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ANS-239 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 26 Aug '23

26 Aug '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-239 In this edition: * Cast Your Vote: 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ending Soon * Registration Now Open for Upcoming International AMSAT Conferences * Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Soft Landing on Moon's South Pole * SpaceX Launches Crew-7 Mission aboard Crew Dragon Endurance * Teams Hack U.S. Air Force Satellite in Space Cybersecurity Contest * Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2023 Rankings * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 25, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 [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/ ANS-239 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Aug 27 Cast Your Vote: 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ending Soon There is less than a three-week window remaining to participate in the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election. The voting process will conclude on September 15, 2023. To access candidate statements and the online Election Ballot, you can visit AMSAT's Wild Apricot membership portal at https://launch.amsat.org/2023-BoD-Election. In this year's election, four seats on the Board of Directors are open for consideration. Once the voting period concludes on September 15th, four of the candidates will take their places on the Board, along with an alternate member. The following individuals have been officially nominated: Barry Baines, WD4ASW Jerry Buxton, N0JY Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO Frank Karnauskas, N1UW Upon clicking the poll link, you will be directed to your ballot or poll question. After selecting your preferred choices, simply click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike typical online polls, the results of previous votes up until your vote will not be visible. Each AMSAT member is entitled to one vote only. If you attempt to access the poll link again after casting your vote, you will receive a message confirming your vote has been submitted. The outcomes of the Board of Directors Election, including the total number of ballots cast, the vote count for each candidate, and the names of the newly elected Board of Directors members, will be publicly announced a few days following the conclusion of the election. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Registration Now Open for Upcoming International AMSAT Conferences + AMSAT-DL was founded in 1973, so this year we can look back on 50 years of space exploration. We have taken this as an opportunity to put this year’s symposium in a special setting. Ticket sales are now available at https://shop.amsat-dl.org. The Festive Conference and Symposium will be held Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17, 2023. With a view to the 50-year history of AMSAT-Germany and its mission of promoting amateur radio via satellites, the celebratory conference “From OSCAR 10 to OSCAR 100: 50 years of AMSAT-DL in service to science, research and education” will take place at the Bochum Observatory radome. Accommodations are limited, and the booking of the overnight stays is only possible via the AMSAT-DL store. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/ticket-sales-festive-conference-50-years-amsat-dl for more information. + AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce that the 2023 Colloquium will take place alongside the RSGB Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes on the weekend of 14/15th October 2023. Full details of the Colloquium will be made available nearer the time on the AMSAT-UK website at https://amsat-uk.org. As in previous years, the AMSAT-UK Colloquium will run as a separate stream within the RSGB Convention and will include presentations on a variety of satellite and space related topics. Entrance to the RSGB Convention is managed by the RSGB and you will be required to purchase Day Tickets for the Saturday and/or Sunday to attend the AMSAT-UK Colloquium. These can be booked via the RSGB website at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention. Early bird discounts are being offered by the RSGB via their website. + AMSAT will hold their 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. The schedule will encompass an array of activities, including an AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, AMSAT Space Symposium, AMSAT Annual General Meeting, AMSAT Banquet and Reception, AMSAT Member Breakfast, as well as the Friday Night Social and Auction. You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18, with check-out on Sunday, October 22. The Standard room with a single King bed is currently SOLD OUT; act quickly to secure your reservations. Alternatively, the Standard room with two Queen beds is priced at $137.00* (excluding state and local taxes of 15%). To make phone reservations, call 972-929-8400 and request the RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE rate. For online reservations, visit https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566…. [ANS thanks AMSAT, AMSAT-UK, and AMSAT-DL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Soft Landing on Moon's South Pole In a momentous achievement, the Chandrayaan-3 mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully executed a lunar landing, establishing India as the fourth nation to accomplish this feat. Amid palpable tension followed by jubilant cheers at the ISRO mission control center, the Chandrayaan-3 mission's robotic lander, known as Vikram, made a triumphant touchdown on the moon's surface near its southern pole at 12:33 P.M. UTC on August 23. The mission, launched on July 14, marked ISRO's determined return to lunar landing endeavors after the Chandrayaan-2 mission's unfortunate crash in 2019. With the safe landing of the spacecraft, India joins the ranks of the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China as countries that have successfully executed soft landings on the moon. A critical aspect of Chandrayaan-3's landing was its complete autonomy during lunar descent. Due to the three-second signal delay between the lander and Earth, Earth-bound engineers couldn't guide the landing in real-time. Vikram was tasked with reducing its orbital velocity to virtually zero, aligning with the intended trajectory for a secure landing. This required precise coordination of its engines based on continuous measurements of distance, velocity, and orientation. Learning from the lessons of Chandrayaan-2, ISRO incorporated increased redundancies and safeguards into Chandrayaan-3. The mission carried extra fuel and an improved guidance, navigation, and control system, capable of correcting significant deviations from the intended path. In-depth