Is SkyCache free Starlink / satellite internet?

No. SkyCache is receive-only store-and-forward. It caches public free-to-air signals and offline education packs for a local WiFi portal. It does not provide bidirectional broadband or decrypt commercial services.

What hardware do I need?

A starter kit is roughly $90–200: RTL-SDR, a small single-board computer or used laptop, storage, and a simple antenna. Solar is optional for first demos.

SkyCache only targets unencrypted free-to-air or openly licensed content. Operators must check national spectrum and WiFi hotspot rules. Never use it to access paid encrypted constellations.

Can I try it without a satellite?

Yes. Simulation mode loads sample packages so teachers and NGOs can evaluate the portal with zero RF hardware.

Skybrary · online catalog · sample

LibrarySkybrary open catalog

Browse curated public-domain sample works and size-bounded pack profiles for the Sky Library. This public portal works from static metadata; full-text search and offline kits run on a local SkyCache node.

Honest scope: sample open heritage only — not a complete archive of every text ever written. Not free commercial satellite broadband. Public domain / open / authorized content only.

Mission

Protect the future of humanity by building the Sky Library — resilient, open, catastrophe-aware distribution of written knowledge. Online for those who can reach the web. Offline for schools, clinics, villages, and disaster zones via SkyCache nodes and USB mules.

Online

This page: sample browse/search over static catalog JSON.

Offline

Node Library tab, pack profiles, mesh/DTN, USB handoff.

Open only

PD / CC / government open — with provenance. No piracy path.

Get started (CLI)

Software v0.7.2 — ingest samples, search on-node FTS, build a pack profile, serve the portal.

# Install (from software tree)
python -m pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Public-domain sample works → content + Skybrary catalog
python -m skycache skybrary samples --ingest

# Full-text search on the local node
python -m skycache skybrary search liberty
python -m skycache skybrary search grapes

# Size-bounded offline kit
python -m skycache skybrary pack --profile literacy-1gb

# Portal + Library tab (simulation, no RF)
python -m skycache serve --sim
# → http://127.0.0.1:8080/

# Legal capability matrix
python -m skycache capabilities

Static site search below uses /skybrary-catalog.json only. Node FTS is the production path for larger corpora.

Pack profiles

Built-in size budgets for offline kits. Profiles select open subjects within a byte cap — they do not expand license rights.

literacy-100mb≤ 100 MB

Foundational literacy + civics + health education (small kit)

Subjects: literacy, literature_pd, civics, health_edu

python -m skycache skybrary pack --profile literacy-100mb

literacy-1gb≤ 1 GB

Village literacy + open science basics (~1 GB budget)

Subjects: literacy, literature_pd, history_pd, health_edu, science

python -m skycache skybrary pack --profile literacy-1gb

health-priority≤ 200 MB

Health education open materials first

Subjects: health_edu, medicine

python -m skycache skybrary pack --profile health-priority

all-open-small≤ 50 MB

Everything indexed under 50 MB (demo)

Subjects: all open works in budget

python -m skycache skybrary pack --profile all-open-small

Sample catalog

Three curated public-domain samples shipped with SkyCache for legal clarity and demos. Search runs entirely in the browser against static metadata.

Loading sample catalog…

Dual access, one mission

Online portal for discovery; offline SkyCache for delivery where the commercial internet fails. Read the full design on the Skybrary plan page and in GitHub docs/VISION-SKYBRARY.md.

Not a complete civilization dump
Not free Starlink / commercial constellation access
Receive-only RF · open content · unlicensed mesh where lawful