TXMission Releases Latest Open Smallsat Communications Protocol

TXMission Releases Latest Open Smallsat Communications Protocol

September 10, 2020

TXMission has released the latest version (v1.0.12) of its increasingly acclaimed communications protocol for controlling smallsats. Named the ‘One and Only Protocol for Smallsats! (OOPS!)’ it eliminates notable deficiencies in existing space protocols, many of which are over 20 years old, by addressing the unique requirements of the New Space industry, which continues to evolve rapidly. OOPS! promotes interoperability between different subsystems and different vendors, with the objective of making smallsats plug and play at the protocol level.

The scope of OOPS! is to control and monitor all onboard subsystems and the ground-segment equipment counterparts that are required to implement an end-to-end smallsat communications system. It therefore covers both uplink and downlink, housekeeping data, telemetry data and other requirements. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, including earth observation, telecoms, IOT and 5G.

Much of the value of OOPS! lies in the fact that it is a lightweight protocol that is intuitive to use, easy to implement and readily extensible. TXMission is happy to hear from anyone that wants to work with us or has suggestions for furthering interoperability in space.

OOPS! is being freely offered to the space community as the basis for an open standard. It is anticipated that it will continue to be developed under the auspices of either an open industry forum or an existing standards body. TXMission is also making available example code that acts as a template for those who wish to implement OOPS! for themselves.

The latest OOPS! specification can be found here.