COSMOS Core — Open-Source Spacecraft Operations Framework
Interstel / COSMOS Project
COSMOS Core (Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System) is an open-source, embedded C++ operations environment and software framework developed by Interstel Technologies and the Hawai’i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL), University of Hawai’i at Manoa, with original funding from a NASA EPSCoR grant and collaborative development support from NASA Ames Research Center. It serves as the […]
Technical specifications
- License
- Open source (GitHub: https://github.com/hsfl/cosmos)
- Language
- C++ (POSIX-compliant)
- Platform support
- Unix, Windows 7+, macOS
- Data format
- JSON
- Ipc
- LCM (Lightweight Communications and Marshalling)
- Earth-space comms
- UDP; SLIP protocol with 16-bit CRC
- Multicast protocol
- NORM
- Physical interfaces
- RS-232, USB, Ethernet
- Architecture layers
- Foundation → Programs → Agents → Tools (GUI)
- Origin
- Interstel Technologies + HSFL, University of Hawai'i; NASA EPSCoR grant
- Latest version
- iCOSMOS Tools Suite v2.0 (Spring 2023)
About
COSMOS Core (Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System) is an open-source, embedded C++ operations environment and software framework developed by Interstel Technologies and the Hawai’i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL), University of Hawai’i at Manoa, with original funding from a NASA EPSCoR grant and collaborative development support from NASA Ames Research Center. It serves as the foundational software layer for complete space mission operations, providing a unified framework for mission planning and scheduling, telemetry and data management, simulation, ground network control, payload operations, flight dynamics, and commanding. COSMOS Core is POSIX-compliant and supports Unix, Windows, and macOS platforms. Inter-process communication is via LCM (Lightweight Communications and Marshalling); Earth-to-space communications use UDP-based protocols with SLIP framing and 16-bit CRC; NORM multicast is supported for reliable one-to-many telemetry distribution. Physical interfaces include RS-232, USB, and Ethernet. Data is stored in JSON format, enabling easy human-readable telemetry access and system integration with web-based tools. The architecture organizes software into four layers: Foundation (core support routines), Programs (one-time-run applications), Agents (persistent autonomous processes managing spacecraft functions), and Tools (human-operator GUI applications). COSMOS Core is available on GitHub (https://github.com/hsfl/cosmos) and forms the technology foundation for Interstel Technologies’ commercial iCOSMOS product suite, including iCOSMOS-Swarm and the iCOSMOS Tools Suite. Version 2.0 of the iCOSMOS Tools Suite was released in Spring 2023.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.