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MoonDAO - Deployable Video Payload for Sounding Rocket

Author: Anna Shaposhnik

Date: April 16 2026

MoonDAO - Deployable Video Payload for Sounding Rocket

Abstract: Anna Shaposhnik is proposing the funding of a small deployable stabilizing camera capsule for capturing third-person point-of-view footage of rocket deployment and descent back to Earth. The project is unique for its compact size, low cost, and use of common off-the-shelf hardware. This payload is a technology step toward her company ORBES' broader vision of creating robotic systems that document space missions in ways not currently possible. For MoonDAO, this project directly supports the mission of expanding humanity's presence beyond Earth by developing open, adaptable imaging tools that can one day be applied to lunar and deep-space missions, helping document and inspire the next generation of explorers.

Problem: Rockets and satellites rarely capture third-person external perspectives, yet visual imagery is one of the most powerful outputs of space missions. Compelling footage shapes public imagination, inspires future engineers, and helps make space exploration tangible for global audiences. As humanity expands toward permanent lunar presence, lightweight deployable imaging systems will become increasingly important for documenting missions on the Moon, in cislunar space, and beyond. MoonDAO's mission depends not only on enabling lunar settlement, but also on making that future visible and emotionally resonant to the public.

Solution: We are proposing the design, fabrication, and flight test of a deployable drop payload built primarily from commercial off-the-shelf components, paired with custom structural hardware that will be open sourced.

To clarify the open-source scope:

• Open-sourced: CAD model, mechanical design files, bill of materials, electronics schematics, and testing lessons learned. Two of the parachute design files (hemispherical and hemispherical with rings)

• Proprietary / not open-sourced: Portions of embedded flight stabilization software related to ORBES' proprietary control IP and the manufacturing specifications of our reaction wheel (CAD design we will still share)

• Community replicability: Because all electronics are standard, commercially available components with broad online documentation, MoonDAO members and the public will still be able to recreate and adapt the payload independently.

This creates meaningful open-source value for MoonDAO while protecting the company's core proprietary software.

This project is already in active development, with a rapid execution timeline over several weeks. We are confident in delivering a flight-ready engineering prototype, exciting visual footage, and public documentation of both development and launch.

Benefits: This project directly benefits MoonDAO in three ways:

1. Advancing MoonDAO's Mission Through Inspiration and Visibility#

Imagery is essential to building public excitement around space exploration. The footage generated by this payload will create emotionally compelling visuals that MoonDAO can use across outreach campaigns, educational media, and community storytelling to inspire broader engagement in lunar settlement and space participation.

These visuals can help:

• Attract new MoonDAO members by making space exploration feel tangible and participatory
• Inspire students toward STEM education and aerospace careers
• Build excitement around future MoonDAO lunar payloads and missions

2. Creating Lunar-Relevant Imaging Infrastructure#

Although this is an Earth flight demonstration, the technology is directly applicable to future lunar missions, where deployable camera systems could document lunar landings, cargo deployment, robotic operations, and surface exploration. This project is an early prototype of imaging infrastructure that supports long-term lunar habitation.

3. Open Community Contribution#

By releasing the payload hardware architecture publicly, MoonDAO enables makers, students, and engineers to iterate on and improve the design for future use cases—including lunar analog testing, educational payload missions, and community rocketry.

Additionally, mastering low-cost reaction wheel stabilization on this project strengthens ORBES' startup's ability to develop future space robotics, accelerating tools that may later support MoonDAO missions involving autonomous inspection and documentation in lunar orbit or on the Moon's surface.

Risks:

Timeline Risk#

As of now, the USC April launch was not able to accommodate our payload. It remains technically sound, but the concern was the lack of time we had to do integrated recovery testing.

However, they have said they would be excited to launch us next year in April, and we can can still complete all Earth-based validation testing—including drop testing and deployment trials—and pursue alternate flight opportunities, for example with Berkeley and other amateur rocketry flights in our network.

Hardware Risk#

Potential failure modes include:

• Structural disassembly during deployment
• Parachute deployment malfunction
• Hard landing damage to electronics or batteries

These risks are mitigated by adequate drop testing with analog mass, and the low cost nature of the payload.

