MoonRF

An open space communications hardware & software initiative empowering the public to connect across the world by bouncing signals off the Moon—and more!


Notice: We have officially changed our name from open.space to MoonRF!
Read more about it in Updates.

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A New Frontier for Ham Radio

Bouncing signals off the Moon—known as Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication—has long been the ultimate challenge for radio amateurs. It required large antennas, expensive equipment, and accurate manual pointing and tracking. We try to bring this down to Earth, providing all the tools needed to experience the thrill of space communication, with an software-defined phased array.

Hardware

Expected to ship: July 2026.

Moon bounce communications array on a tripod

We're building a low-cost digital phased array kit, with high transmit power and excellent receive sensitivity. It supports flexible transmission modes across any 40 MHz bandwidth in the C-band (4.9–6 GHz).

MoonRF Transceiver v1

Array Development Kit

With a scalable architecture, you can pick an array size and grow later.

QuadRF:  A Software-Defined Radio Tile

Single Tile SDR
13 cm
Price: $49 - 99 (TBD)

Overview

A 4-antenna SDR tile designed for arraying.
Useful as a standalone SDR or as a building block for larger phased arrays.

Info icon The QuadRF will be available soon!
See updates.

Key features

  • Frequency: 4.9–6.0 GHz (C-band), full duplex
  • Per-antenna bandwidth: 40 MHz; 8+8-bit I/Q
  • Tx power: 1 W per antenna • Rx NF: ~1.2 dB
  • Polarization: RHCP (Tx), LHCP (Rx)
  • MEMS TCXO • Jitter ~1.4 ps
  • FPGA: Lattice ECP5 • Latency < 1 ms
  • Power: 12 V DC (≈25 W peak)

Standalone applications

  • General-purpose 4×4 MIMO Software-defined Radio
  • Fox-hunting, direction of arrival (DOA), RF exploration
  • Open Wi-Fi router, Open 4G/5G base station
  • Drone HD links, robotics communications

Mini:   Starter Phased Array

Mini Array
52 cm

The Mini is composed of 18 QuadRF tiles (72 antenna) + interconnect structure


Price: $899–$1,499

Overview

A compact, budget-friendly phased array that already delivers substantial directivity. It’s designed for experimentation and hands-on phased-array learning. Add extension boards later to grow the array further.

Applications

  • High-gain backhaul and directional links; repeater backhaul
  • Fox hunting and geolocation (DOA)
  • Mobile field ops, long-range drone telemetry/HD links
  • Receive downlinks from low-Earth orbit amateur satellites

Performance & notes

  • Array size: 18 tiles (72 antennas) • Beam steering ≈ 60°
  • Expected array gain: ~34.0 dBi • EIRP: ~52.6 dBW
  • Low-latency beamforming; coherent clocking across QuadRF tiles

Power supply: 12 V DC (≈450 W peak)
License: 🪪 Amateur Radio (Technician+) to operate, country restrictions apply.

Moon: A High-Aperture Phased Array

Moon Array
100 cm

Composed of 60 QuadRF tiles (240 antennas) + interconnect structure


Price: $2,499–$4,999

Overview

A high-aperture array built for Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) experiments and radio astronomy. Delivers the beam-forming gain and EIRP needed for moon-bounce.

Applications

  • EME (Moon-bounce)—transmit and hear your echo or talk with others
  • Milky Way C-band imaging; RF sky surveys
  • Terrestrial RF imaging
  • Atmospheric and ionospheric sensing experiments
  • Advanced phased array research

Performance & notes

  • Array size: 60 tiles (240 antennas) • Beam steering ≈ 60°
  • Expected array gain: ~39.3 dBi • EIRP: ~63.1 dBW
  • Coherent distribution network; timing holdover and GPSDO-ready

Power Supply: 12 V DC (≈1.5 kW peak)
License: 🪪 Amateur Radio (Technician+) to operate. 1 per person. Country restrictions apply.


* Not intended for radar applications. Core functionality needed for radar not included due to export control restrictions.

Stay in the Loop

Be the first to find out when our hardware launches!