YOU CAN BUILD A MODEL OF THE SPACE STATION THAT MOVES WITH THE REAL ONE OVERHEAD
A desk model of the International Space Station that mirrors the real station's solar arrays and radiators in near real-time from NASA's public telemetry feed.
DisplaysOpen-hardware
Built withRaspberry Pi3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- MIT
- repo
- repo ACTIVE494 stars
●●●●○ · a weekend-plus · MIT · 494 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
ISS Mimic is a 3D printed International Space Station model with twelve motorised joints that follow live telemetry from NASA's public Lightstreamer feed. When the real station rotates a solar array to track the sun, the model rotates the same array to match. The kinematics follow the actual alpha and beta gimbal joint angles. The work is deliberately split: a Raspberry Pi handles the telemetry and web dashboards, while Arduinos drive encoder-equipped DC gearmotors for the solar arrays and hobby servos for the radiators. The repository publishes printable STL files (the low-fidelity set is complete, the high-fidelity set is still in progress), three size options (including an Edu Mimic aimed at classrooms), custom PCB files and a hardware wiki with BOM and wiring. The dashboards are described by the team as more capable than the original NASA ISSLive website they evolved from. The project has been built at community library sessions, shown at Maker Faire and Comicpalooza, and used by teachers and museums. The thing most likely to go wrong is motor tuning: twelve joints means twelve sets of position-control checks, and if the physical build is not square the joints will bind. This is a project for someone who wants to connect people to the station overhead and is willing to spend the time on mechanical tuning. If you want a display that just works out of the box, this is not it.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Low-detail STL set is complete and the high-detail set is in progress; three size variants (full Mimic, Mini, Edu).
- —Complete BOM and wiring diagrams in the repository.
- —Arduino firmware and Python telemetry client both present.
- —Build guide covers assembly, electronics and software setup.
- —MIT licence permits commercial use.
- —Custom PCB Gerbers, BOMs and pick-and-place files are in the repository, ready for factory assembly; the wiki explains how to order them.
Parts to buy
8 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the README and decide which size variant you want (full, Mini or Edu). (The full model is impressive but takes days to print in high detail; the Edu version is faster and classroom-tested.)
- 2.Download the STL files and start printing the structural parts first. (Print the base and servo mounts before the decorative parts so you can test fit and calibrate while the rest prints.)
- 3.Order the BOM — the repository lists every component with links. (The solar-array joints use DC gearmotors with encoders; only the two radiator joints use hobby servos — follow the wiki BOM rather than substituting parts.)
- 4.Flash each Arduino sketch (port BGAs, starboard BGAs, SARJs/TRRJs) and test one joint before wiring all twelve. (A single servo test will catch wiring or power supply problems before you solder everything.)
- 5.Install the Raspberry Pi telemetry client and dashboards. (The dashboards are more capable than NASA's ISSLive site, according to the team. You can run the software without the hardware to see the data first.)
- 6.Calibrate the servos one joint at a time, checking the kinematics do not bind. (This is the slow part. If the frame is not square, the servos will fight each other and stall.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The build assumes your 3D prints are dimensionally accurate and square. If the frame is warped or the servo mounts are not aligned, the twelve motors will fight each other and bind instead of moving smoothly. Print a test bracket first.
- Joint tuning is methodical and slow. Twelve joints means twelve sets of motor, encoder and zero-position checks, and if you rush it the model will not track correctly. Budget several hours for this even if the build itself goes smoothly.
- The repository does not specify print orientation or support requirements for every part. Open issues in the repo already flag parts that need supports handled deliberately, such as the through-holes in the P3 and S3 truss segments and the solar-array mast coupler holes, so check the issues before slicing.
- The power supply must deliver enough current for all motors moving at once. Size it to the motor specs in the wiki BOM; an undersized supply will cause brownouts, resets and jittery joints.
- The telemetry feed is NASA's public Lightstreamer stream, which occasionally goes offline during ISS communication blackouts or maintenance. The model will freeze until the feed returns; this is not a fault in the build.
- The software is designed for a 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 with the official 7-inch touchscreen. The team says 1GB or 2GB versions might work but are not guaranteed, so do not plan around a smaller Pi.
Does this require a NASA API key or special permission?
No. The telemetry comes from NASA's public Lightstreamer feed, which is open to anyone. No API key, no account, no restrictions.
How accurate is the motion compared to the real station?
The motors follow the same alpha and beta gimbal joint angles the real station reports in NASA's public telemetry. The project does not publish a latency figure; the lag depends on the public feed and your network. The model mirrors the station; it does not predict future positions.
Can I build this without a Raspberry Pi?
The Arduino can drive the motors on its own, but you will lose the telemetry client and the dashboards. You could substitute any device that can run Python and talk to the Lightstreamer feed, but the Pi is what the software is written for.
Which size should I build?
The full Mimic is the most impressive and the biggest print. The Mini Mimic was created for educators (a 1/200th scale articulating model) and was refined through build sessions with teachers at a public library. The Edu Mimic is aimed at classrooms and has been built by community-college students. If this is your first multi-motor project, start with one of the smaller variants.
What fails first on these builds?
Servo calibration problems if the frame is not square, and power supply brownouts if the 5V rail is undersized. Both are fixable but both will waste a Saturday if you do not test incrementally.
Community builds
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
Twelve motors tracking live joint angles from a station 400 km overhead, fed by NASA's public telemetry stream. Which variant would you build first: the full Mimic, the Mini, or the classroom Edu version?
ISS Mimic team
The ISS Mimic project was started to connect people to the International Space Station overhead by building a physical model that mirrors the real station's telemetry. The team has run community build sessions at libraries, shown the project at Maker Faire and Comicpalooza, and worked with teachers and museums. The dashboards evolved from the original NASA ISSLive website.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the repository holds the low-fidelity STL set (complete) and a high-fidelity pack that is still in progress, plus separate folders for the Mini and Edu Mimic variants, custom PCBs with Gerbers, and the Raspberry Pi dashboard software. The BOM, mechanical details and wiring live in the project wiki. The motion is mostly DC gearmotors with encoders under PID control for the solar array joints, with servos only on the two radiator joints, driven from several Arduinos — expect to spend time tuning those loops. The README says the dashboards are more capable than NASA's original ISSLive site, which is no longer running. There is an official demo video and an active Discord for build help. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.