Monthly Archives: November 2012

Nov 26 2012

SpinSat Packet Radio Satellite To Launch Next Summer

SpinSat comprises a 19 inch diameter sphere, with a mass of 55 kg and 4 antennas equal distance around the equator. It is intended to be a tumbling satellite with single axis momentum wheel and multiple micro-thrusters.

It aims to test new technology micro-thrusters and teach high school students about satellite operations.

Secondary mission is a 9k6 GFSK UHF store and forward AX.25 packet radio system with 2 watts of RF output. Planned for a July 2013 launch from Kennedy Space Center into a 330 km 51.6 degree inclination orbit.

A downlink frequency of 437.230 MHz has been coordinated.

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel status page http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru

Nov 26 2012

Nexus S PhoneSat v2 Plans Summer 2013 Launch

PhoneSat v2 is a technology demonstration mission intended to increase the functional capabilities of PhoneSat v1 and demonstrate complete satellite functionally in a low cost package.

The satellite is built around the Nexus S smartphone which will be running the Android operating system and will be enclosed in a standard 1U CubeSat structure.

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Nov 26 2012

Swedish Radio Show Features Hojun Song DS1SBO and OSSI CubeSat

Hojun Song DS1SBO and the NovaNano FlyMate deployer

On Monday, November 26 at 12:10 CET Swedish Radio broadcast a show about the Maker Movement that included an item on Hojun Song DS1SBO and the OSSI CubeSat that is planned to launch on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket into a 575 km 63° inclination orbit in April 2013.

The item featuring Hojun Song DS1SBO started about 1:20 into the show and the MP3 can be downloaded from http://sverigesradio.se/topsy/ljudfil/4274449.mp3

A picture and details of the show in Google English are at http://bit.ly/TlA6B

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Nov 25 2012

Video of Elon Musk lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society

Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer – credit SpaceX

On Friday, November 16, CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX, Elon Musk was the guest of honor at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London to present a lecture entitled ‘SpaceX and the future of space exploration’.

The packed lecture was also notable in that the audience saw Elon Musk presented with the Royal Aeronautical’s Society’s highest award – a Gold Medal. This award has been presented since 1909 when the first Gold Medal was given to the Wright Brothers. It is the most prestigious award in global aerospace honoring exceptional contributions and achievements.

Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), in June 2002. Since then SpaceX has developed the Falcon family of launch vehicles and the Dragon multi-purpose spacecraft.

His personal goal is to eventually enable human exploration and settlement of  Mars.

 

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Nov 25 2012

Alternative use for CubeSats

While radio amateurs use CubeSats for communications Glasgow based Alba Space is planning to use them for Space Burials.

Alba Space say they aim to use CubeSats to carry cremated ashes into Space and their longer term aims include helping open access to Space.

The company’s founder Tom Walkinshaw was interviewed recently on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland show.

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Nov 23 2012

Review of FUNcube Dongle Pro+ in Radio User Magazine

Radio User December 2012

Mike Richards G4WNC was lucky enough to get serial number 0046 from the first batch of the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle Pro+ LF/MF/HF/VHF/UHF Software Defined Radio.

He has written a four page review of the SDR that has just been published in the December issue of Radio User magazine on sale now from UK High Street newsagents such as W.H.Smith.

Postal copies of Radio User can be purchased using a Debit or Credit card by ringing +44 (0)1202 751611 Monday – Thursday 8.30am – 4.00pm.

The FUNcube Dongle Pro+ SDR was developed for educational outreach as part of the ground segment for the FUNcube satellite.

A proportion of the FCD-Pro+ sales goes to support the AMSAT-UK FUNcube satellite project.

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