ANS January 2021

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ANS-031 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletin
by Frank Karnauskas 31 Jan '21

31 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-031 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to ans-editor at amsat dot org. In this edition: * RadFxSat-2 Update – (January 29, 2021) * RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status (January 28, 2021) * ARISS Operations Situation * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 28, 2021 * QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo to Include Speaker Track on Amateur Radio Satellites * Ham Radio’s SuitSat Returns in Short Horror Film * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over * Iodine Thruster Could Slow Space Junk Accumulation SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.01 ANS-031 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 031.01 From Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) 712 H Street NE Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002 January 31, 2021 To ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-031.01 RadFxSat-2 Update (January 29, 2021) From AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY: "Thanks go to W5SAT, who applied the amateur radio spirit of exploration and innovation to helping find out "what's up?" with RadFxSat-2. "We appreciate his work and immediately applied it to our processes as we discover/recover RadFxSat-2. "Why was it not heard or found week ago? There could be an unexplained behavior such that it could not and was not able to occur until the other day. Our stations attempted transponder use under various conjectured and commanded states throughout this period as part of the exploration of the anomaly, but did not detect any signals. They were able to confirm their signals the night of the 27th. "Following that we turned attention to the beacon, as you know. We have not discovered the beacon yet and we have contacted some top class "big gun" stations, asking for their help. The signal will obviously be pipsqueak and may not even be there. The drive to find it, or if it is not detected then to take possible actions to activate it, is the information in the telemetry that is paramount to knowing through satellite data exactly what is going on. We asked you that the transponder not be used because any power to signals in the transponder downlink is power stolen from the beacon strength. We have asked everybody to listen, as from the beginning, to help find it and find status and solutions faster. It may sound boring or useless but it is at the heart of every satellite launch and commissioning phase and perhaps the biggest part the general satellite community can play in the lifetime of the satellite. The payoff is important to all of us, and I invite anyone to join the hunt and share in the enjoyment of - whatever happens. "I can't say what we will be doing tomorrow for sure, we will be looking for any reports and telemetry as more and larger stations join and because we have seen behavior that is not clearly understood. Procedures and conclusions that are not carefully thought out could result in losing what we have now. It is comparable to NASA taking careful time in dealing with anomalies (barring safety-related issues). Very importantly, we will be watching to see if anyone captured anything at all from the telemetry in the beacon. All you have to do is hunt and catch one frame and you are a hero in this game. Your help is greatly appreciated. "Unless there is some big news over the weekend, I expect that Monday evening would be the next opportunity for a short update, time permitting." [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President - Engineering for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status (January 28, 2021) On January 27, 2021, Brad Schumacher, W5SAT, reported copying his CW signal weakly via the RadFxSat-2 transponder. On the morning of January 28, AMSAT Engineering and Operations confirmed these reports and determined that RadFxSat-2 is partially functioning, though signals are extremely weak. AMSAT thanks W5SAT for his report. AMSAT also appreciate those who joined in determining whether they could detect their own or other signals in recent passes today. At this time it is essential and we ask you: Please do not attempt to transmit through the transponder until further notice. This is very important to the next steps the team is taking now. The next crucial step in evaluating the condition of RadFxSat-2 is to determine whether or not the 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon is operating and, if possible, copy telemetry from the beacon. AMSAT asks that everyone with 70cm receive capability listen to the beacon frequency of 435.750 MHz (+/-) Doppler, upper sideband (USB). Use FoxTelem with your receiver in order to tune and capture any telemetry you can. Also make sure FoxTelem is set to "Upload to server" so that AMSAT receives your telemetry data. If you capture a good IQ recording on SDR, please send a detailed description of your recording to foxtelem(a)amsat.us. The team may respond with a request for your recording and details on how to transfer it to the AMSAT Engineering team. Please understand that keeping the transponder clear is essential to putting all power and attention to the beacon telemetry. Two-line elements (TLE's) are available in AMSAT's nasabare.txt distribution at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt. Available data suggests that RadFxSat-2 is OBJECT M from the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne launch, NORAD ID 47320, international designation 21-002M. AMSAT thanks the Amateur satellite community for their perseverance and assistance while the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams work to understand and resolve the situation with RadFxSat-2. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE - a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS Operations Situation Thursday, January 28., 2021 Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-USA Executive Director issued the following statement. "Today was a tough one for ARISS. Let me explain. "As you all know, an EVA (spacewalk) was conducted yesterday to install cabling on the exterior of Columbus to support the commissioning of the Bartolomeo attached payload capability mounted on the Columbus module. On January 26, prior to the EVA, our Columbus next generation radio system was shut off and the ISS-internal coaxial cable to the antenna was disconnected from the ARISS radio as a safety precaution for the EVA. During the EVA, our current external antenna coaxial cable, installed in 2009, was replaced with another one built by ESA/Airbus with four RF connectors included, as compared to the current 2 RF connections. This change was made to allow ESA to connect ARISS and 3 additional customers to Bartolomeo, as compared to ARISS and one additional RF customer. "As you might have seen yesterday, the EVA was conducted and our cable connection was swapped out. This morning, the crew restarted the radio system. Not hearing any Voice Repeater reports, we requested a switch to APRS packet. We still did not hear any downlink reports. At 1746 UTC we had a planned ARISS school contact between our certified telebridge station ON4ISS, operated by Jan in Belgium, and Mike Hopkins on ISS. No downlink signal was heard during the contact. The crew radioed down ???no joy??? on the contact about halfway through the contact and the Newcastle High School, Newcastle Wyoming, USA contact attempt ended. "Clearly, there is an issue. More troubleshooting will be required. It may be the new external RF cable that was installed during yesterday's EVA. It might also be from the connect and disconnect of the interior coaxial (RF) cable. So the interior cable cannot not be totally discounted yet. The crew took pictures of the coaxial cable and connector attached to the ARISS radio inside the ISS. Because the exterior cable is a Bartolomeo cable and not an ARISS cable, we are working with ESA and NASA on a way forward. NASA has opened a Payload Anomaly Report on this issue. We have talked to both the NASA and ESA representatives. These are the same folks that worked with us on previous ARISS hardware systems as well as the ESA Bartolomeo integration initiative. We have also asked our Russian team lead, Sergey Samburov, if we can temporarily use the radio in the Service Module for school contacts until we are able to resolve this issue. As we gather more information, we will share it with you. "On behalf of the ARISS International Board, the Delegates and the entire team, I want to thank all of you for your tremendous volunteer support to ARISS. We WILL get through this and be more resilient as a result." [ANS thanks Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-USA Executive Director for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 28, 2021 Available data suggests that RadFxSat-2 is OBJECT M from the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne 1-19-21 launch, NORAD ID 47320, international designation 21-002M. Therefore, The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: RadFxSat-2 - NORAD Cat ID 47320. Thanks to Brad Schumacher, W5SAT for his report copying RadFxSat-2 and AMSAT Engineering Ops for the confirmation. The following satellite has also been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: OBJECT N - NORAD Cat ID 47345. This object was part of the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Demo 2 launch of January 19, 2021. Object N was initially given the wrong launch date but that date was later corrected to 1-19-2021. The current TLE's can always be downloaded at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Keplerian Elements Manager for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo to Include Speaker Track on Amateur Radio Satellites The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on March 13 – 14, 2021 will devote a speaker track to AMSAT and the world of Amateur Radio satellites. The Expo is in “full planning mode” and promises “many exciting new things” for the upcoming event, which will include a world-class lineup