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> So, you want to build a CubeSat? Not particularly, and even less so with this clichéd, condescending headline. It's a meme that needs to die, why do we have to see these titles popping up in HN every month?
If you are interested in open-source licenced Cubesat hardware, software and low earth orbit communications feel free to check out Libre Space Foundation https://libre.space Feel also free to check our repositories at Gitlab. https://gitlab.com/librespacefoundation
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For the radio & antenna you'll probably have on a small CubeSat, expect slow and unreliable, but it depends on if you're running your own ground station, in which case you may only be able to communicate for minutes a day or less, or are using a large ground station network or satellite constellation like Iridium, which will still be slow, but will offer much more frequent communication opportunities.
Here is a slow scan TV signal I picked up from the ISS one day when I was farting around with nothing better else to do. https://streamable.com/q9oa0
I highly recommend subscribing to The Orbital Index newsletter. One of the 3 newsletters that I actually read every week. It's (almost) completely outside my profession but very interesting to read nonetheless.
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The last guy that tried this was murdered by Sadaam. Most people underestimate the speed required to obtain a reasonable orbit, and the amount of tube required to accelerate an object to that speed.
He worked for Saddam, he was murdered by Israel or possibly Iran.
If you are interested in open-source licenced Cubesat hardware, software and low earth orbit communications feel free to check out Libre Space Foundation https://libre.space Feel also free to check our repositories at Gitlab. https://gitlab.com/librespacefoundation
Great to see the SatNOGS network going from strength to strength!
I dropped Rust and found SPARK easier to work with, and one of the book's authors is a professor at Vermont Technical College (VTC) in the CubeSat Laboratory[2] where Ada/SPARK are used.
The book is a great way to get exposed to a lot of subjects around high integrity, secure software. Highly recommended.
[1] https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/building-high-integrity...
Now I want to build a CubeSat that will point a laser pointer at different population centers as it passes around the earth. E.g. this pass of North America you choose LA, then NYC, then Houston, then Chicago... so you can see it streak by in the sky. My rough estimation is you could create a spot 2 miles across with a standard laser pointer at 400 miles high. Maybe you could use a different kind that would have a li…
For a while I thought you would need too much energy, then I realized I don't know well enough the physics of how a laser works. [Warning, very stupid idea ahead]: Since I don't know well enough the topic, why wouldn't be possible to use a satellite to collect solar energy (because outside the atmosphere you can collect ~40% more (edited) the solar energy due to lack of atmospheric filtering effect),and then transmit…
I do think that its certainly going to be one of the ways humanity powers themselves going into the future. As our power needs increase, we will inevitably look to more efficently use the power eminating from our star and one of the first steps in doing that is by harnessing it without the atmospheric effects.
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For the average person, probably not much; The main blocker will be that it costs about $10k to build, $20k to have it launched into space (USD).
Adjusted for inflation that is not too much different from buying a couple of Apple Macintosh computers in 1984.
Would there be any restrictions for people not living in the USA?