OSSI-1 has a beacon in the 145 MHz band and a data communications transceiver in the 435 MHz band. It carries a 44 watt LED array to flash Morse Code messages to observers on Earth. It is planned to launch in April on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan along with the Bion-M1 and Dove-2 satellites.
Artist’s Impression of UKube-1 in space – Credit Clyde Space
UKube-1 – the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat mission – has ‘booked’ its journey into space on a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket. The launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrone in Kazakhstan is expected to take place in March 2013.
UKube-1 carries an amateur radio 435/145 MHz linear transponder built by members of AMSAT-UK.
Funds for the OSSI CubeSat have been raised by selling T-shirts
The amateur radio CubeSat OSSI is planned to launch in December according to an Antara News article. [UPDATE rocket launch has been delayed and may now be April 2013]
The article describes how Korean artist Hojun Song DS1SBO developed his own home made satellite and says radio operators will be able to communicate with the satellite. If all goes well, it will repeat a message in Morse code using its LED lights at a set time and location.
The DIY satellite OSSI is planned to launch on a Soyuz-2-1b from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan in December with the Bion-M 1 and Dove 2 satellites. (The Dove 2 CubeSat will transmit images on a 2.4 GHz downlink). The satellites will be placed into an orbit with an apogee of 575 km, perigee of 290 km and inclination of 64.9 degrees. They are expected to remain in orbit for about a year before burning up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The OSSI uplink is in the 145 MHz band and the downlink in the 435 MHz band.
Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI, Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP and Sunita Williams KD5PLB
ARRL report that NASA will televise the launch and docking of the next mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for 8:40 PM (CDT) Saturday, July 14 (0140 UT, Sunday, July 15).
NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, are completing preparations as they undergo their final Soyuz spacecraft fit. Live NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan begins at 8:30 PM CDT on Saturday, July 14 (0130 UT July 15).
The trio will arrive at the station on July 16, joining NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, KE5DAR, and two Russian cosmonauts: Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, RN3BS. Acaba, Padalka and Revin have been aboard the ISS since mid-May. Williams, Malenchenko and Hoshide — who also will be part of the Expedition 33 crew starting in September — will return to Earth in mid-November. Source ARRL
Hojun Song DS1SBO and the NovaNano FlyMate™ deployer
Hojun Song DS1SBO is a cutting-edge, tech-obsessed Korean artist breaking boundaries with his passion for telling stories through technology. He hopes to instill a sense of empowerment in the world, through the DIY nature and uplifting undertones in each of his works.
OSSI CubeSat
At univeristy he studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science after which he started working on his art.
After years of research he has found that it is indeed possible to launch and operate a personal satellite at a fairly reasonable price. For the past six years he has been exploring ways to integrate the concept of a personal satellite project into cultural contexts and into his artistic practice.
Hojun Song’s first satellite OSSI will take off on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonour in Kazakhstan this August. He obtained his rocket launch through a new French launch brokerage company NovaNano http://www.novanano.com/. In this video he shares his story, his struggles and his plans.
Watch The Open Source Satellite Initiative by Hojun Song
The OSSI CubeSat should be delivered on May 31 in preperation for its launch on August 31. The team are working hard to finish building the satellite.
AMSAT-UK 
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