Artist’s Impression of UKube-1 in space – Credit Clyde Space
UKube-1 – the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat mission – has ‘booked’ its journey into space on a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket. The launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrone in Kazakhstan is expected to take place in March 2013.
UKube-1 carries an amateur radio 435/145 MHz linear transponder built by members of AMSAT-UK.
KickSat
KickSat is an amateur radio CubeSat technology demonstration mission designed to demonstrate the deployment and operation of prototype Sprite “ChipSats” (femtosatellites) developed at Cornell University by Zac Manchester KD2BHC.
It plans to launch on ELaNa-5 / CRS-3 from Cape Canaveral in July 2013 into a 325 x 315km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. Kicksat-1 will operate on 2401.2-2436.2 MHz and when deployed all the 200 Sprites will operate on a single frequency 437.240 MHz and use CDMA. It is believed this will be the largest ever deployment of satellites.
CubeSats at San Mateo College Makerspace Launch Event
On September 10, the “MENTOR Makerspace” program kicked off with a special event held at the College of San Mateo. The MENTOR Makerspace program has a goal of introducing low-cost makerspaces into 1,000 high schools over the next three years.
NASA’s Matthew Reyes attended the event and in this interview with Tony Wan he explains how students from San Jose State University went from tinkering in their local TechShop to exploring the final frontier.
Holiday Inn and RSGB GB4FUN communications module
The videos of the amateur radio CubeSat and Microsat presentations given to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium 2012 are available to either watch online or download.
CSSWE – University of Colorado Boulder
On September 13, 2012 at 2139 UT an Atlas V rocket launched a combination of 11 satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for the US Government and NASA ELaNa university CubeSats.
Nick Pugh K5QXJ reports hearing CSSWE on 435.345 MHz.
Dr Christopher Bridges (2nd from left) discussing why space is cool on Sky News
Dr Chris Bridges recently appeared on the nationwide TV channel Sky News discussing why space is cool. On September 15-16 he will be giving two presentations to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ.
Chris will cover the Nexus Android Smartphone amateur radio satellite STRaND-1 which will carry both a Resistojet and a Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) module and STRaND-2 which comprises two 3U CubeSats that will use Microsoft Xbox Kinect controller technology for docking.
UPDATE: For videos of the two STRaND presentations see http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=10297
AMSAT-UK 
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