Tag Archives: STRaND-1

Jan 14 2015

UK Space Industry in Guardian Newspaper

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC / 2E0OBC working on STRaND-1 - Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC / 2E0OBC working on STRaND-1 – Image credit Surrey Space Centre

The Guardian interviewed radio amateur Dr. Chris Bridges 2E0OBC for their story on the growing UK space industry.

Chris 2E0OBC worked on the Surrey Space Centre’s STRaND-1 spacecraft which carries an amateur radio payload. The newspaper also interviewed Steve Greenland, Senior Systems Engineer at Clyde Space, who worked on the UKube-1 spacecraft which carries the FUNcube-2 amateur radio transponder.

Read the Guardian article at
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jan/14/the-space-industry-is-growing-and-looking-for-talented-postgrads

Both Steve and Chris have given presentations to the annual AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, see the videos from 2014 at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/

STRaND-1 https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/digital-satellites/strand-1/

UKube-1 transponder test https://amsat-uk.org/2015/01/05/funcube-2-ukube-1-update/

Oct 8 2013

STRaND-1 talk at RSGB Convention this Saturday

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC working on STRaND-1 - Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC working on STRaND-1 – Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC of the Surrey Space Centre is one of the volunteers who developed the UK’s first CubeSat STRaND-1 on 437.568 MHz.

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

At 14:45 on Saturday, October 12 [note change in day/time] he will be providing an update on the satellite to those attending the RSGB Convention near Milton Keynes.

Launched on February 25, 2013 STRaND-1 was the first satellite to carry a Smartphone into space and attracted world-wide media interest.

At the heart of STRaND-1 is a Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system. Smartphones contain highly advanced technologies and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite – such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors – almost everything a spacecraft needs except the solar panels and propulsion.

The RSGB’s Centenary Convention, sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons, takes place this weekend (Fri eve-Sun) October 11-13 at Horwood House, MK17 0PH just a few miles outside Milton Keynes. Tickets are available on the door.

RSGB Convention Schedule
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/rsgb-notices/2013/09/10/centenary-convention-2013-programme/

RSGB Centenary Convention
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/rsgb-notices/2013/07/10/rsgb-centenary-convention/

STRaND-1 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

Jul 23 2013

UK STRaND-1 Amateur Radio Smartphone CubeSat is Back !

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1 - Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1 – Image credit Surrey Space Centre

On July 23, 2013 at 1634 UT Mike Rupprecht DK3WN received signals from the UK STRaND-1 satellite after a near four month absence.

Built by volunteers from the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and SSTL in Guildford STRaND-1 was launched on February 25, 2013 and was the World’s first Smartphone CubeSat to be put into orbit.

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC and STRaND-1

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC and STRaND-1

STRaND-1 unexpectedly stopped transmitting on March 30, 2013 and radio amateurs around the world have been listening for it ever since on a frequency of 437.568 MHz (+/- 10 kHz Doppler).

Radio amateurs are requested to email reports of reception of telemetry data from STRaND-1 to: strand.messages<at>gmail.com

See the report from Mike Rupprecht DK3WN at http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=35582

STRaND-1 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

How to decode the telemetry https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Online real-time tracking of STRaND-1 http://www.n2yo.com/?s=39090&df=1

Watch the presentation on STRaND-1 given by Chris Bridges M6OBC to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium on July 21, 2013 at http://www.batc.tv/streams/amsat1315. Download the video by right-clicking on http://www.batc.tv/vod/strand.flv

AMSAT-UK publishes a quarterly colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample issue of OSCAR News can be downloaded here.
Join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/

Mar 28 2013

New Version of STRaND-1 Telemetry Decoder

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

Mike Rupprecht DK3WN has released a new version of the STRaND-1 telemetry decoder that incorporates the recent telemetry changes from the STRaND team.

Download Version 1.50 [27.03.2013] BETA from http://tinyurl.com/SatSoftwareDK3WN/

STRaND-1 https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

STRaND-1 telemetry https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

STRaND-1 videos https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-videos/

Mar 27 2013

New STRaND-1 telemetry spreadsheet and DK3WN magnetic field vector analysis

STRaND-1_20130326_magThe STRaND-1 team have released a new version of the Excel Spreadsheet for the STRaND-1 Telemetry which is now updated with switch details.

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1

Download the new spreadsheet from https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Mike Rupprecht DK3WN has been working on new software which compares the magnetometer values sent by STRaND-1 in comparison to the NOAA World Magnetic Mode (WMM2010). Further information at http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=31826

Surrey Space Centre report that the STRAND-1 satellite is healthy and in the coming weeks they hope to be able to switch-on the Google Nexus One smartphone carried by the CubeSat.

STRaND-1 page https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

Mar 22 2013

STRaND-1 Update – Ground Station Improvements Underway

STRaND-1 Ground Station Antennas

STRaND-1 Ground Station Antennas

Surrey Space Centre report that the STRAND-1 satellite is healthy but they have had new ground station teething problems. That has diverted effort and delayed the eagerly awaited switch-on of the Google Nexus One smartphone carried by the CubeSat.

The team are currently scouting University of Surrey rooftops for a better antenna position for STRaND-1.

The STRaND-1 downlink frequency is 437.568 MHz using 9k6 bps AX.25 packet radio. Details of the telemetry format are at https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Surrey Space Centre https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surrey-Space-Centre/147861435274871

Follow Surrey Space Centre https://twitter.com/SpaceAtSurrey