ground tests using helicopters and cranes further validated the changes made to 21 subsystems. The success of Chandrayaan-3 is particularly significant given the recent history of lunar landing attempts. Out of the past six attempts in the last five years, only four were successful. Notably, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on August 19, joining the ranks of unsuccessful landers from Israel, India, and Japan. Chandrayaan-3's achievement aligns with the accomplishments of China's Chang'e 4 and Chang'e 5 landers, which have also found success in recent times. Sankaran Muthusamy, director of the U. R. Rao Satellite Center, ISRO's center responsible for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, stressed the responsibility to inspire both India and the world through this historic landing. Chandrayaan-3's intricate lunar descent involved four primary phases. The "rough braking" phase initiated when the craft was 30 kilometers above the lunar surface. It fired its four main engines for approximately 12 minutes, reducing its horizontal velocity by about 80 percent. A critical "attitude hold" phase followed, wherein smaller thrusters stabilized the lander to ensure accurate sensor readings. Chandrayaan-3 relied on redundant altimeters, one using lasers and another using microwaves, to determine its height. Microwave altimeters, with their wider coverage, enhanced the mission's accuracy. The successful mission is expected to propel India's lunar ambitions further. By signing the Artemis Accords, a framework for collaborative lunar exploration led by the United States, India has opened avenues for enhanced partnerships with other signatory countries. The success of Chandrayaan-3 also paves the way for India's potential collaboration with Japan in its upcoming LUPEX rover mission. This partnership aims to study water ice on the moon's south pole, contributing valuable data to future endeavors, including NASA's Artemis program. [ANS thanks Jatan Mehta, writing for ScientificAmerican.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX Launches Crew-7 Mission aboard Crew Dragon Endurance SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-7 mission on August 26, 2023. Lift-off occurred precisely at 07:27 UTC (3:27 AM EDT) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, also known as United States Crew Vehicle mission 7 (USCV-7), was orchestrated by SpaceX, the launch provider, for their customer, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With this launch, SpaceX demonstrated its prowess in space technology, deploying its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and Booster B1081-1 for the mission. This launch was no ordinary event. It marked the 250th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, accompanied by the 220th successful booster landing. Notably, it extended SpaceX's record for consecutive booster landings to an impressive 146. Moreover, Crew-7 marked SpaceX's 11th crewed mission, solidifying the company's position as a frontrunner in human spaceflight endeavors. The total number of humans launched by SpaceX totals 42 – the answer to everything! The Crew-7 mission aimed to bridge the gap between nations and space agencies. The spacecraft, aptly named "Endurance," carried a diverse crew from four different countries and space organizations: Commander Jasmin Moghbeli (KI5WSL): Raised in Baldwin, New York, by Iranian parents who emigrated in 1979, she holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT. Commissioned as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, Moghbeli served as an AH-1 Super Cobra pilot, completing 150 combat missions. She earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and became a helicopter test pilot at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Chosen for NASA Astronaut Group 22 in 2017, Moghbeli's journey led her to become the Commander of Crew-7 in 2022. Pilot Andreas Enevold Mogensen (KG5GCZ): ESA astronaut with a diverse background. He earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in 1999. Mogensen's professional journey saw him working as an engineer in various global locations, including offshore oil rigs in Africa and wind turbine control systems in Denmark. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 while contributing to spacecraft guidance and navigation research. Mogensen's space journey began with Soyuz TMA-18M in 2015, making him the first Danish citizen in space. Mission Specialist Satoshi Furukawa (KE5DAW): Distinguished astronaut with a medical background. Graduating from the University of Tokyo with a Doctor of Medicine in 1989 and a PhD in Medical Science in 2000, Furukawa practiced as an anesthetist and surgeon before his selection as an astronaut candidate in 1999. His medical expertise took him on his first space journey aboard Soyuz TMA-02M in 2011. As a veteran, he returns to space as a Mission Specialist for Crew-7 in 2023, contributing his medical insights to the international team. Mission Specialist Konstantin Sergeyevich Borisov: Cosmonaut with a diverse educational journey. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Russian Academy of Economics in 2005 and pursued a master’s degree in Operations Research and Systems Analysis at Warwick University, UK. Borisov's passion for aviation led him to complete a master's program in Life Support Systems for Aircraft at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, Borisov's dedication culminated in his assignment as a Mission Specialist for Crew-7 in 2023. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, "Endurance," embarked on a journey to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) in an orbit approximately 400 km above Earth. This mission further solidified SpaceX's commitment to reusability, with the booster for Crew-7, Booster B1081-1, being a new addition to the roster, demonstrating the company's capability to successfully launch humans using an unused booster for the fifth time. [ANS thanks Florian Kordina and Trevor Sesnic, writing for EverydayAstronaut.