Tag Archives: Smartphone

Oct 8 2013

STRaND-1 talk at RSGB Convention this Saturday

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC working on STRaND-1 - Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC working on STRaND-1 – Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC of the Surrey Space Centre is one of the volunteers who developed the UK’s first CubeSat STRaND-1 on 437.568 MHz.

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

At 14:45 on Saturday, October 12 [note change in day/time] he will be providing an update on the satellite to those attending the RSGB Convention near Milton Keynes.

Launched on February 25, 2013 STRaND-1 was the first satellite to carry a Smartphone into space and attracted world-wide media interest.

At the heart of STRaND-1 is a Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system. Smartphones contain highly advanced technologies and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite – such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors – almost everything a spacecraft needs except the solar panels and propulsion.

The RSGB’s Centenary Convention, sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons, takes place this weekend (Fri eve-Sun) October 11-13 at Horwood House, MK17 0PH just a few miles outside Milton Keynes. Tickets are available on the door.

RSGB Convention Schedule
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/rsgb-notices/2013/09/10/centenary-convention-2013-programme/

RSGB Centenary Convention
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/rsgb-notices/2013/07/10/rsgb-centenary-convention/

STRaND-1 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

Jul 23 2013

UK STRaND-1 Amateur Radio Smartphone CubeSat is Back !

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1 - Image credit Surrey Space Centre

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1 – Image credit Surrey Space Centre

On July 23, 2013 at 1634 UT Mike Rupprecht DK3WN received signals from the UK STRaND-1 satellite after a near four month absence.

Built by volunteers from the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and SSTL in Guildford STRaND-1 was launched on February 25, 2013 and was the World’s first Smartphone CubeSat to be put into orbit.

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC and STRaND-1

Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC and STRaND-1

STRaND-1 unexpectedly stopped transmitting on March 30, 2013 and radio amateurs around the world have been listening for it ever since on a frequency of 437.568 MHz (+/- 10 kHz Doppler).

Radio amateurs are requested to email reports of reception of telemetry data from STRaND-1 to: strand.messages<at>gmail.com

See the report from Mike Rupprecht DK3WN at http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=35582

STRaND-1 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

How to decode the telemetry https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Online real-time tracking of STRaND-1 http://www.n2yo.com/?s=39090&df=1

Watch the presentation on STRaND-1 given by Chris Bridges M6OBC to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium on July 21, 2013 at http://www.batc.tv/streams/amsat1315. Download the video by right-clicking on http://www.batc.tv/vod/strand.flv

AMSAT-UK publishes a quarterly colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample issue of OSCAR News can be downloaded here.
Join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/

Mar 28 2013

New Version of STRaND-1 Telemetry Decoder

The STRaND-1 build and test phase took just 3 months

Mike Rupprecht DK3WN has released a new version of the STRaND-1 telemetry decoder that incorporates the recent telemetry changes from the STRaND team.

Download Version 1.50 [27.03.2013] BETA from http://tinyurl.com/SatSoftwareDK3WN/

STRaND-1 https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

STRaND-1 telemetry https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

STRaND-1 videos https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-videos/

Mar 27 2013

New STRaND-1 telemetry spreadsheet and DK3WN magnetic field vector analysis

STRaND-1_20130326_magThe STRaND-1 team have released a new version of the Excel Spreadsheet for the STRaND-1 Telemetry which is now updated with switch details.

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1

Dr Susan Jason working on STRaND-1

Download the new spreadsheet from https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Mike Rupprecht DK3WN has been working on new software which compares the magnetometer values sent by STRaND-1 in comparison to the NOAA World Magnetic Mode (WMM2010). Further information at http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=31826

Surrey Space Centre report that the STRAND-1 satellite is healthy and in the coming weeks they hope to be able to switch-on the Google Nexus One smartphone carried by the CubeSat.

STRaND-1 page https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/

Mar 22 2013

STRaND-1 Update – Ground Station Improvements Underway

STRaND-1 Ground Station Antennas

STRaND-1 Ground Station Antennas

Surrey Space Centre report that the STRAND-1 satellite is healthy but they have had new ground station teething problems. That has diverted effort and delayed the eagerly awaited switch-on of the Google Nexus One smartphone carried by the CubeSat.

The team are currently scouting University of Surrey rooftops for a better antenna position for STRaND-1.

The STRaND-1 downlink frequency is 437.568 MHz using 9k6 bps AX.25 packet radio. Details of the telemetry format are at https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Surrey Space Centre https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surrey-Space-Centre/147861435274871

Follow Surrey Space Centre https://twitter.com/SpaceAtSurrey

Feb 28 2013

Antares-110 Amateur Radio CubeSat Integration Completed

Antares-110 CubeSat Integration - Image Credit Spaceflight Inc

Image Credit Spaceflight Inc

Several CubeSats carrying amateur radio payloads are planned to launch on the Antares-110 mission in April.

On the CubeSat mailing list Jason Andrews President and CEO of both Spaceflight Inc and Andrews Space posted:

Spaceflight Inc recently completed CubeSat integration activities for the Antares demonstration mission including deployment dress rehersal.  Spaceflight has two ISIPod deployers on this mission.  One contains three 1U spacecraft for NASA Ames Research Center and the other contains a 3U spacecraft for a commercial customer.  An image of the integration activity can be found here:

https://twitter.com/SpaceflightInc/status/306880665624924161/photo/1

Among the amateur radio CubeSats on the launch are three Phonesats which will all carry Google Nexus smartphones similar to the pioneering UK smartphone satellite STRaND-1 that was launched in February. There will be two PhoneSat 1.0’s and one PhoneSat 2.0 on the launch.

PhoneSat 1.0 cost about $3500 and is built around the Nexus One smartphone, it operates on battery power only with a mission lifetime of approx 1 week.

PhoneSat 2.0 is more expensive at $8000. It is built around the Nexus S smartphone and has solar panels on each face and a mission lifetime until de-orbit of approximately 2 weeks.

The IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination panel have coordinated frequencies of 437.425 MHz and 2401.2-2431.2MHz for the PhoneSats.

Also on the launch is the Dove-1 CubeSat. The Antares-110 launcher is expected to deploy the satellites into a 250 km 51.6° inclination orbit.