Objectives:

Objective #1: Complete successful Earth-based tests including:#

1. mass analog survivability drop test 2) parachute test to validate drop speed from tall building 3) camera 4 hour recording test

by July 1, 2026

Key Results:

• Understand integrated power draw and thermal challenges with integrated payload
• Validate parachute measured drop speed
• Validate survivability of the capsule

Responsible: Anna Shaposhnik — Project Lead

Objective #2: Deliver open-source hardware package and public MoonDAO community release by July 1, 2026#

Key Results:

• Publish CAD files, bill of materials, schematics, and assembly guide to GitHub
• Publish mission recap and test results documentation online
• Share project release across MoonDAO channels and social media with target reach of 1,000+ views

Responsible: Anna Shaposhnik — Project Lead

Objective #3: Maintain transparent and proactive MoonDAO communication throughout the project#

Key Results:

• Provide biweekly progress updates to MoonDAO community during development and testing
• Respond to MoonDAO inquiries within 72 hours whenever possible
• Designate backup communications support from ORBES team if Anna is unavailable during launch windows

Responsible: Anna Shaposhnik — Project Lead ORBES Support Team — Community communications backup

Objective #4: Launch aboard a sounding rocket by April 2027

Key Results:

• Launch on sounding rocket, ideally a spaceshot such as USCRPL, who is interested to work with us to target April 2027 launch. Or on a backup launch that may happen earlier

• Recover SD card from both Teensy and on board camera

• Deliver and share beautiful footage to the community

• In the event of hardware malfunction, share as much as possible about our ideas why it happened

Responsible: Anna Shaposhnik — Project Lead ORBES Support Team — Community communications backup

Team (Table A)#

Project Lead: The Project Lead and representative for the project within the MoonDAO Senate. The Project Lead is responsible for:

Initial Team: Projects may not need an initial team. It can just be an individual submitting a proposal. You may also create generic roles and hire other teammates after the project is approved. As a general rule of thumb, try to keep teams small and focused in the beginning, with clear roles, deliverables, and OKRs for each member. Team members are responsible for:

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Team Bios

Project Lead: Anna Shaposhnik is the Founder & CEO of ORBES (Techstars '25), the space drone company. Her flagship product, ORB, is an autonomous free-flying drone that captures live media from space stations — enabling real-time mission storytelling and bringing the wonder of space to audiences on Earth in ways never before possible. Beyond the camera, ORB tackles a critical infrastructure problem: astronaut labor is dangerous, expensive, and impossible to scale. By automating $300M a year in manual work, ORB frees human crews to focus on the science.

A Zed Factor Fellow and winner of the Iovine and Young Development Prize, Anna brings a rare creative-technical lens to deep tech. A USC-trained creative technologist with a background spanning 3D visualization, filmmaking, VR/AR, and astronautical engineering, she previously led marketing at Orbit Fab — supporting the world's first commercial on-orbit fuel sale — and served as Multimedia Design Lead at the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory. She believes the full breadth of our humanity belongs in space.

Social links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaglyph/

https://www.instagram.com/annaglyph.art

https://www.instagram.com/annaglyph.design/

Timeline (Table B)#

Assemble and deliver payload

Work to secure alternate opportunities, Back up launch opportunities include potentially Berkely or going directly to NASA's sounding rocket program | | ~80-100 | By July 1st | Finish write up of the project, include a list of all our purchased parts for open sourcing the BOM

Share testing results, which will include a parachute drop test from tall building to assess the impact it will sustain, and make sure we can recover the sd cards from the camera and Teensy. It will also include a string test in one degree of freedom to show our reaction wheel control logic |

Budget (Table C)#

These are fixed costs to make your project happen. This might also include bounties that you'll make inside of the DAO (it's recommended to have some amount allocated for bounties or competitions), or specific work that must be contracted out to complete the project. Please provide links to quotes where possible. The total may be expressed in any token, however funding amount will be sent in ETH or MOONEY based on current prices at the time of the transaction being created. Proposal budgets must be less than or equal to 1/5 of the total quarterly budget.