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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Teams Hack U.S. Air Force Satellite in Space Cybersecurity Contest The United States Air Force has successfully concluded its pioneering Hack-A-Sat competition, with three teams claiming victory and substantial cash prizes. The competition, which took place as part of the annual DEF CON hacking convention in Las Vegas from August 11 to August 14, centered on the task of hacking into an active satellite in orbit. This was a new level of challenge compared to previous editions that relied on simulated ground-based satellites. The spotlight shone on the small CubeSat christened "Moonlighter," collaboratively developed by the Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. This formidable space contender was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 5, 2023, concurrently with cargo bound for the International Space Station. Five determined teams squared off in the Hack-A-Sat contest, each striving to outsmart the defenses of Moonlighter and reap both prestige and monetary rewards. Emerging triumphant was the Italian consortium "mHACKeroni," a fusion of five Italian cyber research teams, whose accomplishment netted them the coveted first-place position and a princely sum of $50,000. Following closely in second place was the "Poland Can Into Space" squad hailing from Poland, pocketing $30,000 for their impressive performance. The third spot on the podium was clinched by the collaborative British-American force known as "jmp fs:[rcx]," whose strategic prowess earned them $20,000 in cash winnings. The essence of the competition was the penetration of Moonlighter's protective layers, enabling participants to override the satellite's predetermined scope of observation targets. Successful teams then wielded the power to direct the satellite's lens towards desired focal points on the Earth's surface, capturing images that were subsequently relayed back to ground stations. The significance of such competitions resonates in their contribution to fortifying the security of satellite systems. Col. Neal Roach, representing the Space Systems Command of the U.S. Air Force, emphasized the broader impact of the Hack-A-Sat initiative. "Hack-A-Sat has raised public awareness on the importance of space cybersecurity and has helped to strengthen the industry, security, and government partnership that we need to build more resilient space systems that will keep our nation and our world secure," he stated. The urgency surrounding satellite cybersecurity has grown in recent years, exacerbated by real-world incidents. In a troubling revelation, Elon Musk disclosed that SpaceX's Starlink satellites faced repeated cyberattacks, coinciding with Russia's actions in Ukraine. The history of cyber intrusions into satellite systems traces back to 2011 when two U.S. government satellites reportedly fell victim to suspected Chinese military hacking endeavors. [ANS thanks Brett Tingley, Editor for Space.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2023 Rankings The August 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (All Satellites) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data. Updated: 2023-08-05 1 N5UC 26 KE4AL 51 JK2XXK 76 AC0RA 2 ND9M 27 N7AGF 52 DL2GRC 77 PT9BM 3 NJ7H 28 ON4AUC 53 M1DDD 78 A41ZZ 4 JA9KRO 29 KG5CCI 54 AD7DB 79 HB9GWJ 5 DP0POL 30 K8BL 55 VE1VOX 80 PT9ST 6 N6UA 31 N6DNM 56 AA8CH 81 5H3SE 7 DL6AP 32 KE0PBR 57 LU4JVE 82 KB2YSI 8 AD0HJ 33 WI7P 58 KM4LAO 83 9J2SEU 9 WY7AA 34 JO2ASQ 59 VE3GOP 84 DL4EA 10 HA3FOK 35 XE3DX 60 AM1SAT 85 DK9JC 11 K5ZM 36 EA4NF 61 KD8RTT 86 K4DCA 12 AK8CW 37 OE3SEU 62 FG8OJ 87 AB5SS 13 AD0DX 38 SP5XSD 63 N4UFO 88 PA3GAN 14 N5BO 39 VE1CWJ 64 N4DCW 89 K0FFY 15 N9IP 40 PR8KW 65 PT2AP 90 EC3TZ 16 WD9EWK 41 W7WGC 66 KJ7NDY 91 KF6JOQ 17 W5PFG 42 EB1AO 67 AF5CC 92 VE6WK 18 ND0C 43 F4DXV 68 N0TEL 93 CU2ZG 19 LU5ILA 44 JL3RNZ 69 VO2AC 94 KG4AKV 20 KX9X 45 KE0WPA 70 KI7UXT 95 KC7JPC 21 KB5FHK 46 K7TAB 71 KI7QEK 96 VE7PTN 22 LA9XGA 47 VA7LM 72 W8LR 97 YU0W 23 VE3HLS 48 AA5PK 73 XE1ET 98 VA3VGR 24 KI7UNJ 49 KE9AJ 74 WA9JBQ 99 WN9Q 25 DJ8MS 50 F5VMJ 75 VK5DG 100 V55QO [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap 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 August 25, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources. This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page 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. + Upcoming Contacts Bowman Middle School, Bakersville, NC, direct via W4GUZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ The ARISS mentor is AA6TB Contact is go for: Mon 2023-08-28 14:38:46 UTC Augusta Preparatory Day School, Augusta, GA, direct via K4RGK The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB The ARISS mentor is AA4KN Contact is go for: Thu 2023-08-31 13:51:28 UTC The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down). As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. 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, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th). From Nina: We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th. Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition. Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC. Stay tuned! To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for the latest roving information to become available at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations. A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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. + AMSAT-DL Festive Conference & Symposium (50 Years) September 15-17, 2023 Bochum Observatory Blankensteiner Str. 200A, 44797 Bochum, Germany + 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention October 14-15, 2023 Kents Hill Park Conference Centre Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Russia's Luna-25 mission, launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome on August 10, has encountered failure as its spacecraft crashed into the Moon's surface during an attempt to land at the lunar south pole. This marks Russia's first lunar mission since 1976. The intended target was the Boguslawsky Crater near the south pole, and the spacecraft was equipped with instruments, including a robotic arm, to search for water ice up to 50 centimeters below the surface. The failure occurred after a command was sent to lower the craft's orbit, resulting in a loss of communication on August 19. Roscosmos confirmed the craft's collision with the lunar surface on August 20. Roscosmos plans to follow Luna-25 with a lunar orbiter, called Luna-26, and then two more landing missions: Luna-27, which will send a drilling rig to the lunar surface; and Luna-28, a sample-collection mission that aims to return material from the moon's polar regions to Earth. [ANS thanks Elizabeth Howell, Staff Writer for Spaceflight.com, for the above information] + On August 23, 2023, the Progress MS-24 cargo ship launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying 2.5 tons of cargo for the International Space Station (ISS). This mission marked the third out of four Progress cargo ships planned for 2023. The cargo ship, designated as Progress MS-24, was launched using a Soyuz-2-1a rocket from Launch Pad 6 at Site 31 in Baikonur. It followed a sequence of stages, with successful booster separations, fairing jettisoning, and third-stage ignition, ultimately inserting the cargo ship into an initial parking orbit. Progress MS-24 arrived at the International Space Station’s aft port of the Zvezda service module at 11:45 p.m. EDT on August 24. