Project foundation
Stand up the site, repo, deployment path, project memory, and research wiki so the work compounds instead of scattering across chats and notes.
Roadmap
Make the map, then build the spacecraft.
Phase 1 is complete. The working design is our own small satellite after Starship releases us, with two laser terminals and HD Earth video, and every claim traces to a source. A first-pass power study is in: the power budget works if we fly cameras and skip the lasers for now. Flying both lasers wants a folding solar wing in the 250–350 W class. SpaceX has not published size, weight, or power for the Mini Laser, so we are not inventing those numbers. After separation we own the bus. This mass class is built to fit ESPA, a common rideshare adapter ring. Public Starship power numbers stay unpublished. A small reaction-wheel pointing kit in the XACT class is the typical close — a class, not a purchase. A small thruster pack with about 50 m/s of push, one-newton class, is still the first-pass propulsion close. Commands go over S-band, with a commercial ground network (KSAT Lite or Leaf), not a backyard dish first. The locked bus is quote-only. SpaceX's printed rideshare prices are for sun-synchronous orbits, not this 53° path. 53° / Bandwagon has no printed dollar. The Starship smallsat ticket is missing. 485 km is a congested band. We do not have a cited collision-avoidance rate for this shell. The ~50 m/s pack is still the first-pass close. Nothing that closes a locked flight need is add-to-cart this week. A cheap garage bench exists; it does not close flight parts. The real flight parts still need a quote. Next is those quotes and a real conjunction run — not more architecture, and not a claim that the mission is licensed.
Mission definition
Defined the working design: our own small satellite after Starship releases us (about 50–150 kg). Riding attached to Starship remains an evaluated alternative. Two Starlink Mini Laser optical terminals, HD Earth-viewing video (1080p baseline), a locked 485 km / 53° orbit, and a source-captured research library. A first-pass power study is in: the power budget works if we fly cameras and skip the lasers for now; flying both lasers wants a folding solar wing in the 250–350 W class. The first-pass compliance map and bus-interface map followed the same day.
Compliance map
First-pass map complete. If the cameras look at Earth's surface, NOAA contact is the first paperwork gate. The FCC licenses radio frequencies, not optical (laser) wavelengths. Five-year post-mission disposal is already required. The printed smallsat track is not a schedule. Next actions are those gates when camera and radio are tentative — not a claim that we are licensed.
Interfaces and ADCS
After Starship releases us, we own power, heat, collision avoidance, and the five-year disposal showing. The live rideshare book is the Payload User's Guide (PUG) v11, August 2026. This mass class is built to fit ESPA, a common rideshare adapter ring. Flying both lasers wants a folding solar wing; public ESPA products such as MMA rHAWK and FlexArray sit in that class, and Redwire ELSA's published floor does not. Public Starship power numbers stay unpublished. HD Earth video is a tenth-of-a-degree body-pointing problem. A small thruster pack with about 50 m/s of push, one-newton class, is the first-pass close. Commands go over S-band with a commercial ground network, not a backyard dish first. The locked bus is quote-only. SpaceX's printed rideshare prices are for sun-synchronous orbits, not this 53° path. 485 km is a congested band; we do not have a cited collision-avoidance rate for this shell. Nothing that closes a locked flight need is add-to-cart. The real flight parts still need a quote. Next is those quotes and a real conjunction run.
Prototype
Build ground-testable subsystem experiments before pretending anything is ready for orbit. A first-pass garage surrogate bench is identified; it does not close a locked flight need. First-pass ground-station class is a commercial S-band network, not a backyard dish.