of more than 60 speakers and workshops for beginners to experts. Presenters at nine AMSAT sessions will discuss the broad spectrum of ham radio satellites, including: - Introduction to Amateur Radio Satellites (Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW) - Getting on the Air with Satellites (Clint Bradford, K6LCS) - How to Enjoy Amateur Radio Contacts with the International Space Station (Frank Bauer, KA3HDO) - Implementation of LDPC Encoder on FPGA (Anshul Makkar) - Debris Mitigation in Earth’s Orbit (Anshul Makkar) - Digital Multiplexing Transponder from the Open Research Institute (Michelle Thompson, W5NYV) - Solving the ITAR and EAR Problem for the Amateur Radio Satellite Service (Michelle Thompson, W5NYV) - Remote Labs for P4XT Engineering Development (Paul Williamson, KB5MU) Thompson, an AMSAT Board Member, said working satellites is one of the most rewarding privileges of holding an Amateur Radio license. “There has never been a better time to be involved in amateur radio satellites, since some long-standing regulatory burdens have been lifted and advanced technology has never been more affordable and accessible,” Thompson remarked. “We have opportunities now that were not available as of even a few years ago. AMSAT is fortunate to contribute to the Expo by showcasing the truly amazing work going on around the world in the amateur satellite scene. And the Expo is an ideal partner to show it off to the wider ham audience.” AMSAT will have a booth at the Expo, where attendees can talk to experts, enthusiasts, operators, and technicians and obtain contact and membership information for the 30 AMSAT societies around the world. Early Bird tickets are $10 (to help cover the cost of this event) and $12.50 “at the door.” That includes entry for the live, 2-day event as well as access during the 30-day on-demand period following the event. Register on the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo website. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham Radio’s SuitSat Returns in Short Horror Film SuitSat loses its innocence in a new video short sci-fi thriller Decommissioned. “Inspired by true events,” the video short resurrects the 2006 spacesuit/satellite that transmitted messages on 2 meters as it circled Earth. The original SuitSat-1 project, conceived by an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team, repurposed a decommissioned Russian Orlan spacesuit to function as a free-floating amateur radio transmit-only satellite. “ARISS designed and built an antenna and radio gear that got approved for installation into the suit, and cosmonaut Valeri Tokarev and Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, put SuitSat-1 into orbit at the start of a spacewalk,” ARISS-US Delegate for ARRL Rosalie White, K1STO, recounted. SuitSat-1 transmitted a voice message, “This is SuitSat-1 RS0RS!” in several languages, plus telemetry and a slow-scan TV image on an 8-minute cycle as it orbited Earth. In the 6-minute film, a SuitSat returns in the future to haunt International Space Station commander “Diaz,” played by Joey Vieira. Diaz is seen taking photos from inside an observation dome on the ISS when he spies some distant space debris and radios Houston to express concern. “If there was any cause for alarm, you know we’d see it too,” Houston assures. As the object closes in, an increasingly anxious Diaz recognizes the “debris” as SuitSat. “This is SuitSat,” comes a voice on the ham radio. “Houston, you’re not gonna believe this. We’re picking up transmissions on the ham radio that sound identical to the SuitSat experiment,” he tells a skeptical mission control. “It’s SuitSat! I’m seeing SuitSat!” “SuitSat re-entered the atmosphere and burned up years ago,” mission control responds. “It’s impossible.” Decommissioned was produced by Perception Pictures and directed by Australian filmmaker Josh Tanner. He told Gizmodo that he produced the video “using the Unreal Engine technology that The Mandalorian used, albeit old-school rear projection, as opposed to the fancy LED wall tech they used.” SuitSat-1 — called Radioskaf or Radio Sputnik in Russian — was so successful that another unneeded Orlan spacesuit was subsequently refitted as SuitSat-2. As an interesting sidebar with respect to the real SuitSat, White explained, “After the ARISS engineers calculated SuitSat-1’s orbit and spin characteristics, they knew the legs and arms would have to be filled with something, so they asked the crew to stuff dirty laundry inside.” White said Decommissioned was a hit at a recent ARISS meeting. The original SuitSats were deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after their useful lives ended. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Iodine Thruster Could Slow Space Junk Accumulation For the first time ever, a telecommunications satellite has used an iodine propellant to change its orbit around Earth. The small but potentially disruptive innovation could help to clear the skies of space junk, by enabling tiny satellites to self-destruct cheaply and easily at the end of their missions, by steering themselves into the atmosphere where they would burn up. The technology could also be used to boost the mission lifetime of small CubeSats that monitor agricultural crops on Earth or entire mega-constellations of nanosats that provide global internet access, by raising their orbits when they begin to drift towards the planet. The technology was developed by ThrustMe, a spin-off company from the École Polytechnique and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and supported by ESA through its programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). It uses a novel propellant – iodine – in an electric thruster that controls the satellite’s height above Earth. Iodine is less expensive and uses simpler technologies than traditional propellants. Unlike many traditional propellants, iodine is non-toxic and it is solid at room temperature and pressure. This makes it easier and cheaper to handle on Earth. When heated, it turns to gas without going through a liquid phase, which makes it ideal for a simple propulsion system. It is also denser than traditional propellants, so it occupies smaller volumes onboard the satellite. ThrustMe launched its iodine thruster on a commercial research nanosat called SpaceTy Beihangkongshi-1 that went into space in November 2020. It was test fired earlier this month before being used to change the orbit of the satellite. [ANS thanks ESA for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events No events listed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately. Send your upcoming rover operations to Paul Overn, KE0PBR at ke0pbr at gmail dot com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + Upcoming Contacts Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov. Contact is go for Friday, February 5, 2021 at 08:35 UTC. Ottawa Carleton District School Board, Ottawa, ON, Canada, multi-point telebridge via AB1OC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG. Contact is go for Friday, February 5, 2021 at 17:41:04. + Successful Contacts Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, Direct The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz. The astronaut was Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. Contact was successful on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 08:25 UTC. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over + 35 Years Ago: Remembering Challenger and Her Crew On Jan. 28, 1986, the astronauts once again boarded Challenger as managers had cleared the launch despite unexpectedly cold temperatures overnight at KSC. Managers considered significant ice covering parts of the launch tower as not enough of a concern to delay the launch. In behind-the-scenes discussions, concerns by engineers about the effects of the cold temperatures on the integrity of O-rings in SRB segment joints were overruled by managers who cleared Challenger to launch. Liftoff took place at 11:38 a.m. Eastern time. As soon as Challenger cleared the launch tower, control of the vehicle shifted from KSC’s Launch Control Center to the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC, where ascent Flight Director Jay H. Greene and his team monitored the mission’s progress. For the first minute or so, the launch appeared to proceed normally, with the usual callouts between the crew and capsule communicator Richard O. Covey in MCC. At 73 seconds after liftoff, controllers lost all telemetry from Challenger and noticed a fireball on television screens. Stunned controllers slowly came to realize that the vehicle had suffered a major malfunction that the crew likely did not survive. Read the entire article at https://www.nasa.gov/feature/35-years-ago-remembering-challenger-and-her-cr…. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information.] + Build a Fully Automatic Amateur and APT Weather Satellite Ground Station Over on GitHub stdevPavelmc has released his software called FAASGS (Fully Automatic Amateur Satellite Ground Station). FAASGS is an open source program that allows RTL-SDR users to set up a satellite ground station that tunes, record and generate images for NOAA APT weather satellites, as well as records FM amateur radio satellites. The software runs on a single board computer such as a Raspberry Pi. Read the full article at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/. [ANS thanks RTL-SDR.com for the above information.] + ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ Launch Completed By Rocket Lab Rocket Lab has successfully launched their 18th Electron mission, ‘Another One Leaves The Crust,’ on January 20, 2021. This is the first mission in a busy launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program. For the complete story go to https://news.satnews.com/2021/01/20/rocket-labs-first-launch-of-2021-for-mi…. [ANS thanks SatNews.com for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Not an AMSAT member? Join now at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half-time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status. Contact info at the amsat dot org for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings see https://www.amsat.org/mailing-list-faq/.

