tl;dr

Cascade Space is building a turn-key communications system for lunar and deep space missions. Our ground station network and integrated software tools work together to maximize uptime and availability, while reducing spacecraft iteration cycles from weeks to hours.

Why are we building this and why now?

The Deep Space Network (DSN), NASA’s global network of ground terminals for communicating with deep space probes, is oversubscribed by 40% and in desperate need of upgrades. The DSN is all but unavailable for most commercial operations. Companies with missions going to the Moon and beyond have to deal with a patchwork of individual dish operators for every mission, each with bespoke hardware, specs, and interfaces. Furthermore, many of these commercial providers are not able to handle the demand and operational failures also can lead to loss of mission.

Comms system design is fraught with peril

The spacecraft comms system design is tightly coupled to the available ground network. Engineers spend hundreds of hours poring over datasheets, on the phone with vendors and suppliers, and endless email threads, only to put all this data into a giant spreadsheet to make sense of it. Every iteration requires not only painful attention to detail, but also in-depth esoteric knowledge of how radio frequency systems and channel coding schemes work in order to accurately predict in-flight performance. Simple misunderstandings can lead to catastrophic errors in design and configuration.

End-to-end comms system validation often doesn’t happen

Fully integrated testing between the spacecraft and ground terminal is typically cost prohibitive. Instead, engineers compare spec sheets and email configurations to the ground operators, and hope it works in flight (spoiler alert: it often doesn’t). It is routine for spacecraft to fly having never done an end-to-end test of their system with ground terminal representative hardware. The whole process is subject to human error from end to end.

This approach to space communications does not scale

Commercial space ventures beyond low earth orbit have already pushed existing infrastructure to its breaking point, and demand for deep space comms support is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. We will not have a spacefaring future for humanity until communications for spacecraft become as easy as signing up for cable internet.

We are redefining the process, starting with spacecraft design

Better comms starts at the beginning, in the early trade study and design phase. We are replacing industry-standard spreadsheets with a modern software tool that lets you see how your system will perform with our ground network in real time.

Test as you fly, fly as you test

You don’t rise to the level of your expectations, you fall to the level of your testing. We ship you a “ground station in a box,” identical to hardware we’ve installed at the ground stations you will be using, and provide you with a test plan that you can use to test your entire system end to end, with both the space vehicle and the ground terminal in the loop.

Launch with confidence

Fly and operate your spacecraft. Use our API to schedule passes on our network, track your spacecraft, stream data, monitor the ground site, and access recordings.

We are rolling out our preliminary network rapidly

We start by partnering with owners of dishes that are currently unused for any other telemetry applications. This allows us to build out the product and acquire customers with a minimal amount of capital. As we build out the network, we will further expand our network by strategically building our own ground stations in key locations. Our first downlink only ground stations are expected to come online in 2025, with more to follow in 2026.

We are passionate about your mission success

Jacob and Arlen have solved many of these exact problems at company level scales in previous roles. Jacob was RF system architect at SpaceX and Arlen has built complex hardware/software systems his entire career. Collectively they have spent hundreds of hours in mission control, many of those hours dealing with anomalies and outright failures. They are both passionate about building the culture of excellence at Cascade that is required for flawless mission execution.

If you are struggling with comms for your upcoming mission, drop us a line. We can help.

https://cascade.space/