Feb 18 2024

UK’s SaxaVord Spaceport to launch amateur radio satellites

Customers for Inaugral SaxaVord Spaceport Launch

Customers for Inaugral SaxaVord Spaceport Launch

Two more amateur radio satellites, MARIA-G (HADES-F) and UNNE-1 (HADES-E), are planned to launch from the UK’s SaxaVord Spaceport later in 2024.

Previously announced amateur radio payloads on the launch are:
ERMINAZ-1U and -1V from AMSAT-DL
GENESIS-MA and -ME from AMSAT-EA
QUBIK 5, SIDLOC-PQ-1 and -PQ-2 from Libre Space Foundation

MARIA-G

SaxaVord UK Spaceport under construction

SaxaVord UK Spaceport under construction

A 1.5u Pocketqube. MARIA-G will offer radio amateurs around the world the opportunity to relay FM voice and AX.25 / APRS 300 / 1200 bps communications. The satellite will also transmit telemetry with its status and voice and CW messages. This all will be achieved by implementing a SDR based FM and FSK repeater. The FM / FSK repeater will be available all time and opened by squelch level without the need of a PL tone/CTCSS.

Main mission for MARIA-G is to be a FM repeater but it will also include a simple guess game being implemented by students at Maria Guerrero High School in Collado Villalba – Madrid (Spain). The satellite will send a clue each week in CW so radioamateurs will have to solve the mystery by having all the clues.

A small experiment, developed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research organization (Germany) will also fly on the satellite to make proof of concept transmissions of a TS-UNB waveform from a low Earth orbit. It will transmit a TS-UNB message according to the ETSI standard ETSI-TS-103-357. It is intended solely as a research and development project with no commercial intent, all its data public and open.  ITU modulation classification would be 100K W2DWW but the bandwidth will be narrowed. The operation of this experiment will be managed by AMSAT-EA.

UNNE-1

Rocket at SaxaVord UK SpaceportA 1.5u Pocketqube. UNNE-1 will offer radio amateurs around the world the opportunity to relay FM voice and AX.25 / APRS 300 / 1200 bps communications. The satellite will also transmit telemetry with its status and voice and CW messages.

This all will be achieved by implementing a SDR based FM and FSK repeater. The FM / FSK repeater will be available all time and opened by squelch level without the need of a PL tone/CTCSS.

A small guessing-game is being implemented by students of Universidad de Nebrija (Spain). The satellite will send a clue each week in its telemetry so radio-amateurs will have to solve the mystery by having all the clues. Game will be detailed in AMSAT-EA and Universidad de Nebrija websites.

The main mission for the satellite is acting as a FM voice repeater although due to its SDR nature it can repeat data too. This satellite is based on the hardware of HADES-D (SO-121) that’s currently being used to amateurs worldwide. The guess game implemented by the University is a small challenge for the radio-amateurs and its mission is to make the reception of signals from the satellite fun for youngsters, expecting them to be future radio amateurs.

Proposing a UHF downlink, VHF Uplink for FM voice, FSK data up to 1200 bps, APRS up to 1200 bps and FSK telemetry and experimental data up to 1600 bps and CW.

These two satellites are part of the Erminaz mission, a joint effort by AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA and Libre Space Foundation. Planning a DLR/ESA launch from the UK SaxaVord Spaceport in Summer 2024 into 500/600 km polar orbit.

IARU satellite frequency coordination pages https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/index.php

AMSAT-DL ERMINAZ https://amsat-dl.org/en/erminaz/

AMSAT-EA projects https://www.amsat-ea.org/proyectos/

Libre Space Foundation projects https://libre.space/projects/

Jan 25 2024

IO-117 GreenCube to cease operating on February 5

S5Lab announcement on X that GreenCube is to cease operation

S5Lab announcement on X that GreenCube is to cease operation

At 1622 GMT on Thursday, January 25, 2024 @S5Lab posted on X that the GreenCube IO-117 Digipeater would be permanently deactivated on February 5.

Designed and developed by students of Sapienza University of Rome, GreenCube IO-117 was the first satellite to carry an amateur radio payload into Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) – 6,000 km.

IARU satellite frequency coordination information https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/finished_detail.php?serialnum=784

AMSAT Responds to Planned Decommissioning of IO-117 (GreenCube)
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-responds-planned-decommissioning-io-117-greencube/

The S5Lab post on X said:

Dear Friends,

After one year and a half of operations, it is time to conclude the GreenCube operations with the planned de-commissioning activities. After the conclusion of the nominal experiment and with the digipeater payload active for more than one year, we will pergorm the passivation operations for the satellite.

The planned passivation operations will be executed on Monday, 5 February 2024, at 00:00 UTC. From that day, GreenCube will be completely passivated and the digipeater will be switched off for good.

We want to thank everyone that endorsed, supported or participated in the mission and the radio amateur community that enthusiastically became a true part of our project. We hope that GreenCube will somehow be part of your memories of radio amateurs, space engineering enthusiasts, and we hope to involve you soon in many more adventures.

Thanks once again for the unbelievable memories shared together… See you soon!

The GreenCube Team at S5Lab

Dec 29 2023

December 2023 OSCAR News now available

December 2023 2023-12 OSCAR News front pageE-members of AMSAT-UK can now download the December 2023 edition of OSCAR News, issue 243, here.

