GomSpace HOOP publishes more of its architecture than we do. It still assumes a ground network we do not require you to rent.
HOOP is a documented, deployable mission control system with flight dynamics, automation and an on-premise option. Our case is not that it is weak. It is that mission command should sit in your facility, on your terms, across satellites from any supplier.
This is operational mission-control software, used to plan, task and fly fleets from national facilities rather than from a vendor's operations centre. It is supplied with operator training and is decoupled from any single satellite vendor, so it stays in service as the spacecraft around it change.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratMission-control software | GomSpaceHOOP (Hands-off Operations Platform) with NanoGround12Denmark | Kongsberg NanoAvionicsMission control software and satellite operations centre3Lithuania and Norway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core functions13 | Planning, tasking, telemetry and fleet operations in one suite | Real-time telemetry monitoring and commanding, mission planning, event sequencing, alerting, flight dynamics and system administration | Mission control software described as capable of handling multiple satellite missions, operated from the company's satellite operations centre |
| Independence from the satellite vendor13 | Independent of any single satellite supplier, so the ground software outlasts individual spacecraft | States support for any ground station or spacecraft, using a generic mission control core with mission and protocol-specific adaptors; pre-integrated with GomSpace NanoGround | Not published as a standalone product independent of NanoAvionics buses |
| Where it runs13 | Your facilities, operated by your people | On-premise on 4 virtual CPUs and 16 GB of RAM, or in the cloud on Azure or AWS with Kubernetes for high availability | The company's own satellite operations centre provides operations support; customer-hosted deployment not published |
| Ground station integration13 | Not published | Built-in KSAT integration for S and X-band TMTC, automatic contact booking and real-time antenna status; NanoGround supports GomSpace AX2150 and NanoCom Link S/SX radios, with AWS and RBC Signals support stated as coming | Company-owned stations in Denmark, Lithuania and the USA plus commercial partner stations in more than 200 locations including KSAT, LeafSpace and AWS |
| Flight dynamics1 | Not published | Orbit estimation and prediction with high-precision gravity field, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure and space weather modelling, generating contact and visibility windows | Not published |
| Automation13 | Not published beyond planning and tasking | Mission planning engine with automatic contact booking, immediate telecommands in contact and time-tagged telecommands out of contact, plus a domain-specific procedure language | Operations described as taking account of data and power constraints; automation detail not published |
| Access control and security13 | Not published | HTTPS with SSL certificates, OAuth2 authentication and role-based access control with user, operator and administrator roles, plus centralised logs and events for auditing | Stated commitment to high standards of data security; controls not published |
| Interfaces and extensibility1 | Not published | REST API based on the OpenAPI specification, modular connector layer, OpenSearch and Grafana integrated for analytics | Not published |
| Operational record stated by the vendor13 | In service flying national fleets; mission count not published | Operational in three LEO missions, with five more underway | More than 85 satellite missions and commercial projects completed by the company |
| Operator training23 | Delivered alongside deployment | GomSpace states no satellite operations experience is required and that it provides training to collect data, monitor service quality and keep to schedule | Not published |
| Origin and political exposure13 | Independent and non-aligned | Denmark; EU export chain | Lithuania and Norway; EU and NATO member-state export chain |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
Give HOOP its due
GomSpace documents flight dynamics with real perturbation modelling, a mission planning engine with time-tagged commanding, OAuth2 and role-based access control, a REST API and an on-premise deployment that fits on four virtual CPUs and 16 GB of RAM. It is operational in three LEO missions with five more underway. That is a serious product, and a national buyer who chose it would not be making a mistake on engineering grounds.
The assumption underneath the product
HOOP's ground integration is built first around KSAT, with GomSpace radios in NanoGround and other networks listed as coming. That is a rational commercial choice and it makes missions easy to start. It also means the default operating pattern involves a foreign commercial network holding your contacts and, in the shared case, your scheduling priority. Our software is designed for the opposite default: national antennas, national operators, and commercial passes used when convenient rather than required.
Vendor decoupling is a procurement position, not a feature list
HOOP states it supports any spacecraft through a connector layer, which is credible. The difference is commercial rather than technical: a control system sold by the maker of your satellites is a control system whose roadmap follows their bus line. Ours is sold separately from any satellite, so replacing a supplier at the next procurement does not force you to replace the console your operators have spent five years learning.
Where we need to publish more
We do not currently publish flight dynamics capability, ground station protocol support, access control model or API surface. Those are the first four questions any competent evaluation will ask, and GomSpace answers all of them in a two-page document. Until we do the same, buyers should require written answers from us rather than accept a functional description.
Questions buyers ask
What is the best alternative to GomSpace HOOP for a government that wants mission control inside its own facilities?
HOOP itself supports on-premise deployment on modest hardware, so it is not disqualified by that requirement. Our mission-control software differs in default posture and origin: it is sold independently of any satellite vendor, designed to be run from national facilities by national operators, and comes from a non-aligned supplier with no member-state export process behind the next release. HOOP publishes more architectural detail than we do today, so ask us for flight dynamics, security model and ground-station protocol support in writing.
How does vendor-independent mission control compare with software supplied by the satellite manufacturer?
Manufacturer software is usually faster to integrate with that manufacturer's spacecraft, and GomSpace has done the work to support other platforms through a connector layer. The cost appears at the second procurement. If your ground software is bought from your spacecraft supplier, changing supplier means retraining operators, rewriting procedures and revalidating the console. Buying the control layer separately keeps that decision open, which is worth more than it looks on day one.
What infrastructure do we need to run mission control ourselves?
Less than most ministries expect. GomSpace publishes an on-premise minimum of 4 virtual CPUs and 16 GB of RAM for HOOP, which is a single modest server. The real requirements are people, procedures and antenna access. We deliver operator training alongside the software for exactly that reason, because the console is the easy part and the trained shift roster is not.
Can one mission control system fly satellites from different manufacturers?
Yes. GomSpace states HOOP supports any ground station or spacecraft using a generic core with protocol-specific adaptors, and our software is built to fly satellites from any supplier. For a national fleet assembled over a decade this is the difference between one operations room and three. Test it during evaluation with a real telemetry format from a second vendor rather than accepting the claim.
Who can see our telemetry if we use a supplier's operations centre?
That depends entirely on the contract. NanoAvionics describes operations run from its own satellite operations centre with high data security standards, which suits commercial constellations well. For defence and intelligence missions the honest answer is that any externally hosted operations arrangement puts your fleet state, tasking pattern and anomaly history in someone else's building. Running mission control in country avoids the question rather than managing it.
Sources
- 1. GomSpace, Ground Segment Solutions: NanoGround and Hands-off Operations Platform (HOOP), V. 1-10-2024 (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31
- 2. GomSpace, Platform Kits: a fast-track, ready to assemble CubeSat kit (V. 3-5-2025) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31 · Cited for the HOOP training statement and the optional operations control platform description.
- 3. NanoAvionics (Kongsberg NanoAvionics), MP42 High-Performance Microsatellite Bus (up to 115 kg), product brochure (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31