SIDLOC (Spacecraft Identification and Localization) is an open-standard, low-power DSSS beacon system that lets any spacecraft be uniquely identified and located via an open ground segment. It speeds up early-orbit identification and underpins open, independent Space Situational Awareness.
What LSF does
LSF authored the SIDLOC specification, designed and built the flight-article hardware and firmware, developed the GNU Radio demodulator (gr-sidloc), and integrated decoding into the SatNOGS ground-station network.
Where we’re going
Establish SIDLOC as an ITU / interoperable open standard for LEO spacecraft identification, expand the decoder-capable SatNOGS footprint, and fly on successive missions to grow independent SSA capability.
Where the project stands
SIDLOC-01 launched on Ariane 6 maiden flight (VA262) 2024-07-09 and was successfully received by SatNOGS; the upper-stage payload is no longer transmitting (battery exhausted — primary cell design for ~1.5 orbits). Requirements Specification, Design Document, and Verification Plan are at stable release. The SIDLOC programme remains active: four SIDLOC PocketQubes (SIDLOC PQ-03 to PQ-06) launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-18 on 2026-10-01, were deployed from PICOBUS v2 on board UARX Space’s OSSIE-D, and beacon on 401.500 MHz, and SIDLOC-PQ-1 and -2 are manifested on ERMINAZ-1.
Milestones
- 2021 — ESA contract signed
- 2024-04 — Ariane 6 experiment payload delivered to CSG
- 2024-07-09 — SIDLOC-01 launched on Ariane 6; first open-source beacon received
- 2024-12 — 38C3 talk ‘An open-source guide to the galaxy: Our journey with Ariane 6’
- 2026-10-01 — SIDLOC PQ-03 to PQ-06 PocketQubes launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-18; deployed via UARX Space’s OSSIE-D from 2026-10-02
Links
- Project page
- Repository
- SatNOGS DB (Ariane 6 Upper Stage)
- ESA Ariane 6 / SIDLOC announcement
- Community tracking thread
License
Open source: CC BY-SA 4.0 docs; GPL / CERN-OHL across repositories