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ANS-028 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status
by Paul Stoetzer 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-028 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-028.01 ANS-028 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 028.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE January 28, 2021 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-028 RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status On January 27th, Brad Schumacher, W5SAT, reported copying his CW signal weakly via the RadFxSat-2 transponder. On the morning of January 28th, AMSAT Engineering and Operations confirmed these reports and determined that RadFxSat-2 is partially functioning, though signals are extremely weak. AMSAT thanks W5SAT for his report. We also appreciate those who joined in determining whether they could detect their own or other signals in recent passes today. At this time it is essential and we ask you: Please do not attempt to transmit through the transponder until further notice. This is very important to the next steps we are taking now. The next crucial step in evaluating the condition of RadFxSat-2 is to determine whether or not the 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon is operating and, if possible, copy telemetry from the beacon. We ask that everyone with 70cm receive capability listen to the beacon frequency of 435.750 MHz (+/-) Doppler, upper sideband (USB). Use FoxTelem with your receiver in order to tune and capture any telemetry you can. Also make sure FoxTelem is set to “Upload to server” so that we receive your telemetry data. If you capture a good IQ recording on SDR, please send a detailed description of your recording to foxtelem(a)amsat.us. We may respond with a request for your recording and details on how to transfer it to the AMSAT Engineering team. Please understand that keeping the transponder clear is essential to putting all power and attention to the beacon telemetry. Two-line elements (TLEs) are available in AMSAT's nasabare.txt distribution at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt. Available data suggests that RadFxSat-2 is OBJECT M from the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne launch, NORAD ID 47320, international designation 21-002M. We thank the amateur satellite community for their perseverance and assistance while the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams work to understand and resolve the situation with RadFxSat-2. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-024 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 24 Jan '21

24 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-024 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * Update on the Status of RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E * UVSQ-SAT Launch Now January 24th * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 21, 2021 * ftp.amsat.org Service to be Terminated * ARISS News * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-024.01 ANS-024 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 024.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE January 24, 2021 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-024 Update on the Status of RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E RadFxSat-2 was launched Sunday, January 17, on Virgin Orbit LauncherOne launch vehicle. Reports from the launch provider stated that telemetry confirmed that the deploy commands had been sent and that all of the doors opened successfully, resulting in payload orbits that were all within the ICD limits. Nominally, we expected to see “First (digital) Veronica” from the RadFxSat-2 telemetry beacon commencing 54 minutes after our deployment from the launch vehicle. That did not occur as expected. For each of our launches, we follow a number of steps documented in the “In Orbit Checklist” (IOC) spreadsheet. Confirmation of launch and deployment are the first steps and then, confirmation of beacon reception. All other steps follow that but there are steps in case of anomaly, beginning with the detection of the beacon. As always, from the moment we are deployed we look for signs of the beacon through the ears of amateur radio operators and other means, SatNOGS and webSDR to name a few. The antenna deployment and full start of the IHU to bring up the beacon can occur anywhere around the globe. AMSAT greatly appreciates the ongoing and reliable help we receive from you and it is by far the best satellite ground network even beyond that of many commercial players, for LEO orbits. Command coverage is limited to the United States for various reasons including regulatory requirements, so the opportunity to exercise the steps of the IOC occurs a few times per day as the orbit passes over us. With no sign of the beacon after a few orbits offering good footprints for reception, we proceeded with the contingency steps to verify the presence of or activate the beacon. This past week our Engineering and Operations Team members have been at work literally 20 hours per day exercising all of the contingencies outlined in the IOC steps. These steps have grown and matured with each launch of a Fox-1 program CubeSat and are tailored to the specific satellite. RadFxSat-2, while she may seem to be much the same as the others with the exception of the transponder vs. FM radio, does present a number of variations to be included in the IOC. As the results of those steps were exhausted with no beacon detected, we added meetings and increased emails including all of our engineers to discuss possible causes by any of the systems and to develop further steps. From those we drew new steps of command sequences that might overcome whatever anomaly existed and make the beacon heard. As the week drew on, we continued brainstorming and steps to activate other functions that would provide proof of life. We continue to do so today and for whatever time until we exhaust all possibilities that we are able to draw from the expertise and satellite experience of our Engineering Team and Operations Team drawing from the design of RadFxSat-2 and lessons learned in the Fox-1 program as well as any from missions prior to AMSAT’s first CubeSats. AMSAT still needs your help as always, to help detect any sign of activity from RadFxSat-2. This includes ability to listen for local oscillators or transponder driver output in the case of a failed PA. I personally ask that those of you who are and have been interested in the entire process of bringing a new amateur radio satellite to orbit and through end of life to continue to contribute your curiosity and enthusiasm in exploring from your own station, to pursue the possibilities of a successful RadFxSat-2 mission along with us. I have received reports and queries from some of you, and I greatly appreciate your contributions. You are in fact volunteers in the AMSAT Engineering Team through your contribution. If you are interested, I ask that you do due diligence in your procedure if you think you have identified a signal by re-creating (if possible) and verifying to yourself that what you have is credible, as we do, before contacting us. That “standard” procedure is what adds value by making the information actionable rather than placing the onus of determining if it is even real upon us, because we are of course quite busy with that already. Please email your findings to foxtelem(a)amsat.us and allow us a day or two to acknowledge and/or reply. While we tend to talk about our involvement with RadFxSat-2 above all, a real effect reaches outside our mutual desire for amateur radio satellite fun. RadFxSat-2 is sponsored by Vanderbilt University as part of our long partnership going back to Fox-1A. RadFxSat-2’s mission belongs to Vanderbilt University as part of their RadFX series of missions seeking to verify and explore radiation effects on COTS components. Their mission coincides well with AMSAT’s desire to fly lower cost satellite missions using COTS components, in the unfriendly radiation environment of Earth orbit and beyond. Vanderbilt also sponsored the CSLI for RadFxSat (one) in our Fox-1B spacecraft back in 2012. Their proposal was selected by NASA, flown on the ELaNa XIV mission in November of 2017. RadFxSat’s mission was very successful in the information provided through the combined telemetry-gathering of all of those who pursue our missions through FoxTelem. Vanderbilt University published their results giving praise to AMSAT and our Fox-1 CubeSats. The experiments we host are built by students and Vanderbilt shares the experiences with the educational community in their area. That is a success for AMSAT as well in our goal to provide STEM and other educational contributions. While the RadFxSat-2 mission is problematic at this time, we will pursue every possibility to make her work for the amateur community and for our partner. I certainly hope to continue our partnership with Vanderbilt, the mutual benefit is a wonderful and fun undertaking that adds to the value of our satellites. