Tag Archives: Ham Radio

Mar 28 2012

Student CubeSats BEESAT-2 and BEESAT-3

BEESAT-1 Engineering Qualification Model

BEESAT-1 Engineering Qualification Model

Two CubeSats, built by students at the Technical University of Berlin, are expected to launch in the 4th quarter of 2012 from Baikonour into a 575km circular 65 degree orbit.

BEESAT-2 is a 1U cubesat project intended to test a reaction wheel and an Attitude Determination and Control (ADC) system. Will also carry an experimental camera.

BEESAT-3 is a 1U cubesat project intended to test a transmitter using commercial S Band frequencies outside the amateur satellite service.

Up- and downlink of both of these CubeSats is established by half-duplex GMSK modulated narrow-band radio at 436.000 MHz. The standard data rate is 4800 bps but can be switched to 9800 bps for increased channel capacity at higher elevations. Each transmission at the higher data rate is announced by a small 4800 bps header to allow for adaptive receiver re-configuration. The modem device used is the CML CMX909b.

For more information see http://tinyurl.com/TUB-BEESAT

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/

Mar 28 2012

HumSAT-D CubeSat

HumSAT Mission Concept

HumSAT Mission Concept

HumSAT-D is a 1U CubeSat mission developed by the University of Vigo. It is planning to use MSK telemetry and a CW beacon on UHF. The main mission is educational: to provide a hands-on experience to the students in the complete process of developing a space mission.

The other goal is to demonstrate the validity of the concept of HumSAT. A new subsystem to collect data from sensors located on the ground, store on-board and transmit it to ground stations will be developed and validated in orbit.

Universities and amateurs are invited to develop their own sensors compatible with HumSAT.

HumSAT-D is planning a launch from Russia into a Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at 700km.

HumSAT System

The main purpose of the HumSAT system is the development of a satellite-based system for connecting a set of users with a network of worldwide distributed sensors which they have previously deployed.

Sensors will be responsible for acquiring user data and for transmitting it to the satellites through an standard radio interface (SSI interface, definition of this interface is published here). Users will be able to define their own sensors, for monitoring different types of parameters; for example, water temperature or wind speed.

For retrieving data from the satellites, the GENSO network of ground stations will be one of the core components of the data distribution system. Several universities from different ESA member states, Japan and USA are coperating in this project, whose second release (R2) is expected to provide the functionalities that the HumSAT system will require. For more information about the GENSO project, please visit the www.genso.org website.

Once data has been transported by HumSAT satellites, authorized users will be able to access it through an Internet connection. Several security restrictions shall be applied for guaranteeing a correct access to the data gathered.

HumSAT http://www.humsat.org/

HumSAT: example for international cooperation in small satellite missions
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/bst/ISU-SSP2011/Small-Sats-_v1-Graz-26-07-2011-ISU.pdf

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/

Mar 27 2012

UKube-1: 4 payloads

Rt Hon David Willetts MP learns about UKube-1 visiting Clyde space, seeing the clean rooms and talking to Craig Clark about CubeSat components. Courtesy http://www.clyde-space.com/news/305_uk-science-minister-visits-clyde-space

 

The UK Space Agency’s pilot programme has narrowed down from a total of 20 proposals to four payloads to fly on Ukube-1 from UK industry and academia.

Payloads chosen include a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) Imager Demonstrator, a specialist imaging device to measure radiation damage in space developed by the Open University and Essex-based e2v technologies.

Another, the United Kingdom Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS) payload, myPocketQub442, is an open source system comprising five experiments, one of which will allow school pupils, university students and hobbyists to run their own experiments in space for a day.

The other two payloads are the EADS Astrium , which will test random number generation crucial to secure communications systems in the radiation environment, and TOPCAT http://www.bath.ac.uk/elec-eng/invert/topcat.html, a system designed by the University of Bath to measure space weather conditions which can adversely affect global positioning systems (GPS).

UKube-1 will also take an educational subsystem called FUNcube, developed by the voluntary organisation AMSAT-UK, to encourage young people to learn about radio, space, physics and electronics.

The spacecraft is being developed through a knowledge transfer project with Scottish spacecraft system developer Glasgow based Clyde Space and the University of Strathclyde, which Clyde Space is also funding.

One of the world’s leading firms in the micro spacecraft sector, dubbed CubeSat , Clyde Space has made components for about 40% of the 600 CubeSats launched globally so far. It also makes components for larger satellites.

Ukube-1 is also being funded by the UK Space Agency, the Technology Strategy Board and The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The agency is currently in negotiations to find a launch vehicle to take the Ukube-1 satellite into space.

UKSEDS – Students for the Exploration and Development of Space http://www.uk.amsat.org/4369

Bath TOPCAT Project http://www.uk.amsat.org/1612

Mar 27 2012

Thailand AMSAT High Altitude Balloon Videos

Videos have been released by the Thailand Amateur Satellite group TAMSAT showing their successful amateur radio balloon flight call sign HS1JAN-11 on March 18.

