The SpaceX CRS-3 Dragon launch of five CubeSats and 104 Sprite satellites has been postponed until Friday, April 18, 2014 at 1925 UT.
SpaceX were finally set to launch their Dragon spacecraft on its third Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS Monday, prior to a scrub being called over an hour ahead of lift-off. It is reported there was a helium leak on the first stage, the next launch opportunity is Friday.
The launch had been planned for December 2013 but has suffered a number of delays.
On the KickSat updates page Zac Manchester KD2BHC has announced a competition to receive the first amateur radio signals from the KickSat CubeSat and the tiny Sprites satellites.
KickSat Sprite satellites deployed – Image by Ben Bishop VK2FBRB
The KickSat CubeSat will carry 104 tiny Sprite satellites into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. The launch carrying four other CubeSats, SporeSat, TSAT, PhoneSat-v2.5 and ALL-STAR/THEIA is planned for Friday, April 18, 2014 at 1925 UT and should be broadcast live on NASA TV and also streamed on Ustream.
Zac writes:
Our launch coming up in less than a week and, to keep things fun, I’d like to announce a little contest…
I’ll be offering prizes to the first several people who receive telemetry packets from KickSat as well as the first few who receive signals from the Sprites. The prizes will include souvenir Sprites and CRS-3 and ELaNa-V mission patches.
437 MHz Sprite
Now for the rules:
• In the case of KickSat telemetry, you have to send me the raw hex or ASCII packet data and I have to be able to successfully decode it.
• In the case of the Sprite signals, you have to send me a raw baseband recording and I have to be able to decode at least one Sprite signal from it.
• I’ll continue offering prizes until I run out of cool swag.
• I have the ultimate say on whether or not you win.
To get in on the fun, check out our wiki and join the KickSat mailing list. Let the games begin!
All the Sprites operate on a single frequency of 437.240 MHz and use Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The transmitter runs 10 mW output of Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) modulated binary data with each data bit modulated as a 511 bit Pseudo-Random Number (PRN) sequence. The ITU emission designator is 50K0G1D.
The KickSat CubeSat has downlinks on 437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz.
In this video Ben Bishop VK2FBRB gives an alternative view of the deployment
Following the 48 hour test on April 5-6, the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) CubeSat team have concluded that the battery temperature does reduce slightly during full time transponder mode, but only by a degree C or so; it remains within specification. Hence it has been decided in future to switch the satellite into ‘forced eclipse mode’, i.e. full time transponder and low power beacon at weekends. The aim is to significantly increase the availability of the transponder to radio amateurs. This will continue until further notice.
The team plan to switch to full time transponder mode during the first suitable pass over the UK on Friday evenings, normally between 1930 and 2230 UT. If for some reason this is not possible, then the switch will be done on the first suitable pass on Saturday, normally between 0930 and 1200 UT. It is planned to switch the full time transponder mode off during a suitable pass on Sunday evenings, which normally occur between 1930 and 2230 UT. Again, if this is not possible the switch off will be made on Monday mornings, approx. 0930 to 1200 UT.
Do please note that this schedule is totally reliant on the availability of command stations, who will do their very best to ensure it is maintained. We will not normally announce successful full time transponder mode on/off commands, but if it proves not possible to make one of them, then we will make a note here and on the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB).
So please do enjoy the transponder, and use it any time you hear it on. We are always pleased to hear of your activity, so either leave a comment below, or email g3wgm -at- amsat.org
Watch a recent FUNcube-1 contact made by Paulo PV8DX
The count column is now coloured to show the period in which the last data was received from the user:
Green – within the past 7 days
Yellow – within the past 14 days
Light-grey – longer than 14 days
Organised by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and held at the Open University, the 2013 workshop sessions included topics from over 100 contributors attending.
Key areas included:
• Fostering a stronger and wider UK CubeSat Community
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Developing Education/Outreach Benefits for the UK with the UKube X Program
• Accelerating Disruptive Technologies
The FUNcube-1 (AO-73) satellite team plan to activate the transponder once again during the daytime over the weekend of April 5-6.
Project Manager Jim Heck G3WGM has given an exclusive audio interview to the TX Factor‘s Bob McCreadie G0FGX which explains what the tests are all about and the potential problems.
Will these tests lead to more time being made available to amateurs wanting to communicate via the satellite?
E-members of AMSAT-UK can now download the PDF of the Spring edition of the OSCAR News magazine here (as well as previous issues).
The paper edition should be posted to members in 2-3 weeks.
In this issue
• FUNcube-1 Status
• Other FUNcubes
• Academy’s radio club enters the space race
• The Pragmatic Guide for Using the FUNcube Materials Science Experiment in the Classroom
• KiwiSAT report
• ZAcube/TshepisoSat pictures South Africa on a clear day
• OFCOM announces new VHF Consultation
• Active Satellite Status
• KickSat Ground Station
• HamTV on the ISS – Progress Report
• Es’Hail-2 Geostationary transponder payload
• Amateur radio satellite operation from Isle of Lewis
• Colloquium 2014
• OSCAR-11 Report
• Shorts
AMSAT-UK FUNcube Mission Patch
Membership of AMSAT-UK is open to anyone who has an interest in amateur radio satellites or space activities, including the International Space Station (ISS).
E-members of AMSAT-UK are able to download OSCAR News as a convenient PDF that can be read on laptops, tablets or smartphones anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Join as an E-member at Electronic (PDF) E-membership
The SpaceX CRS-3 Dragon launch of five CubeSats and 104 Sprite satellites has been postponed until Friday, April 18, 2014 at 1925 UT.
AMSAT-UK 
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