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COSMOS,THE tool for controlling and commanding embedded hardware, is easy to use and free to get started, making COSMOS accessible to everyone—from hobbyists to constellation operators. While COSMOS is inherently cross-platform, setting up your environment on Windows can sometimes feel daunting if you're not sure where to get started. OpenC3Staff Software Engineer Clay Kramp walks through step-by-step instructions for getting  OpenC3 COSMOS up and running on a Windows 11 machine using Docker.

Prerequisites

To start, we’ll need the following installed:

• Git  Bash (or your preferred terminal) - For cloning projects and running script
• Docker Desktop for Windows - Allows pre-built containers to run without having to compile the environments from scratch

‍Step 1: Clone the COSMOS Project

First,head to the COSMOS git repo to pull the COSMOS project files into your localdirectory. Open Git Bash and navigate to your preferred folder (e.g., Documents) then run the following command:

‍Bash

git clone https://github.com/OpenC3/cosmos-project.git

‍Once finished, move into the project folder:

Bash

cd cosmos-project

Step 2: Set Up Docker Desktop

COSMOS utilizes Docker containers to ensure all users have a consistent, reliable experience.

1. Download the Docker Desktop for Windows (X86_64) installer from the official Docker website.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts (Note: a computer restart will likely be needed) 

Once your machine has rebooted, launch Docker Desktop. You should see a status message indicating that the Docker Engine is starting. Once it's ready, you’re clear to proceed.

Step 3: Launch OpenC3 COSMOS

Time to get COSMOS up and running! Navigate back to your cosmos-project directory in Git Bash and run the boot script:

 Bash

./openc3.bat run

 This script will start pulling the pre-built Docker images (including openc3-operator, openc3-redis, and openc3-minio). The first time running this process may take a few minutes. On subsequent runs, these images will be cached, making the startup process significantly faster.

Step 4: Accessing the UI

Once the script finishes, open a browser window and navigate to:

 http://localhost:2900

 You will be prompted to set a new password for your local instance. Once set,you’ll have access to the full COSMOS suite, including:

• Command Telemetry Server: Monitor and control your interfaces
• Script Runner: Execute complex automated procedures
• Log Explorer: Find the data you need fast.
• ‍App Store: Browse and install plugins to extend your functionality.

 And that’s it! Now your COSMOS Core instance is up,running, and ready to connect to the embedded hardware of your choice.

Cleaning Up

If you need to stop COSMOS or want to clear out your local environment and start fresh, the following cleanup script will stop all running containers and remove local volumes:

 Bash

./openc3.bat cleanup local force

Wrapping Up

With the demo plugin pre-installed, you can immediately begin exploring the features of COSMOS.

Additional demo data and OpenC3- and COSMOS user-built plugins are available in the COSMOS App Store.

Additional documentation on COSMOS, including how to build your own plugins, is also available.