UKube-1 in flight configuration in the cleanroom at Clyde Space Ltd – Credit Steve Greenland

UKube-1, the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat, carries a set of AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards with an amateur radio linear transponder and educational beacon for use in schools. The launch is scheduled from Pad 31/6 at Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 15:58:28 UT (4:58 BST) and to be deployed from the final stage of the Soyuz-2-1B/Fregat-M launch vehicle at 18:32:42 UT.

It had been hoped the launch would be live at http://www.roscosmos.ru/317/ or at http://tv-tsenki.com/live.php but this did not occur.

UKube-1 CubeSat installed in Deployment Pod

The UKube-1 Operations Team have issued a Launch Briefing. This is accompanied by a spreadsheet showing the anticipated UK passes for the first orbits together with a worksheet showing the telemetry equations.

These documents can be downloaded at http://funcube.org.uk/news/

UKube-1 carries a number of experiments and payloads and also the FUNcube-2 transponder and  telemetry sub-system. This is intended to support the current, very successful, operations of FUNcube-1 and to provide an even better operational capability for schools and colleges to use for hands on educational outreach around the world. Further details of the educational outreach opportunities are available here http://funcube.org.uk/education-outreach/

When the FUNcube-2 sub-system is activated, the 1k2 BPSK telemetry will be downlinked on 145.915 MHz in the same way as already happens with FUNcube-1.

A new FUNcube-2 Dashboard UI will be released shortly. This will integrate directly with the existing FUNcube Central Data Warehouse and existing usernames and authorisation codes can be re-used.

UKube-1 ready for launch

When the transponder is activated, the downlink passband will be 145.930 to 145.950 MHz and the uplink passband  will be 435.080 to 435.060 MHz.

It is anticipated that the FUNcube sub-system may be tested for short periods during the next few weeks depending upon how the LEOP plan progresses.

AMSAT-UK personnel will be supporting the UKube-1 operations team at Chilbolton during the immediate post launch period and will be ensuring that regular status reports are made available via the #cubesat IRC channel.

A web client is available at http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#cubesat

AMSAT-UK and their colleagues at AMSAT-NL, are delighted that UKube-1 is carrying this FUNcube sub-system and wishes every success to the UKube Operations Team and to all the many contributors to the project.

Steve Greenland of Clyde Space receives the AMSAT-UK FUNcube-2 boards to be incorporated into UKube-1

There will be a presentation on the satellite’s amateur radio payload at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium being held at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ on July 26-27, the event is open to all, further details at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/

UKube-1 frequencies:
• 145.840 MHz Telemetry downlink
• 145.915 MHz FUNcube subsystem beacon
• 400 mW inverting linear transponder for SSB and CW
– 435.080 -435.060 MHz Uplink
– 145.930 -145.950 MHz Downlink
• 2401.0 MHz S Band Downlink
• 437.425-437.525 MHz UKSEDS myPocketQub Downlink

Video of the Soyuz-2 rocket being prepared for the launch

Soyuz 2-1B – Meteor-M #2 Launch Updates
http://www.spaceflight101.com/soyuz-2-1b—meteor-m-2-launch-updates.html

Check Twitter accounts of Helen Walker ‏@SheAstronomer and Steve Greenland @strickengremlin for tweets on UKube-1 launch.

FUNcube website http://www.funcube.org.uk/

FUNcube Yahoo Group https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/

FUNcube Forum http://forum.funcube.org.uk/

Like AMSAT-UK on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AMSATUK

Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/

Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/

There will be a presentation on the FUNcube boards on UKube-1 at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium which will be held on July 26-27, 2014 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, United Kingdom. The event is open to all, further details at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/