Bronco Space Lab

The Bronco Space Lab

A multi-disciplinary lab specializing in affordable, open-source space access technologies.

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A female CPP College of Engineering student working on a CubeSat.

The Bronco Space Lab

The Bronco Space Lab develops spaceflight technologies that are dreamed, designed, and built by students at Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. As multi-disciplinary research organization the lab specializes in improving access to space through low cost and open-source technologies.

Potential collaborators or anyone interested in learning more can contact the lab at broncospace@cpp.edu.

For more technical information about each project, please visit our .
Two female engineering students at CPP College of Engineering holding their work in Bronco Space Lab.

SCALES : Spacecraft Compartmentalized Autonomous Learning and Edge Computing System

Developed in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the SCALES project seeks to unite JPL’s F Prime flight software framework with the latest machine learning algorithms via an open-source hardware and software stack. This capability will enable spacecraft to reach greater levels of autonomy and data processing in near real time on orbit.

A CubeSat produced by CPP College of Engineering's Bronco Space Lab.

CADENCE: Continuous Autonomous Detection Enabling Networked Collaboration Explorers

Part of the Air Force Research Laboratory's University Nanosat Program NS-12 class, CADENCE-SWANS designs a pathfinder space weather monitoring mission. By developing and flight testing low-cost, minimally intrusive radiation detection systems, SWANS paves the way for proliferated space weather reporting that enhances solar system understanding and protects spacecraft from dangerous events.

A CubeSat produced by CPP College of Engineering's Bronco Space Lab.

The PROVES Project

PROVES is Bronco Space's sixth CubeSat mission, led by Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ with teams from Texas State, UC Santa Cruz, Columbia, Northeastern, and Mt. SAC. Selected in NASA's 2024 CSLI, PROVES tests open-source CubeSat architectures, promotes low-cost educational space access, and provides digital packet relay services to amateur radio communities.