SpaceCommsKit Explorer · SCK-915 · Hand-assembled in Tennessee

Passing the Torch.
From OpenLST to SCK-915.

This isn't just another RF development kit — it's the evolution of a radio design that flew in space, made accessible to every engineer, researcher, and university. Live telemetry in 5 minutes. No radio license required. HAB mission ready. Open source software, pre-flashed hardware, one installer. Works on day one. Extensible from day two.

Explore the Kit → 🎈 HAB Mission Guide Our Story

200+

Cumulative Years On-Orbit

915

MHz ISM Band · No License

+27

dBm TX Power

30km

Stratosphere Ready

100%

Open Source Software

Mission V1 · Dickson, TN

Experience a Real Stratospheric Flight
Before You Spend a Dollar.

Download the ground station software and load our actual Mission V1 flight file. Watch a real balloon climb to 30km over Tennessee — altitude, GPS track, temperature, pressure — all on your screen. No account. No strings. Just the experience. Then imagine your data in that window.

◈ Flight Replay — FLT-Mission-V1 · Dickson, TN → 30,847m → 2:14:33

// MISSION V1 · LIVE REPLAY

MAX ALTITUDE

30,847m

FLIGHT TIME

2:14:33

MIN TEMP

−54.2°C

PACKETS RX

814

◈ EVENT TIMELINE

t+8s ● LAUNCH

t+4920s ● APOGEE 30,847m

t+4988s ⚡ BURST DETECTED

t+8073s ● LANDING

ALTITUDE / TEMPERATURE PROFILE

— BARO ALT -- GPS ALT ·· TEMP °C

STEP 1

Download Ground Station

Free Windows application. No account required. .NET 8 runtime bundled — just install and run.

⬇ Download Free · Windows · v1.2.0

STEP 2

Load Mission V1 Flight File

Real flight data from our SCK-915 stack. Open in Flight Replay — watch a balloon reach 30km.

Mission V1 Flight Data →

1️⃣

Install

Download and run the free ground station

2️⃣

Open File

Click ▶ Replay → load the Mission V1 file

3️⃣

Press Play

Watch a real balloon climb to the stratosphere

4️⃣

Imagine Yours

That's your data. That's your flight.

5️⃣

Build Your Own

Shop the kit and start collecting your own data

"The SCK-915 stands on the shoulders of the OpenLST project — the open-source radio design released by Planet Labs that inspired this entire product line. We carry that open-source spirit forward in our firmware and ground station software, while building on the foundation with a modern RF front end designed for today's supply chain and frequency landscape."

OpenLST Inspired SCK-915 Evolved Open Source Software No License Required

Built for Every Level

Is This Kit Right for Me?

Yes — regardless of your background. The SCK-915 is designed to be immediately useful out of the box, and infinitely extensible as your needs grow. Here's how each level of user experiences it.

🟢

Beginner

NO CODING REQUIRED TO START

✓ Kit ships pre-flashed and provisioned — plug in and connect

✓ Ground station installs with one .exe — live telemetry in 5 minutes

✓ Complete HAB mission guide — step by step, no experience needed

✓ No radio license, no Linux, no command line required

✓ Download real flight data and experience it before spending a dollar

// What you do on day one

1. Install ground station (.exe)

2. Connect USB-Serial to Board 0001

3. Click Connect

4. Click Get Telem

5. You're live ✓

🔵

Maker · Engineer

EXTEND IN PYTHON OR C#

✓ Add any sensor to the Pico — I2C, SPI, UART — it just works

✓ Custom ground commands in ~10 lines of MicroPython

✓ Ground station is open source C# — add tabs, panels, charts

✓ Full example code on GitHub — fork, modify, deploy

✓ Proven HAB payload stack — GPS, baro, camera, SD, over RF

// Add a custom sensor command

CMD_MY_SENSOR = 0x09

elif sub == CMD_MY_SENSOR:

val = sensor.read()

send_esp(f"DATA:{val}")

🔴

RF Engineer · Researcher

FULL STACK ACCESS

✓ CC1110 firmware source in C — full SDCC build system on Windows

✓ 915MHz RF parameters fully documented — SmartRF Studio derived

✓ AES-CBC-MAC signed OTA firmware — full bootloader source

✓ OpenLST protocol — battle tested across 150+ satellites in orbit

✓ CC1190 RF front end fully characterized — PA/LNA control documented

// board.h — 915MHz config override

#define RF_FREQ2 0x21

#define RF_FREQ1 0xE3

#define RF_FREQ0 0x8D

#define RF_FSCTRL1 0x0C

Built for engineers, makers, universities, and anyone who wants to understand RF communications from the ground up —

without a ham license, without Linux, and without starting from zero.

