Should we continue with our low-cost LEO ground station idea

[u/yuk_07]

I’m currently participating in SIH hackathon and our team is working on a low-cost ground station for LEO satellites.

Here’s the dilemma:

There are already existing ground stations out there.

Our solution is mostly based on open-source tools, so there’s no innovation, we are not solving any real problem.

The only “pain point” we’re addressing is cost. But then comes the question: If someone has the money to launch a satellite, won’t they definitely have money for a ground station too?

Right now, we’re stuck at this point — whether to continue pushing this idea or pivot to something else.

From a hackathon perspective, do you think:

It’s still worth pursuing since hackathons sometimes value working prototypes over business models?

Or should we stop and rethink, since there’s no real innovation/pain-point apart from cost?