Amateur Radio Satellite FO-29
This HD video, made by Sylvain Draux F0FVK, features the amateur radio satellite Fuji-OSCAR-29 (JAS-2). The video was shown at the Amateur Radio Fair held in Pordenone, Italy on November 17-18, 2012.
The 50kg satellite FO-29 was launched on August 17, 1996 from the Tanegashima Space Center of NASDA, Tanegashima Island, Japan into a 1330 by 810 km orbit.
It carries a 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for SSB and CW communications.
STRaND-1 and team – Image credit SSTL
The BBC report that the world’s first “smartphone-sat” STRaND-1 is ready to launch at the end of February. The satellite was built in Guildford by volunteers from the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in their spare time. It is planned to be launched on February 25 into a 785 km orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the PSLV-CA (PSLV-C20) rocket.
Dr Chris Bridges working on STRaND-1
The innovative STRaND-1 CubeSat will carry a Google Nexus One Android smartphone into space to demonstrate the feasibility of using cheap smartphone electronics to control a spacecraft.
Smartphones contain highly advanced technologies and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite – such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors – almost everything a spacecraft needs except the solar panels and propulsion.
There will be an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio downlink on 437.568 MHz using a data rates of 9k6 bps.
STRaND-1 flight ready February 2013 with Shaun Kenyon, Dr Peter Shaw, Dr Chris Bridges
Further information on STRaND-1 at
http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=12196
Watch the videos in the STRaND-1 video archive
http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=12472
Read the BBC News story at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21361204
The world’s first smartphone in Space ‘STRaND-1’ ready for launch
http://www.sstl.co.uk/News-and-Events?story=2117
Dr Chris Bridges talked about STRaND-1 on the BBC Radio 4 show Material World broadcast on Thursday, February 7. A recording can be heard until February 14 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfj3l The STRaND-1 segment starts 08:55 into the recording.
STRaND-1 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nanosats
You can follow STRaND at https://twitter.com/SurreyNanosats
AAUSAT3 Flight Model and Engineering Model – Image credit Aalborg University
The Hindu newspaper reports that the first launch of the year by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be the PSLV-CA (PSLV-C20). It will carry the ocean study spacecraft SARAL as well as satellites carrying amateur radio payloads. The launch into a 785 km orbit is currently planned to take place on February 25.
Artists impression of UKube-1 in orbit – Credit Clyde Space
The Herald newspaper reports that the CubeSat UKube-1 will be launched in June, 2013.
The spacecraft is being built for the UK Space Agency (UKSA) by Clyde Space and the launch will take place from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz-2 along with TechDemoSat-1.
The newspaper reports that Clyde Space has announced plans for a base in the United States.
UKube-1 will carry a set of AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards to provide an amateur radio 435/145 MHz linear transponder and a 1200 bps BPSK beacon for educational outreach.
Vibration testing of the Vietnamese PicoDragon CubeSat – Image Credit VNSC
Five new CubeSats being developed in Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States are hoping to fly during 2013.
The ESEO spacecraft Copyright ALMASpace – ESA
AMSAT-UK will be providing a 1260/145 MHz FM transponder and a 145 MHz BPSK telemetry beacon for the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO). This is the third mission within the European Space Agency’s Education Satellite Programme.
The satellite, which has a mass of 40 kg and measures 33x33x63 cm, is planned to launch in 2015-16 into a low Earth orbit.
Nine European universities will be working with the prime contractor ALMASpace, Italy, on the mission. Cranfield University in Bedfordshire will be supplying a small sail that will be deployed to demonstrate the de-orbiting of spacecraft at the end of the mission.
The primary purpose of the AMSAT-UK payload is to provide a downlink telemetry that can be easily received by schools and colleges for educational outreach purposes. The data will be displayed in an attractive format and provide stimulation and encouragement for students to become interested in all STEM subjects in a unique way.
The target audience is primarily students at both primary and secondary levels and the project includes the development of a simple and cheap “ground station” operating on VHF frequencies in the Amateur Satellite Service. This station is an omni-directional antenna feeding a FUNcube DonglePRO+ SDR receiver which will receive the signals direct from the satellite and transfer the data to specially developed graphical software running on any Windows laptop.
AMSAT-UK 
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