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President - Engineering, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ UVSQ-SAT Launch Now January 24th The launch of UVSQ-SAT, which carries an FM transponder for amateur radio use is now planned for January 24, 2020 at 15:00 UTC. The project team is offering a gift to the first 5 people who receive the satellite's signal and the first 5 people who receive and decode the signal and submit it to the AMSAT-F server and/or SatNOGS. For more information on UVSQ-SAT, see the following links: http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/?ong=Ham-Radio https://site.amsat-f.org/uvsq-sat/ https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/inspire/ [ANS thanks Christophe Mercier, AMSAT-F President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 21, 2021 On January 19, 2021 at about 22:28 UTC Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Demo 2 placed 11 new satellites into orbit. AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 was among the 11 new satellites. The following is a summary of identified and not yet identified satellites from that launch as the date of this email. So far, the following satellites have been identified and added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: CAPE 3 - Cat ID 47309 MiTEE 1 - Cat ID 47314 ExoCube 2 - Cat ID 47319 Thanks to Nico Janssen (PA0DLO), Alan Biddle (WA4SCA), and SatNogs for the above IDs. The object Cat ID 47316 is the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket body and has not been added. The following are unidentified satellites that have been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: OBJECT B - Cat ID 47310 OBJECT C - Cat ID 47311 OBJECT D - Cat ID 47312 OBJECT E - Cat ID 47313 OBJECT G - Cat ID 47315 OBJECT J - Cat ID 47317 OBJECT K - Cat ID 47318 OBJECT M - Cat ID 47320 Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, notes that the unidentified OBJECTS C, D, and M are in the center of the pack and are good candidates for being RadFxSat-2. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Keplerian Elements Manager for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ftp.amsat.org Service to be Terminated User habits have evolved over the decades favoring file transfer via HTTP(S) and we are now seeing very little activity via the FTP protocol. AMSAT will eliminate the administrative burden and other costs of FTP operation and is proposing to terminate FTP services on 15 April 2021. Please let us know at webmaster at amsat.org if this will cause any difficulty with any automated systems, especially with respect to dissemination of orbital elements. If you have such a system, please adjust them to get elements from the following locations: https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasa.all Editor's Note: The gigabytes of historical files and information available at ftp.amsat.org will continue to be available. Details for accessing this archive will be made available at a later date. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team Leader for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Maine Regional School Unit #21, Kennebunk, ME, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG Contact was successful: Thu 2021-01-21 18:27:40 UTC 52 deg Watch for live stream at https://youtu.be/LN70OpJFMgs Newcastle High School, Newcastle, WY, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be Mike Hopkins KF5LJG The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC Contact is go for Option #5: Thu 2021-01-28 17:46:13 UTC 80 deg The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Operations, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. From Clint Bradford, K6LCS THANK YOU to The Villages Amateur Radio Club in Florida! We just had a great time (01/21/2021) discussing working amateur satellites. One of their members' sons is THE control op for AO-27 - don't you DARE delete those memories from your radios just yet! Upcoming Zoom “How to Work Amateur Satellites With You HT” presentations: February 8 - An ARES meeting in Los Angeles county March 1 - Western Amateur Radio Association, Orange County, CA TBD - Palm Springs Desert RATS June 15 - Wellesley Amateur Radio Society, Eastern Massachusetts Think a 90-minute, informative, and FUN presentation on working satellites would be appropriate for YOUR club? Let me know! Clint Bradford K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com 909-999-SATS (7287) [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.**** WL7T is roving in the Western US. Check https://twitter.com/Tyler_WL7T for updates. K7ZOO is roving DL88 or DL89. and others in the area. Check https://twitter.com/K7ZOO_rover for details. Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + The first satellite with a Hall-effect thruster has gone to space. Check out the Universe Today article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-024-Hall + An iodine propellant has been used to change a satellite's orbit for the first time. Check out the European Space Agency article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-024-Iodine + Videos of the 2021 Ham Radio University presentations are posted at https://www.youtube.com/c/HamRadioUniversityNLI Presentations handouts and slide decks are available at http://hamradiouniversity.org/past-presentations/ The HRU 2021 - The Art of Operating Amateur Satellites with an HT by Peter Portanova, W2JV is posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSj-mo7oYxE + Sean Kutzko, KX9X, discussed amateur satellites on the DX Engineering YouTube channel. Check out the replay at https://youtu.be/HYrcVbN2J9o + The November/December 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal is available for AMSAT members at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal/ + Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear + All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ + The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly News Bulletin
by Frank Karnauskas 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-017 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat dot org. In this edition: * RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021 * November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online * UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch * Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth's Magnetic Field for Propulsion * CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders * International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23 * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-017.01 ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 017.01 From AMSAT HQ Washington, DC January 17, 2021 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-017.01 RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021 Virgin Orbit announced a new launch date of No Earlier Than (NET) Sunday, January 17, 2021 with additional windows in January if needed. The specific window is 10:00 to 14:00 PST (1800 to 2200 UTC). Virgin Orbit seems to be using its Twitter account to make their public announcements, so that may be worth watching at https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit. AMSAT does not have preliminary TLE for the upcoming launch. If you are hoping to snag the first contact, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP - Engineering suggests checking the nasabare.text TLE just prior to launch, maybe thirty-minutes after launch or until they are posted. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online AMSAT members can read the November/December 2020 edition of the AMSAT Journal online. This edition includes: - Apogee View - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Engineering Update - Jerry Buxton, N0JY - Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - Development Update - Frank Karnauskas, N1UW - For Beginners - Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VIII - Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF - Working FalconSat-3 Packet BBS with the Kenwood TH-D72A - Brian Wilkins, KO4AQF - Testing a More Fade-resistant BPSK Demodulator for Fox Linear - Transponder Spacecraft - Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ - The Success Story of SMOG-P, the World's Smallest Satellite - Gabor Geczy - Starting My Adventure With Amateur Radio Satellites - James Johnson, VE7HJ The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Join AMSAT today to start receiving your bi-monthly issue of The AMSAT Journal. Members can access the latest issue of The AMSAT Journal as well as archived editions at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal/. