LitSat-1

The amateur radio CubeSat LitSat-1, call sign LY1LS, is planned to be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, February 28 at 0730 UT. It carries a 435/145 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW communications.

The LitSat-1 team have issued this statement:

Our country Lithuania is heading towards a historic moment – start of the first Lithuanian satellite in space.  First ever Lithuanian Cubesat Litsat1 is due to be launched within couple of days only – on Feb 28 at 07:30 UT from the International Space Station (ISS).  

We are very interested in getting the first data from our small satellite as soon as possible, therefore we would like to ask your help with that.

We will send special QSL cards for radio amateurs with first reports about received signals from our satellite. The 3 stations first received the signals from the LitSat1 satellite will receive QSL cards signed by the High level officials of the Lithuanian government.

Please send your SWL reports (screen snapshots) with received packet data of Litsat-1 beacon to Kaunas University of Technology Radio Club. Contact point E-mail: address: litsat@ktu.lt  

Please find below the technical data for the reception of Litsat 1:
Beacon/TLM down link 145.850 MHz
Beacon RF packets are AX.25 UI frames https://www.tapr.org/pub_ax25.html Main parameters of the beacon frames are: TX baud rate 9600 bps (G3RUH), repetition period ~4.5s, beacon duration ~0.5 s, source call address – TNC, destination call address – LY1LS.

Digital data: Telemetry
Digital communication with Litsat-1 is based on Helium 100 (HE-100) transceiver.
The payload info field starts with the 2 header bytes “Bb”=0x4262 (Beacon broadcast), following with 2 bytes indicating further data field length (should be 0x0087), then the sat status telemetry structure (114 bytes) and finishing with the  short text message (21 bytes).

For any other information you are very welcome to contact us: litsat@ktu.lt

A linear transponder will be activated later.
Uplink 435.150 MHz LSB
Downlink  145.950 MHz USB
Bandwidth ±15 kHz from center
CW beacon   435.1375 MHz (LY1LS/B)
Normal mode – transponder, beacon OFF

73! Darius Kybartas LY3DA

Litsat-1 team
Kaunas University of Technology
Email: litsat@ktu.lt

LitSat-1 is very close to the International Space Station (ISS) so you can get a rough idea of when it will be in range of the UK based SUWS WebSDR by looking at the predictions for the ISS on the N2YO tracking website http://www.n2yo.com/

LitSat-1 uses a modified version of the LE005-R2 CubeSat linear transponder developed by William Leijenaar PE1RAH http://www.leijenaarelectronics.nl/leijenaar_electronics_009.htm

Facebook LitSat-1 Lituanica8 https://www.facebook.com/Lituanica80

LitSat-1 Palydovas https://www.facebook.com/palydovas

President Congratulates Lithuanian Amateur Radio CubeSat Builders
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/01/12/president-congratulates-amateur-radio-cubesat-builders/

Two Lithuanian Amateur Radio CubeSats Plan 2013 Launch To ISS
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/06/26/two-lithuanian-cubesats/

The other Lithuanian CubeSat due to be deployed from the ISS on Friday is LituanicaSAT-1 which carries a 145/435 MHz FM transponder.
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/12/lituanicasat-1/

The two Lithuanian groups built the CubeSats in 2013 which was the 80th anniversary of the historic flight by Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in the airplane Lituanica. On July 15, 1933, they took off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York and flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 6,411 kilometers without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes. Tragically they crashed by the village of Kuhdamm, near Soldin, Germany just 650 km from their destination of Kaunas in Lithuania.