"Open Source Flight Firmware Development for Autonomous Downlinking via" by Blair Bram and Peter Sorenson
 

Open Source Flight Firmware Development for Autonomous Downlinking via SatNOGS

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Dan White

College

College of Engineering (COE)

Discipline(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-24-2025

Abstract

This student-led project, in partnership with NearSpace Education, focuses on designing, constructing, and programming a payload for integration into an existing satellite platform. The payload is built to fit within a 0.5U CubeSat form factor measuring 10 cm × 10 cm × 5 cm and serves as a testbed for autonomous downlink scheduling through the SatNOGS network, a global open-source ground station network.

To develop this, the team utilizes the open-source COMMS architecture by the Libre Space Foundation. This allows for hands-on experience in small spacecraft payload integration, mission operations planning, and communications subsystem design. The project also draws on tools and protocols developed by AMSAT to support amateur satellite communications.

The primary goal is to develop and validate flight software capable of autonomously scheduling and executing downlink passes, optimizing communication opportunities without requiring manual intervention. This approach aims to improve satellite-ground coordination, particularly for receive-only networks like SatNOGS.

This poster highlights the conceptual foundations of autonomous satellite communication, the technical challenges faced in limited-volume payload design, and the software development process. Future phases of the project will focus on in-orbit testing and refining the downlink optimization algorithm to support broader applications in small satellite missions.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

For the past two years, I’ve (Blair) been part of the BCON satellite team working on BCON-1, where we secured a launch opportunity through NearSpace Education. This marked our first chance to test the feasibility of autonomous downlink scheduling using the SatNOGS network, a global open-source ground station system. Even after graduation, I aim to continue developing this project to improve satellite communication by optimizing downlink efficiency through the SatNOGS network.

Peter joined in during 2024 when the Dream Big Project was pitched to the team. He joined to work on the software team with me and one other person. He was an incoming sophomore from Rose-Hulman with a plethora of software experience.

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