite UPSat Was Built (fosdem.org)

Posted by msmash on from the fascinating-tales dept.

UPSat is the first open source -- both hardware and software -- satellite to have ever been launched in orbit. Pierros Papadeas, the Director of Operations for Libre Space Foundation, which helped build the UPSat, talked about the project at FOSDEM, a non-commercial, volunteer-organized European event focused on free and open-source software development. You can watch the talk here; and read an interview of him with folks at FOSDEM ahead of the talk here. Two excerpts from the interview: Q: What challenges did you encounter while designing, building, testing and eventually launching UPSat in orbit?
PP: The challenges where numerous, starting with the financial ones. Lack of appropriate funding led us to invest heavily in the project (through Libre Space Foundation funds) to ensure its successful completion. Countless volunteer participation was also key to the success. On the technical side, with minimal documentation and knowledge sharing around space projects we had to re-invent the wheel and discover many procedures and practices in a really short time-frame (6 months - unheard for a space mission). Lack of tools and equipment made our building process a creative exploration as we had to figure out ways to achieve specific tasks resorting to purpose-built projects in our local lab (hackerspace.gr). Testing and verification facilities where also a challenge mainly as we had to undergo much more extensive tests than other missions, having none of our components already "flight proven". Again creativity and countless hours of negotiations and documentation got us to the final delivery point. Launching UPSat in orbit was secured once the delivery happened, but as any typical space mission it came with long delays and timeline push-backs.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish by giving this talk? What do you expect?
Through this talk we would like to raise awareness for open source initiatives in space, and inspire open source technologists (engineers, programmers, analysts, makers) to engage in an open source project. We would also love to gather feedback and ideas on next steps and provide contribution opportunities for interested parties.

25 comments

  1. "Open hardware" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yeah. Sure.

  2. What does it do? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

    Great explanation of using open source material, no explanation of its function.

    1. Re:What does it do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it sounds like the entire purpose is to be an open source PoC:
      https://upsat.gr/?page_id=9
      "UPSat mission aspires to be the first completely open source satellite ever launched, manufactured in Greece, minimizing the usage of COTS components to the absolute minimum. On that scope all subsystems of the satellite are designed from scratch in an open source software and hardware way."

    2. Re: What does it do? by c6gunner · · Score: 2

      It does plasma measurements and has a small camera for taking pictures.

  3. Maybe I have ADD by sunking2 · · Score: 1

    But I did a quick glance at the wiki, etc, and still have no idea what the purpose of this thing is.

    1. Re:Maybe I have ADD by Kjella · · Score: 3, Informative

      But I did a quick glance at the wiki, etc, and still have no idea what the purpose of this thing is.

      Yeah, it could really use half a line about what it's actually doing in the initial summary. But if you'd care to scroll down just a little:

      Primary Payload
      On-board UPSat, the primary payload, a science unit is integrated. The science unit (designed by the University of Oslo and supplied through the Von Karman Institute as part of the QB50 program) will be used for plasma measurements during the mission duration.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    2. Re:Maybe I have ADD by Kotukunui · · Score: 2

      Secondary Payload is a camera, so maybe we'll get some open-source (freely available?) imagery as well. Don't know what it will be pointed at or how good the images will be. I'll be following this to see what comes of it.

    3. Re:Maybe I have ADD by porges · · Score: 1

      It's like updog, but with sat.

    4. Re:Maybe I have ADD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      updog? what is that? :-P

  4. FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And FUCK TRUMP

    1. Re: FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is the most incitefull comment ever. However I noticed you did not demand to know this OSS projects diversity policy. For that I have to say you are a racist and want to kill black people. We must always put news stories in terms of how it is harming African American. I will try to rectify the situation. Why were these monsters trying to shove an object in space when so many African Americans don't have access to affordable housing. Every white person needs to spend every single waking moment considering how they are taking advantage of African Americans, women and homosexuals. If it were not for white people there would be no guilt evrrr

    2. Re: FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read your post but I cannot tell what you are scared of. It sounds like you are afraid of black people? monsters? women? homosexuals? I dunno, maybe you're just scared of everything and so you lash out at everything? Even small people don't have to be scared of everything. Calm down - you'll be okay.

    3. Re: FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FUCK PUTIN
      Anonymous Coward 2 hours ago
      And FUCK TRUMP
      If you want a romantic liaison with either one of them you should post a name so they can message you...

      And what does that have to do with an open source satellite, erroneously claim8ng to be the first?

    4. Re: FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't feed the trolls! Please.

    5. Re: FUCK PUTIN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yo all Gona die in the big quakes and tsunamis and CME and pole shift and ice age. Good luck.

  5. Rocket by dohzer · · Score: 0

    I bet the Atlas-V rocket it was launced on uses closed source software and hardware.
    That's like the laptop being fully open source, but the charger being proprietary, so you're basically locked into a closed source system. Yawn.

    1. Re:Rocket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Richard Stallman, is that you?

  6. OSCAR? by bhetrick · · Score: 2

    First open source satellite in 2018? So what was closed source about OSCAR-1, 1961?

    1. Re:OSCAR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyhing?

  7. HAM radio was first by qwerty+shrdlu · · Score: 3, Informative

    OSCAR-1 was launched in 1962 and all its design details were made public. Of course, it had no software. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... http://www.arrl.org/news/oscar...

    1. Re:HAM radio was first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      You DO understand how "made public" is greatly different from "open source license" right? Also are you aware of ITAR regulations? All NA-OSCAR designs up until now are restricted due to them.

  8. Oscar 1 and the rest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The Ham Radio community Oscar 1 satellite published its schematics and had pictures of its assemblies in the early 1960s before commercial satellites were launched.

  9. Open source is nice! by Ithersell · · Score: 1

    I think the whole deal is that open source was always a great way to create things. Sure, it has both good and bad sides, but the fact is... Open source opens so many roads and possibilities, provides you with so many ideas that you simply can get lost in it. Although i work at http://jatapp.com/ i do enjoy to take a part in open source projects.