Hermes Extension for Visual Studio Code

A VSCode extension that provides telemetry monitoring, commanding, and notebook-based workflows for spacecraft ground systems. The Hermes extension enables real-time testbed operations and flight software integration.

Support for NASA's F' (FPrime) framework can be found in the Hermes F Prime sub-extension.

Features

Interactive Notebooks: Create and execute command sequences using Jupyter-style notebooks
Live Telemetry: Real-time monitoring of spacecraft telemetry channels and events (EVRs)
Command Uplink: Send commands to flight software with validation and confirmation
Dictionary Integration: Automatic loading of F' dictionaries for command and telemetry definitions
Multiple Backend Modes: Work offline, run a local backend, or connect to remote ground systems
Profile Management: Configure and switch between different spacecraft configurations
Connection Management: Support for TCP/UDP connections to flight software

Full Screenshot

Requirements

Visual Studio Code 1.90.0 or higher
For local backend mode: The extension includes a bundled backend binary for your platform
For remote backend mode: Access to a running Hermes backend server

Getting Started

Install the extension from the marketplace
Open a workspace containing F' dictionaries or Hermes configuration
Select a backend mode using the status bar or command palette:
- Hermes: Change Backend Mode

Full Screenshot

Backend Modes

The extension supports three backend modes:

Offline Mode

Work with sequences and notebooks without connecting to flight software. Ideal for writing procedures and planning operations.

Local Mode (Default)

Runs a backend process managed by VSCode. Provides full telemetry, commanding, and profile management capabilities. Data is stored in .hermes/ in your workspace.

Remote Mode

Connect to an externally-managed backend server for shared testbed or operations environments. Configure the backend URL in settings.

Working with Notebooks

Create a new Hermes notebook (.hermes.md) to start building command sequences:

Create a new file with .hermes.md extension
Add code cells and select language to write sequences in
Execute cells to send commands to flight software

Documentation

For more detailed documentation, see:

Issues & Feedback

Report issues or request features on GitHub Issues.

Hermes

Jet Propulsion Laboratory