Yearly Archives: 2011

Sep 9 2011

Calling all UK secondary students: UK Space Settlement Design Competition 2012

Would you like to win a trip to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas? The UK Space Design Competition gives you and your friends the opportunity to do just that!

2010 UK international team in Houston.

2010 UK international team in Houston.

Supported by the Space Science and Engineering Foundation and the UK Space Agency, the competition will take place at Imperial College London on the weekend of 24 -25 March 2012. It challenges teams of over 40 students, supported by space experts, to design a scientifically viable space settlement for over 10,000 inhabitants, taking several factors into account, ranging from structural engineering and communications to entertainment, food production, construction timelines, and cost. Designs are presented to a panel of expert judges for the chance to represent the UK at the International Space Settlement Design Competition, held annually at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Continue reading →

Sep 8 2011

Experiments on the Prospero Satellite

October 28, 2011 will be the 40th anniversary of the historic launch of Prospero the UK’s first satellite to be launched on the Black Arrow rocket.

A description of the Prospero satellite and its experiments written in 1975 can be downloaded here

Pictures of the Prospero ground station can be downloaded here

Attempts are underway to reactivate Propero, beacon frequency 137.560 MHz see 1970s UK Satellite To Be Revived

Picture of Black Arrow Rocket on Display in Australia

Sep 7 2011

UK Amateur Radio Smartphone CubeSat STRaND-1

The International Amateur Radio Union satellite frequency coordination panel has agreed a frequency of 437.575 MHz for the UK satellite STRaND-1.

Some of the SSTL STRaND-1 Project Team, from Left to Right: Bob Dyer, Nick Holt, Dale Mellor, Mark Brenchley, Shaun Kenyon, Jonathan Gebbie, Rupert Taylor, Rosie Linehan, James Parsons, Andy Schofield

STRaND-1 will carry an Android Smartphone and plans to use data rates of 9k6 or 19k2 bps for the AX.25 packet radio downlink. A software-based speech synthesiser will be included to pay homage to the UOSAT family of satellites.

The 3U CubeSat measures 30 by 10 by 10 cm and weighs 4 kg. Unlike previous CubeSats it will feature full 3-axis control with the attitude an orbit control system comprising a nano-magnetorquer, nano-reaction wheels, GPS receiver, 8 pulse plasma thrusters and a butane thruster.

STRaND stands for Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstration and the programme is intended to be a long-term arrangement between the space company SSTL and academic researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC), with STRaND-1 the first of a long line of STRaND nanosatellites.

Continue reading →

Sep 5 2011

1970s UK Satellite To Be Revived

40 years ago the United Kingdom’s first satellite launched on a UK built rocket went into space and now a team from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey are attempting to revive it.

The Prospero spacecraft was launched by a Black Arrow rocket on October 28, 1971 from Launch Area 5B, Woomera carrying a series of experiments to investigate the effects of the space environment. The satellite operated successfully until 1973 and was contacted annually until 1996. Its beacon on 137.560 MHz was heard by Amateurs in 2006.

Audio recordings of the 0.3 watt phase modulated signal with 2048 bit/s PCM from Prospero on 137.560 MHz can be heard on the Sounds from Space site of Matthias Bopp DD1US http://www.dd1us.de/spacesounds%204.html

Prospero real-time oribtal tracking page http://www.vk3ukf.com/Space/GadgetSatProspero.htm

BBC Prospero story and pics at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14783135

Bernhard VA6BMJ says that there’s an item about Prospero in the Space Boffins podcast :
http://audioboo.fm/boos/431009-space-boffins-podcast2

Britain in Space http://www.britain-in-space.co.uk/1960/blackarrow.html

Sep 5 2011

Louis Varney G5RV Cup

The G5RV Cup for Space Communications has been awarded to Paul Robinson 2E1EUB by RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW.

RSGB President Dave Wilson M00BW Presents Louis Varney G5RV Cup to Paul Robinson 2E1EUB

RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW Presents G5RV Cup to Paul Robinson 2E1EUB

The cup is awarded for advances in space communication and the presentation took place at the Telford Hamfest on Sunday, September 4.

Paul was nominated by AMSAT-UK for his work promoting and encouraging the use of amateur radio satellites and perfecting the art of a portable ground station.

Paul comments that he is privileged to have his call sign and name on the cup alongside some very famous call signs, some of which are no longer with us, he would like to thank AMSAT-UK and the RSGB for this award.

Previous holders of the cup are: 1956 G2IG, 1960 G3BCM, 1967 G3FDW, 1968 BRS15744, 1970 G3JGO, 1989 GW3XYW, 1991 G0/K8KA, 1992 G3RUH, 1993 G3AAJ, 1994 G6GEJ, 1996 G6GEJ, 1997 G3AAJ, 2000 G3RUH.

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample edition can be seen at
http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf

Join online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK

Sep 5 2011

50 percent more satellites to be launched in the decade ahead

by Staff Writers
Paris, France (SPX) Sep 05, 2011


Civilian government agencies are expected to procure more satellites for operational missions in Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, and communications. In most countries, communications satellites (comsat) are now primarily acquired by private companies for commercial services, but several governments continue to fund comsat technology development domestically to ensure they have cost-effective systems when needed.

Continue reading →