I will attempt a take on in:
First: LoRa is essentially two layers. LoRa PHY and LoRaWAN. I will not be bothered with LoRaWAN since this is a layer that to my knowledge has not been used by satellites yet. Let’s talk now about the physical layer LoRa PHY:
LoRa uses a proprietary spread spectrum modulation that is similar to and a derivative of chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation.
Semtech has made sure that you need to buy their chipset in order to TX or RX LoRa signals. The problem with that is:
- To support it in SatNOGS we need a demodulator that can run using a SDR. There are some attempts (like gr-lora) to do so, but the legality of reverse engineering a proprietary project is sketchy at best (unless Samtech is explicitly OK with it).
- Usage of LoRa in space implies choosing an ISM frequency to beacon on, and because there is no harmonized ISM global allocation, you either make your satellite beacon in specific parts of the world, or you are illegal in many places
- If you are not using an ISM frequency and you are trying to use LoRa as an Radio Amateur Satellite Service, we (LSF/SatNOGS) believe that due to its nature (proprietary modulation) this is not in line with the Radio Amateur Service, and we will not be supporting such usage.
So realistically speaking, the only way I can see SatNOGS supporting LoRa PHY is if all following are true:
- gr-lora or other reversing gets OK from samtech
- usage is outside radio-amateur service
- usage is not violating regional ITU allocations
ps. or Samtech releases LoRa as an open standard, ha!