Tag Archives: CubeSats

Feb 14 2013

Two TV CubeSats from Ecuador

NEE-02 Krysaor - Image credit EXA

NEE-02 Krysaor – Image credit EXA

Ecuador is hoping to have two CubeSats in orbit this year.

Their first CubeSat NEE-01 Pegasus will carry a 720p HD camera to send live video from space using a 0.9 watt TV transmitter in the 910 MHz (33cm) band along with a beacon that will send a Morse Code ID, a SSTV image and Ecuador’s national anthem. It was originally planned to launch on a Dnepr from Yansy but is now expected to fly on a CZ-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Space Center on April 26, 2013 at 0413 UT.

Ecuadors second CubeSat NEE-02 Krysaor carries the same payloads in the 910 MHz band as NEE-1 Pegasus but has a slightly different solar panel configuration. As yet websites such as Gunter Space Page give no indication on which rocket NEE-02 Krysaor will fly.

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Jan 23 2013

Data Format for Korean OSSI CubeSat

Open Source Satellite Initiative Korean CubeSat OSSI-1Information has been released on the data format to be used by the Open Source Satellite Initiative (OSSI) CubeSat developed by Hojun Song DS1SBO.

The OSSI Data Format spreadsheet can be seen at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjtQ6cJ4QOqJdGpHNnRtUWZJV0w4TTFKRU9WYTZqc3c#gid=5

OSSI-1 is planned to launch April 19, 2013 into a 575 km 63° inclination orbit on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan along with the Bion-M1 satellite and the SOMP, BEESAT 2, BEESAT 3 and Dove-2 CubeSats. The OSSI VHF beacon is understood to be using 12 WPM CW.

Open Source Satellite Initiative OSSI CubeSat Wiki http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=12231

OSSI-1 CubeSat Morse Code Telemetry Data

OSSI-1 CubeSat Morse Code Telemetry Data

Dec 8 2012

Government delays response to Reform of the Outer Space Act 1986 consultation

A statement on the UK Space Agency (UKSA) site says:

Due to the range of views received during the Reform of the Outer Space Act 1986 consultation the Government response has been delayed.

We hope to be in a position to publish it during the first half of 2013.

Further details will be posted in due course.

The Outer Space Act covers all UK satellites irrespective of size, from tiny low cost educational CubeSats up to large commercial £500 million satellites.

The key aspects of the consultation are the proposals to waive the capped liability and insurance requirement for in-orbit operation of any satellite that meets the criteria of a CubeSat and to remove the requirement for unlimited indemnity from satellite operators.

The existing Outer Space Act imposes heavy additional costs (>£50,000 per annum) on those wishing to launch small educational CubeSats. The additional costs act as a major deterrent and to-date no such UK CubeSat has been launched.

Reform of the Outer Space Act 1986: Consultation http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8783

Dec 7 2012

Prison Inmates Build Deployers for CubeSats

NBC News reports that inmates at San Quentin prison are building CubeSat orbital deployers.

P-PODs, Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers are aluminum boxes designed to hold tiny satellites known as CubeSats, which ride “piggyback” into space as secondary payloads.

NBC quotes Ariel Wainzinger, a man with ten months left on his sentence, as saying: “You come to prison and you think it’s gonna be all gloom and doom and you find yourself with a lot of different opportunities and you take advantage of it.”

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Nov 30 2012

Satellites in a box – Radio Aurora Explorer Video

In this video radio amateur Professor Jamie Cutler KF6RFX highlights the ability of CubeSats to test new technology in space at low cost.

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Oct 5 2012

NASA Release Amateur Radio CubeSat Deployment Pictures

Amateur Radio CubeSats TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1 pass the ISS solar panels

NASA have released photographs of the amateur radio CubeSats TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1 taken by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS).

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