Re: AMSAT, ITAR, More AMSAT-NA Volunteers & Such .
For those following what was announced at the AMSAT Symposium, there are two different ways AMSAT is working with the Universities: (a) AMSAT-NA helps a University Satellite Program: This is the case with UCF, AMSAT volunteers are helping a University with their satellites. (b) A University helps the AMSAT-NA Satellite Program: This is the case with Binghamton University, BU Students are helping build & launch AMSAT satellites.
The two ways are not mutually exclusive, each has benefits.
The BU activity was organized to help get AMSAT back on it's engineering feet and to provide continuing assistance. We're doing that by providing engineering assistance and manpower to help AMSAT launch more modular design satellites ASAP. We're at 35 students right now, that number can grow significantly next fall at AMSAT's direction. Our goal is to get an Engineering model of the NextGen satellite bus ready for the AMSAT booth at the Dayton Hamvention in May 2010. Engineering model says we have the modified spaceframe with deployable wings ready, power system ready (with mock supercaps & solar cells) and the non-flight boards installed - basically stuffed 'n mounted on a stand for your viewing.
NextGen is an open-source spacecraft bus, it will provide a stable & robust platform for any university to build an experiment to fit within the bus. I would personally advocate AMSAT launching up to two or three of the NextGen-class spacecraft in different 600-800km, sun-synchronous orbits to provide as much worldwide coverage as possible. Given the proposed characteristics of the NextGen spacecraft bus, there is a strong possibility of carrying an IF Matrix Switch with L/S RF capability instead of an experiment payload. This would provide capabilities similar to AO-51 (V/U, V/S, L/U, L/S) but using SDX with an IF Matrix Switch.
By using Supercapacitors instead of batteries there is a very good chance of having a significant satellite lifespan (15+ years).
All technology developed can be applied to other classes of AMSAT spacecraft, just as NextGen is using modules from the ARISSat-class spacecraft. I would expect that ARISSat-2 will most likely take advantage of the power system modifications developed for NextGen.
The possibilities are endless, all it takes are more people interested in working on a module.
Alex, N3NP
Interesting stuff Alex. I'm currently working on an FM satellite station as that's all I can afford at present but I hope some of the NextGen birds will carry linear transponders too. At any rate, it all sounds very exciting. 73, Michael W4HIJ Alex, N3SQ wrote:
For those following what was announced at the AMSAT Symposium, there are two different ways AMSAT is working with the Universities: (a) AMSAT-NA helps a University Satellite Program: This is the case with UCF, AMSAT volunteers are helping a University with their satellites. (b) A University helps the AMSAT-NA Satellite Program: This is the case with Binghamton University, BU Students are helping build & launch AMSAT satellites.
The two ways are not mutually exclusive, each has benefits.
The BU activity was organized to help get AMSAT back on it's engineering feet and to provide continuing assistance. We're doing that by providing engineering assistance and manpower to help AMSAT launch more modular design satellites ASAP. We're at 35 students right now, that number can grow significantly next fall at AMSAT's direction. Our goal is to get an Engineering model of the NextGen satellite bus ready for the AMSAT booth at the Dayton Hamvention in May 2010. Engineering model says we have the modified spaceframe with deployable wings ready, power system ready (with mock supercaps & solar cells) and the non-flight boards installed
- basically stuffed 'n mounted on a stand for your viewing.
NextGen is an open-source spacecraft bus, it will provide a stable & robust platform for any university to build an experiment to fit within the bus. I would personally advocate AMSAT launching up to two or three of the NextGen-class spacecraft in different 600-800km, sun-synchronous orbits to provide as much worldwide coverage as possible. Given the proposed characteristics of the NextGen spacecraft bus, there is a strong possibility of carrying an IF Matrix Switch with L/S RF capability instead of an experiment payload. This would provide capabilities similar to AO-51 (V/U, V/S, L/U, L/S) but using SDX with an IF Matrix Switch.
By using Supercapacitors instead of batteries there is a very good chance of having a significant satellite lifespan (15+ years).
All technology developed can be applied to other classes of AMSAT spacecraft, just as NextGen is using modules from the ARISSat-class spacecraft. I would expect that ARISSat-2 will most likely take advantage of the power system modifications developed for NextGen.
The possibilities are endless, all it takes are more people interested in working on a module.
Alex, N3NP
participants (2)
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Alex, N3SQ -
Michael Tondee