Yearly Archives: 2011

Dec 9 2011

SpaceX Applies for Dragon Frequencies

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has submitted an application for Special Temporary Authority to the FCC.

They request the use of frequencies in the 400 MHz and 2200 MHz bands under the callsign WF9XGI . The application says:

The purpose of this operation is to demonstrate a low-cost, commercial capability to transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and return it safely to the Earth. The nominal mission profile calls for launch of the capsule from Cape Canaveral into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), followed by ISS proximity operations, berthing with ISS (nominally remaining berthed for several weeks), unberthing, de-orbit maneuvers, re-entry, and splash-down in the Pacific Ocean. The basic orbital parameters for this mission are as follows: Non-Geostationary circular orbit (approx. 407 km); Equatorial Inclination of 52.5 degrees; Period of Orbit is 5400 s. The scheduled launch readiness date for this mission is currently NET December 19, 2011.

Read the application at https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=49678

NASA Announces Launch Date and Milestones for Spacex Flight
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_11-413_SpaceX_ISS_Flight.html

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information. Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf Join online here

Dec 8 2011

Vega to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites

Artists impression of Vega launch

Artists impression of Vega launch

The inaugural launch of the ESA Vega rocket will carry the amateur radio microsatellite ALMASat-1 and at least six CubeSats.

The satellites will be launched from the ESA spaceport at Kourou in the Caribbean into an elliptical orbit of 1450 by 354 km at an inclination of 71 degrees. They are expected to have a lifetime before re-entry of 4 years.

ESA say the six CubeSats to be launched on Vega in late January 2012 comprise:

– Xatcobeo (a collaboration of the University of Vigo and INTA, Spain): a mission to demonstrate software-defined radio and solar panel deployment;
– Robusta (University of Montpellier 2, France): a mission to test and evaluate radiation effects (low dose rate) on bipolar transistor electronic components;
– e-st@r (Politecnico di Torino, Italy): demonstration of an active 3-axis Attitude Determination and Control system including an inertial measurement unit;
– Goliat (University of Bucharest, Romania): imaging of the Earth surface using a digital camera and in-situ measurement of radiation dose and micrometeoroid flux;
– PW-Sat (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland): a mission to test a deployable atmospheric drag augmentation device for de-orbiting CubeSats;
– MaSat-1 (Budapest University of Technology and Economics): a mission to demonstrate various spacecraft avionics, including a power conditioning system, transceiver and on-board data handling.

ESA indicate that a 7th CubeSat may be delivered in time to be flown.

PW-Sat carries an FM to DSB amateur radio transponder with an FM input on 435.020 MHz and DSB output on 145.900 MHz.

The primary payload on the launch, LARES, will be deployed into an orbit of 1200 km × 1200 km with an inclination of 71 degrees.

Frequencies and links for the CubeSats can be found at http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/esa9cubf.htm

ESA CubeSats delivered for first Vega flight http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Education/SEM3L0WWVUG_0.html

ESA Education – CubeSats http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Education/SEM3N03MDAF_0.html

The IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination pages hosted by AMAT-UK list the frequencies of the amateur radio satellites http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/

ALMASat-1 http://www.almasat.org/

Dec 8 2011

Announcement of Opportunity: CubeSat Mission Concept Studies

The core of the UK Space Agency strategy is to lead and sustain the growth of the UK Space Sector. In support of this the National Space Technology Programme (NSTP) promotes the development of new commercial and scientific applications by offering grant funding for truly novel concepts to be fully explored.

CubeSats offer huge potential to accelerate technology development of sensors and instruments in a miniaturised package for deployment in space. New technology concepts for space missions can be demonstrated on CubeSat payloads, delivering a test bed at low cost and significantly reduced timescales. The CubeSat is a relatively new concept, which is maturing rapidly, in which the UK has existing leading capability.

This NSTP programme is to facilitate the acceleration of space technologies up the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) curve but can also attract new players into the space sector by offering a low cost route to getting flight heritage. To follow, the NSTP Pathfinder studies programme is to be released in early 2012 and will be specifically to develop technology concepts.

Dec 7 2011

Arthur C Clark Interview

In a 1963 edition of the Sky at Night show Arthur C. Clarke, who in 1945 predicted geostationary satellites, is interviewed by Patrick Moore.

The perils of spaceflight prediction
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1981/1

Dec 7 2011

FUNcube Dongle SDR in CQ Ham Radio

A review of the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle VHF/UHF Software Defined Radio has just been published in CQ Ham Radio magazine.

The review can be seen at
http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/35a.pdf

However, it’s in Japanese so we are none the wiser as to what it says but it looks good.

The FUNcube Dongle SDR’s have been used for a wide variety of applications including:

Weather Satellites
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/09/19/indian-noaa-apt-images-
with-the-amsat-ukfuncube-dongle-sdr/

http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/08/19/weather-sat-picture
-received-with-funcube-dongle/

A Software Defined Radio Telescope
http://www.britastro.org/radio/projects/An_SDR_Radio_Telescope.pdf

Reception of 433/434 MHz balloons launched by radio amateurs such as
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2011/
digital_pictures_sent_from_balloon.htm

Earth-Moon-Earth (Moon Bounce) communications
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/10/26/korean-eme-test-with-
funcube-dongle/

 

The AMSAT-UK FUNcube Yahoo group now has over 2,500 members. You can join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FUNcube/

Dec 5 2011

STARS-II Amateur Radio Satellite

Impression of STARS-II in Orbit

Impression of STARS-II in Orbit

The amateur radio satellite STARS-II has been developed by students at Kagawa University and consists of a Mother satellite and Daughter satellite connected by tether.

STARS stands for Space Tethered Autonomous Robotic Satellite. The mission will include formation flight, tether deployment, attitude control and the mother and daughter satellites will take pictures of each other.

It is proposed to fly a 80mW CW beacon and a 800mW AX25 1200bps telemetry downlink. Total mass is 8 kg.

Coordinated frequencies for CW 437.245 MHz (mother) and 437.255 MHz (daughter). FM downlinks 437.405 MHz (mother) and 437.425 MHz (daughter).

Kagawa satellite development project STARS-II http://stars1.eng.kagawa-u.ac.jp/english/index.html

The Google English translation of the Japanese language STARS-II page has additional information http://tinyurl.com/JapanSTARS-II

STARS-II on the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination pages hosted by AMSAT-UK
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=170

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information. Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf Join online here