It had been hoped that the amateur radio SSB/CW satellite HAMSAT (VO-52) would be reactivated on Thursday, March 8 but this has now been postponed.
More time is needed to carry out observations on the state of the satellite, which fell silent Feb. 28, so the activation has been put back by at least a week.
HAMSAT (VO-52) carries two linear transponders for SSB/CW operation. It had been using the Indian transponder but when it is switched back on it will use the Dutch transponder built by William Leijenaar PE1RAH. The frequencies used will be:
Artists impression of LightSail - Image Credit Planetary Society
The amateur radio spacecraft LightSail-1 is a 32 square metre solar sail demonstrator.
The first full scale deployment of the solar sail was conducted on March 4, 2011 at Stellar Exploration in San Luis Obispo, California. Read more
After launch LightSail-1 will spend a few weeks in orbit during which the team will check out the subsystems. The side panels will then be deployed, exposing a folded sail, and a motor driven sail deployment will extend rigid booms.
With the sail deployed, the primary operation for the spacecraft are performing 90 degree slews to get the sail normal to the sun vector, or edge on with the sun vector.
A combination of ground based sensors and on board sensors will be used to characterize the acceleration due to solar pressure. Imagers on the deployed panels are used to capture the sail deployment.
Proposing to have a downlink in the 435 MHz band with 1.5W output, semi-duplex 9k6 GMSK AX25 with a CW preamble to a single monopole. LightSail-1 is a 3U CubeSat weighing around 4.5 kg. More information will be available at http://polysat.calpoly.edu/LightSail.php
Watch LightSail-1 Video Update: Construction Begins!
The Planetary Society‘s LightSail program will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years, beginning with LightSail-1. Lightsail-2 will attempt a longer duration flight to higher Earth orbits, demonstrating that solar sails can increase their orbital energy and taking the next major step toward using solar sails for missions in and beyond Earth orbit.
LightSail-3 will fly to the Sun-Earth Libration Point, L1, where solar sail spacecraft could be permanently placed as solar weather stations, monitoring the geomagnetic storms from the Sun that potentially endanger electrical grids on Earth as well as satellites in Earth orbit.
Sixteen UK space labs and companies are set to benefit from the latest round of the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme (NSTP) which will spur innovation in the fast-moving area of space technology known as ‘cubesats’.
Artist’s impression of a CubeSat.
Credit: AMSAT-UK.
Cubesats are tiny, low-cost spacecraft – weighing only a few kilos – which can be launched ‘piggy-back’ on larger spacecraft. Many of today’s cubesats are proving to be great educational projects helping students hone practical skills in building and operating satellites. However, with advances in technology, many experts believe they will also be used for cutting-edge science or operational uses in the future.
The UK is already the world leader in small satellites through Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). Ten years ago, SSTL benefited from UK government investment helping it to grow into a world-class company. Today, the UK Space Agency is following the same road to space innovation by supporting cubesat technology. Already, UKube-1 – a sophisticated nanosat with an imager, scientific and educational payloads – is being built by leading cubesat company Clyde Space Ltd. in Scotland.
Dr Chris Castelli, programme manager at the UK Space Agency explains: “We received 30 proposals to our recent competition and have now selected the best ones to fund. We’ve got a great range of ideas – from new technology such as wireless on-board monitoring and tiny thrusters to give cubesats their own manoeuvring capability; to practical uses such as bioscience and space-weather monitoring. All these ideas will feed into our thinking for a successor to UKube-1, which we hope to select in 2013. It’s going to be exciting to see what emerges.”
Cubesats represent only one part of the Agency’s innovation agenda which also encompasses giant communications satellites such as Alphasat and the exploration of the Universe through missions such as Herschel and Planck.
DL, GERMANY
DQ0STRATEX is a special event call on the occasion of the stratospheric balloon project (StratexB) planned for March 2012 by the local DARC clubs Duelmen (N28) and Luedinghausen (N29). They plan to send an amateur radio load, consisting of an APRS and a speech beacon, to the stratosphere with this balloon project. Another payload will be added by the HAMs of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremen (I04) with an experimental ADS-B receiver. The special event station DQ0STRATEX is active in all modes on all bands between Jan 13,2012, and Jan 31, 2013, handing out the special DOK STRATEXB.
They have two balloon missions planned, on Mar 10 around 0930 UTC and on Mar 24 around 1600 UTC, both starting on the airport at Borkenberge near Luedinghausen.
The APRS beacon is transmitting on 144.800 MHz and the speech beacon in FM on 430.375 MHz. SWL reports are highly appreciated (also online).
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All that I can share at this moment is ‘HAMSAT VO-52′ is in ‘Excellent Health’ after recovery operations. Right now, it is under observation. However, decision about switching ‘ON’ the transponder is pending clearance. Decision expected in other couple of days. The user community will be informed well in advance about the transponder switching.
Mani, VU2WMY
Secretary & Station-In-Charge
Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC
ISRO Satellite Centre
[PE0SAT Thanks amsat-bb and VU2WMY for the above information]
AMSAT-UK 
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