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE - a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch The launch of UVSQsat is scheduled for January 21, 2021 by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. UVSQ-SAT is a nanosatellite designed by LATMOS (Atmospheres Spatial Observation Laboratory) and developed at the Observatory of Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines. Its scientific and technological goals are observing essential climate variables, namely shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere and UV solar spectral irradiance. In addition to experimental and educational missions, it will provide the Amateur Radio community with a new FM transponder. AMSAT-Francophone and the radio club F6KRK have been involved throughout the project. AMSAT-Francophone offers software to interpret the data and send it to the AMSAT-F & Satnogs database. The software is in beta mode and available for testing and giving feedback for improvement. The software runs on both Windows and Linux platforms. Information for downloading is available at: https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/21-ecr-uvsqsat/ApplicationUVS… Two audio files are available for testing the software: - 1200 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_143925Z_437017790Hz_IQ---Beacon_1200.wav - 9600 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_144839Z_437011810Hz_IQ---Beacon_9600.wav The satellite will transmit on the frequency: 437.020 MHz. More information on the satellite frequencies: http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0UVSQsat.html More information on the project: http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/index.php [ANS thanks AMSAT-F for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process January 7, 2021 - Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2021 contact window. A total of seven of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the seven US host organizations during the July through December 2021 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA. The seven schools advancing in the selection process are: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Tarwater Elementary, Chandler, AZ Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse, NY SpaceKids Global and Girl Scouts of Citrus, Winter Park, FL Civil Air Patrol - Illinois Wing, St Charles, IL Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth's Magnetic Field for Propulsion Although not an Amateur Radio satellite, a student-built CubeSat is of interest to the Amateur Radio Satellite Service. Built at the University of Michigan, it will investigate whether small satellites can be maintained in low Earth orbit without thrusters or propellant. Scheduled to launch from the Mojave Air and Space Port on Virgin Orbit's Launch Demo 2 on January 10, 2020, the Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment-1 (MiTEE-1) will test the concept of using the Earth's magnetic field to generate thrust. The usual way to overcome this is to use thrusters to boost the satellite into a higher orbit, but for smaller spacecraft, and especially CubeSats, this isn't currently an option - although efforts like the ThermaSat design are looking to bring lightweight propulsion systems to CubeSats. The result is that many perfectly good pieces of hardware are destroyed prematurely, deorbiting in a matter of months or even days. The MiTEE project will test the feasibility of using electromagnetism to provide propulsion by stringing a wire tether 33 to 100 feet (10 to 30 m) long between two CubeSats. The idea is that solar panels would provide electricity, which would run through the wire. As the satellite orbits the Earth, the ionosphere completes the circuit and, because a force is exerted on a wire when it conducts a current in a magnetic field, the tether generates thrust that can be used to boost the spacecraft into a higher orbit. As the force isn't very great, such an approach wouldn't be feasible for larger satellites, but the hope is it will be enough to allow small satellites to compensate for the drag of the atmosphere. The result of two and half years of work, MiTEE-1 won't actually produce any thrust. Instead, it will consist of a satellite about the size of a loaf of breadbox and another about the size of a smartphone that deploys on a one-meter (33-in) rigid boom. This will measure how much current can be drawn from the ionosphere under various conditions. The data from the mission will be used for planning and building the next MiTEE satellite, which will demonstrate the electric propulsion system concept in operation. More information is available at: https://newatlas.com/space/cubesat-earth-magnetic-field-boost-orbit/. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis and newatlas.com for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders In 2020, a project between AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NL and Swiss universities started with the aim of equipping two Swiss satellites with a linear transponder for Amateur Radio. With a linear transponder, several QSOs can take place simultaneously. The satellites can be operated in CW/SSB with the simplest equipment. The satellites also include features for classroom demonstrations and experiments. In numerous teleconference discussions, the technical possibilities could be sounded out and the realization prepared. The CHESS [Constellation of High Energy Swiss Satellites] project includes two satellites, which will be built simultaneously and later launched as a constellation. Both will provide a linear transponder for amateur radio use. The first satellite will have a nearly circular orbit at an altitude of 400 km. The second will have an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 350×1000 km. The satellites themselves are a project of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with support from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU – Institute of Electrical Engineering IET), the University of Bern, the Valais University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HES-SO), the Haute École Neuchâtel and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich. The amateur radio payload is a project of AMSAT-UK/-NL. On 18 December 2020, the successful system requirements review took place. The project coordination between CHESS and AMSAT lies with the Amateur Radio Association of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Technology & Architecture, Horw. The Swiss AMSAT Operators provide information about the CHESS project at https://www.amsat-hb.org/funcube-chess/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23 Preparations are under way by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to represent the interests of the amateur and amateur-satellite services at World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) sponsors WRCs, typically every 4 years, to consider revisions to the international Radio Regulations that define frequency allocations for various radio services. The next WRC is expected to be held in 2023. Potentially affected bands are 50 - 54 MHz (a new service has been proposed in an adjacent band); 1240 - 1300 MHz; 3300 - 3400 MHz; 10.0 - 10.5 GHz, and 241 - 250 GHz. In addition, studies are being conducted to identify protection requirements for space weather sensors that operate in frequency bands from 13 kHz to at least 15 GHz. Read the complete story at: http://www.arrl.org/news/international-amateur-radio-union-preparing-for-wr…. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo; March 13,14 2021 The second QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held on March 13-14, 2021. There is an Amateur Radio speaker track and AMSAT will have a virtual booth during the event. Advance tickets are now on sale. More information at: https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/ [ANS thanks Virtual QSO Virtual Ham Expo for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations EL86; January 17-18, 2021 @KK4YEL: is heading out to EL86 for two days starting this Sunday evening. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News + Upcoming Contacts Hisagi Junior High School, Zushi, Japan Direct via 8N1ZH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Contact is go for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 08:17:59 UTC. (70 deg) Maine Regional School Unit #21, Kennebunk, ME Multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG. Contact is go for Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 18:27:40 UTC. (52 deg) + Completed Contacts Shigagakuen Junior & Senior High School, Higashioumi, Japan, Direct via 8N3SG The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz. The astronaut was Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Contact was successful on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 10:38:29 UTC. A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shorts from All Over + New Keplerian Element Set orb21007.2l.amsat Available Updated Keplerian elements were released on January 7, 2021 and are available at: https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information.] + 31st Anniversary of LO-19 Members of AMSAT Argentina will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the LUSAT (LO-19) satellite with the callsign LU7AA January 16-24, 2021. Stations will be QRV on HF on SSB, FT8, and CW. An award is also available. QSL via LU7AA direct or by eQSL. More information is available at http://lu4aao.org/lu7aa/cert_31_aniv_lusat_2021.htm. [ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status. Contact info at amsat dot org for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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ANS-0103 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jan. 10, 2021
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 09 Jan '21

