LibreCube Initiative

Mentors: Student: Diego Toledo Luque

This project addresses the critical need for a software-defined ground station receiver to support the LibreCube proto-LC2302, an open-source UHF CubeSat communications module. To solve this, we propose the development of a resilient receiver architecture utilizing Software-Defined Radio (SDR) and the GNU Radio framework. The system will ingest baseband IQ data, perform signal demodulation, and execute a complete Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) decoding chain, including frame synchronization, deframing, and forward error correction (FEC). Key project deliverables include fully functional GNU Radio flowgraphs for both live SDR reception and recorded playback, curated test datasets, and comprehensive documentation. Furthermore, the project explores the optional development of custom C++ Out-of-Tree (OOT) blocks for supplementary processing, alongside integration with the Yamcs mission control suite. Ultimately, this work provides an end-to-end telemetry acquisition system, bridging the gap between open-source space hardware and standardized communication protocols.

Mentors: Student: StudHamza

This paper proposes a software defined radio (SDR) based ground station to receive and decode Long Range (LoRa) satellite signal, with forwarding to TinyGS and optionally LoRaWAN network. In this project a complete python package for LoRa will be implemented and used for reception and decoding. Key tasks include optimizing existing python code base written by my mentor PhD, Shayan Majumder; implementing sampling time offset (STO) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) algorithms; implementing TinyGS(MQTT) and/or optionally LoRaWAN (UDP/JSON) forwarding; establishing test, hardware in loop tests and CICD procedures; finally detailing documentation of a complete ground station.

Mentors: Student: Myyr

Every board in a LibreCube CubeSat (power, navigation, communications, payload) speaks SpaceCAN. Today, none of them can run flight firmware without a Python interpreter. This project changes that. The goal is a complete Rust port of the SpaceCAN protocol: a native crate for PC that works alongside the existing Python tooling, and an embedded crate that runs directly on STM32 hardware via the embassy async framework with no interpreter, no runtime overhead, and no dynamic allocation. By the end of GSoC, any LibreCube board can run production SpaceCAN firmware in Rust, and the broader embedded Rust and CubeSat communities gain their first open-source, interpreter-free SpaceCAN stack to build on. Deliverables: native and embedded Rust crates with full five-service protocol coverage, cross-language integration tests against python-spacecan, Embassy firmware with controller and responder examples for the STM32G0B1RE, and a getting-started guide.

Mentors: Student: Komal.

This project aims to develop a user-friendly interface (either block-based or graphical) for users to define rover control commands. This interface will be adaptable and work across different environments: Python Turtle Environment (Initial Development): Users can visualize their control programs in real-time within a simulated 2D environment. Gazebo Simulator (Integration): The user interface will be integrated with the Gazebo simulator, allowing users to control a simulated rover in a 3D environment with realistic physics. Real-World Rover Communication (Extended Goal): As an extended goal, the interface will be adapted to communicate with a real rover using Space Packets and PUS protocols. This project will contribute to user-friendly and accessible rover programming, fostering citizen science participation and innovation in space exploration endeavors.

Mentors: Student: sai m

Blockly is an open-source software designed to utilize graphical blocks as code representations, enabling users to construct programs visually. The primary objective of this project is to develop an application with a visually appealing theme built upon Blockly that generates PLUTO scripts. Specifically, users can assemble blocks containing commands (e.g., to do the movement of our prototype rover) within a control logic framework. Subsequently, a corresponding PLUTO script will be automatically generated. Additionally, an optional feature of the project involves the creation of visualizations of the generated script in PDF format, thereby enhancing the project's functionality.