From first-time setup to custom firmware development — complete documentation for every level of user.
Written specifically for the Explorer Kit — covering the ground station application, hardware setup, Pico imaging pipeline, and firmware extension.
Step-by-step guide for setting up and operating the ground station application. Covers hardware connections, all application tabs, file transfer, firmware flashing, troubleshooting, and complete specifications.
Technical reference for engineers extending the system. Covers the ESP protocol, CC1110 custom command framework, Pico sub-opcode system, C# project architecture, and all hard-won lessons from development.
The OpenLST hardware is fully open source. Schematics, gerbers, and BOM are available through the forked hardware repository.
Complete schematic for the OpenLST radio board including all component values and substitution notes.
View Schematic →Forked OpenLST hardware repository including original gerbers, schematics, BOM, and PCB design files from Planet Labs.
View on GitHub →Forked OpenLST hardware repository including gerbers, BOM, and design files with our component substitution notes.
View on GitHub →Custom firmware including the PICO_MSG handler, UART0 support, and all board-specific configuration files.
View Source →The SpaceCommsKit Explorer Kit is built on the original OpenLST project released by Planet Labs. These are the primary reference materials from the original team.
The original user guide written by the Planet Labs team. Covers the ZMQ-based Python toolchain, Vagrant setup, and original Linux-based workflow.
Read on GitHub →The original open-source release from Planet Labs. Contains the complete firmware source, hardware design files, and Python tools.
View on GitHub →Planet Labs designed and open-sourced the OpenLST radio. Their Dove satellite constellation accumulated over 200 cumulative years of on-orbit data.
planet.com →