Huskysat-1 Transponder is Open

Artist's impression of HuskySat-1 flying free in space but it's still attached to Breeze K/M rocket body

Artist’s impression of HuskySat-1 flying free in space but it’s still attached to Breeze K/M rocket body

After a week of testing, the transponder on HuskySat-1 is enabled and open for use and testing. It’s fairly sensitive, and 5-10 watts is plenty most of the time. There are some fades due to satellite orientation, and some passes are definitely better than others. The operations and engineering teams are also watching a few anomalies. Please keep an eye on the beacon during transponder ops, for those with spectrum scopes. Strong signals may impact the beacon strength.

HuskySat-1 CubeSat

HuskySat-1 CubeSat

HuskySat-1 is the Husky Satellite Lab at University of Washington’s first cubesat, and the first mission with AMSAT’s linear transponder module (LTM-1), a V/u transponder and integrated telemetry beacon and command receiver. UW recently completed their Part 5 operations and have graciously let AMSAT’s Part 97 transponder operations commence. This transponder module is available for use in educational cubesat missions willing to enable the transponder for worldwide use. Contact Drew KO4MA or VP Engineering Jerry Buxton N0JY for additional details.

Reports and observations are welcome to the Amsat-BB mailing list.

Congratulations to Husky Satellite Lab, and to the entire AMSAT Engineering team for keeping amateur radio in space. Thanks to Dr. Mark Hammond, N8MH for commissioning and operations support.

73, Drew KO4MA
AMSAT VP Operations

HuskySat-1 V/u inverting transponder, 145.910 to 145.940 uplink, 435.810 to 435.840 downlink, telemetry beacon 1200 baud BPSK at 435.800

HuskySat-1 Boards

HuskySat-1 Boards

HuskySat-1 145/435 MHz Linear Transponder CubeSat also has 24 GHz Downlink

HuskySat-1

HuskySat-1

A 3U Cube Satellite, dubbed the HuskySat-1, is being developed by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Washington and will be launched into Low Earth Orbit to become the first amateur satellite from Washington state.

HuskySat-1 CubeSat

HuskySat-1 CubeSat

This CubeSat will demonstrate the capabilities of new technologies being developed at the University of Washington and expand the capabilities of CubeSats as a whole. In particular, a high-thrust pulsed plasma thruster (PPT), and high-gain communications system will form the core technology suite on board the satellite.

The majority of the HuskySat-1 is being developed at the University of Washington. The satellite is broken up into different subsystems. Each component is designed to be modular so that they can be most easily developed independently from each other and reused for future missions.

The Pulsed Plasma thruster will use tungsten electrodes and a sulfur propellant.

HuskySat-1 will carry a 30 kHz wide 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for amateur radio SSB/CW communications along with 1k2 BPSK telemetry. The satellite will also transmit BPSK telemetry at 1 Mbps in the 24 GHz band.

The launch is planned for late 2018 with the ELaNA XXIV mission into a high inclination Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

HuskySat-1 https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/huskysatellitelab/huskysat-1

IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination http://amsat.org.uk/iaru

HuskySat-1 Propulsion

HuskySat-1 Propulsion

NASA to launch two more CubeSats with transponders

Fox-1A CubeSatTwo satellites with Amateur Radio transponder payloads have been selected for future NASA launches.

AMSAT-NA reports TJREVERB is a CubeSat from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Alexandria, Virginia with a 435/145 MHz FM transponder.

HuskySat-1 has a 145/435 MHz SSB/CW transponder and was developed by students at the University of Washington in Seattle.

It is expected the launches will take place in the 2018-2020 time frame.

Read the AMSAT-NA story at http://www.amsat.org/?p=5795

NASA Announces Eighth Class of Candidates for Launch of CubeSat Space Missions
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-announces-eighth-class-of-candidates-for-launch-of-cubesat-space-missions