Jun 2 2014

ARTSAT1:INVADER Reception Reports Needed

ARTSAT INVADER Team Members

ARTSAT INVADER Team Members

Masahiro Sanada JI1IZR reports the amateur radio CubeSat ARTSAT1:INVADER (CO-77) is in trouble and asks radio hams to listen for the satellite and report any reception.

ARTSAT1:INVADER

ARTSAT1:INVADER

ARTSAT1:INVADER, one of the CubeSats, is in trouble that the satellite does not reply after the command by the command station.

The members are trying to find out how to recover.

We have no reply from the satellite, nor the CW [437.325 MHz] becomes not to be heard after the command.

When you have a chance to listen to the satellite, please send your report via the form at:
http://api.artsat.jp/report/

Your report will be great help for the members.

We appreciate your help very much.
Thank you.

Masahiro Sanada
de ji1izr
Hiratsuka-city
Kanagawa,Japan

INVADER is an amateur radio “Art Satellite” developed by students at the Tama Art University as a part of the “ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project” which aims at a practical use of a satellite for art and design.

The 1U CubeSat was launched from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center on Thursday, February 27 at 1837 UT. It carries a CW (A1A) beacon on 437.325 MHz (+/- 10 kHz Doppler shift), a 1200 bps FM AX.25 Packet Radio and FM Digitalker on 437.200 MHz and a low-resolution camera.

ARTSAT http://artsat.jp/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/artsat

Twitter http://twitter.com/INVADER_ARTSAT

ARTSAT1:INVADER designated OSCAR 77
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/04/03/artsat1invader-designated-oscar-77/

ARTSAT students at the Tama Art University

ARTSAT students at the Tama Art University

Jun 2 2014

ISEE-3 Spacecraft Reboot Project Update

ISEE-3 - ICE Spacecraft - Image credit NASA

ISEE-3 – ICE Spacecraft – Image credit NASA

Dennis Wingo KD4ETA has released an update on the attempts by volunteers, including radio amateurs, to gain control of the NASA ISEE-3 spacecraft.

The International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3), a spacecraft that was launched in 1978 to study Earth’s magnetosphere and repurposed in 1983 to study two comets. Renamed the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), it has been in a heliocentric orbit since then, traveling just slightly faster than Earth. It’s finally catching up to us from behind, and will be closest to Earth in August, 2014.

In his report Dennis says that the spacecraft was successfully commanded into engineering telemetry mode and he mentions the work of radio amateurs Achim Vollhardt DH2VA (AMSAT-DL Bochum) and Phil Karn KA9Q.

[Achim Vollhardt DH2VA and Mario Lorenz DL5MLO plan to attend the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Guildford July 26-27 to give a presentation of their work. The event is open to all]

Regarding the possibility of Lunar impact Dennis says “If we can maneuver the spacecraft by June 17th we get the very small delta V number for the maneuver above. However, this starts to climb rapidly as the spacecraft gets closer to the moon. Also we cannot at this time rule out a lunar impact. It is imperative that we get a ranging pass as soon as possible. We also need time to not only evaluate the health of the spacecraft, but to test the systems, the catalyst bed heaters for the propulsion system, the valve heaters, analyze the rest of the propulsion, power, and attitude control system as rapidly as possible. This will be a lot of commanding so we have to move into high gear next week. This is a very fluid situation and we have made amazing progress, thanks to the support of those who believed in us in our crowd funding and the support of our NASA sponsors at NASA Ames and NASA headquarters. More to come soon!!”

Read the report at http://spacecollege.org/isee3/isee-3-reboot-project-update-bullseye-and-more.html

Watch ISEE-3 Reboot Project – Recovering a 30 year old space probe

ISEE-3 / ICE Telecommunications Summary
http://mdkenny.customer.netspace.net.au/ISEE-3.pdf

Dennis Wingo KD4ETA blog http://denniswingo.wordpress.com/

Can radio amateurs command the ISEE-3 / ICE spacecraft ?
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/03/19/can-radio-amateurs-command-the-isee-3-ice-spacecraft/

Radio amateurs receive NASA ISEE-3 / ICE Spacecraft
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/03/09/radio-amateurs-receive-nasa-isee-3ice-spacecraft/

Radio hams help attempts to command NASA spacecraft
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/05/21/radio-hams-help-attempts-to-command-nasa-spacecraft/

ISEE-3/ICE on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ISEE3returns

Jun 1 2014

UK Takes Aim at Commercial Spaceflight

skylon_hangar_1l

Skylon – Credit Reaction Engines Ltd

A space.com article reports a spaceport in the United Kingdom may be possible by 2018.

Pending a regulatory report to be published this July and a technical feasibility study that is underway with the country’s National Space Technology Programme (NSTP), it is possible that the country could host a spaceport within the next five years.

A new National Space Flight Coordination Group, chaired by the U.K. Space Agency, will oversee these reports and the future work for this U.K. spaceport. Government officials hope this will be the start of commercial spaceflight for the country.

Rob Coppinger reports the United Kingdom’s first Spaceport could be at Lossiemouth, which is already home to one of the largest Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in the country.

At 57.7°N Lossiemouth would be the most northerly Commercial Spaceport in the World. Lossiemouth is slightly further North than the Kodiak spaceport in Alaska which is at 57.4°N.

Read the article at
http://www.space.com/26076-united-kingdom-commercial-spaceflight-spaceport-2018.html

May 31 2014

LituanicaSAT-1 FM Transponder Active until June 4

LituanicaSAT-1 Camera and FM Voice Transponder

LituanicaSAT-1 Camera and FM Voice Transponder

The LituanicaSAT-1 team have announced the FM transponder should be active until June 4, 2014.

Dear radio amateurs,

Due to favorable orbit conditions LituanicaSAT-1 is now operating under 100% sunlight until about 4th of June. Thus we have decided to turn the transponder on during this period. The CW fm beacon and packet telemetry are also on right now. 

73,
Laurynas Maciulis
LY1LM, LY5N

LituanicaSAT-1 FrequenciesFrequency are approximately 435.1755 MHz (+/- 10 kHz Doppler shift) for the downlink and 145.950 MHz for the uplink with 67 Hz CTCSS.

The tiny satellite is just 10x10x10 cm with a mass of 1.090 kg yet it has a VGA camera and a 145/435 MHz FM voice transponder, designed and built by Lithuanian radio amateurs.

The prototype of the FM repeater has been operating in the home of its designer Žilvinas Batisa LY3H in Elektrėnai, Lithuania. Further information at http://ly3h.epalete.com/?p=303

FM transponder operating techniques http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=44412

LituanicaSAT-1 CubeSat https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/27/lituanicasat-1-cubesat/

Reports should be sent to: ly5n  at qrz.lt

LituanicaSAT-1 was built by students from Vilnius University.

May 31 2014

FUNcube Satellite Update Video

Howard Long, G6LVB and member of the FUNcube Satellite Team, describes the launch and use of the FUNcube-1 satellite, and timeframes for the next three FUNcube sats.

Watch FUNcube Satellite Update by Howard G6LVB, 2014 Dayton Hamvention

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

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

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

Join AMSAT-UK https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/13/join-amsat-uk-7/

May 31 2014

Satellites on the Horizon

In this brief presentation from the AMSAT Forum at the 2014 Dayton Hamvention, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA and AMSAT VP Operations, summarizes six operational amateur satellites and another dozen satellites that will become available or will launch soon.

NOTE: LituanicaSAT-1 mentioned in the presentation was in fact built by engineers from Vilnius University. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LituanicaSAT-1

Watch Satellites on the Horizon, by Drew KO4MA – 2014 Dayton Hamvention