Tag Archives: CubeSat

Mar 24 2012

Japan to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites

Kibo Robot Arm CubeSat Deployment

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.

Mar 23 2012

Hampshire Based Electronics company wins MOD Cubesat contract.

 

Earth

Roke Manor Research Ltd’s (Roke) Gioconda industry consortium has been awarded a contract to deliver a major element of the UK MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s ‘Smallsat’ CubeSat Research Programme.

A CubeSat is a type of miniaturised satellite, currently destined for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one litre (10cm cube), a mass of little more than one kilogram and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronic components. CubeSats are a disruptive technology that offer the potential for rapid, low cost, short duration deployment of sensing and communications capability in Low Earth Orbit.

For this innovative research programme, Gioconda comprises Roke (a Chemring Group company) as prime, Scisys Ltd, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. It will deliver engineering and flight-ready models (mechanically, electrically, electronically and functionally representative), software and electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) for an advanced experimental RF payload suitable for subsequent deployment in space within a CubeSat.

About Roke:

Roke, based in Romsey, Hampshire, is the principal electronics research and development centre of Chemring Group Plc. Founded in 1956, Roke is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of innovative solutions and contract R&D, pioneering developments in electronic sensors, networks and communications technology. It employs 450 staff and has over 430 patents to its name.

Roke has over 50 years of communications experience, providing customers with technology consultancy through to product development. Roke’s expertise in small form factor electronic solutions has been developed through significant involvement in the design of mobile phones and military handheld radios over the last decade.

For more information visit http://www.roke.co.uk/

Mar 23 2012

O/OREOS Mission: "Cost effective" CubeSat science

 

Astrobiology magazine posts a piece on the success of NASA’s O/OREOS mission that points out that serious science can be accomplished by tiny spacecraft:

‘The full success of the O/OREOS mission demonstrates convincingly that cubesats can be cost-effective platforms for performing science research and conducting technology demonstrations,’ said Mary Voytek, senior scientist of NASA’s Astrobiology Program at NASA Headquarters, in a statement from NASA. ‘The capabilities of cubesats are growing steadily, making them good candidates to operate precursor experiments for missions on larger satellites, the International Space Station, lunar surface exposure facilities, and planetary exploration.’

O/OREOS monitored the effects of the space environment on microorganism growth and metabolism in a high-inclination, low-Earth orbit.

Wayne

Image credit: NASA Ames

Mar 23 2012

O/OREOS Mission: “Cost effective” CubeSat science

 

Astrobiology magazine posts a piece on the success of NASA’s O/OREOS mission that points out that serious science can be accomplished by tiny spacecraft:

‘The full success of the O/OREOS mission demonstrates convincingly that cubesats can be cost-effective platforms for performing science research and conducting technology demonstrations,’ said Mary Voytek, senior scientist of NASA’s Astrobiology Program at NASA Headquarters, in a statement from NASA. ‘The capabilities of cubesats are growing steadily, making them good candidates to operate precursor experiments for missions on larger satellites, the International Space Station, lunar surface exposure facilities, and planetary exploration.’

O/OREOS monitored the effects of the space environment on microorganism growth and metabolism in a high-inclination, low-Earth orbit.

Wayne

Image credit: NASA Ames

Mar 20 2012

UKube-1 to launch in 2013

UKube-1 Systems Engineer Steve Greenland

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

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

 

Mar 14 2012

Amateur Radio CubeSat Masat-1 Takes First Pictures

Masat-1 image 08 taken 12:37 March 8, 2012

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

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