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ANS-012 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 11 Jan '25

11 Jan '25

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-012 In this edition: * India Launches SpaDeX Satellites with Amateur Radio Experiment * Parker Solar Probe Achieves Closest-Ever Approach to the Sun * 3D-Printed Helicone Antenna Tested for L-Band Weather Satellites * Cold War Mystery: Why Did Jimmy Carter Save the Space Shuttle? * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 10, 2025 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 https://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<http://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-012 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2025 Jan 12 ________________________________ India Launches SpaDeX Satellites with Amateur Radio Experiment India has launched the SpaDeX mission, designed to perform the country's first autonomous docking experiment in space. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) carried two SpaDeX satellites into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on December 30, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 UTC). The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sees this mission as a step toward supporting future Moon missions and building a space station. The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) consists of two 220-kilogram (485 pound) satellites, the Target and Chaser, which will test rendezvous and docking procedures. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath confirmed the satellites were placed in the correct orbit after launch. The first docking attempt is expected to occur in the next several days. The mission will assess the transfer of power between the docked spacecraft and evaluate dual-spacecraft control capabilities. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ISRO-SpaDeX-Sate…] The SpaDeX mission will be India's first attempt at rendezvous and autonomously docking two spacecraft. [Credit: ISRO<https://www.isro.gov.in/>] In addition to the docking experiment, the mission includes the POEM-4 (PS4-Orbital Experimental Module), which carries 24 payloads. These include a robotic arm demonstration and a debris capture manipulator. The robotic arm will test mobility for tasks in orbit, while the debris capture manipulator will attempt to retrieve tethered objects in an effort to address space debris. One of the payloads aboard POEM-4 is the BGS ARPIT, an amateur radio project developed by the SJC Institute of Technology, the Upagrah Amateur Radio Club (VU2URC), and AMSAT-India to support educational activities and celebrate India's 75th year of independence. This payload can transmit images via Slow Scan Television (SSTV), audio messages, and telemetry data on 145.870 MHz, and it also functions as an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. Approved for IARU frequency coordination on December 22, 2024, BGS ARPIT completed its first SSTV transmission period on January 10th, with more trial periods sure to come soon. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AMSAT-INDIA-BGS-…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AMSAT-INDIA-BGS-…> Watch for BGS ARPIT SSTV announcements from @nitin_vu2jek<https://x.com/nitin_vu2jek> on X<https://x.com/home>. [Credit: SJC Institute of Technology<https://sjcit.ac.in/>] The autonomous docking technology tested in SpaDeX is crucial for ISRO's planned Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission, which aims to return samples from the Moon's south pole. Docking capabilities will enable the transfer of samples to a return capsule in lunar orbit. This technology is also essential for the assembly and operation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, India's planned space station. The SpaDeX mission includes payloads developed by ISRO and collaborators from universities and startups. The experiments focus on areas like satellite servicing, space debris management, and educational outreach. The mission serves as a platform to advance technologies needed for India's space exploration goals. [ANS thanks the Tariq Malik, Space.com<https://www.space.com/>, and AMSAT-India<https://x.com/amsatindia>, for the above information] ________________________________ Parker Solar Probe Achieves Closest-Ever Approach to the Sun NASA's Parker Solar Probe reached a significant milestone on December 24, 2024, by coming within 3.8 million miles of the sun's surface-the closest a human-made object has ever traveled toward a star. The spacecraft confirmed its survival through a signal received at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) on December 26. This marks another step forward in the mission's effort to study the sun and its influence on the solar system. The probe, traveling at 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kilometers per hour), continues to push the limits of solar exploration. The mission allows the spacecraft to gather data from regions of the sun that were previously out of reach. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said, "By studying the sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe." This close approach opens the door for new measurements that could refine knowledge about solar wind, coronal heating, and other fundamental processes. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NASA_Parker_Sola…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NASA_Parker_Sola…> NASA's Parker Solar Probe during pre-launch testing at Astrotech located in Titusville, Florida. [Credit: NASA<https://www.nasa.gov/>/Johns Hopkins APL<https://www.jhuapl.edu/>] Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe used seven Venus flybys to adjust its orbit and approach the sun. Its current orbit brings it near the sun every three months. A carbon foam heat shield, designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,600°F (1430°C), protects the spacecraft's instruments, which remain at a stable temperature. During its latest encounter, the shield endured temperatures of 1,800°F (980°C), demonstrating the durability of its design and construction. The spacecraft has already provided valuable data about solar phenomena. It has observed magnetic field structures called switchbacks, which help explain plasma heating and acceleration. Adam Szabo, mission scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, noted, "This close approach will give us more data to understand how the solar wind is accelerated closer in." Measurements from within the solar corona offer new perspectives on how energy and particles move through this region. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/John_Hopkins_APL…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/John_Hopkins_APL…> Johns Hopkins APL confirmed that the Parker Solar Probe survived its close approach to the sun. [Credit: NASA<https://www.nasa.gov/>/Johns Hopkins APL<https://www.jhuapl.edu/>] The Parker Solar Probe has also contributed to studies of Venus, detecting thermal emissions from its surface and capturing images of its orbital dust ring. These observations highlight the spacecraft's ability to gather insights beyond its primary mission. Data from the recent solar pass will soon be transmitted to Earth, providing additional information for researchers. Future solar passes are scheduled for March 22 and June 19, 2025. Ralph Semmel, John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Director, emphasized the team's efforts, stating, "Their incredible technological breakthroughs enabled this amazing mission, and they have delivered critical new insights that are revolutionizing our understanding of heliophysics and space weather." As part of NASA's Living With a Star program, the Parker Solar Probe continues to investigate the relationship between the sun and the Earth, providing valuable knowledge for science and society. [ANS thanks the Michael Buckley and Mara Johnson-Groh, Johns Hopkins University<https://hub.jhu.edu/> for the above information] ________________________________ The 2025 AMSAT President's Club Coins Have Just Arrived! Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-PC-Coin-2-S…] Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus. Join<https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT President's Club today! ________________________________ 3D-Printed Helicone Antenna Tested for L-Band Weather Satellites Gabe Emerson, KL1FI, the creator behind the YouTube channel saveitforparts<https://www.youtube.com/@saveitforparts> has unveiled a new video highlighting a 3D-printable helical antenna for receiving weather data from polar-orbiting L-band satellites such as NOAA and Meteor. Designed by a user named t0nito<https://www.thingiverse.com/t0nito>, the 1.7 GHz HRPT Helicone Antenna design is freely available on Thingiverse. Its compact size, straightforward assembly, and effective performance have the potential to make it a hit among amateur radio and satellite enthusiasts. The manual, instructions, and 3D printer files can be accessed at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6436342. The video begins with the challenges encountered during the printing process. Early attempts at creating the antenna's helical scaffold were plagued by warping issues in the support legs, resulting in several failed prints. To address this, the original 3D model was modified to include additional center supports, ensuring a stable print. Once the printing phase was complete, the assembly process involved wrapping wire around a two-inch pipe, crafting a reflector from metal window screen, and piecing everything together. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Saveitforparts-T…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Saveitforparts-T…> Gabe gives build suggestions for the 1.7 GHz Helicone antenna after completing the initial antenna assembly. [Credit: saveitforparts<https://www.youtube.com/@saveitforparts>] Testing the completed antenna proved its effectiveness. Using an RTL-SDR receiver and the SatDump software, Gabe successfully received data from the NOAA-18 HRPT satellite. By manually tracking the satellite, clear and detailed weather images, including nighttime thermal and infrared captures, were obtained, showcasing the antenna's capability for high-quality data reception. Designed with simplicity in mind, the Helicone antenna features a Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) configuration. Instead of relying on screws, the assembly process used hot glue and materials such as copper wire and sheet metal were sourced from everyday household items. These choices highlight its accessibility and affordability for hobbyists of all experience levels. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Saveitforparts-H…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Saveitforparts-H…> The Helicone antenna provided similar results when compared with a larger L-band dish antenna. [Credit: saveitforparts<https://www.youtube.com/@saveitforparts>] A performance comparison with an existing motorized tracking antenna revealed that the Helicone delivered comparable signal strength and image quality. While hand-tracking limited its functionality, its portability and ease of use were standout features. The lightweight design and straightforward assembly make it an ideal choice for amateur satellite enthusiasts looking for a practical and cost-effective solution. Gabe concludes with praise for the antenna's design and a call to action for viewers to try building one themselves. Future enhancements, such as integrating the Helicone with a motorized tracking system, are already being considered. For now, this detailed guide offers an excellent starting point for satellite hobbyists eager to explore affordable and efficient ways to receive weather data from orbiting satellites. The video titled "This 3D-Printed Satellite Antenna Is Fantastic!" can be found on the saveitforparts<https://www.youtube.com/@saveitforparts> YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/PFQ6UKulxSo. [ANS thanks Gabe Emerson, KL1FI, and RTL-SDR.com,<https://www.rtl-sdr.com/> for the above information] ________________________________ Cold War Mystery: Why Did Jimmy Carter Save the Space Shuttle? The Space Shuttle program, an enduring symbol of American ingenuity, came perilously close to cancellation in the late 1970s. With the recent passing of Jimmy Carter at age 100, a fascinating story has resurfaced: how the 39th president, despite his well-known skepticism toward manned spaceflight, played a critical role in rescuing the program. This surprising twist in Cold War history highlights Carter's pragmatism and the complex interplay between space exploration and geopolitics during his presidency. This story first emerged during an interview with Chris Kraft, the former NASA Johnson Space Center director and a key architect of the Apollo program. Kraft recounted a critical 1978 meeting at NASA's Houston headquarters, where dire financial constraints threatened the shuttle's future. By then, the program was years behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. Faced with insufficient funding, NASA leaders considered two bleak options: securing a massive funding boost or relegating the shuttle to a mere research vehicle, incapable of fulfilling its ambitious mission to deliver payloads into orbit. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Space_Shuttle_Co…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Space_Shuttle_Co…> NASA launched the first space shuttle, Columbia, on April 12, 1981, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [Credit: NASA<https://www.nasa.gov/>] NASA Administrator Robert Frosch took the crisis to Washington, presenting President Carter with a stark ultimatum. Carter, known for his ambivalence toward manned spaceflight, surprised everyone by asking, "How much do you need?" According to Kraft, Carter's decision was influenced by recent discussions with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev during Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Carter reportedly highlighted the shuttle's capability to verify Soviet compliance with arms agreements, a claim that underscored its national security value. While some details of this account remain disputed, Carter's administration approved supplemental funding in 1979 and 1980, effectively saving the shuttle program. Carter's support for the shuttle is striking given his prior skepticism about its purpose. Early in his presidency, Carter dismissed the shuttle as a "contrivance to keep NASA alive." His vice president, Walter Mondale, had also labeled the program a "senseless extravaganza." Yet, by the late 1970s, escalating Cold War tensions reframed the shuttle's significance. A key memo from the National Security Council emphasized the shuttle's strategic value, arguing that canceling the program would undermine national pride and technological leadership. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jimmy_Carter_Vis…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jimmy_Carter_Vis…> Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, and Amy Carter touring Kennedy Space Center on October 1, 1978. [Credit: NASA<https://www.nasa.gov/>] While some NASA officials, including Shuttle Program Manager Robert Thompson, downplayed the risk of cancellation, the financial reality was grim. Development of critical components, such as the shuttle's main engines and thermal protection tiles, was years behind schedule. Without Carter's intervention, the shuttle might never have achieved its iconic role, flying 135 missions over three decades and laying the groundwork for the International Space Station. In later reflections, Carter acknowledged his lack of enthusiasm for human space exploration but defended his decision to fund the shuttle. "I didn't want to waste the money already invested," he explained, noting that he discussed the shuttle's peaceful intentions with Brezhnev during SALT II negotiations. While Carter's motivations may have been rooted in pragmatism and diplomacy, his actions ensured the shuttle's place in history. Despite his mixed legacy on space policy, Carter's pivotal role in salvaging the shuttle underscores his capacity to recognize the broader implications of technological leadership during a turbulent era. [ANS thanks Eric Berger, Ars Technica<https://arstechnica.com/>, for the above information] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!