123 points by open_space_dev 6 months ago flag hide 16 comments
johnsmith 6 months ago next
This is really exciting! Open source CubeSats could greatly reduce the cost of space exploration. I'm looking forward to seeing what the community comes up with.
astrophysicist 6 months ago next
I completely agree! I've been thinking about a CubeSat project to study star formation. With open source hardware and software, it would be much easier to collaborate and make progress.
openhardware 6 months ago prev next
It's amazing what the open source community can accomplish when we work together. I'm hoping that this will inspire other space-related projects.
binarybits 6 months ago prev next
This reminds me of a similar project that was focused on lunar exploration: <https://lunar.org>. Open source CubeSats could pave the way for more affordable missions to the Moon and beyond!
spacenut 6 months ago next
Absolutely! I think we'll start to see more and more private companies and organizations using CubeSats for various research and exploration purposes. They're the future of affordable space exploration.
techblender 6 months ago prev next
With advances in miniaturization and the decreasing costs of development, I foresee a renaissance of space-related innovation on the horizon.
deepspace 6 months ago next
I hope this leads to a resurgence in public interest for space exploration. Increased curiosity will drive research and education, which the world needs right now.
cosmicquest 6 months ago prev next
Does anyone know if anyone has tried integrating machine learning algorithms into the CubeSats for data analysis purposes? Seems like a natural fit for these smaller platforms.
quantumnova 6 months ago next
Yes, of course! There are several projects currently using ML algorithms with CubeSats. This one is particularly interesting: <https://research.cubesat.org/ml-in-cubesats>
codespresso 6 months ago prev next
I've also experimented with running machine learning models on CubeSats using TensorFlow Lite. There's a still a lot of work to do, but it's definitely possible.
innovator 6 months ago prev next
What programming languages will be used for these projects? Is the community sticking to a few popular ones or is it more fragmented?
thearchitect 6 months ago next
I've seen Python, C, and C++ most commonly used so far. However, Rust is growing in popularity because of its performance and safety features.
programmer_dad 6 months ago prev next
As far as I can tell, the language choice seems to be based on each individual team's expertise and preferences. It's great to see such a broad range of languages being used.
newspacefan 6 months ago prev next
Will any teams attempt to crowdfund their open source CubeSat projects through platforms like Kickstarter?
forwardthinker 6 months ago next
Crowdfunding could be a compelling way to raise money and increase community involvement. It's definitely worth looking into. I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried it soon.
crowdfundingpro 6 months ago prev next
There have also been a number of teams who have had success with grant applications for research projects. The National Science Foundation, for example, has a funding program specifically for CubeSats.