09 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-010 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 is go for launch * Cargo Dragon to Return to Earth from ISS * Portable QO-100 station activated on Antarctic cruise * AMSAT-SM releases a satellite memory set for the ICOM IC-705 * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * AMSAT - Changes in Orbital Elements * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-010.01 ANS-010 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 010.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE YYY To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-010.01 Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne is go for launch with RadFXSat-2/Fox-1E cubesat LauncherOne is scheduled for launch on Sunday, January 10th at 13:00 EST. The LauncherOne vehicle will carry 11 satellites including the AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2 cubesat. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies: Telemetry Downlink – 435.750 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink – 145.860 MHz – 145.890 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink – 435.760 MHz – 435.790 MHz See https://bit.ly/2XboF8H and https://bit.ly/3hLlDl3 for more information [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM AMSAT News Editor, the AMSAT-UK editorial team, and SpaceLaunchNow for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Cargo Dragon to Return to Earth from ISS The SpaceX Dragon that arrived at the International Space Station on the company's 21st resupply services mission for NASA is scheduled to depart on Monday, Jan. 11, loaded with 5,200 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo. NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast its departure live beginning at 9 a.m. EST (1400z). The upgraded Dragon spacecraft will execute the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the International Docking Adapter at 9:25 a.m. (1425z), with NASA astronaut Victor Glover, KI5BKC, monitoring aboard the station. Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the station's space-facing port of the Harmony module, then initiate a deorbit burn to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth's atmosphere. Dragon is expected to make its parachute-assisted splashdown around 9 p.m. (0200z on Jan. 12) the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean. The deorbit burn and splashdown will not air on NASA TV. Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation of the science aboard the capsule to the agency's Kennedy Space Center Space Station Processing Facility, and back into the hands of the researchers. This shorter transportation time frame allows researchers to collect data with minimal loss of microgravity effects. For splashdowns in the Pacific Ocean, quick-return science cargo is processed at SpaceX's facility in McGregor, Texas, and delivered to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Dragon launched Dec. 6 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at the station just over 24 hours later and achieving the first autonomous docking of a U.S. commercial cargo resupply spacecraft. Previous arriving cargo Dragon spacecraft were captured and attached to the space station by astronauts operating the station's robotic Canadarm2. The spacecraft delivered more than 6,400 pounds of hardware, research investigations and crew supplies. The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Portable QO-100 station activated on Antarctic cruise A portable satellite station for the QO-100 geostationary satellite (Es’hail-2) was commissioned on the icebreaker FS “Polarstern” at 14:23 UTC on December 27, 2020, with an initial QSO between DP0POL/mm and DK3ZL. A very special experiment, originated from an idea of Felix DL5XL and Charly DK3ZL. AMSAT-DL spontaneously supported this project by providing a complete 6 Watt transverter radio station, as well as a 75 cm dish on a tripod. Charly DK3ZL first tested this system extensively via QO-100 at his home for a few days before he personally brought it to Felix DL5XL in Bremerhaven for handover on December 6, 2020. On the same day, all the equipment was loaded onto the research vessel Polarstern, while the entire crew remained in quarantine for almost 2 weeks. On 20 December 2020, the Polarstern then set sail from Bremerhaven and embarked on the long voyage to Antarctica, non-stop. In agreement with the responsible board engineer of Polarstern, Jörg DJ0HO, who is responsible for the callsign DP0POL on Polarstern, the station could be set up in front of a container on the upper deck, depending on the weather situation (see cover picture). Theresa DC1TH and Felix DL5XL are thus able to make radio calls in their spare time during the several-week trip to Antarctica. After the premiere there was an impressive “pile-up” of up to 40 kHz on the NB transponder on the following days. Additional information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3bjx1Um [ANS thanks Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, President AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-SM releases a satellite memory set for the ICOM IC-705 Lars Thunberg, Webmaster for AMSAT-SM has posted a satellite memory set for the new IC-705 QRP radio from ICOM. Lars has provided two .CSV files which may be merged into your existing memory groups as a dedicated group. You will need to use the CS-705 software from ICOM to perform the merge. Please carefully read the instructions that Lars gives at: https://bit.ly/3obNm0R The .CSV files in the EU/Swedish format and the North American/US format are posted at the above URL. Note from Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ. "I found the CS-705 format difficult to import into the RT Systems IC-705 Programmer. The easiest path would be to use Icom's CS-705 software to merge the memories into a new group, then to save the settings back into the RT Systems Programmer software. I have provided an import template for the RT Systems software to Lars. It will require some testing by others. Please contact me with your results or questions (kd4iz at arrl dot org). Lars has posted this file at the above link. Lars also has also provided a nice tutorial for users of the PstRotator Satellites Tracking Sofware at: https://bit.ly/2LewbNt Lars plans to update his memory settings file to add additional satellites in the future. [ANS thanks Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU, Webmaster AMSAT-SM and Jack Spitznagel, Editor AMSAT News for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassador and registered ARRL instructor Clint Bradford K6LCS has a couple of Zoom presentations lined up to begin 2021.In the first week of February, a private group “abbreviated” presentation will be given to a Southern CA ARES group. Clint will make a full presentation to The Villages Amateur Radio Club, The Villages, Florida on January 21, 2021 - 3PM Pacific, 6PM Eastern, via Zoom. The Villages Radio Club website may be found at: https://www.k4vrc.com/ Clint wishes to add some additional presentations to his schedule and he adds: "There are up-to-five spots available for you to attend! Just send me an email message (email address below) for details. Would a 90-minute informative, personalized-to-your-club, FUN presentation on working the “easy” satellites would be appropriate for your club? Send me an email message, and let’s book a date!" [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS (k6lcs at ham-satdot info) for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 7, 2020 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: UBAKUSAT - NORAD Cat ID 43467 (Decayed on December 27, 2020 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Shigagakuen Junior & Senior High School, Higashioumi, Japan, direct via 8N3SG The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB (***)Contact is go for: Wed 2021-01-13 10:38:29 UTC 26 deg (***) Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2021 contact window. A total of 7 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 7 US host organizations during the July through December 2021 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA. The following have been listed by Organization and Location: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Tarwater Elementary, Chandler, AZ Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse , NY SpaceKids Global and Girl Scouts of Citrus, Winter Park, FL Civil Air Patrol – Illinois Wing, St Charles, IL Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N and Dave Jordan, AA4KN of ARISS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: +Thursday 1/14/21 KF6JOQ "Planning to rove DM16 and maybe 16/15 line,Thursday 1/14/21. Will be FM and linear." +Watch for additional rove tweets from WL7T: @WL7T Is headed to Colorado for 3 weeks in January. "Will be in DM69 most of the time but might be able to be persuaded to go as far south as DM66. I am heading to Denver on Thursday (1/7) morning. I’ll be in DM79 for a few hours starting at 20z and will try working whatever I can as time permits. Will get to DM69 by Thursday evening and will get on the later passes as soon as I arrive." [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] 1/10/2021, from 1300Z-1700Z, N4DCW will be working satellite passes from West Virginia in EM88. Passes are listed at: https://t.co/YbgeMyu3Vv?amp=1 Michael asks: "Please, no blind calling (calling me before I have AOS). I will have *at least* 5-10 degree horizons in all directions. (It’s West Virginia!) Rest assured, when I can hear the satellite, I will let you know. :)" Rove updates can be found on his Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MWimages [ANS thanks Michael Whitman, N4DCW posting to AMSAT-BB for the above information] Major Roves: There are no major roves scheduled as of 1/6/2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events None on the immediate schedule. