ESTCube-1 – Image credit University of Tartu

The ESTCube 1 CubeSat was built by students at Tartu University with the objectives for promoting space, providing and educational tool for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) subjects and giving students hands-on experience on developing space technologies.

It uses the amateur radio 145, 437 and 2400 MHz bands and the launch is planned for 2013.

The objectives of the ESTCube-1 mission are:
• To design, launch a nano-satellite conforming to Cubesat Design Specification with all the required ground support equipment and to operate the satellite in space.
• To acquire images of Estonia from the selected orbit for outreach purposes.
• To deploy and confirm the deployment of a 10 meter conductive Hoytether as a part of the development work of the Electric solar wind sail.
• To measure the electric sail force, interacting with the tether.

These frequencies have been coordinated by the IARU:
437.250 MHz CW beacon
437.505 MHz Primary downlink
2401.250 MHz Secondary downlink

The command uplink will be in the 145 MHz band.

ESTCube https://sites.google.com/a/estcube.eu/estonian-student-satellite-program/Eesti-tudengisatelliit

Story in Estonian newspaper Õhtuleht: Space Race Between Estonia and Latvia

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/estcube
Twitter https://twitter.com/estcube

ESTCube-1 on Wikipedia http://tinyurl.com/cynhh6h

Electric Solar Wind Sail in tailwind
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/EPSC-DPS2011-727-1.pdf