Self-Managing Amateur Radio Transponder — QSO
A 1U CubeSat mission experimenting with onboard agentic AI to manage an amateur radio transponder. The satellite learns power availability and regional demand, prioritizes fair access, and composes dynamic beacons while always failing gracefully to a conventional transponder if AI is unavailable.
| Milestone | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| System Requirements Review (SRR) | Complete | - |
| Preliminary Design Review (PDR) | Complete | - |
| Critical Design Review (CDR) | Baseline | 2026-01-02 |
| Test Readiness Review (TRR) | Pending | - |
| Flight Readiness Review (FRR) | Pending | - |
Current Phase: Phase C - Detailed Design & Development
- Compute: Ultra-low-power OBC (STM32L4/Apollo4) + Jetson Orin Nano Super (declocked, power-gated)
- AI: TinyML/TinyLM models for power-aware beacon generation
- RF: VHF downlink (145.825 MHz), UHF uplink (435 MHz), AX.25 protocol
- ADCS: Magnetorquer-based B-dot detumbling and sun-pointing
- Power: Deployable solar arrays, 50Wh battery, MPPT charging
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/cheesejaguar/SMART-QSO.git
cd SMART-QSO
# Build flight software
cmake -S software/flight -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
# Run unit tests
ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure
# Run static analysis
cppcheck --enable=all --std=c11 -I software/flight/include software/flight/src/SMART-QSO/
├── docs/ # Project documentation
│ ├── compliance/ # CDS, export control, ODAR
│ ├── environment/ # Power, thermal, mass, link budgets
│ ├── hardware/ # Subsystem design documents
│ ├── interfaces/ # Interface Control Documents
│ ├── operations/ # Mission ops, contingency procedures
│ ├── reviews/ # PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR packages
│ ├── safety/ # Hazard analysis, FMEA, safety plan
│ ├── software/ # Software design, requirements
│ ├── test_procedures/ # 40+ formal test procedures
│ └── verification/ # V&V plan, traceability matrices
├── hardware/ # Hardware design documents
│ ├── adcs/ # ADCS electrical/mechanical
│ ├── eps/ # EPS, battery, solar array
│ ├── obc/ # OBC design
│ ├── payload-jetson/ # Jetson integration
│ ├── rf/ # RF subsystem
│ └── structure/ # Mechanical, thermal
├── mission/ # Mission documents
│ ├── CONOPS.md # Concept of Operations
│ ├── RISK_REGISTER.md # Risk management
│ └── VNV_PLAN.md # Verification & Validation
├── software/ # Source code
│ ├── flight/ # OBC flight software (C)
│ ├── ground/ # Ground station tools (Python)
│ ├── payload/ # Jetson payload software
│ └── tests/ # Integration tests
└── RALPH.md # NASA code quality audit checklist
The flight software follows NASA Class C software standards with influences from NASA Ames SmallSat heritage (GeneSat, PharmaSat, O/OREOS, EcAMSat):
- Scheduler: Cooperative task scheduling with priority levels
- State Machine: INIT → SAFE → IDLE → ACTIVE → AI_BURST modes
- FDIR: Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery per NASA-STD-8719.13
- Watchdog: Hardware and software watchdog management
- Telemetry: AX.25 beacon generation with AI-enhanced content
| Module | Description | Test Coverage |
|---|---|---|
eps_control |
Power management, battery protection | 90%+ |
fault_mgmt |
Fault logging, recovery actions | 90%+ |
beacon |
AX.25 frame generation | 85%+ |
adcs_control |
B-dot and sun-pointing algorithms | 80%+ |
state_machine |
Mode transitions, safe mode | 90%+ |
scheduler |
Task scheduling, timing | 85%+ |
- Software Design - Architecture and module design
- FDIR Design - Fault handling approach
- Memory Policy - No dynamic allocation
- OBC-EPS ICD - Power subsystem interface
- OBC-Jetson ICD - AI payload interface
- Space-Ground ICD - RF link specification
- CDR Package - Critical Design Review materials
- V&V Package - Test results
This project follows NASA software engineering standards:
| Standard | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NPR 7150.2 | NASA Software Engineering Requirements | Compliant |
| NPR 7123.1 | Systems Engineering Processes | Compliant |
| NASA-STD-8719.13 | Software Safety Standard | Compliant |
| JPL Power of Ten | Coding rules for safety-critical software | Audited |
Contributions are welcome! Please read:
- CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md - Community standards
- docs/development/CODING_STANDARDS.md - Code style
All pull requests require:
- Passing CI checks (build, tests, static analysis)
- Code review approval
- Requirements traceability for new features
- Amateur-Satellite Service: All frames transmitted in the clear (no encryption)
- Open Operations: Beacons receivable by any licensed amateur station
- Federated Updates: Bounded, rate-limited, sandboxed, publicly logged
MIT License - See LICENSE for details.
This project draws inspiration from the NASA Ames Research Center Small Satellite Division and their heritage missions including GeneSat, PharmaSat, O/OREOS, and EcAMSat.
See CITATION.cff for citation information.