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. [ANS thanks RussianSpaceWeb.com for the above information] + Brown University students successfully demonstrated a low-cost solution to address space debris by reentering their cube satellite, SBUDNIC, into Earth's atmosphere. The satellite, developed by an academically diverse team, including undergraduates led by alumni Marco Cross and faculty member Rick Fleeter, deployed a plastic drag sail made from Kapton polyimide. This sail, acting like an umbrella, aided the satellite's descent and contributed to its early reentry. SBUDNIC was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter 5 mission and reentered the atmosphere after just 445 days, about five years earlier than planned. The project's success highlights the potential for cost-effective measures to combat space junk and reduce the risk it poses to space vehicles. [ANS thanks Brown University for the above information] + NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft (STEREO-A), launched in October 2006, far outlived its mission life span of two years. Its orbital trajectory around the sun meant that it had a chance to do what very few other NASA spacecraft could: eventually make its way back toward home. This month, when STEREO-A passes between the sun and the Earth for the first time since its launch, it will be used to perform new research on the sun, aided by newer NASA satellites that have been developed more recently. When STEREO-A was launched, it viewed the sun during a solar minimum. That limited the number of coronal mass ejections and other phenomena that the spacecraft initially observed. This year, STEREO-A’s return has coincided with a period of intense solar activity. Earthbound instruments can only ever observe one Earth-facing slice of the sun at a time, while the rest of the rapidly changing solar surface remains obscured. The STEREO spacecraft, from its offset position, allowed scientists to capture a 360-degree view of the sun for the first time, research that is ongoing as long as this old bird continues to perform. (ANS thanks the Washington Post for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ ad0hj [at] amsat.org

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ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 19 Aug '23

19 Aug '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-232 In this edition: * Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers * Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 [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/ ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 August 20 Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include: – AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20 – 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21 – Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20 – AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21 – AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22 Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year: – Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75 – Saturday Evening Banquet $55 – Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15 EVENT REGISTRATION You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is: Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy. Irving, TX 75063 972-929-8400 Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22. – Standard room with single King bed is **SOLD OUT** ACT FAST! GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW! – Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00* * Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15% For Phone Hotel Reservations: Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE. For Online Hotel Reservations click on this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566… Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com. We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers Papers are now being acceptedfor the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org [ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft The headlines are sensational, although a bit exaggerated: "Ham Radio 'hacks' NASA Satellite". While the phrase is eye-catching for social media, the truth is just as exciting. Amateur radio astronomer Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has made contact with NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft, which passed Earth for the first time in 17 years. The STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft was launched on October 25, 2006, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with its twin sister ship, STEREO-B. Both spacecraft were on a mission to circle behind the and send images back to Earth so scientists could make 3D models of solar activity. In 2014, STEREO-B failed and was not heard from again. "I'm having fun with STEREO-A," Tilley reported to Spaceweather.com. "The spacecraft is close to Earth this summer, and I can now receive its signal using a small 26-inch dish in my backyard." Scott Tilley's, VE7TIL, dish antenna for receiving NASA STEREO-A spacecraft. [Photo courtesy of Scott Tilley] Tilley began hearing rumors that other radio operators were picking up signals from STEREO-A on 8443.580 MHz. He decided to check it out. "The central carrier is very loud, almost 30 dB above the noise," he said. "I also noticed data sidebands, which are unusual to see on such a distant object for my small antenna." Tilley was able to decode and demodulate STEREO-A's signal using a special program written by Alan Antonie, F4LAU, known as SatDump, and now, he is monitoring almost all of STEREO-A's science instruments, including its Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI), two coronagraphs (COR1 and COR2), the heliospheric imager (HI), and a solar radio burst receiver (S/WAVES). STEREO-A's closest approach to Earth was scheduled to occur on August 17, 2023. Amateur radio operators who would like to monitor STEREO-A can check out Tilley's technical blog for more information. [Thanks to Spaceweather.com and NASA for updated information in this story]] [ANS thanks the ARRL 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 August 18, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: STEMforGIRLS, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, telebridge via K6DUE (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is go for: Wed 2023-08-23 15:24:59 UTC 47 deg (***) Australian Air League - South Australia Group, Salisbury, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ Contact is go for: Fri 2023-08-25 09:11:46 UTC 51 deg Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame. * Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. 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, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th). From Nina: We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th. Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition. Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC. Stay tuned! [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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. AMSAT Ambassador Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ will be at the Northern Plains Regional Radio Council (NPRRC) Hamfest in Brewster, Minnesota on Saturday, August 26, 2023. You can expect to find him engaging in discussions about amateur radio satellite operations at the AMSAT table or presenting live satellite demonstrations just across the street at Brewster City Park. Targeted demonstration passes will be on linear satellite RS-44 at 1434Z (fixed uplink 145.945 MHz) and the TEVEL FM satellites between 1630Z and 1700Z. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPRRC for additional information about the NPRRC Hamfest. + Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention August 25-27, 2023 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel Marlboro, MA https://hamxposition.org/ + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + RS-44 has returned to service after a multi-day outage this past week. There is no definitive word on the cause of the outage. + Woody Hoburg, KB3HTZ, was active as NA1SS from the ISS, utilizing the FM repeater, on Monday, August 14th around 1900 UTC and Wednesday, August 16th around 2100 UTC (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information) + NASA released its updated Software Catalog for 2023-2024, containing more than 1,000 programs for mission analysis, disaster response, spacecraft testing, data analytics, and more. Access restrictions apply to some software that may be limited to use by U.S. citizens or for U.S. government purposes only. Review the catalog online at: http://software.nasa.gov (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and NASA for the above information) + NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The unpiloted spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 01:08 UTC on Wednesday, Aug. 23 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress spacecraft will be placed into a two-day, 34-orbit journey to the station, leading to an automatic docking to the Zvezda module at 03:50 UTC Friday, Aug. 25. As always, amateur radio operation aboard the ISS is suspended during docking maneuvers. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + India's Chandrayan-3 moon lander completed another lunar-orbit reduction burn and entered a 100 km circular polar lunar orbit ahead of a landing attempt next week. It is projected that the Indian craft will land two days after Russia's Luna-25 lander. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-225 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 13
by Mark Johns, K0JM 12 Aug '23

12 Aug '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-225 In this edition: * AM1SAT Satellite Contest, September 2023 * Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * International AMSAT Conferences Taking Place * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * SpaceX Crew 8 Mission to Include Three U.S. Radio Amateurs * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 [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/ ANS-225 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Aug 13 AM1SAT Satellite Contest, September 2023 AMSAT-EA will be on the air on all available satellites with the callsigns AM1SAT and AM2023SAT from September 4th to 17th, 2023 to celebrate the fourth edition of the AM1SAT trophy contest as part of the URE activities within the IberRadio 2023 event, the largest one in the world of amateur radio in Spain and Portugal (http://www.iberradio.es), and which will open its doors during the weekend of 16-17 in Avila, a city near Madrid, capital of Spain. The AMSAT-EA operators will activate the aforementioned callsigns from the different states and autonomous cities of Spain during the said period of time and with the objective in this edition to promote contacts with the maximum number of them. As part of this activity and to encourage participation, SILVER and GOLD diplomas will be available for the different modalities of satellites according to their footprint and orbital height, LEO, MEO (IO-117 satellite) and GEO (QO-100 satellite), as well as a trophy for the station that works the greatest number of states in the total number of available satellites and another trophy for the one that contacts the greatest number of states on the satellite with the largest footprint and coverage (in this case, IO-117). These trophies will be physically sent at no cost to the winners. The third edition of the AM1SAT satellite contest, in 2021, finished with 1327 QSOs including GEO and LEO contacts, with 57 different radio-countries, using 20 satellites and with the participation of 419 different competitors (callsigns). Full rules can be found here: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13570625/AM1SAT+CONTEST+2023+-+RULES.… [ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include: - AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20 - 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21 - Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20 - AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21 - AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22 Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year: - Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75 - Saturday Evening Banquet $55 - Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15 EVENT REGISTRATION You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is: Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy. Irving, TX 75063 972-929-8400 Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22. - Standard room with single King bed is **SOLD OUT** ACT FAST! GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW! - Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00* * Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15% For Phone Hotel Reservations: Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE. For Online Hotel Reservations click on this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566… Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com. We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space. [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ International AMSAT Conferences Taking Place + AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce that the 2023 Colloquium will take place alongside the RSGB Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes on the weekend of 14/15th October 2023. Full details of the Colloquium will be made available nearer the time on the AMSAT-UK website at https://amsat-uk.org As in previous years, the AMSAT-UK Colloquium will run as a separate stream within the RSGB Convention and will