CubeSat NEE-01 Pegasus – Image credit EXA

Pegasus NEE-01 the first of two HD TV CubeSats built in Ecuador is planned to launch on a CZ-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Space Center on Friday, April 26 at 0413 UT.

Ronnie Nader with Elisse Nader and CubeSat

An EXA announcement said NEE-01 PEGASUS and NEE-02 KRYSAOR are the first CubeSats designed and developed entirely in Latin America, without help or support from abroad.

“This is a major milestone in our history and the history of the region, now our space technology is qualified for Russian and Chinese launch vehicles and to survive the space environment. The satellites passed the tests without any problems and now we await the launch of the first, the NEE-01 PEGASUS in the first half of May and the second in the latter half of July” said Ronnie Nader, Director of Space Operations EXA and leader of the team that designed and built the satellite.

Both satellites were designed and built by EXA engineers who donated their work voluntarily, the Ecuadorian Government financed the launch and testing.

EXA and the Ecuadorian government are engaging in ​​joint projects to ensure full utilization of the satellites, for both scientific and educational purposes.

NEE-02 Krysaor – Image credit EXA

The launch of the NEE-01 had been scheduled for November last year aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket, but the launch was postponed to later this year, and it was decided to launch NEE-01 on a Chinese CZ-2D rocket. The satellites had to meet the launch requirements of both vehicles, which was a skill level higher than previously achieved by the Ecuadorian engineers.

Source of text above: http://www.exa.ec/bp46/ translated by Google.

Each CubeSat is just 10x10x10 cm (1U) and they have fold-out solar panels which give a total span of 70 cm. They will each carry a 0.9 watt output 720p HD TV transmitter and a beacon which will send a Morse Code ID, a SSTV image and Ecuador’s national anthem. It is understood that NEE-001 will operate on 910 MHz in the 33cm band, an amateur radio allocation in a number of countries, while NEE-02 will be in the 980 MHz band.

Educational outreach is an important part of the project. EXA is partnering with three schools in Ecuador as part of the ASTERIA Program, in which students will use the satellite in their curricular and extra curricular activities.

The satellite signal will be received and decoded by the EXA HERMES-A ground station in Guayaquil and then uploaded live to the Internet using Facebook and Twitter; the first signal will contain text book questions and the second will contain an image related to the question. If the students are able to answer the question correctly they will be granted access to the video camera on board the spacecraft and will be able to see Earth from space as the astronauts see it in their space missions. More advanced students will have access to the pure radio signal so they can try decoding it by themselves.

There is also a HERMES-B ground station located in Kirch-Brombach, Germany.

Journey to Space!
EarthCam has teamed up with the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency to deliver what EarthCam describe as an amazing viewing experience from an orbiting satellite. Mounted on the NEE-01 Pegasus, a live camera invites viewers to take a trip into space and explore the galaxy.
EarthCam – SpaceCam http://www.earthcam.com/world/ecuador/ecsa/

EXA indicates that NEE-02 KRYSAOR is expected to launch on a Dnepr rocket from Dombarovsky near Yasny later this year.

Twitter https://twitter.com/NEE01_PEGASO hash tags #SatélitePegaso #Pegaso

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NEE01PEGASO

Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEE-01_Pegasus

Two TV CubeSats from Ecuador https://amsat-uk.org/2013/02/14/two-tv-cubesats-from-ecuador/

NEE-01 Pegasus (Pegaso) website in Google English http://tinyurl.com/NEE-01-Pegasus

Ecuadorian CubeSat will monitor near-earth objects http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=6932

IAC2011 Paper http://exa.academia.edu/RonnieNader/Papers/795135/NEE-01_PEGASUS_The_first_Ecuadorian_Satellite

January 2014 Ecuadorian Civil Space Company (EXA)—Imagery Involvement + An Important Recovery (Satellites) http://www.satnews.com/story.php?number=1323163133