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Reminders from Drew Glasbrenner about AO-92 and AO-91 - AMSAT-BB 1/6/2021: "Today I turned AO-92's transmitter off after resetting the min-max readings. We've been watching the battery minimum voltage decline steadily over the last few days, and needed to give it a rest for a bit. Immediately afterwards, there was an AO-91 pass. I turned on the transmitter, and a few moments later reset the min-max readings. The command team will monitor telemetry and determine if we can leave it on for a while. Please remember to not transmit to either satellite while it is in eclipse. If you do not use software that indicates eclipse state, just avoid the evening passes. We are in the endgame for both satellites, and your cooperation will give us more operational time over the coming months." (ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations for the above information) + Alba Orbital, the space broker that manages the launch of AMSAT-EA (AMSAT Spain) EASAT-2 and Hades satellites, has informed us of a delay in the scheduled one for January 14, 2021 with SpaceX. "This delay has nothing to do with our satellites, or with Alba Orbital itself. It is attributable to Momentus, which acts as an integrator with SpaceX." "The delay means the next try would probably go to March, coinciding with the Starlink mission and being located in an estimated orbit between 450 and 550 km with an inclination of 53 degrees." "As for the satellites themselves, this should not be a major setback. AMSAT-EA does does not expect a significant drain on the batteries." (ANS thanks Felix Paez, EA4GQS of AMSAT EA for the above information) + Roy Dean, K3RLD commented on LilacSat-2 operations: "Just a reminder for those who may not know, LilacSat-2 frequently turns on with a downlink about 12 kHz higher than it's published value. It seems to "jump around" sometimes between the two frequencies. Here is a good illustration of the the recently completed 21:55z pass:" https://network.satnogs.org/observations/3416149/ Roy continues: "It was just me and KC1OCA on this pass, but I don't think Michael could hear me. The downlink was very strong, so I suspect he was using a radio with no waterfall - which would make it difficult to know that you are getting in. If anybody knows KC1OCA - please let him know that I have a recording of the pass if he would like (no email on qrz.com). Thanks!" (ANS thanks Roy Dean, K3RLD for the above information) + Rocket Lab announces "Another One Leaves The Crust" launch window: The mission will launch a single communication microsatellite for OHB Group that will enable specific frequencies to support future services from orbit. The launch will be Rocket Lab’s 18th Electron mission and was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group's satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden, and Czech Republic. The mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula (ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC of RocketLab for the above information) + A Japanese company and Kyoto University have joined forces to develop what they hope will be the world's first satellites made out of wood by 2023. Sumitomo Forestry said it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space. The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth. Space junk is becoming an increasing problem as more satellites are launched into the atmosphere. Wooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth. (ANS thanks BBC News for the above information) + Want to add a bit of space to your Google Calendar? CNET has launched the SPACE CALENDAR (all caps for dramatic cosmic effect), covering all the big rocket launches, mesmerizing meteor showers, epic eclipses and even an assortment of scientific milestones. The Google Calendar is constantly updating, and can be added to your existing Google app at https://bit.ly/38lfWHC For other calendars, such as Outlook, a static computer file of dates as they are presently scheduled can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/3hQm6T2 (ANS thanks CNET.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Store. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact AMSAT for additional student membership information at info at amsat dot org. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at frawg dot org

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ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jan. 3
by Mark Johns, K0JM 03 Jan '21

03 Jan '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-003 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * 2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space * Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution * New AMSAT Contact Information * FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021 * AMSAT Awards Update * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021 * New Mail System Archives Changes * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 31, 2020 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-003.01 ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 003.01 From AMSAT HQ, WASHINGTON, DC DATE 2021 January 3 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-003.01 2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space 2021 is looking to be at least as big a space year as 2020. To name just a few highlights: * Three missions (and a helicopter!) arrive at Mars (Tianwen-1, Hope Probe, Perseverance), * The James Webb Space Telescope launches in October (it just completed final sunshield testing), * NASA’s DART, Lucy, and CLPS landers start launching, the Vera Rubin Observatory should see first light, Starliner OPT-2 will hopefully go smoothly, and China’s space station starts assembly. * We also expect to see a number of firsts throughout the industry: + first orbital flights for Astra, Virgin Orbit (carrying 11 CubeSats scheduled to be deployed on this launch, including RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E), Firefly, and maaaaybe Starship, New Glenn, and Artemis I; + first orbital booster reuse from a non-SpaceX commercial space company (Rocket Lab); + the first fully private crewed mission to the ISS, launched by SpaceX and Axiom; * And, the first two movies filmed in space, both to begin shooting on the ISS in the fall. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution Due in part to the e-mail system upgrades and ongoing changes in technology more generally, distribution of the AMSAT New Service (ANS) bulletins (the bulletins you are reading right now) have changed slightly in the new year. Beginning with this release, ANS bulletins will no longer be sent with hard returns (CR/LF) inserted at 72 characters or fewer. Line length has traditionally been delineated for transmission on packet networks. However, few such networks remain operational, and most users receive the bulletins via a computer or mobile device. For the time being, ANS bulletins will continue to be sent in plain text, and most users will notice no change. A few may have to turn on or adjust the "word wrap" feature in their email client, but for the vast majority, bulletins will display on their devices as they always have. The only difference most might notice is fewer hyphens breaking words in the various news stories. This is a first step toward moving to an HTML format that will eventually allow bulletins to be sent with color and photo illustrations, much as bulletins from ARRL and other sources have been for some time. AMSAT News Service is moving slowly toward this change, so users may expect the plain text distribution to continue for some months yet. [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New AMSAT Contact Information AMSAT's long-serving office manager, Martha Saragovitz, has retired! Martha’s last official day was December 31st. Because Martha is literally irreplaceable, AMSAT will be transitioning to a virtual office. The best way to communicate AMSAT will be via email. If you have a question about AMSAT membership, please use the Contact Form on our Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, or email us directly at members(a)amsat.org. If you have a general question for AMSAT, please use the contact form on our main website, amsat.org, or email us directly at info(a)amsat.org. It is important that you include your name and call sign. You would be surprised how many inquiries we receive with just an email addressed that cannot be easily traced back to a member. If you need to mail something to AMSAT during the month of January, please send it to AMSAT, PO Box 27, Washington DC 20044-0027. This is our permanent mailing address, and it requires a volunteer to travel. As such, we will only retrieve this mail once a week. We will open a virtual office at some point in January. Our virtual office will include a telephone answering service and the ability to receive and electronically process mail. We will post our new, virtual telephone number and mailing address on the Member Portal and main website contact pages, as soon as this service is available. We are excited about the opportunities these new communication challenges bring and understand there will be some hiccups along the way, but, ultimately, we are committed to providing you with an open and effective communications system. Thank you for your patience and understanding. