Ground Station is an open-source, all-in-one software suite for satellite tracking and radio communication. It offers amateur radio operators, enthusiasts, and researchers a comprehensive platform for monitoring spacecraft, controlling radio equipment, and receiving live satellite signals, simplifying complex operations.

How It Works

The system features a decoupled architecture: React/Redux/MUI frontend, FastAPI backend, and worker processes for signal processing and hardware control. Its core signal handling relies on the IQ Broadcaster (Pub/Sub for IQ samples) and Audio Broadcaster (Pub/Sub for demodulated audio). This design efficiently distributes raw SDR data and processed audio to multiple consumers like FFT processors, demodulators, recorders, and decoders, ensuring scalable and non-blocking signal processing from acquisition to decoding.

Quick Start & Requirements

Primary installation is via Docker. Users can build from source (docker build -t ground-station .) or use pre-built images. Requirements include compatible SDR hardware (RTL-SDR, SoapySDR, UHD/USRP), Hamlib-compatible antenna rotators, and radio rigs. Host networking is recommended for SoapySDR remote server discovery. Raspberry Pi 5 is recommended for ARM64. Development details are in DEVELOPMENT.md.

Highlighted Details

• Real-time tracking of hundreds of satellites with auto-updated TLEs.
• Automated control for antenna rotators and ham radios with Doppler correction.
• Broad SDR support (RTL-SDR, SoapySDR, UHD/USRP) with remote capabilities.
• IQ data recording/playback via SigMF standard with metadata.
• Decoding for SSTV, FSK, GFSK, GMSK, and BPSK signals.
• AI-powered real-time audio transcription.
• Automated observation scheduling for unattended pass recording.
• SatDump integration for METEOR-M2 weather satellite image decoding.
• Responsive web interface for desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Maintenance & Community

Contributions are welcomed via CONTRIBUTING.md. The project acknowledges Claude AI and Codex, and uses the SatNOGS API. Planned features include AFSK and LoRa decoders.

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under GNU GPL v3. This copyleft license requires derivative works to be shared under the same terms, potentially impacting integration into closed-source commercial applications.

Limitations & Caveats

LoRa and AFSK decoders are not fully functional or are in development, with a call for community assistance. Host networking is necessary for mDNS discovery of remote SoapySDR servers.