Welcome to the KubiSat project! This repository contains all the necessary files to build your own small satellite based on the Raspberry Pi Pico, along with the corresponding ground station firmware. This project was originally conceived as an engineering thesis and has been open-sourced to be useful to a wider community.

The repository is organized into several key directories:

• software/: Contains the firmware for both the satellite and the ground station.
  • kubisat_firmware/: Firmware for the satellite. See the firmware README for details.
  • ground_firmware/: Firmware for the ground station. See the ground station README for details.
• hardware/: KiCad project files for the satellite's printed circuit boards (PCBs), including the main board, power board, and sensor board.
• case_stl/: Contains the STL files for the 3D-printable satellite chassis.
• doc/: A collection of datasheets for the main components used in the project.

• Modular Architecture: Code is organized into libraries for communications, sensors, power management, and data logging.
• Data Logging: Uses the pico-vfs library to log telemetry and events to an SD card.
• LoRa Communication: Sends and receives data frames using a LoRa module for long-range communication.
• Remote Commands: Supports a command protocol for remote operation and diagnostics.
• Automated Build: Uses CMake for a managed build process with automatic versioning.

• LoRa-UART Bridge: Relays messages between a host computer (via USB/Serial) and the satellite (via LoRa).
• Simple Addressing: Ensures messages are correctly routed between the ground station and the satellite.
• Signal Strength Reporting: Can be triggered to report the RSSI and SNR of received packets.

To get started with building and flashing the firmware, please refer to the detailed instructions in the README files for each respective firmware:

• For the satellite: kubisat_firmware/readme.md
• For the ground station: ground_firmware/readme.md

The hardware can be manufactured using the KiCad files in the hardware/ directory, and the case can be 3D printed using the files in case_stl/.

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines to get started. You can report bugs, suggest features, or submit pull requests.

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.