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.
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.
UKube-1 Systems Engineer Steve Greenland
The BBC report that the first satellite to be built in Scotland is due to be launched next year.
BBC News say UKube-1 is being built at the West of Scotland Science Park in Maryhill, Glasgow and is expected to enter orbit in 2013.
UKube-1 systems engineer Steve Greenland is quoted as saying:
“People often ask me what my job is and I tell them that I’m building satellites in Maryhill,” he says.
“Sometimes they don’t believe it. Sometimes they laugh at me.”
Read the full story and watch the video at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17439236
Artists impression of UKube-1 in orbit
UKube-1 will carry a set of AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards that will provide a 435/145 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW amateur radio communications.
UKube-1 final design approved http://www.uk.amsat.org/2430
Bath TOPCAT Project http://www.uk.amsat.org/1612
Clyde Space http://www.clyde-space.com/
Daily Mail newspaper story http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2117610/UKube-1-satellite-First-space-cubesat-Scotland-launch-2013.html
Space station
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact has been planned Sunday 18 March 2012 at approximately 11.31 UTC with students at Istituto Tecnologico Statale Trasporti e Logistica “Leone Acciaiuoli”, Ortona, Italy.
The contact will be performed by the radio station IQ6LN and the downlink signal will be audible over Europe on 145.800 MHz FM.
The Ortona Maritime Institute “Leone Acciaiuoli” (I.T.N) is a technical high school preparing the students to a career as officer on merchant ships or to university studies in the field of engineering disciplines.
The subjects that characterize the I.T.N. programme are: Navigation, Astronomy, Celestial navigation, Satellite navigation, Telecommunications (including satellite telecommunications), Technical English, Nautical and Aeronautical Meteorology, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Physics. Many courses deal with matters related to space technologies. The student population is about 400.
The event will be broadcast in streaming video onhttp://www.livestream.com/AMSAT_Italia/
Students will ask as many of following questions as time allows.
1. Loris: We all believe you are special people working together to achieve one common great goal. Are you proud of the great moral and scientific value of your commitment?
2. Mauro: What is the relationship among you being forced to live together in a confined place for an extended period of time?
3. Pierluigi: What cultural requirements must an astronaut satisfy besides very hard physical and psychological training?
4. Andrea: Is it easier for astronauts to get used to being weightless or to get used to gravity again when they come back to Earth?
5. Antonio: What height is ISS orbiting at and why was this specific height chosen?
6. Nichol: How is the ISS flight path controlled?
7. Giada: When working outside the ISS how are you protected from the space environment and the risk of flying away?
8. Angela: How long does the voyage back down to the earth take? And how does it take place?
9. Iary: How do you feel when watching the earth from the spacecraft window?
10. Causarano: Do you think living in space might change your perception of the world and influence your future life on earth?
11. Agnese: People say human beings age slower in space than on earth. Is that true?
12. Tamara: How do days and nights alternate up there and how often do you see the sun rising?
13. Francesca: How do you receive news from the earth?
14. Federica: Do you ever happen to miss your ordinary life on earth while being up there?
15. Carmen: What does astronauts’ diet consist in and how is it usually prepared?
16. Giulia: How are water and oxygen generated on board?
17. Mario: What research are you doing and what benefits will result from it?
18. Matteo: We know you are growing plants on board. Why?
19. Alessia: How do you dispose of waste?
20. Francesco: Do you think people will travel to space in the next future?
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the space agencies, NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters’ interest in science, technology, and learning.
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Chairman
The SSB/CW linear transponder amateur radio satellites such as VO-52 are great fun to work but the technique required is different to that used for the FM satellites.
Simon 2E0HTS has produced a video showing how to make contacts through VO-52.
Using a home-made 10 element 435 and IO Loop for 145MHz, with a Yaesu FT-847. Simon – 2E0HTS, adjusts his (uplink) transmitted signal to correct the Doppler of the received (downlink) frequency whilst talking to fellow Ham operators around Europe. Thanks to the stations worked via the VO-52 satellite which were SP9FPP, PD0HF & SP6DCO.
