Sabrina Corpino, Team Leader of the E-St@r CubeSat project, is interviewed by ASI TV about the CubeSat that was launched on February 13.
Watch E-St@r – L’intervista
E-ST@R http://areeweb.polito.it/ricerca/E-STAR/
Vega Launch Success – Satellite Signals Heard http://www.uk.amsat.org/4657
Wouter Jan Ubbels PE4WJ provides an update regarding the attendance by ISIS at the World Radiocommunication Conference.
At the conference, ISIS has managed to write a last-minute resolution which was submitted by a group of countries, led by The Netherlands. The aim of this resolution is to propose an agenda item for the next WRC (2015), which proposes to conduct studies to identify the spectrum needs of nano-and picosatellites, and furthermore to study the associated regulatory constraints. After the discussions at the WRC, the resolution got partially accepted by the conference (only the regulatory aspects will be studied), and not for the WRC-2015 but for the WRC after that, which will be in 2018. The provisional final acts of WRC2012 has been published, I quote:
“2.2 to consider the appropriate regulatory procedures for notifying satellite networks needed to facilitate the deployment and operation of nano- and picosatellites, in accordance with Resolution COM6/10 (WRC-12); ”
TIES users can download the provisional final acts at http://www.itu.int/md/R12-WRC12-R-0001/en
This is very good news, and could mean that the ITU notification process for nano and picosatellites can become greatly simplified in the future. We first of all would like to thank all the supporting administrations for their support and would like to invite the community to, through their administrations, participate in the studies, so that the outcome will be as much as possible line with the needs of the community.
We will continue to work on this subject and keep you updated through these lists and at the various small / nano / picosatellite conferences and workshops.
kind regards,
Wouter Jan Ubbels
ISIS – Innovative Solutions In Space B.V. http://www.isispace.nl/
The students who developed the amateur radio satellite MO-72 (Masat-1) have announced that new telemetry decode software is available.
Changes in this new release include:
– “Offline” label removed, the status of the automatic packet reporting is displayed
– Battery voltage constant (on the EPS panel) updated
– Now you can change between 626/1250 bps decoding on the Packets panel
– On the frequency waterfall now you can see tracks for the 0, CW and 1. The decoder is the most sensitive if the signal is in the middle of the highlighted track
Download the new software from http://cubesat.bme.hu/en/radioamatoroknek/kliens-szoftver/
MASAT-1 designated MagyarSat-OSCAR-72 (MO-72) http://www.uk.amsat.org/4928
Khartoum Students Receive CubeSats http://www.uk.amsat.org/4834
Masat-1 (MO-72) CubeSat
OSCAR Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO reports,
“Congratulations on the successful launch of the MaSat-1 Cubesat that the team at Budapest University of Technology and Economics have been responsible for designing, building and testing.
“Since you have met all of the requirements for being issued an OSCAR number, including coordination through IARU and requesting an OSCAR number, I, under authority vested in me by the President of AMSAT-NA, do hereby name MaSat-1 as MagyarSat-OSCAR-72 or MO-72.”
Bill concludes, “I, and all at AMSAT-NA wish MagyarSat-OSCAR-72 great success in fulfilling all of its mission objectives.”
Source ANS
Lift off of Vega - Image Credit ESA
The first Vega, flight VV01, lifted off at 1000 UT Monday, February 13 from the ESA Spaceport at Kourou in the Caribbean carrying eight student built amateur radio satellites and the LARES Laser Relativity Satellite into orbit.
LARES was put into a 1435 by 1452 km 69.5 degree inclination orbit, while the orbit of the amateur radio satellites is 310 by 1441 km.
At 1153 UT Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA reported hearing signals from the satellites as they went past Florida. Signals were first heard in the United Kingdom at around 1207 UT.
In Germany Mike Repprecht DK3WN copied the satellites at an elevation of just 3 degress at 1209 UT, see http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?cat=83
A recording of PW-Sat made by Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG at 1207 UT can be heard at http://www.pa3weg.nl/pa3weg/recordings/PW-SAT%20recording%20PA3WEG%2013-02-2012_1207UTC.mp3
In the Czech Republic Mirek Kasal OK2AQ received strong signals from Masat-1 http://www.urel.feec.vutbr.cz/esl/files/Othact/masat1_rev5.wav
Nittin Muttin VU3TYG received PW-Sat at 1246 UT as it travelled over India, his recording is at http://vu3tyg.addr.com/pwsat/pw_sat-%20Feb%2013th.mp3
In Sudan Nader ST2NH received signals from AlmaSat-1 and Masat-1.
