Category Daily Updates

Mar 25 2012

BBC TV – How Satellites Rule Our World

They are constantly circling hundreds of miles above our heads, driving our daily lives – yet we barely give satellites a second thought. Satellite engineer Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock Ph.D., MBE wants to change all that. She wants to make us realise and appreciate what these unsung heroes of the modern world have done for us.

Maggie reveals how satellites have revolutionised exploration, communication, location-finding and spying. She discovers how they have transformed not only the way we see our planet but our understanding of the dangers within it, like volcanoes and earthquakes. Plus, she discovers the jaw-dropping power of the technology used by satellites to make our lives run smoothly.

The final 8 minutes of the show covers CubeSats and features Peter Shaw of the amateur radio STRaND smartphone satellite project.

‘In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World’ was broadcast on BBC 2 at 2100 BST (2000 UT) on Sunday, March 25 and is available to watch on the web at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01f6qpq/In_Orbit_How_Satellites_Rule_Our_World/

It is understoood that this broadcast could be blocked in certain countries. A way around this may be to use a Proxy Server or software such as Expat Shield.

Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock Ph.D., MBE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Aderin-Pocock

UK Amateur Radio Smartphone CubeSat STRaND-1 http://www.uk.amsat.org/1942

Mar 25 2012

WebSDR Adds 437 MHz Goliat CubeSat Coverage

The WebSDR receiver located at the Astronomical Observatory Department of “Stefan cel Mare” University in Suceava, Romania has provided coverage of the 3.5 MHz band.

Now coverage of 437.470 – 437.515 MHz has been added enabling the Romanian amateur radio CubeSat Goliat to be received.

It is operated by Andrei YO8SSQ, e-mail andrei-at-avatar.afraid.org and Cezar YO8TLC, e-mail cezarl-at-usv.ro and located at Latitude 47.6417N Longitude 26.2453E, grid locator KN37cp. The height ASL is 350m.

Listen to the 80m and Goliat WebSDR at http://sdr.opt.ro:8901/

Goliat CubeSat http://www.goliat.ro/

Mar 24 2012

KARI CanSat at Korean Education Exhibition Fair


At the Education Exhibition Fair held in the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) young people where able to take part in making a CanSat.

The CanSat was then launched on a helium balloon and transmitted back video pictures.

Watch KARI CanSat (in Korean)

Mar 24 2012

BBC TV Newsnight show on Clyde Space and UKube-1

UKube-1 is a 3U CubeSat being designed and produced by Clyde Space for the UK Space Agency. UKube-1 is the UK’s first CubeSat and will fly a total of 6 independent payloads. This news piece was prepared by the BBC covering Clyde Space and the UKube-1 mission.

Watch BBC Newsnight item on Clyde Space and UKube-1

UKube-1 will carry a set of AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards providing a 435/145 MHz linear transponder and BPSK telemetry beacon.

Mar 24 2012

Japan to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites

Kibo Robot Arm CubeSat Deployment

Kibo Robot Arm CubeSat Deployment

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced the launch of five amateur radio satellites on two launches taking place in May and July.

The first H-IIA launch takes place on May 17, 1639-1642 UT and will carry the amateur radio satellite HORYU-2

The second launch on July 21, 0218 UT of the HTV3 will deliver the JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) to the International Space Station (ISS).

J-SSOD will enable small satellites to be deployed from the ISS using the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) robot arm.

The Japanese amateur radio satellites WE-WISH and FITSAT-1, along with San Jose State University’s TechEdSat and the Vietnamese F-1 will also be delivered to the ISS on this launch and it is planned they will be deployed from the ISS on September 20.

JAXA press releases:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2012/03/20120321_h2af21_e.html
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2012/03/20120321_h2bf3_e.html

Thanks to Masahiro Arai JN1GKZ for this information.

Mar 23 2012

Hampshire Based Electronics company wins MOD Cubesat contract.

 

Earth

Roke Manor Research Ltd’s (Roke) Gioconda industry consortium has been awarded a contract to deliver a major element of the UK MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s ‘Smallsat’ CubeSat Research Programme.

A CubeSat is a type of miniaturised satellite, currently destined for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one litre (10cm cube), a mass of little more than one kilogram and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronic components. CubeSats are a disruptive technology that offer the potential for rapid, low cost, short duration deployment of sensing and communications capability in Low Earth Orbit.

For this innovative research programme, Gioconda comprises Roke (a Chemring Group company) as prime, Scisys Ltd, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. It will deliver engineering and flight-ready models (mechanically, electrically, electronically and functionally representative), software and electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) for an advanced experimental RF payload suitable for subsequent deployment in space within a CubeSat.

About Roke:

Roke, based in Romsey, Hampshire, is the principal electronics research and development centre of Chemring Group Plc. Founded in 1956, Roke is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of innovative solutions and contract R&D, pioneering developments in electronic sensors, networks and communications technology. It employs 450 staff and has over 430 patents to its name.

Roke has over 50 years of communications experience, providing customers with technology consultancy through to product development. Roke’s expertise in small form factor electronic solutions has been developed through significant involvement in the design of mobile phones and military handheld radios over the last decade.

For more information visit http://www.roke.co.uk/