Watch How To Make A VO-52 SAT QSO
Most linear satellites use what are known as ‘Inverting Transponders’ to reduce the Doppler shift. You transmit lower sideband (LSB) on the uplink and it appears as upper sideband (USB) on the downlink.
When working through linear transponders use as little power as possible, this will help extend the lifetime of the transponder and satellite batteries. As a guide ensure your downlink signal is no stronger than the satellite beacon. Low duty cycle modes such as SSB and CW are recommended.
The band plan for linear satellite downlinks is similar to what you’d expect on the HF bands with CW operation in the lower part of the downlink and SSB in the rest. Current satellite status can be seen at http://oscar.dcarr.org/
Since this video was made VO-52 has changed over to its Dutch SSB/CW transponder and now uses these frequencies:
Uplink: 435.2250 – 435.2750 MHz SSB/CW
Downlink: 145.9250 – 145.8750 MHz SSB/CW
Beacon: 145.8600 MHz CW
John Heath G7HIA wrote about operating through VO-52 in his article ‘Getting started on amateur radio satellites’ that was published by the Radio Society of Great Britain in the March 2007 edition of RadCom. Download the article at https://amsat-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/satellites_radcom_mar07.pdf
Copyright 2007 Radio Society of Great Britain. For personal use only – no copying, reprinting or distribution without written permission from the RSGB.
David A Palmer, KB5WIA, has written an article “Twins! A Backpack-Portable Full Duplex Satellite Station with Dual FT-817ND’s” that can be seen at http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2010/10/satellite-portable-station.html
SimpleSatLookDown satellite tracking software http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8217
Masat-1 image 08 of Southern Africa taken 12:37 March 8, 2012
Masat-1, the first Hungarian Satellite made history again when it captured the first satellite space photographs on March 8, 2012. The first photo showed the southern section of the African continent. The next photos were made of Australia and Antarctica, in a quality and quantity unprecedented in the CubeSat realm.
Besides their sole beauty, these photos also demonstrate the careful planning and execution of the satellite’s operation, proving that even within the tight mass and energy constraints of Masat-1 it is possible to capture space images.
Masat-1 image 09 taken 12:37 March 8, 2012
Masat-1 is the first Hungarian satellite, designed and built by students and lecturers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in cooperation with the Hungarian Space Office and various domestic companies. The satellite, measuring 10x10x10 cm and weighting 1 kg, was launched by the Vega launch vehicle of the European Space Agency (ESA) from the spaceport at Kourou in the Caribbean. Masat-1 along with seven other student built amateur radio satellites were deployed into a 1441 by 310 km orbit.
The satellite has been operating flawlessly since the launch of February 13, 2012, steadily transmitting data to the primary ground control station (Budapest University of Technology) and the secondary ground control station (Érd, Hungary). In addition to these domestic control stations, more than 120 radio amateurs have received the satellite worldwide. Their total contribution to the success of the mission exceeds 200 000 data packets.
Masat-1 image 19 taken 05:53 March 12, 2012
The on-board camera of Masat-1 has a mass of about two Euro coins. The maximal resolution is 640×480 pixels. A width of 1 pixel corresponds to a distance of 1 to 10 kilometres on the photos recorded.
The call sign of Masat-1 is HA5MASAT and the telemetry transmission frequency is 437.345 MHz +/- Doppler shift, which at worst case could be +/- 10 kHz.
The Masat-1 Ground Station Client Software was prepared to process the GFSK 625/1250 bps transmission received from the satellite Masat-1. The software provides the following functions:
– Audio demodulation
– Packet decoding
– Packet data visualization
– Frequency waterfall plot to aid radio tuning
Download the software and a test WAV file from http://cubesat.bme.hu/en/foldi-allomas/kliens-szoftver/
Further pictures can be seen at http://cubesat.bme.hu/en/2012/03/14/a-masat-1-elkeszitette-az-elsu-urfelveteleket/
English language press release http://cubesat.bme.hu/data/sajtokozlemeny/masat-1_sajtokozlemeny_20120314_en.pdf
Masat-1 designated MagyarSat-OSCAR-72 (MO-72) http://www.uk.amsat.org/4928
AMSAT-UK 
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