Watch the launch of MSBSAT-2

Watch MSBAT-2 at 30km and its descent to Earth

Watch a timelapse video of the balloon being assembled

The track of the balloon can be seen at http://aprs.fi/#!call=a%2FHS1JAN-11&timerange=3600

Mar 26 2012

Apex students talk with space station

On Wednesday, March 21, students at Salem Elementary in Apex came together in the school’s multipurpose room for a once-in-a-lifetime event.

WRAL TV news reports that fourteen students, six of them winners of the school’s science fair a few weeks earlier, made their way onto the stage for their turn to ask a question of astronaut Don Pettit KD5MDT 241 miles (388 km) up and on the other side of the Earth aboard the International Space Station. Tony Hutchison VK5ZAI provided the telebridge link to the ISS amateur radio station NA1SS.

At 10:07 am EDT, the station came over the horizon of Southern Australia and ham radio volunteer Tony Huchison VK5ZAI called out to callsign NA1SS. Everyone relaxed a little bit when Pettit KD5MDT responded and students lined up to ask their questions one after another.

Watch the WRAL video

Read the full WRAL news report at http://www.wral.com/weather/blogpost/10904028/

ARISS ham radio space contact with Salem Elementary School, Apex, NC http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2012/ariss_event_2103.htm

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) http://www.rac.ca/ariss/

Mar 26 2012

TAMSAT – Internal Housekeeping Unit – IHU

Internal Housekeeping Unit – IHU

When we first founded TAMSAT, Association of Amateur Satellite Technologies approximately two years ago, we have made a big commitment. Our commitment was to develop technology in Turkey, not any technology, but a complex one related to space systems.

I am sure during this time period those of you, who have been following us up, were wondering about the progress that has been made to realize this mission. In this article, I want to share with you an amazing adventure that we experienced in these two years. I don’t want to limit this with technological narration, but also tell you about how our members, who work simultaneously in different corners of the world, did what they do and why we waited all this time to submit our work to you. It was a long path filled with hard work, patience and long tests.

The group of articles to be published after this introductory one, will be about the ‘Internal Housekeeping Unit – IHU’ of our satellite. I just want to mention that this unit may also be referred as OBC – On Board Computer in some articles, but we are going to stick with ‘IHU’ as it has been a standard within The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) world.

We want to share some very good news later in this first article . The IHU, which is the first module of the series has a very special place for us, the hardware was originally produced in May of 2011.

The circuit design was realized utilizing EAGLE s/w, by one of our members, Barbaros ASUROGLU, whom Turkish Radio Amateurs are familiar with, through his work on PIC. After the primary tests on the IHU and the prototype were done first on computer, then on the test platform, a printed circuit in the standard PC104 was designed by Osman DALAMAN, another TAMSAT member. The circuit was tested once before it was transferred on PCB by a local printed circuit manufacturer in Istanbul. After this process the SMD circuit components were mounted on card by Osman DALAMAN. After the completion of the first IHU prototype, a second IHU prototype was prepared with the same diligence.

These two IHU prototypes, traveled a long way by land and by air in their special little nests, without any complications and reached us in the USA for the software tests. After careful planning these two IHU prototypes and two VHF/UHF receiver cards, also original products of TAMSAT were lucky enough to participate annual Dayton Radio Amateurs Convention – 2011, as surprise guests.

The reception of these first products of TAMSAT in Dayton, honored us. These 4 prototype circuits, without any software on them, brought an unexpected prestige to TAMSAT in the USA, which we will share with you later.

The hardware was tested by TAMSAT continuously and under a variety of different circumstances, between May 2011 and December 2011.

Then it was time for the toughest trial of all. The IHU was uploaded by a special software after Mr. Asuroglu’s last test and controls and was sent to Istanbul Technical University – Space Systems Design and Test Laboratories (ITU – USTTL), which is one of the two centers in Turkey authorized to run these test in this field. With this hard testing period, TAMSAT also entered a period of nervous expectancy.

And now, the good news that we mentioned before; the TAMSAT – IHU, a complete product of Turkish Engineers and a first in its field, passed all the tests and became our first licensed product to work under real space conditions.

It is my honor and duty to thank to our members Barbaros ASUROGLU and Osman DALAMAN for their sacrifice and hard work for producing our first IHU.

TAMSAT started this hard journey with a very small group of dedicated people and the mission of realizing a first in Turkey, now it is getting bigger not only with the technology it is creating, but also with your support. Right now, our base covers a variety of professionals from electronic engineers to teachers, from astronomers to civil engineers, from students to faculty. If you want to be a contributor please contact with us immediately, our doors are always open to all our friends who shares our mission.

Looking forward to share new, more detailed and informative article with you.

Sincerely,

Levent Sasmazel
TAMSAT – Project Coordinator

Contact: info@tamsat.org.tr

Web: http://www.tamsat.org.tr/
and  http://www.amsat-tr.org/

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