AI 中文总结
本文对22286个GitHub开源卫星软件项目开展特征研究，构建软件目标分类体系，揭示其流行度提升、异构专业化的特点，为相关人员提供启示。
AI 中文摘要
卫星已成为现代技术系统的基础组成部分，为通信、导航、地球观测和科学研究领域的关键基础设施提供支撑。随着太空探索的推进及卫星赋能服务需求的增长，对复杂异构卫星软件的依赖持续增加，因此对卫星软件全景的系统性理解愈发重要，但现有研究仍缺乏全面的实证检验。为填补这一空白，我们开展了首个开源卫星软件的特征研究，考察其生态系统与开发实践。我们通过三个研究问题对22286个与卫星相关的GitHub项目进行挖掘和分析：RQ1关注流行度趋势，RQ2关注软件目标，RQ3关注开发实践。首先，我们分析项目与活跃开发者的时间演变，发现其流行度不断提升；其次，通过对646个项目的人工检查，构建了涵盖概念设计、数据集、系统实现、仿真、测试及工具的43个软件目标类别的分类体系；第三，对含源代码的项目进行深入分析，揭示其为高度异构且任务专业化的生态系统，涉及66种编程语言及多样化的实现策略；最后，我们总结关键发现，并为卫星开发者与研究人员提出可操作的启示。
英文摘要
Satellites have become fundamental components of modern technological systems, supporting critical infrastructure in communication, navigation, Earth observation, and scientific research. As space exploration advances and demand for satellite-enabled services grows, reliance on complex, heterogeneous satellite software continues to increase. A systematic understanding of the satellite software landscape is therefore increasingly important, yet existing studies still lack a comprehensive empirical examination. To address this gap, we present the first characterization study of open-source satellite software, examining its ecosystem and development practices. We mine and analyze 22,286 satellite-related GitHub projects through three research questions on popularity trends (RQ1), software goals (RQ2), and development practices (RQ3). First, we characterize the temporal evolution of projects and active developers, revealing increasing popularity. Second, through manual inspection of 646 projects, we construct a taxonomy of 43 software-goal categories spanning conceptual design, datasets, system implementation, simulation, testing, and tools. Third, we conduct an in-depth analysis of projects with source code, revealing a highly heterogeneous and task-specialized ecosystem with 66 programming languages and diverse implementation strategies. Finally, we summarize key findings and derive actionable implications for satellite developers and researchers.
CommentsThis paper has been accepted for publication in ASE 2026!
