moonrf.com

What It Is

Moon RF, formerly known as open.space, is a hardware and software initiative for open-space communications. Its core goal is to lower the barrier to Earth-Moon-Earth (EME, or moonbounce) communication. By using software-defined phased arrays, it aims to let amateur radio operators take part in experiments such as moonbounce, satellite reception, radio astronomy, and direction finding without relying entirely on large antennas, expensive equipment, and complex manual pointing.

Core Features and Technical Details

Its basic building block, QuadRF, is a 4-antenna SDR Tile. It can be used independently as a 4×4 MIMO SDR or stacked into a larger phased array. The published specifications are fairly detailed: C-band operation at 4.9–6.0 GHz, full duplex, 40 MHz bandwidth per antenna, 1W transmit power, around 1.2 dB receiver noise figure, Lattice ECP5 FPGA, 16.7 ms latency, and 60 Hz beam steering rate. The Mini array consists of 18 QuadRF units and 72 antennas, while the Moon array consists of 60 QuadRF units and 240 antennas. They target phased-array learning, directional links, satellite downlink reception, EME, and radio astronomy.

Pricing and Maturity

Pricing follows a hardware purchase model: QuadRF is expected to cost $49–99, Mini $899–1,499, and Moon $2,499–4,999. All of these are still expected prices or price ranges. Hardware is expected to ship in July 2026, so at this stage it is more of a product preview and community recruitment effort. The page does not specify payment methods, nor does it disclose mass-production status, warranty terms, certifications, or any actual delivery track record.

Pros and Cons

The main strengths are its distinctive positioning, its focus on niche EME and SDR phased-array use cases, a modular architecture that can scale from a single Tile to a large array, and the disclosure of many key RF specifications. The downsides are that the product has not yet launched, and there is little detail on real-world performance, the software toolchain, drivers, API/SDK, or documentation. It is also unclear whether the project is open source. Another practical barrier is that operation requires an amateur radio license and may be subject to country restrictions, while arrays such as the Mini are not low-power devices.

Who It’s For and Access from China

Moon RF is better suited to developers, researchers, and advanced hobbyists with a background in RF, FPGA, SDR, or amateur radio. It is not ideal for ordinary users who just want a plug-and-play communications device. The page does not provide information on access or payment from mainland China, so this is currently rated as unknown. Relevant alternatives include USRP, LimeSDR, bladeRF, HackRF, ADALM-Pluto, and traditional EME antenna systems.