University STEM Programs Amateur Radio Experimenters RF Engineers HAB Community Aerospace Students Makers & Hobbyists Researchers Firmware Developers

SpaceCommsKit Explorer · Three Configurations

Everything You Need to Start Communicating

Three kit tiers for every project stage — from single-board evaluation to full two-radio development systems. All kits include bootloader-flashed SCK-915 boards, lab AES keys, and assigned hardware IDs.

Entry · SCK-915

Single Board

$500 USD

One SCK-915 radio board with antenna, fully provisioned and ready to integrate into your project.

SCK-915 radio board (CC1110 · 915MHz)
915MHz SMA antenna
Bootloader flashed · Lab keys loaded
HWID assigned (0001 or custom)
SCK-915 User Guide + Developer Guide PDF

Order Now →

Built on Planet Labs' Open-Source Legacy

In 2018 Planet Labs open-sourced the OpenLST radio design from their Dove Earth-imaging satellite constellation. The Dove Low-Speed Transceiver accumulated over 200 cumulative years of on-orbit data across more than 150 satellites — one of the most extensively operated small satellite radio designs ever released to the public.

The SCK-915 carries that legacy forward — same proven RF architecture, modernized front end for today's supply chain, upgraded to the unlicensed 915MHz ISM band, and wrapped in a complete Windows development ecosystem that makes it accessible to engineers without a Linux build environment or ham radio license.

Our Story →

SCK-915 Key Specifications

Board	SCK-915
Frequency	915 MHz (FCC Part 15.247)
TX Power	+27 dBm
Data Rate	7.4–250 kbaud · 2-FSK + FEC
Sensitivity	−118 dBm @ 1.2 kbaud
MCU	TI CC1110
RF Front End	TI CC1190
License Required	None

Open Source Software · Proprietary Hardware

Firmware, ground station application, and Pico pipeline are fully open source on GitHub (GPLv3). The SCK-915 hardware design is proprietary SpaceCommsKit IP.

View on GitHub →

What's Included

A Complete RF Development Ecosystem

Every kit ships with the hardware, software, and documentation needed to go from unboxing to RF link in under an hour.

📡

SCK-915 Radio Board

CC1110 + CC1190 RF front end. 915MHz ISM band. +27dBm TX. Hand-assembled in Tennessee with authorized components only.

💻

Windows Ground Station

Full-featured C# .NET 8 application. Live GPS map, telemetry, OTA firmware updates, custom commands, file transfer. Open source on GitHub.

🗺️

Live GPS + Flight Recorder

Fused GPS + barometric telemetry on Google Maps every 10 seconds. Autonomous beacon. Flight recorder saves .sckflight + KML on every session.

▶️

Flight Replay

Animated map playback, altitude profile chart, event timeline. Variable speed 1x–60x. Load Mission V1 real flight data before you buy.

🎈

HAB Mission Ready

No radio license required. SPOT Trace + AirTag recovery. Complete step-by-step mission guide. GPS airborne mode rated to 50km.

🛰️

OTA Firmware Updates

Update remote radio firmware over RF without physical access. AES-signed bootloader with page-level verification.

📷

Remote Imaging Pipeline

Proven end-to-end: capture JPEG images with an Arducam OV2640, transfer over RF, view on your PC. See the Pico Project guide.

🔧

Fully Extensible

Custom command framework for CC1110 and Pico. Add your own opcodes, sensors, or payloads. Full firmware source on GitHub.

No License Required

Send Your Experiment
To the Stratosphere.

The SCK-915 + SCK-PBL-1 payload board is a complete amateur space mission platform. No radio license. Complete mission under $400. Real science data at 30km altitude.

GPS + barometric altitude every 10 seconds over RF. Camera images to SD card. SPOT Trace satellite recovery. AirTag last-mile precision. Full flight replay in the ground station when you get home.