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021 Time in UTC Jan. 2021 1st 01:40- 03:25- 3rd 01:35- 03:20- 9th 01:20- 03:05- 10th 02:10- 03:55- 11th 01:15- 03:00- 30th 01:20- 03:05- 31st 02:10- 03:55- Feb. 2021 7th 02:45- 11th 02:35- 21st 02:10- 23rd 02:05- 27th 01:55- 03:40- 28th 02:45- For more information, see https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-201907.htm [ANS thanks Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)has just finished processing the last awards for 2020. Here are those that have earned awards recently. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Stephen Small, KC1NBI Michael Pelaez, K4KMP Kevin Addison, KM4RYN Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA Timothy Stinson, AI5BE Lowell Davis, WA2ZQX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #630 Robert Sours, K9UO, #631 Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #632 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award Robert Sours, K9UO, #189 ------ AMSAT Century Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #56 ------ AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #US233 Robert Sours, K9UO, #US234 Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #US235 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000) Greg Phillips, WI4T, #115 Bernd Scholer, DL6IAN, #116 Michael Mark, VE4MM, #117 Gerry Krebs, N0JE upgraded to 4000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #36 Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, #37 Robert Sours, K9UO, #38 ------ AMSAT Rover Award Rover Call ===== ======== None this time ------ GridMaster Award GridMaster Call ========== ======== #14 N0JE #15 N8HM #16 AA8CH #17 KE4AL #18 N3GS #19 WC7V #20 N9EAT #21 KK4YEL #22 K9UO #23 K7TAB #24 KE0PBR #25 KI7UNJ #26 WI4T To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org and click on Services then Awards. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period December 1, 2020 through January 1, 2021. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! There is a huge list this month. Perhaps due to the end of a Covid year. CALL Dec Jan WA4NVM 1544 1557 WC7V 1229 1232 N8RO 1075 1080 N9EAT 706 784 WA5KBH 766 775 AA8CH 718 750 W5RKN 732 739 K9UO 600 631 WD9EWK (DM43)625 630 KI7UNJ 576 602 KK4YEL 504 589 AA4QE 408 508 N7EGY 457 502 KE8FZT 475 500 N5BO 401 500 KJ4EU *404 471 WA6DNR New 457 AC9E 401 451 N4DCW 425 450 HP2VX 377 406 VE6WK 355 404 WB7VUF 370 404 WA9JBQ 375 400 AK7DD 326 376 KS1G 325 360 KB9STR 229 353 KF6JOQ 303 353 N3CRT 303 351 K5TA 202 302 KX9X 219 302 W8LR 225 300 EA3CAZ New 293 AB1OC 261 264 KX9X (EN50) 175 250 VU2LBW 200 246 VE4MM New 227 N8URE (FM19) New 186 WD9EWK (DM22)150 177 NA1ME 150 175 VE1VOX 157 170 WD9EWK (DM31)127 156 EA2AA 148 153 N4QX 149 152 WD9EWK (DM54)101 125 N2ZN 103 120 AA0MZ 112 116 N8URE (EL95) New 113 DL6KBG 101 111 K7RQN New 109 DL7NX New 103 K4KMP New 102 W4ALF New 102 KP4MV New 100 For some reason KJ4EU *404 was not on the 01 Dec ARRL list If you find errors or omissions. please contact W5RKN off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mail System Archives Changes AMSAT's new mail system was introduced several weeks ago, but a number of users remain confused about its operation. If you are not receiving email from AMSAT-BB or other lists from which you have received posts in the past, you probably need to register your email address at https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ Please contact postmaster [at] amsat.org with any questions or concerns regarding this upgrade. Likewise, if you are searching for archives of recent posts to AMSAT-BB, ANS (AMSAT News Service), the Keplerian Elements Mailing List (KEPS), you will now find those archives at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/ Archives of message posts that date from prior to the first week of December 2020 are still maintained at https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/ for your continued reference. However, no new mail posts are archived at that location. Any messages from December 7, 2020 and onward are on the new "HyperKitty" archive. Messages prior to that date remain in the old "PiperMail" archive. [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 31, 2020 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: EQUISat - NORAD Cat ID 43552 (Decayed on December 26, 2020 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. John Sygo in Paardekraal, South Africa will use call sign ZS6JON to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. English is the language that will be used for this contact. The Radio Club Argentino will assist the students with the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 6, 2021 at 11:19 a.m. GALT (Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island), which is 17:19 UTC. The contact will be live streamed and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/3XmNxHTtR6Q. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.**** @WL7T: Is headed to Colorado for 3 weeks in January. Will be in DM69 most of the time but might be able to be persuaded to go as far south as DM66. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, no events are currently scheduled. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + A great article about ARISS and ISS was recently published on the website, PHYS.ORG https://phys.org/news/2020-12-earthlings-astronauts-chat-ham-radio.html (ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, for the above information) + ON THIS DATE in 2004, the Mars rover Spirit made its landing on the Red Planet. In 1962, NASA publicly announced the Gemini program. And in 1920, biochemist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov was born. (ANS thanks The Year in Space for the above information) + Of all the estimated 2700 CubeSats and other “nanosatellites” that have been created to date, less than 10% have had their own means of propulsion. This leaves them at the mercy of gravity and atmospheric drag, which can cause them to deorbit while they are still functional. In addition, they are unable to maneuver and adjust their orbit and get out of the way of other satellites and space debris. Thanks to Howe Industries and a breakthrough engine design (known as the ThermaSat) that utilizes steam to generate propulsion, all of that could change very soon. ThermaSat differs from conventional steam engines by relying on plain water and solar-electric power, and avoiding toxic, highly pressurized or even explosive liquids, such as hydrazine. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + The UK and EU announced a broad agreement Dec. 24 governing the UK’s relationship with the EU once the country formally withdraws from the European Union, a process known as Brexit. The agreement will allow the UK to remain in the Copernicus Earth observation program after it formally exits the EU. The situation is different with Galileo, the EU satellite navigation program, which is not covered by the Brexit deal. Those programs are “100% financed” by the EU. A third EU space program, is the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking program for space situational awareness. The UK government and private satellite operators based there will continue to have access to those services under the deal. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station on Wednesday, Jan. 6, more than three months after delivering nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbiting outpost. Live coverage of the cargo spacecraft’s departure will begin at 1445z on NASA Television and the agency’s website, with release of Cygnus scheduled for 1510z. (ANS thanks NASA and Southgate ARC for the above information) + Effective on June 29, 2021, amateur radio licensees and candidates must provide the FCC with an email address on all applications. If no email address is included, the FCC may dismiss the application as “defective.” The FCC has already begun strongly encouraging applicants to provide an email address. Once an email address is provided, the FCC will email a link to an official electronic copy of the license grant. Licensees can log into the ULS License Manager System with their FRN and password at any time and update anything in their FCC license record, including adding an email address. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct email address. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + Today’s moment of Zen: your motions on this planet during your lifetime have shifted the center of masses of both our planet and our solar system by minuscule amounts, and this, in turn, has gravitationally altered the motions of every star within the distance that light traveled during your life. While undetectable, your life and choices shape the motion of the stars. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Store. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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ANS January 2021