Open Science Hardware and Space Research

Executive Summary

Open source hardware—that which enshrines downstream freedoms for reuse, study, modification, and dissemination—has seen growing adoption in various fields of research. However, the development and use of open source hardware for space research is currently limited.

Building on momentum towards open science on national and international levels, we convened key stakeholders to explore the role of open source hardware in space research. During an online workshop held in July 2023, 30 participants representing academia, citizen science, hardware makers and hackers, artists, and those from NASA and UNESCO laid out the landscape of space-related hardware development. Specifically, we identified the needs and opportunities for hardware in space research; barriers and challenges; and key actors who should be engaged.

We learned that a key benefit of open source hardware for space research is reduced barriers to access. It not only lowers cost but facilitates collaboration and innovation, especially on key technologies shared between different projects. For example, open source cubesat designs reduce duplication of effort, allowing different research teams to focus on adapting them for their purposes. The transparency and accountability afforded by open source hardware also improve security, an important consideration for some space-based applications. In addition to cubesat developers, early adopters of open source hardware also include educators and contributory citizen science projects conducting astronomy research.

In terms of barriers, some are common across research domains. For instance, academics face institutions which do not recognise or reward open research, including publishing open source hardware designs. In addition, even if open source hardware designs are published, there is a lack of standard open source file formats, bills of materials, metadata and measurements which would enable reproducibility, compatibility, and interoperability. Specific to space, there is a lack of inclusivity where non-institutional or non-"professional" participants are often left out of deliberations and their contributions unrecognised. The biggest barrier, however, is that export controls in some countries—especially the United States—prevent the sharing of information for international collaboration. Similarly, regulatory compliance and physical testing of hardware in development can be particularly difficult for space research hardware.

Those at the workshop enumerated nine categories of key actors who should be engaged to promote the adoption of open source hardware for space research. This includes policy makers, funding bodies, and research institutions, specifically their technology transfer offices which should recognise not only the various benefits of open source technologies, but also that they can be commercially successful. Crucially, participants stressed the need to involve non-institutional actors including makers, artists, and other creative communities. These groups have contributed to the development of open source hardware for space, and can provide a critical perspective on the role of science and technology in society.

We believe our workshop represents an important first step in representing the current state of open source hardware in space research, and articulating a path towards wider adoption and realising its full benefits for science and society.

Authors and contributions

Author contributions are based on the CRediT contributor roles taxonomy, except for Allen Gunn's facilitation role:

• Pen-Yuan Hsing (0000-0002-5394-879X) - Conceptualization; funding acquisition; methodology; project administration; writing – original draft; writing – review & editing.
• Alison Parker (0000-0003-0682-6199) - Conceptualization; funding acquisition; methodology; project administration; supervision; writing – original draft; writing – review & editing. 
• Sophie Goguichvili (0009-0006-0976-5212) - Methodology; project administration; writing – original draft; writing – review & editing. 
• Brianna Johns (0000-0002-1292-0272) - Conceptualization; funding acquisition; writing – review & editing.
• Richard He - Writing – original draft.
• Pranav Moudgalya - Writing – original draft; writing – review & editing.
• Allen Gunn (Aspiration) - Meeting strategy, design and facilitation; writing – review & editing.

This illustrated report was created by Cooked Illustrations.

Text-only report

A text-only version of this report without illustrations can be found here.