Hacker Remotely Revives Dormant Satellite: Beesat-1 Back Online
2024-12-30
The TU Berlin's Beesat-1 test satellite, launched in 2009, fell silent in 2013. However, at the 38C3 conference, hacker PistonMiner revealed how they remotely resurrected the satellite. Identifying a software bug, not hardware failure, as the culprit, PistonMiner used a 'Frankenstein-Beesat' ground test model for debugging. A software update restored functionality, even reactivating a presumed-broken onboard camera. This feat not only brought the small satellite back to life but also offers a potential model for reviving other defunct satellites.