CSSWE – University of Colorado Boulder
On September 13, 2012 at 2139 UT an Atlas V rocket launched a combination of 11 satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for the US Government and NASA ELaNa university CubeSats.
Nick Pugh K5QXJ reports hearing CSSWE on 435.345 MHz.
Dr Christopher Bridges (2nd from left) discussing why space is cool on Sky News
Dr Chris Bridges recently appeared on the nationwide TV channel Sky News discussing why space is cool. On September 15-16 he will be giving two presentations to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ.
Chris will cover the Nexus Android Smartphone amateur radio satellite STRaND-1 which will carry both a Resistojet and a Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) module and STRaND-2 which comprises two 3U CubeSats that will use Microsoft Xbox Kinect controller technology for docking.
UPDATE: For videos of the two STRaND presentations see http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=10297
AMSAT-UK are delighted to announce that Howard Long, G6LVB, will be present at the Colloquium this year and will be launching a new “FUNcube Dongle PRO-PLUS” during his presentation. UPDATE: For a video of the presentation see http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=10297
SPROUT Amateur Radio SSTV Satellite
SPROUT, a 20 x 20 x 22 cm amateur radio nano-satellite with a mass of 7.1 kg, plans to launch with the L-band (1236.5 MHz/1257.5 MHz/1278.5 MHz) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite ALOS-2 on May 24, 2014. [Updated May 19, 2014]
SPROUT (Space Research On Unique Technology) was built by students from Nihon University and its objectives are:
1. Operation of satellite by radio amateurs. SPROUT downlinks the digi-talker sound recorded preliminary in the satellite, the digi-peater voice and packet uploaded by radio amateurs, Slow Scan TV (SSTV) and FM packet of the picture of the Earth taken by the satellite camera, which can be received by radio amateurs. SPROUT has two downlink frequencies and two uplink frequencies, and one uplink frequency and one downlink frequency will be open for radio amateurs. They can use the digipeater and packet and use one camera mounted on SPROUT and take the pictures by themselves, and downlink the pictures by SSTV.
2. Demonstration of the deployment of the combined membrane structure and verification of the design method of the structure SPROUT has a triangular membrane supported by two tubes like framework. They are folded and stored in the satellite before the launch. After the launch, the nitrogen gas is injected into the tubes in space, and they extend, so that the membrane deploys (called “combined membrane structure”).
3. Demonstration of attitude determination and control of a nanosatellite Will conduct the attitude determination experiment on orbit by using the sun sensors, gyros, and geomagnetic sensor, and conduct the attitude control experiment by using the magnetic torquers.
It carries two UHF/VHF radio systems – one for Telemetry, Tracking & Control (TTC) using CW, 1200 bps AFSK and 9600 bps GMSK AX.25 packet and one for amateur operations using 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 packet.
SPROUT plans to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center into a 628 km Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) on May 24, 2014.
Callsign: JQ1ZJQ
Size: 214x210x220 mm
Weight: 7.1 kg
Mode: 1200bps AFSK, 9600bps GMSK
CW downlink 437.525 MHz
FM packet downlink 437.525 MHz
Digi-peater uplink 437.600 MHz
Digi-talker downlink 437.600 MHz
SSTV downlink 437.600 MHz
Sprout Satellite English website http://sat.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/sprout-e/
Sprout Satellite Japanese website http://sat.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/sprout/
Nihon-Univ. Miyazaki Laboratory on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nihon-Univ-Miyazaki-Laboratory/406566642818860
JE9PEL website http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/jaxalos2.htm
Read the Overview of the L-band SAR Onboard ALOS-2 here.
The UK STRaND nanosat team have released this picture in which a volunteer from SSTL, Nimal Navarathinam VE3NML, finishes laying down the cells for the Earth-facing and Space-facing solar panels.
Microspace POPSAT-HIP1 Team
POPSAT-HIP1 is a 3U amateur radio CubeSat developed in Singapore. It aims to demonstrate the functionality of a high resolution optical payload and attitude control propulsion system.
AMSAT-UK 
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