It is nice to see another open source satellite [1]. Usually i only saw used in the satellites, releasing also the hardware part is super cool. However there are also other notable repositories. There is for instance a "space kit" for arduinos [2]. Another interesting project was QB50 [3], many student satellites, from multiple universities worked together to study the lower thermosphere. If you search for QB50, there are multiple public repositories with the code they used.

[1] - https://github.com/Quetzal-1-CubeSat-Team [2] - https://github.com/ArduSat/ArdusatSDK [3] - https://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/qb50/

I'd also plug an open source radio released by Planet (similar to what's on their Dove satellites):

https://github.com/OpenLST/openlst https://github.com/OpenLST/openlst-hw https://github.com/rzimmerman/gr-openlst

This is wicked interesting. This may sound ridiculous, but I'm curious, how do you get a satellite to space? I can't just get a quick Lyft Line ride to leo, can I? :)

You can.

> $275k for 50kg to SSO with additional mass at $5.5k/kg. Affordable rates also available to Mid-Inclination LEO, GTO, and TLI.

https://www.spacex.com/rideshare/

A slightly cheaper option…

https://untamedscience.com/blog/gopro-to-space/

Interesting, but what's the risk of your balloon + satellite being destroyed by the United States Air Force?

Wow, I want to try that, what a cool idea. You are using a little irreplacable helium, but it's in use at party stores around the world so it's not that irreplacable.

Is there a reason why helium would be preferred over hydrogen? I know very little about the topic, but would have guessed hydrogen to be cheaper and easier to obtain (never mind replace), and should offer higher performance. Doesn't seem like safety would be hugely high on the priority list.

A HAB won't even approach space; you'd be lucky to get roughly 1/3 of the way there before the balloon burst.

Price delta -> orbital speed delta.