include presentations on a variety of satellite and space related topics. Entrance to the RSGB Convention is managed by the RSGB and you will be required to purchase Day Tickets for the Saturday and/or Sunday to attend the AMSAT-UK Colloquium. These can be booked via the RSGB website at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention/ Early bird discounts are being offered by the RSGB via their website. + AMSAT-DL was founded in 1973, so this year we can look back on 50 years of space exploration. We have taken this as an opportunity to put this year’s symposium in a special setting. Ticket sales are now available at https://shop.amsat-dl.org/. The festive conference and symposium will be held Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17, 2023. With a view to the 50-year history of AMSAT-Germany and its mission of promoting amateur radio via satellites, the celebratory conference “From OSCAR 10 to OSCAR 100: 50 years of AMSAT-DL in service to science, research and education” will take place at the Bochum Observatory radome. Accomodations are limited, and the booking of the overnight stays is only possible via the AMSAT-DL store. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/ticket-sales-festive-conference-50-years-amsat-dl/ for more information. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-DL 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 August 11 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: ATHENOXAT-1 NORAD Cat ID 41168 decayed from orbit on 8 August 2023 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX Crew 8 Mission to Include Three U.S. Radio Amateurs Four crew members now are assigned to launch on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station. NASA made the announcement on August 4. NASA astronauts Commander Matthew Dominick, KC0TOR; Pilot Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ; and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin, will join Expedition 70 and 71 crew members aboard the station in early 2024 to conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017. He is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego, California, and a master’s in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is an active-duty U.S. Navy astronaut. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, and then served as a test pilot specializing in testing landing on and catapult launches from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. This will be Barratt’s third trip to the space station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. He has spent a total of 212 days in space. Born in Vancouver, Washington, he Considers Camas, Washington, to be his hometown. Barratt earned a bachelor’s in zoology from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a doctor of medicine from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He completed residencies in internal medicine at Northwestern and aerospace medicine along with a master’s degree at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. After nine years as a NASA flight surgeon and project physician, Barratt joined the astronaut corps in 2000. This also will be Epps’ first trip to the space station. She is from Syracuse, New York, and earned a bachelor’s in physics from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, and a master’s in science and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining NASA, she worked at Ford Motor Company and the Central Intelligence Agency. She was selected as an astronaut in July 2009, and has served on the Generic Joint Operation Panel working on space station crew efficiency, as a crew support astronaut for two expeditions, and as lead capsule communicator in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Epps previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA reassigned Epps to allow Boeing time to complete development of Starliner while also continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for future mission needs. Grebenkin, who graduated from Irkutsk High Military Aviation School, Irkutsk, Russia, majoring in engineering, maintenance, and repair of aircraft radio navigation systems, also is flying on his first mission. He graduated from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in radio communications, broadcasting, and television. This is the eighth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil. [ANS thanks NASA and ARISS 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. No contacts are currently scheduled due to summer school holidays. The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down). As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. 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, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Lyle, WB7VUF will be in CN73 –and possibly CN83- 12th-13th Aug. Email or DM for skeds. Phillipe, EA4NF will be QRV as KE4NF from EL94 10th-13th Aug; then EL95 21st-22nd Aug. Pass details as they become available. Nina, DL2GRC, and family will do a 2 weeks Iceland holiday. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th. Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition. Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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. + Huntsville Hamfest August 19 & 20, 2023 Von Braun Center South Hall 700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL 35801 More information at: https://hamfest.org/ + Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention August 25-27, 2023 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel Marlboro, MA More information at: https://hamxposition.org/ + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 More information at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Crew members who will soon fly aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission will enter quarantine Friday in one of the major milestones before they head to the launch site in Florida to start their mission to the International Space Station. The process of flight crew health stabilization is a routine part of final preparations for all missions to the space station. Spending the final two weeks before liftoff in quarantine will help ensure Crew-7 members are healthy, as well as protect the astronauts already on the space station. Commander Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL; Danish ESA pilot Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ; JAXA mission specialist Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW; and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are now scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on August 25. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Two Russian Cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk on August 9 Wednesday to to attach three debris shields to the Rassvet module on the International Space Station. Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin also tested the sturdiness of a work platform that will be affixed to the end of the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. NASA livestreamed the seven hour spacewalk on YouTube, its website and on the NASA app. As always, ARISS amateur radio operations were suspended during the EVA. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information) + Russia reignited its moon exploration program on August 10, sending a lander toward Earth's nearest neighbor. The Luna-25 mission lifted off at 23:10 GMT after being delayed for nearly two years. The launch picked up where the former Soviet Union left off in 1976, when Luna-24 successfully delivered about 6.2 ounces (170 grams) of moon samples to Earth. But that was then. Luna-25 is the first domestically produced moon probe in modern Russian history. If all goes according to plan, Luna-25 will spend the next five days journeying to the moon, then circle the natural satellite for another five to seven days. The spacecraft will then set down in the moon's south polar region, near Boguslawsky Crater. Once down safe and sound, Luna-25 will work on the lunar surface for at least one Earth year. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + Also in the race to land on the moon, India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander has returned its first images from the moon after entering orbit around our nearest neighbor. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the images on Sunday, August 6, showing that the spacecraft had reached its destination ahead of a lunar landing attempt expected on Aug. 23. If it's successful, India will join the United States, the former Soviet Union and China as the only nations to perform a soft lunar landing. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + Virgin Galactic conducted its second-ever commercial mission on August 10, setting a number of spaceflight records in the process. The company launched its "Galactic 02" flight, sending six people to suborbital space and back. Four of them were women, setting a new mark for most women on a single spaceflight, according to Virgin Galactic. They included the first mother-daughter duo (one of whom became the youngest-ever spaceflyer), as well as the first former Olympian, to reach space. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for August 6, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 05 Aug '23

05 Aug '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-218 In this edition: * Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * AMSAT at Huntsville Hamfest August 19-20, 2023 * IARU Coordinates Two Digipeating Satellites * VUCC Satellite Standing August 2023 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 4, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 [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/ ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Aug 06 Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include: - AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20 - 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21 - Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20 - AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21 - AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22 Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year: - Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75 - Saturday Evening Banquet $55 - Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15 EVENT REGISTRATION You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is: Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy. Irving, TX 75063 972-929-8400 Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22. - Standard room with single King bed is $137.00* - Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00* * Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15% For Phone Hotel Reservations: Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE. For Online Hotel Reservations click on this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566… Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com. We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT at Huntsville Hamfest August 19-20, 2023 Planning to attend the Huntsville Hamfest later this month? Be sure to find the AMSAT folks and say "Hello!" Attending the Hamfest will be AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL. Robert will be pleased to share the latest news about the progress on major programs such as the Fox-Plus series of LEO satellites and the GOLF series of HEO satellites. Robert should have an assortment of antennas and AMSAT bling available. Thinking of joining AMSAT or do you need to renew your membership? You can take care of that at Huntsville, too. The Huntsville Hamvention will be held August 19-20, 2023 at the Von Braun Center South Hall, 700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Coordinates Two Digipeating Satellites The IARU has recently coordinated frequencies for two European digipeating satellites scheduled for launch later in 2023. + Veronika From the Technical University of Kosice, Veronika is a 1U CubeSat scheduled for launch on a Falcon 9 launcher on the Transporter 9 mission in October 2023. The satellite will be equipped with a 24/7 digipeater on two different bands, as well as experimental SSDV transmissions. The satellite also has an education and outreach mission in that it is planned to involve Slovak grammar and high schools and to transmit special CW and AX.25 messages on several special occasions. From a platform perspective, the satellite will be equipped with a novel ADCS subsystem, including electromagnetic actuators and a GNSS receiver. This will also help to identify the satellite during the first days and weeks. The satellite will communicate o using Spacemanic's well-known Murgas transceivers (BDSat-1, BDSat-2, Planetum-1). Altogether, Veronika will provide: AX.25 telemetry; a CW beacon; a digipeater; AX.25 & CW messages on special occasions for community engagement; Experimental SSDV transmissions; and SATNOGS integration, decoder and dashboard. A downlink on 436.680 MHz has been coordinated and will use 9k6 G3RUH AX.25 and a CW beacon. Planning a SpaceX launch on Transporter 9 mission in Q4 2023 to a 500/600km polar orbit . More info at https://om3ksi.tuke.sk/en/home/. + ROM-3 From the Romanian Radioamateur Federation, ROM-3 is a 50 x 50 x100mm picosat with three missions and objectives. Its primary mission is to act as a digital amateur radio repeater. Its secondary mission is to transmit low-resolution SSDV images in a GFSK Mode. The tertiary mission is to transmit a CW beacon that will help amateur radio operators detect the presence of the satellite and measure basic properties of the signals such as its strength, fading