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 Pomona. 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 documentation hub.
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 Pomona 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.