No Radio License ~$400 Complete Mission 30km Target Altitude Satellite Recovery

Complete Mission Guide → Mission V1 Data →

// HAB Mission Stack

SCK-915 + SCK-PBL-1 Science Payload

SPOT Trace Satellite Recovery

AirTag Last-Mile Precision

MS5611 Altimeter Aviation Grade

NEO-6M GPS 50km Rated

Radio License Not Required

🎈

Complete Mission Guide Available

Step-by-step from ordering parts to recovery. FAA notification walkthrough, HabHub flight predictor, SPOT Trace setup, launch day checklist, and post-flight replay guide.

Included Software

A Ground Station App That
Actually Ships With the Kit

Most RF dev kits ship with a serial terminal or nothing. We ship a full Windows application — professional UI, live GPS map, flight recorder, OTA firmware updates, remote file management, and open source C# you can fork and extend.

SCK Ground Station — Files Tab · 10 files on SD card

SCK Ground Station Files tab showing remote SD card management over RF

📡

Live Telemetry

RSSI, LQI, uptime, packet counters — live every 5 seconds

🗺️

Live GPS Map

Fused GPS + baro on Google Maps · flight track · 8 stat panels

⏺️

Flight Recorder

Records .sckflight + KML on every session · replay anytime

▶️

Flight Replay

Animated map + altitude chart · event timeline · 1x–60x speed

📁

RF File Manager

Browse, download, delete files on remote SD card over RF

⚡

OTA Firmware Flash

Build, sign, and flash firmware to remote board wirelessly

🔧

Custom Commands

Any opcode, any payload — saved and persistent between sessions

Full App Tour → ⬇ Free Download · v1.2.0

Quality You Can Trust

Boutique Quality.
Not Factory Volume.

Every SCK-915 board is hand-assembled and tested in Tennessee. Components are sourced exclusively from authorized distributors — Digi-Key, Mouser, or direct from the manufacturer. No clone chips. No gray market parts. Every board is tested before it ships.

Small batch production means every kit gets the attention it deserves. Boards are not conformal coated.

🇺🇸 Made in Tennessee Authorized Components Only Hand Tested

⚡

SCK-915 Power Requirements

The SCK-915 radio board requires a 5V DC supply — never exceed 5 volts. During RF transmission the power amplifier draws significant current. Use the included 5V 3A adapter.

🔌

SCK-PBL-1 Payload Board Power

The SCK-PBL-1 accepts 9–12V DC via barrel jack, screw terminals, or JST-PH LiPo connector. Full bridge rectifier protects against reverse polarity. Onboard L7805 5V + TC1262 3.3V regulation.

📻

No License Required

The SCK-915 operates in the 915MHz ISM band (902-928MHz) under FCC Part 15.247 — no amateur radio license required. Ships to United States only.

Coming Soon

SCK-2400
CubeSat Comms Board

The next generation of SpaceCommsKit — a PC-104 compliant CubeSat communications board built around the CC2652P with an integrated +20dBm power amplifier at 2.4GHz. Designed for real CubeSat missions. Same open-source software philosophy, same extensible ground station framework. Flight hardware, not a dev kit.

Be the first to know when it's ready.

// SCK-2400 · Status: In Design

CC2652P · +20dBm Integrated PA Confirmed

PC-104 CubeSat Form Factor Confirmed

2.4GHz · BLE · Zigbee · 802.15.4 Confirmed

Open Source Software Confirmed

Ground Station Compatible Confirmed

Tennessee Assembled Confirmed

Custom Engineering

Need Something
We Haven't Built Yet?

The SCK-2400 PC-104 CubeSat board is a platform, not just a product. If your mission needs a custom payload process, a specific sensor suite, or a bespoke RF solution built on our validated hardware framework — we do that work. Boutique engineering at the intersection of RF, embedded firmware, and space hardware.

Universities, research institutions, and small satellite teams — we speak your language and we understand your constraints. Tennessee engineering. Flight-heritage thinking.

Engineering Services → Start a Conversation

// What We Build

◈

Custom PC-104 Payload Boards

CubeSat-compatible hardware designed around your mission requirements

◈

SCK-2400 Integration

Custom firmware and ground station extensions for your payload

◈

RF Firmware Development

CCSDS framing, proprietary protocols, custom data pipelines

◈

Mission Support

From design through integration, test, and launch

🛰️

Built on Validated Hardware

Every custom engagement builds on our tested, flight-heritage RF framework — not from scratch. Faster to orbit. Lower risk.