due to spin, Doppler to measure speed, etc. A downlink on 436.235 MHz has been coordinated for 20 wpm CW, 500bps GFSK telemetry and 5kbps GFSK SSDV. Planning a SpaceX launch in October or November 2023 into a 500km polar orbit. More info at https://rom-space.ro/. [ANS thanks the IARU 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standing August 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for July 01, 2023 to August 01, 2023. AA5PK 1324 1350 N8RO 1317 1323 N0JE 950 975 PS8ET 726 925 F4BKV 800 900 DF2ET 752 862 KN2K 750 804 EA2AA 756 778 KQ4DO 710 750 WD9EWK (DM43) 727 734 AF5CC 644 646 FG8OJ 600 635 XE1MYO 525 575 N8MR 528 557 VE4MM 508 536 A65BR 436 455 IK7FMQ 304 426 AB1OC 371 400 K8BL 297 300 PA7RA 299 300 N3CAL 247 270 N6PAZ 241 247 W7BMD 100 208 ZS2BK 176 186 JE2UFF 158 185 KB9DAK 164 171 AG4W New 161 N9XG New 151 JI1SIE New 107 Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. AG4W is first VUCC Satellite holder from EM64 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, 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 August 4, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Shaonian Xing NORAD Cat ID 43199 decayed from orbit on 30 July 2023 FIREBIRD FU3 NORAD Cat ID 40377 decayed from orbit on 31 July 2023 FIREBIRD FU4 NORAD Cat ID 40378 decayed from orbit on 01 August 2023 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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. + Completed Contacts Baltasi airfield school in the Baltasinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P. The ISS callsign was RSÃ˜ISS. The crewmember was Andrei Fedyaev . The ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at 14:02 UTC. Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor was ON6TI. Contact was successful on Monday, July 31, 2023 at 08:16 UTC. Karasuyama Residents Center, Setagaya, Japan, direct via JA1ZSH. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor was 7M3TJZ. Contact was successful on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 09:26 UTC. The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down). As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. 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, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations EN67 & EN56; August 4-12, 2023 N8MR will be in EN57 roving to EN67 and EN56 August 4-12. Mike says to listening for DX. He prefers linear satellites. Skeds posted via @GridMasterHeat Sked depends on wx, etc. All QSOs to LoTW using N8MR (no /p, /r). FK87 & FK88; August 6, 2023 FG8OJ, Burt will begin his Caribbean rove of FJ/PJ6/FS and PJ7 on August 6. Additional info will be available on hams.at. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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. + Small Satellite Conference August 5-10, 2023 Utah State University, Logan, UT More information at: https://smallsat.org/ + Huntsville Hamfest August 19 & 20, 2023 Von Braun Center South Hall 700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL 35801 More information at: https://hamfest.org/ + Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention August 25-27, 2023 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel Marlboro, MA More information at: https://hamxposition.org/ + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 More information at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, is tracking Chandrayan 3, India's lunar lander in its highly eccentric orbit. Follow him live at https://www.youtube.com/live/UYJ1x9NUYTU?feature=share [ANS thanks Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE, for the above information.] + SpaceX launched the world's heaviest commercial communications satellite atop a Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday. The triple-core rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A with the Jupiter 3/EchoStar 24 satellite at 11:04 p.m. EDT. The booster carried EchoStar's Jupiter-3 (EchoStar-24) communications satellite, which weighs in at over 9,000 kg (198,416 lb.). It is the largest communication satellite ever launched to geostationary orbit. Jupiter-3, which was built by Maxar Technologies, will support Internet connectivity across North and South America, in-flight Wi-Fi, community Wi-Fi services, maritime connections, enterprise networks, and backhaul for mobile network operators. [ANS thanks parabolicarc.com for the above information.] + Voyager 2 has reestablished communication with Earth and is operating normally. NASA's long-running Voyager 2 mission, which launched from Earth in 1977 and is currently about 12.4 billion miles from Earth, lost contact with our planet after a set of commands accidentally moved Voyager 2's antenna two degrees away from Earth on July 28. A "heartbeat" signal was picked up on Tuesday, August 1. according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), letting mission controllers know the probe was still healthy despite being unable to communicate fully with it. Voyager 2 is programmed to automatically reset its orientation a few times a year in case of troubles like this, but the next window would have been in October. On Friday, August 4, JPL announced in a mission update that NASA's Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia was able to send a command into interstellar space that reoriented the spacecraft and pointed its antenna back towards Earth. Mission controllers had to wait 37 hours to learn if the command was successful. And it was. "The spacecraft began returning science and telemetry data, indicating it is operating normally and that it remains on its expected trajectory," JPL said in the statement. [ANS thanks space.com for the above information.] + The ISS briefly lost communication with ground control due to a power outage at Johnson Space Center and had to use its backup control systems for the first time. A power outage at NASA's building in Houston disrupted communication between mission control and the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, July 25. Space station program manager Joel Montalbano said neither the astronauts nor station were ever in any danger and that backup control systems took over to restore normal communications within 90 minutes. "It wasn't an issue on board. That was purely a ground problem," he said. "At no time was the crew or the vehicle in any danger." [ANS thanks The Orbital Index and The Guardian for the above information.] + The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a satellite spectrum licensing reform bill after House Science Committee leadership did not want to grant the FCC authority to regulate space debris/traffic management, since, in their opinion, doing so would divert from its primary responsibility of spectrum allocation. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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