Just in case members are not aware, AMSAT is participating in the Cube Quest Challenge as a partner with Ragnarok Industries. Members of the AMSAT - ASCENT team are designing the communications package which will be 5.6 GHz uplink and 10.5 GHz. downlink and will use digital modulation. At the end of the mission, the 6U cubesat will be put into a stable lunar orbit and AMSAT will be able to operate the satellite as a digital regenerative transponder. Many of the details are still in development and the ASCENT team is always looking for U.S. citizen volunteers to help with the design, prototype and testing. There is no guarantee Ragnarok's submission will be accepted by NASA but if it is, this could be an exciting mission for the amateur community that allows amateurs to have an active role in collecting telemetry and range rate data that is crucial to the mission and end up with a satellite that allows EME type communications between relatively small (1-2meter) earth stations.
- Howie AB2S