Tag Archives: Space

Feb 15 2013

AMSAT-UK at National Student Space Conference Bristol Feb 23-24

FUNcube-1 flight model - Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

FUNcube-1 flight model – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

Jim Heck G3WGM, Honorary Secretary of AMSAT-UK and project lead on the FUNcube amateur radio satellite project, will be giving a presentation on FUNcube-1 to the UKSEDS National Student Space Conference (NSSC) that takes place in Bristol on February 23-24.

The NSSC is an annual event that brings together students, academics, and professionals from across the country to share knowledge of space, discuss the challenges facing the sector, and to create new links between groups. It features talks by leading space science and industry figures, and opportunities to take part in discussions and networking events.

UKSEDS National Student Space Conference Bristol 2013This year’s NSSC is hosted by Bristol SEDS, part of the Bristol CHAOS Physics society, at the University of Bristol School of Physics.

The impressive line up of speakers includes Alan Bond of Reaction Engines Ltd on the SKYLON Development Programme and John Thatcher of Astrium Satellites Ltd who’ll be talking about MIRI & the James Webb Space Telescope.

Further information on the conference is at http://ukseds.org/conference2013/

Feb 14 2013

Two TV CubeSats from Ecuador

NEE-02 Krysaor - Image credit EXA

NEE-02 Krysaor – Image credit EXA

Ecuador is hoping to have two CubeSats in orbit this year.

Their first CubeSat NEE-01 Pegasus will carry a 720p HD camera to send live video from space using a 0.9 watt TV transmitter in the 910 MHz (33cm) band along with a beacon that will send a Morse Code ID, a SSTV image and Ecuador’s national anthem. It was originally planned to launch on a Dnepr from Yansy but is now expected to fly on a CZ-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Space Center on April 26, 2013 at 0413 UT.

Ecuadors second CubeSat NEE-02 Krysaor carries the same payloads in the 910 MHz band as NEE-1 Pegasus but has a slightly different solar panel configuration. As yet websites such as Gunter Space Page give no indication on which rocket NEE-02 Krysaor will fly.

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Feb 7 2013

STRaND-1 Smartphone CubeSat to launch end of February

STRaND-1 and team - image credit SSTL

STRaND-1 and team – Image credit SSTL

The BBC report that the world’s first “smartphone-sat” STRaND-1 is ready to launch at the end of February. The satellite was built in Guildford by volunteers from the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in their spare time. It is planned to be launched on February 25 into a 785 km orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the PSLV-CA (PSLV-C20) rocket.

Dr Chris Bridges working on STRaND

Dr Chris Bridges working on STRaND-1

The innovative STRaND-1 CubeSat will carry a Google Nexus One Android smartphone into space to demonstrate the feasibility of using cheap smartphone electronics to control a spacecraft.

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.

There will be an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio downlink on 437.568 MHz using a data rates of 9k6 bps.

STRaND-1 flight ready February 2013 with Shaun Kenyon, Dr Peter Shaw, Dr Chris Bridges

STRaND-1 flight ready February 2013 with Shaun Kenyon, Dr Peter Shaw, Dr Chris Bridges

Further information on STRaND-1 at
http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=12196

Watch the videos in the STRaND-1 video archive
http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=12472

Read the BBC News story at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21361204

The world’s first smartphone in Space ‘STRaND-1’ ready for launch
http://www.sstl.co.uk/News-and-Events?story=2117

Dr Chris Bridges talked about STRaND-1 on the BBC Radio 4 show Material World broadcast on Thursday, February 7. A recording can be heard until February 14 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfj3l The STRaND-1 segment starts 08:55 into the recording.

STRaND-1 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nanosats

You can follow STRaND at https://twitter.com/SurreyNanosats

Feb 1 2013

UKube-1 CubeSat Payload Animation

Artists impression of UKube-1 in orbit

Artists impression of UKube-1 in orbit – Credit Clyde Space

This video shows the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat UKube-1 which is being built by Clyde Space. It is slated to launch in the 1st quarter of 2013 on a Soyuz-2 along with TechDemoSat-1.

UKube-1 will carry a set of AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards to provide an amateur radio 435/145 MHz linear transponder and a 1200 bps BPSK beacon for educational outreach.

On Saturday, January 26, UKube-1 was at Selex Edinburgh  for vibration testing. This test was to simulate the vibration seen during launch to verify the build quality. In the space game this is called giving the spacecraft a ‘shake’.

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Jan 27 2013

Nigerian CubeSat – EregbuSAT

 

EregbuSAT CubeSat

EregbuSAT CubeSat Prototype

EregbuSAT is a CubeSat prototype that is being developed by the Postgraduate students of the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E) to simulate the communication (send and receive data) between a Satellite and its Ground Station.

When completed, it will provide an opportunity for future students in the Satellite Communication option of ARCSSTE-E Postgraduate Diploma program to experience operating a Satellite (send commands to Satellite using the prototype) during their short stay in Nigeria.

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Jan 23 2013

Scottish Companies Head Into Space

Bright Ascension

Bright Ascension stand at the UK Space Agency CubeSat Community Workshop

Scotland seems to be taking advantage of the expanding satellite and space market with several new companies involved in CubeSat development.

Glasgow’s Clyde Space, who are developing the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat UKube-1, has already established a global reputation and the new start-up Alba Orbital is also based in the city.

It can, however, be all too easy to think of satellites only in terms of hardware, in practice software can be the key part of any satellite.

Fife-based Bright Ascension Ltd develop both onboard and ground station CubeSat software and are currently involved in the UKube-1 project.

Bright Ascension Ltd http://www.brightascension.com/