> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.kscucf.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.kscucf.org/projects/kleo-1.md). # KLEO-1 KLEO-1, the Knights Satellite Club's first orbital CubeSat, aiming to be launch-ready by the end of 2027. {% hint style="info" %} KLEO-1 is in development. This page will grow as the project passes its design reviews. {% endhint %} KLEO-1 is the Knights Satellite Club's first orbital CubeSat. It is built on the [PROVES Kit](https://github.com/proveskit), an open-source CubeSat kit from Bronco Space at Cal Poly Pomona. The goal is to have KLEO-1 ready for launch by the end of 2027. It may launch soon after, depending on launch availability and fundraising. As a backstop, NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative is expected to reopen applications in August 2028. KLEO-1 won't be the first UCF CubeSat in orbit. See [Past UCF CubeSats](/projects/kleo-1/past-ucf-cubesats.md) for SurfSat, Q-PACE, and PR-CuNaR2, none of which is known to have made contact after launch, and what that means for KLEO-1. ## Hardware * The team is learning on a PROVES Kit V3 engineering unit, which is not flight hardware. Members have taken it fully apart and put it back together, and an assembly guide is in progress. Rerouting cables freed about 2–3 cm of extra payload space. * The V3 kit can do attitude control with magnetorquer coils under its solar panels. * Flight and qualification units will be built from newer V3.1 kits. ## Flight software KLEO-1 uses [F Prime](https://fprime.jpl.nasa.gov/), NASA JPL's open-source flight software framework, through the PROVES F Prime flight software. The club's fork is [kleo-cubesat](https://github.com/UCF-Knights-Satellite-Club/kleo-cubesat). The current approach is to get the PROVES-provided software working as well as possible on the engineering unit before making KLEO-1-specific changes. ## Payload The payload has not been chosen yet. The team is writing a payload interface control document (ICD) that defines the thermal, data, and power interfaces the satellite can offer, so potential payload partners know what will fit. This semester's goal is a payload Mission Concept Review and Preliminary Design Review. ## Ground station The club's [Physics Ground Station](/projects/ground-stations/physics-ground-station.md) is planned as KLEO-1's ground station. ## Timeline so far * **Fall 2025:** the club bought a PROVES Kit, which shipped in late October 2025. * **February 2026:** the club got a permanent workspace at the Florida Space Institute for orbital CubeSat development. * **May 13, 2026:** a project lead was chosen and meetings started later that month. * **June 2026:** members completed lab safety training, researched payload options, and met with the club's advisors. * **July 2026:** the PROVES Kit was brought into meetings for hands-on work. * **September 2026:** the fall semester focused on documentation and a Mission Concept Review, shared on September 18. The flight board was reflashed with the correct firmware and booted (September 18), and F Prime was built and installed on it (September 25). * **October 2026:** full disassembly and reassembly of the engineering unit. In F Prime testing on October 16 only five integration tests failed, the fewest so far. The payload ICD's thermal, data, and power sections were filled in.