The paper edition edition will be sent to postal members and should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks.

In this issue:
• From the Secretary’s Keyboard
• Letters to the Editor
• Satellite News
• Beyond the Bent Pipe by Martin Ling M0LNG
• St Peter-in-Thanet Junior School ARISS Contact by John Hislop, G7OHO
• Greencube Antennas by Dave Fisher KG0D
• Packet Decode Analysis from GreenCube Terminal’s debug.log by Justin Sours, N9ZTS

AMSAT-UK FUNcube Mission Patch

AMSAT-UK FUNcube Mission Patch

Membership of AMSAT-UK is open to anyone who has an interest in amateur radio satellites or space activities, including the International Space Station (ISS).

E-members of AMSAT-UK are able to download the quarterly publication OSCAR News as a convenient PDF that can be read on laptops, tablets or smartphones anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Join as an E-member at Electronic (PDF) E-membership

PDF sample copy of “Oscar News” here.

Join AMSAT-UK using PayPal, Debit or Credit card at
http://shop.amsat-uk.org/

E-members can download their copies of OSCAR News here.

Dec 17 2023

ISS deployment of Clark sat-1 (AMBITIOUS)

Students involved in the Clark sat-1 project

Students involved in the Clark sat-1 project

Clark sat-1 (AMBITIOUS), callsign JS1YLT, is scheduled to deploy from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, December 18, 2023, at 10:15 GMT. The IARU coordinated downlink is 435.130 MHz.

Clark sat-1 (AMBITIOUS) CubeSat

Clark sat-1 (AMBITIOUS) CubeSat

Clark sat-1 is a 1U size satellite is an educational project of students at the Clark Memorial International High School in Japan. As of November 30 approximately 50 students have been involved in the project and a number have an amateur radio license. The satellite will carry out these missions:

1. Optical Camera Mission
Take photos of the Earth and will downlink them in the 435 MHz band (GMSK, 4,800 bps). The downlink schedule will be posted on X (@sat1_AMBITIOUS).

2. Digi-talker Mission
Downlink 40 to 120 seconds long Digi-talker NBFM signal (Voice message or SSTV pictures in Robot 36 format recorded before launch) including the call sign and school name. communications.

In addition to the 4k8 AX25 GMSK telemetry and mission data there will be a CW beacon every two minutes.

Through these missions, the students will be able to improve their amateur radio and satellite communication skills.

The project will also serve as a model showcase for the development of amateur satellites by the younger generation, and stimulate the interest of the younger generation in amateur radio and satellite

We would appreciate if you will report the reception to “clarksat-1@clark.ed.jp” after receiving those signals.

Other information
1) Orbit injection schedule (may change)
Dec. 18th, 2023 （Monday）10:15（UTC）
refer : https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/biz-lab/news/detail/003559.html

2) Clark sat-1 website https://sp.clark.ed.jp/en/

3) IARU website https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/finished_detail.php?serialnum=852

4) X account (@sat1_AMBITIOUS) https://twitter.com/sat1_AMBITIOUS

5) NASA’s archive movie of the satellite’s launch to the ISS
Clark sat-1 was launched on November 10, 2023 (UTC) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, USA.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Hgj1byn08lM

Kosuke Narita, JS1YIZ

Dec 14 2023

ISS SSTV 40th Anniversary of Ham Radio in Human Spaceflight

ARISS SSTV Event Dec-16 to Dec19 2023An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) December 16-19, 2023, on 145.800 MHz FM to celebrate the 40th anniversary of amateur radio in human spaceflight.

The event is slated to begin on Saturday, December 16, at 10:15 GMT for setup and operation and continue until Tuesday, December 19, ending at 18:00 GMT. These times are tentative and are subject to change due to crew availability.

Images will be downlinked at 145.800 MHz +/- 3 kHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD-120.

Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/

The signal should be receivable even on a handheld with a 1/4 wave whip. If your rig has selectable FM filters try the wider filter for 25 kHz channel spacing.

You can get predictions for the ISS pass times at https://www.amsat.org/track/

ARISS SSTV Blog https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/

Useful SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/

Dec 13 2023

AO-73 back in transponder mode

AO-73 (FUNcube-1) - Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

AO-73 (FUNcube-1) – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

After a year long period of ‘battery management’, AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL have restarted the transponder on AO-73.

After 10 years in orbit, the battery on the satellite has reduced capacity and until recently, has been unable to charge to the nominal 8.3V.
Following some careful battery management, where the transmitter was off during eclipse, the battery status has improved and the transponder has been reactivated.

Although the battery voltage is varying between 8.13 in sunlight and 7.8V at the end of eclipse, this is much improved on the situation earlier in the year.

Low power BPSK telemetry is transmitted on 145.935MHz
The inverting mode U/V transponder input is 435.130 to 435.150MHz
The transponder downlink is 145.970 to 145.950MHz

At the moment the satellite has a high spin rate of apx. 30 rpm and if you’ve not used AO-73 before, the downlink can be Doppler tracked successfully, but the input on 70cms is best tuned manually due to temperature drift of the receiver.

73

David G0MRF – AMSAT-UK