For experienced users who already own a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 unit, StellarMate OS is a complete software package ready for deployment on your Raspberry Pi. It is provided as a compressed OS Image file (.img.xz) that you can burn to an SD card and fire it up immediately to enjoy the full benefit of StellarMate software stack. The following packages are included in addition to the base OS:

• INDI
• KStars/Ekos
• Astrometry.net with index files.
• StellarMate Web Manager.
• StellarMate Network Manager.
• StellarMate Serial Port Assistant.

Requirements

• Raspberry PI 4/5 with 4GB RAM or higher. Raspberry PI3 is not supported.
• A 32GB+ Class 10 MicroSD card is highly recommended.
• If using a DSLR camera, then you must first ensure the camera is supported before you proceed.

A 3A+ 5v power supply for Raspberry PI 4 and 5A+ 5v power supply for Raspberry PI 5 is required in order to properly operate StellarMate OS on Raspberry Pi 4/5. Using anything less than specified amperage would result in system instablities and possible corruption. Invest in a reputable power supply before you boot StellarMate OS.

Download

After your purchase, you will receieve a link in the email to download the file. Since the file size is ~3.1 GB, it is highly recommended to use a dedicated download manager to download the file. After you download the file appropiate for your Raspberry Pi version, you can verify its integrity by computing its hash. Use Quick Hash GUI to verify the integrity of the image file. There are two files available for download:

• File: StellarMateOS_1.8.8_RPI.img.xz
• SHA256: be639b2366ff025080b27c62b39ac881e919541f4bd3d6219b44954cd43e72d1

If you need to download StellarMate OS again in the future, make sure you are logged in to the stellarmate.com website and then go to the Orders page. You should see a list of  your orders. Click on your order link, then scroll down to see the downloads. Make sure to download the SM OS version appropiate for your hardware platform.

Installation

Raspberry PI Imager is a graphical SD card writing tool that works on Mac OS, Linux and Windows, and is the easiest option for most users. It supports writing images directly from the zip file, without any unzipping required. To flash SM OS image:

Do not customize any settings using using Raspberry PI imager. Flash the image as-is without making any changes to the image otherwise it may fail to start.

• Download Rasbperry PI Imager and install it.
• Connect an SD card reader with the SD card inside.
• Open Raspberry PI Imager and select from your disk the downloaded StellarMate .xz image.
• Select the SD card you wish to write your image to.
• Click WRITE to begin writing data to the SD card.

Boot up

Once the image is burned to the card, insert the microSD card into Raspberry PI 4 and power it up.

Note: StellarMate can take up to 2 minutes before switching to HotSpot mode on first startup. By default, StellarMate runs on 5 Ghz WiFi. Your phone/tablet must support 5Ghz WiFi in order to connect to StellarMate. It is possible to configure StellarMate to run on 2.4Ghz afterwards, but it is not recommended.

Passwords

• The default StellarMate OS password is smate
• The default StellarMate WiFi HotSpot password is stellar@mate

Learning StellarMate

For new users, using StellarMate effectively can take a bit of a learning curve (like everything else) especially given the breadth of the features if provides. Here are some useful resources to get your started:

• First Time Setup tutorial.
• StellarMate Video tutorials.
• Ekos Video Tutorials.

Support

We are proud to offer top-notch support for our customers. Please make sure to checkout first the Frequently Asked Questions and First Time Setup. To report any issues with StellarMate or Ekos, please submit a ticket and our support team should get back to you as soon as possible. Please make sure to submit the relevant logs to aid in diagnosting and resolving the issue efficiently.

Release History

• v1.8.8 Release 2025-04-04
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.1.3 and KStars 3.7.6
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.7 Release 2025-02-06
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.1.2 and KStars 3.7.5
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.6 Release 2024-12-14
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.1.1 and KStars 3.7.4
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.5 Release 2024-10-12
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.1.0 and KStars 3.7.3
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
  • Raspberry Firmware on hold due to hotspot issues.
• v1.8.4 Release 2024-08-04
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.9 and KStars 3.7.2
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.3 Release 2024-06-05
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.8 and KStars 3.7.1
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.2 Release 2024-04-16
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.7 and KStars 3.7.0
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.8.1 Release 2024-02-01
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.6 and KStars 3.6.9
  • Raspberry PI Camera Support.
  • WiFi 6 drivers.
• v1.8.0 Release 2023-12-13
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.5 and KStars 3.6.8
  • Added support to Raspberry PI 5.
• v1.7.9 Release 2023-10-01
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.4 and KStars 3.6.7
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.7.7 Release 2023-06-01
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.2 and KStars 3.6.5
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.7.8 Release 2023-08-01
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.3 and KStars 3.6.6
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.7.5 Release 2023-02-03
  • Updated to INDI Library v2.0.0 and KStars 3.6.3
  • Summary View.
  • Achivements.
  • Custom Placeholders.
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.
• v1.7.4 Release 2022-11-30
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.9 and KStars 3.6.2
  • Performance improvements.
• v1.7.3 Release 2022-09-27
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.8 and KStars 3.6.1
  • Only 64bit. 32bit support is dropped.
• v1.7.2 Release 2022-07-30
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.7 and KStars 3.6.0
  • Both 32/64 releases are now based on Debian Bullseye.
  • Raspberry PI Camera support is pending driver update.
• v1.7.1 Release 2022-05-26
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.6 and KStars 3.5.9
• v1.7.0 Release 2022-03-18
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.5 and KStars 3.5.8
  • Stable 32bit and 64bit versions.
• v1.6.1 Release 2021-11-13
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.3 and KStars 3.5.6
  • Fast Exposure Support.
  • LiveStacking image export and plate-solving.
• v1.6.0 Release 2021-09-16
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.2 and KStars 3.5.5
  • SM App Target Module.
  • Sigma-Clipped Live Stacking.
• v1.5.9 Release 2021-07-06
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.1 and KStars 3.5.4
• v1.5.8 Release 2021-04-23
  • Updated INDI Library v1.9.0 and KStars 3.5.3
• v1.5.7 Release 2021-03-01
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.9 and KStars 3.5.2
• v1.5.6 Release 2021-01-09
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.8 and KStars 3.5.1
• v1.5.5 Release 2020-11-21
  • Preliminary support for Live Stacking.
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.7 and KStars 3.5.0
  • Required for SM App on iOS/Android stores.
• v1.5.4 Release 2020-08-21
  • Fixed Issue when using external USB hubs.
• v1.5.3 Release 2020-07-21
  • Added support for Raspberry PI4 8GB variant.
  • Added support for Mount Bluetooth Pairing.
  • Canon CR3 format support.
  • New Native Pentax DSLR drivers.
  • Always-on Hotspot mode.
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.6 and KStars 3.4.3.
• v1.5.2 Release 2020-04-26
  • Improved WiFi connectvity with some devices (Samsung)
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.5 and KStars 3.4.2
  • Updated firmware for better thermal management.
• v1.5.1 Release 2020-02-24
  • Fixed HotSpot login.
  • Fixed Sync GPS button.
  • Improved Device Auto Detection.
• v1.5.0 Release 2020-02-14
  • Stable release for both RPI3 and RPi4
  • Updated INDI Library v1.8.4 and KStars 3.4.0
  • Support for Offline Viewer (Requires StellarMate Mobile App).