KO4MA Screenshot of Vega CubeSats
As of Monday evening signals had been reported from AlmaSat-1, Goliat, Masat-1, PW-Sat, UniCubeSat and XaTcobeo.
All the Vega amateur radio satellite project teams used the IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination panel service. A benefit of IARU coordination was that all the different UHF satellite signals could be simultaneously captured within the typical 192 kHz bandwidth of a modern Software Defined Radio (SDR).
PW-Sat is the only satellite with a downlink in the 145 MHz band. Its 1200bps BPSK signal on 145.900 MHz is receiveable with an SSB radio and an omni-directional antenna.
When PW-Sat has finished its primary scientific mission it will be reconfigured as a 435/145 MHz FM to DSB transponder for general amateur radio communications. The FM to Double Sideband transponder was first pioneered by amateurs on the satellite AO-16.
PW-Sat carries a deployable drag augmentation device known as the tail. The main objective of this experiment is to test the concept of using atmospheric drag to deorbit the satellite. It is hoped to be able to remove the satellite from orbit at a predicted time, about one year after launch.
The other amateur radio satellites have downlinks in 437 MHz. A small 430 MHz band Yagi antenna may be used to receive the signals. They are expected to have a lifetime of 3-4 years depending on the atmospheric drag which is higher at sunspot maximum.
Watch the launch of Vega VV01
The Masat-1 satellite team have made available software to decode their 437.345 MHz telemetry data via a PC sound card. The software can be downloaded from http://cubesat.bme.hu/en/foldi-allomas/kliens-szoftver/
This video shows the eliptical 310 by 1441 km orbit of the satellites.
The prelimary TLEs, used by tracking software to predict the orbits, were generated by a team lead by Paolo Tortora at the University of Bologna in Italy. They proved to be accurate with the satellites appearing at the expected time.
Student amateur radio satellite downlink frequencies:
(Worst case Doppler shift during pass +/-9 kHz at 437 MHz and +/- 3 kHz at 145 MHz)
+ AlmaSat-1 437.465 MHz 1200 bps FSK, 2407.850 MHz
+ E-St@r 437.445 MHz 1200 bps AFSK
+ Goliat 437.485 MHz 1200 bpx AFSK
+ Masat-1 437.345 MHz 625/1250 bps GFSK, CW
+ PW-Sat 145.900 MHz 1200 bps BPSK AX25, CW
+ Robusta 437.325 MHz? (website says now 437.350 MHz) 1200 bps FM telemetry – one data burst of 20 secs every 1 min
+ UniCubeSat 437.305 MHz 9600 bps FSK
+ XaTcobeo 437.365 MHz FFSK with AX.25
Satscape Free Satellite Tracking Software http://www.satscape.info/home/?q=node/2
Preliminary Vega TLE’s for launch at 1000 UT here
Website URLs for the student satellite are at http://www.uk.amsat.org/4180
ESA report Student CubeSats start talking to Earth
IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/
KN-SAT1 students at ST2UOK Khartoum
Students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan have been eagerly listening for the new amateur radio satellites deployed by the Vega launcher on Monday, Feb 13.
The students are undertaking a CubeSat project KN-SAT1. As part of the project they recently completed the installation of a satellite groundstation at ST2UOK. This was used to track and receive telemetry data from the Vega satellites.
KN-SAT1 is the first CubeSat to be built in Sudan and an aim is to promote space engineering and space science education at other Sudanese educational institutes.
Watch the students receiving packets from Masat-1 14:00 UTC Feb 14, 2012
KN-Sat1 http://cubesat.uofk.edu/
Sudanese Amateur Radio and SWL History http://www.st2nh.com/sudanamateurradioandswlhistory
ST2NH Blog http://st2nh-blogger.blogspot.com/
AMSAT-UK 
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