What is the only thing cooler than an Arduino-based satellite? One that anyone can buy access to for up to a week to run experiments using a controllable satellite with a variety of sensors. Interestingly, the satellite is seeking funding using crowdsourcing website Kickstarter.

The ArduSat is currently a 1U CubeSat form factor satellite that contains a bank of Arduino Nano boards (ATMega processors), cameras, at least 25 sensors, UHF transmitter, and a flight computer. The satellite can be controlled using magnetotorquers to push against Earth’s magnetic field. When the sun is visible, it’s powered using solar panels; other times, it uses a backup battery.

The sensor suite will include temperature, vibration and shock, gyroscopic, accelerometer, GPS, pressure, magnetometer, CO2, and visible light in the base explorer package. The pioneer package further includes access to six additional sensors including electromagnetic, infrared, ozone, spectrometer, single event upset counter, and a Geiger counter. For $325, you can get your foot in the door with satellite access for three days to run experiments and collect data. NanoSatisfi will communicate with the satellite using GENSO, a worldwide network of amateur radio stations. GENSO will allow the team to talk to the satellite almost anywhere it is in orbit.

Beyond the hardware of the ArduSat, you will be able to run code directly on the satellite itself. While they could use the satellite solely for data collection and run the code on the ground, such a solution has much less grandeur. NanoSatisfi wanted to give everyone the chance to program efficient code that will run on the low power hardware. The code will be uploaded to the team where they will bug test it on identical ground-based ArduSat hardware before sending it to the satellite. After the experiment has completed, the team will send the data back.

ArduSat will be in Earth orbit for anywhere between six and eighteen months, depending on the orbit, before it burns up in the atmosphere upon reentry. NanoSatisfi, the start-up behind the ArduSat project is currently building the internals of the satellite and working on the software to allow you to upload your own code that will be run on the satellite. They have a goal of $35,000 on Kickstarter to finish construction of the satellite. Further, the team plans to use NASA or ESA’s ride along programs to get the ArduSat into space at an orbit between 400km and 600km at an inclination of 51 degrees. Alternatively, the satellite could be launched from the ISS and carried up on a resupply mission. If those options do not work out within 18 months, they have secured contingency funding for a commercial launch (600km polar sun-synchronous orbit).

With 23 days left to go, the ArduSat has 202 backers and is at $32,332 of its 35K goal — meaning it is likely that the project will indeed be funded with money to spare. Any extra proceeds will be used to add more sensors, upgrade to more powerful Arduino boards, or to build a larger 2U — or even 3U — satellite. For reference, a 1U CubeSat satellite measures 10cm x 10cm x 10cm and weighs approximately 1kg. 2U adds 10cm to the depth and one kilogram of available weight, and so on.

Interested in getting your code in space? Ever wanted to drive and take photos with your own satellite? Check out the ArduSat on Kickstarter.