Governance

Governance and Evolution

This document outlines how the SpaceComms protocol and reference implementation are maintained.

Governance Model

The SpaceComms project is currently maintained by the core project team with contributions from the open-source community.

Maintainers

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing and merging pull requests.
• Managing releases and tags.
• Steering the technical roadmap.

Future Intent: As the ecosystem grows, we intend to invite key stakeholders (e.g., STM operators, space agencies) to join as co-maintainers.

Change Process

1. Proposal: Open an issue labeled protocol-change or submit a design doc to docs/proposals/.
2. Discussion: Open discussion on GitHub. Major changes require consensus.
3. Implementation: Feature branch with updated specs, schemas, and tests.
4. Release: Merged into next scheduled release.

Versioning Policy

Protocol Versioning

SpaceComms uses Semantic Versioning (MAJOR.MINOR):

• MAJOR: Breaking changes (incompatible).
• MINOR: Backward-compatible features.

Implementation Versioning

The Rust reference node follows MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

Standardization Pathway

We aim to align with international standards:

• CCSDS: Strict adherence to CCSDS 508.0-B-1 for CDM payloads.
• TraCSS: Monitoring NOAA's requirements.
• ISO: Aiming for compatibility with ISO TC20/SC14.

We welcome collaboration with standardization bodies.