Dr Sandile Malinga, CEO of the South African Space Agency
unveils South Africa’s first CubeSat – Image credit CPUT

The amateur radio CubeSat designed and built by students at the Cape Peninsular University of Technology in Bellville is expected to launch in the 4th quarter of 2013.

Still known by its engineering name ZACUBE-1, the satellite will be shipped in the next few weeks to Holland where it will be integrated with two other CubeSats in the launch carrier before being shipped for integrating with the rocket. ZACUBE-1 carries a HF transmitter operating on 14 099 kHz, a small camera and a telemetry transmitter.

SARL news reported that Amateur Radio Today broadcast an interview with Francois Visser, of CPUT who is leading the project.

CPUT ZACUBE-1

The HF beacon payload on 14.099 MHz will be used for characterization of Hermanus Magnetic Observatory’s Dual Auroral Radar Network antenna at SANAE base in Antarctica (14 MHz).

The uplink is 145.860 MHz and the downlink 437.345 MHz. Both links have selectable transmission rates of 1.2 kbps or 9.6 kbps.

CPUT satellite HF beacon – a new tool for radio amateurs
http://www.amsatsa.org.za/hans-172-09-cput-satellite-hf-beacon-a-new-tool-for-radio-amateurs.htm

It is believed there may be as many as 18 amateur radio satellites on the DNEPR launch from Yasny in the 4th quarter of 2013 http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=7717