Apr 7 2012

Project PoGo Kickoff

Hobbyspace reports that the San Diego Space Society is starting a project to develop a CubeSat style payload for reusable suborbital space flights.

Project PoGo kicks off on April 7 with its first planning meeting to build reusable suborbital payload based on the CanSat / CubeSat format.

The suborbital payload will be flown to the edge of space on a reusable rocket. This will allow data sample collection to be taken repeatedly and as well as adjustments and improvements to be made to the payload instrumentation. Our goal is to fly twice before the end of 2012.

PoGo’s payload could study a wide variety of phenomenon besides atmosphere and climate monitoring including cosmic radiation monitoring, ozone monitoring, EM field monitoring, etc.

PoGo will consist of at least two teams. One team will focus on payload development and another team will focus on launch provider selection and ground support, aka Mission Control.

Join the Team! We need people to help in the following areas:

– team leaders (x2)
– fundraisers
– promotional and media specialists
– people good with their hands
– people knowledgeable in electronics
– software programmers
– ground support specialists
– and many others.

Update: Team Leaders will be offered a free registration for a cubesat development workshop hosted by the Silicon Valley Space Center.

SD Space members and the public are invited to participate. Please email projects [at] sandiegospace.org if you’d like to attend.

Project PoGo http://sandiegospace.org/?m=20120407&cat=3

Apr 6 2012

CubeSat TURKSAT-3USAT in the Press

The Ankara based Amateur Satellite Technology Association (TAMSAT) have received more press coverage for their new CubeSat TURKSAT-3USAT.

It is a three unit CubeSat developed for SSB/CW communications in low earth orbit. The VHF/UHF transponder and all other subsystems, except the stabilization, are doubled for redundancy. Where possible, both COTS systems and in-house development is employed.

The energy is provided using lithium polymer batteries together with super capacitors. Satellite stabilization is accomplished using passive magnetic attitude control system with hysteresis rods. The satellite is to include a de-orbiting system which will make it re-enter the atmosphere following completion of its life time. The 3USAT is expected to launch near the end of 2012.

IARU coordinated frequencies are: transponder uplink 145.940-145.990 MHz, downlink 435.200-435.250 MHz and a CW beacon on 437.250 MHz.

Read the newspaper story in Google English at http://tinyurl.com/3USAT-PressStory

Web: http://www.tamsat.org.tr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000953042369

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/tamsat_tr

Apr 5 2012

CubeSat payload: a “photon sieve”

What can you do with a CubeSat? With payloads from microbes to solar sails, the possibilities

 

 

 

 

are nearly endless. Here’s another one: a “photon sieve” proposed for an Air Force Academy 3U CubeSat that might yield an exponential improvement over standard optics.

FalconSAT-7 is slated for a 2014 launch.

Apr 5 2012

CubeSat payload: a "photon sieve"

What can you do with a CubeSat? With payloads from microbes to solar sails, the possibilities

 

 

 

 

are nearly endless. Here’s another one: a “photon sieve” proposed for an Air Force Academy 3U CubeSat that might yield an exponential improvement over standard optics.

FalconSAT-7 is slated for a 2014 launch.

Apr 5 2012

First-MOVE Vibration tests

First-MOVE is a CubeSat being built by students at the Technical University of München.

Watch First-MOVE Vibration Tests

First-MOVE CubeSat Solar Panel Deployment Video https://amsat-uk.org/2012/04/02/first-move-cubesat-solar-panel-deployment-video/

Apr 5 2012

A Special EME Operation from QM06 Japan

A Japan-Broadcasting Corporation TV report from 2007 featuring Mike Watanabe JH1KRC has just been made available on YouTube.

The YouTube description reads:

KDDI, one of the Japanese telecommunication services companies, has assigned to make experimental cooperation with the Project BIG-DISH, composed of some forty Japanese moon bouncers, and JARL.

We will use the antenna IBA-4, which is the 4th antenna of Ibaraki Satellite Communications Center, KDDI Corporation, for the experimental moon bounce operation on 144, 432, 1296 and possibly 5760 MHz bands. IBA-4 is a 32-metre Cassegrain dish made by Mitshubishi Electric Corporation in 1980’s, and is located in the grid QM06.

The IBA-4 is fully rotable and the elevation is possible up to 90 degrees for automatic moon tracking. The largest problem we have is that we cannot remove the subreflector, 2.9-m in diameter, about 9 metres in front of the main reflector. Therefore we have to use this subreflector in some way for the EME operation.

Our EME operation license is still waiting for the four bands, 144, 432, 1296, and 5760 MHz. The 5760 MHz high power moon bounce transmission is still in discussion in the ministry. Other bands are sure to be licensed for the operation with 500 watts output. We will use callsign 8N1EME. The intensive operating modes are CW, SSB, and JT65 specially on 144 and possiby on 432 also. Fundamentally, we think that random QSOs are most important, although, some scheduled QSOs may be considered for any special reason. Antennas in use will be vertilac pol. on 144 and 432 MHz, the usual EME circular pol. on 1296, and 5760 MHz.

The operation took place late February and early March, in 2007.

Watch 8N1EME-NHK-NEWS(NHK(Japan-Broadcasting Corp.))

Project Big Dish http://8n1eme.jp/