<https://www.amsat.org/shop/> [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack1-300x298.png]<https://www.amsat.org/product/m2-leo-pack-antenna-system/> 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 10, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. NOTICE: In an effort to minimize confusion between sources of two line element sets, AMSAT is adopting the convention of listing the USSF/NORAD Satellite Catalog name first, followed by any secondary name or names in parentheses. For example this week "POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT)" was added where "POEM 4" is the name that appears in the USSF Satellite Catalog, and "BGS ARPIT" is the name best known within the amateur satellite community. Expect name changes for affected satellites in the coming weeks as this change is fully implemented. The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT) NORAD Cat ID 46495 The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: PRISM (HITOMI) NORAD Cat ID 33493 Likely defunct YUBELEINY 2 (RS-40) NORAD Cat ID 33735 Likely defunct CHUBUSAT-2 NORAD Cat ID 41338 Likely defunct CHUBUSAT-3 NORAD Cat ID 41339 Likely defunct PRATHAM NORAD Cat ID 41783 Likely defunct D-SAT NORAD Cat ID 42794 Likely defunct RANGE-B NORAD Cat ID 43772 Likely defunct CySat-1 NORAD Cat ID 61501 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 January 2025 MRC-100 NORAD Cat ID 56993 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 January 2025 [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements<https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/> 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 Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) and Vermont School, Mexico City, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague KG5TMV The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD Contact is go for: Fri 2025-01-17 17:00:18 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 8R, GUYANA: Watch out for Aldir, PY1SAD, signing 8R1TM from Georgetown between Jan. 1 and Feb. 8. QRV on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via satellites. QSL direct via Home Call, LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com<http://qrz.com/>. NA-057; HR, BAHIA ISLANDS: Alex, K6VHF, returns to Roatan Isl. and operates as K6VHF/HR9 between the 5th and 12th. QRV on 160-6m and via RS-44 satellite. QSL via K6VHF (d/B), ClubLog OQRS, LoTW, eQSL. 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<https://x.com/k5zm_>, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 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. Cowtown Hamfest / 2025 ARRL North Texas Section Convention - January 17th thru 18th, 2025 Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center 6901 Wichita Street Forest Hill, TX (Fort Worth) https://www.cowtownhamfest.com/ N5HYP Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society TechFest - February 1st, 2025 Gwinnett County Fairgrounds Expo Center Building 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30045 http://www.techfest.info/ K4RGK HamCation 2025 / ARRL Southeastern Division Convention - February 7th thru February 9th, 2025 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ KE4AL Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention - February 20th thru 22nd, 2025 Yuma County Fairgrounds 2520 East 32nd Street Yuma, AZ 85365 https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL<https://x.com/kyharleyfan>, Director - AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information] ________________________________ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store<https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AMSAT-Car-Flag-e…]<https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_car_flag-256716714380264543> Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Eutelsat's OneWeb internet constellation experienced a 48-hour outage starting on December 31, 2024, due to a software glitch likely caused by failing to account for the leap year. The issue disrupted internet services but was resolved once the root cause, a ground segment software problem, was identified and addressed. Eutelsat operates over 630 satellites and has been building the OneWeb constellation since 2020 to provide global high-speed internet, targeting business clients rather than direct consumers. The company faced challenges in launching its satellites due to strained relations with Roscosmos following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forcing it to rely on SpaceX and India for launches. Despite completing its constellation in 2023, regulatory delays in countries like India and Turkey have prevented global broadband coverage, leaving services available only in limited regions. Eutelsat is now planning to update its constellation with 100 new satellites by Airbus, aiming for improved reliability and full global service rollout by spring 2025. (ANS thanks Gizmodo<https://gizmodo.com/> for the above information) + Florida's Space Coast set a record with 93 launches in 2024, surpassing the previous year's 74, thanks to innovations from Space Launch Delta 45 and private sector collaboration. Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen credited advancements like automation, modernized infrastructure, and streamlined processes for the milestone. SpaceX dominated with 88 launches from Florida and completed 134 missions globally, including government, commercial, and test flights. The Space Force introduced initiatives like the "One Falcon" program to support SpaceX's rapid launch cadence, unifying personnel across ranges to enhance efficiency. Although only four launches directly supported national security, innovations in commercial space strengthen resilience and responsiveness for military missions, exemplified by the Rapid Response Trailblazer mission. With Blue Origin's New Glenn and ULA's Vulcan Centaur preparing for national security roles, competition is poised to grow, diversifying capabilities and bolstering launch options. (ANS thanks SpaceNews<https://spacenews.com/> for the above information) + SpaceX's next-generation Starship, Version 2 or Block 2, is set to launch on its seventh test flight from Starbase, Texas, as early as Monday, January 13, 2025, with the launch window opening at 5:00 p.m. EST (4:00 p.m. CST; 2200 UTC). This iteration, taller and more advanced than its predecessors, introduces numerous upgrades, including smaller, repositioned flaps for better heat protection, an enhanced propulsion system, and improved avionics for extended missions. For the first time, SpaceX will test Starship's payload deployment mechanism, releasing mock Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory and conducting reentry experiments to refine the vehicle's heat shield and reuse capabilities. The Super Heavy booster, equipped with additional protections and sensor enhancements, aims to achieve another tower catch, a feat last accomplished in October. The mission also marks progress toward full reusability, with one of the booster's engines recovered and reused from a previous flight. These advancements, combined with a focus on orbital refueling and vehicle endurance, lay the groundwork for Starship's future goals, including lunar landings under NASA's Artemis program and beyond. (ANS thanks Ars Technica<https://arstechnica.com/> for the above information) + Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, named "Ghost Riders in the Sky," is set to launch in mid-January aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking the company's first lunar mission. The lander, recently integrated at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will carry 10 NASA payloads and technology demonstrations as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. These payloads will test conditions between Earth and the moon, investigate lunar geology, and demonstrate innovative technologies like radiation-resistant hardware and lunar GPS. The 60-day mission includes 25 days in Earth orbit, a four-day translunar injection, 16 days in lunar orbit, and two weeks of operations on the moon's surface. During its time on the moon, Blue Ghost will collect critical data and images, including capturing a solar eclipse and documenting the phenomenon of lunar dust levitation, last observed during Apollo 17. The mission will provide valuable insights to support NASA's goal of a sustainable human presence on the moon through Artemis while also showcasing the technical capabilities of private industry. Firefly CEO Jason Kim emphasized the mission as a tribute to Apollo's legacy and a pivotal step forward in advancing lunar exploration. (ANS thanks Space.com<https://www.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<https://www.amsat.org> for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org<https://www.amsat.org>

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ANS-364 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

In this Edition * W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day * ARISS SSTV Event Underway * N4AKV Earns AMSAT VUCC Award/r * GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers January 2025 Rankings * NASA’s Deep Space Network Upgraded * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 27, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 [dot] 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-364 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Dec 29 W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day The Annual W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day occurs each year on January 1st. The event runs 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC January on New Year's Day. In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT’s CW Activity Day – previously AMSAT Straight Key Night – held in conjunction with the ARRL’s event on New Year’s Day. In recognition of Ray’s long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT’s CW Activity Day is now known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day. Send your reports including stations worked and satellites used to info at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.] ________________________________ ARISS SSTV Event Underway Well underway for the holidays and New Year, ARISS' Slow Scan Television (SSTV) event began on December 25 and will continue until January 5, 2025. [cid:[email protected]] Series 23 consists of 12 pictures celebrating ARISS memories of 2024. Ending time for the transmissions is tentatively January 5 at 14: 20 UTC. On the ISS, the Service Module radio is being used and the ISS callsign is RS0ISS; Images are transmitted on 145.800 MHz FM and the SSTV mode is PD120. [cid:[email protected]] Everyone is invited to upload their decoded images in the ARISS gallery, area “Series 23 Holiday 2025” at: https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV. Once you’ve submitted your image, just click on the dedicated button and you can apply for the official ARISS SSTV award. Also, European stations can request the ARISS QSL by contacting the European QSL bureau: https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/ariss-station/european-qsl-bureau. To support everyone interested in such events, the European Space Agency released tutorials about how to receive pictures transmitted over amateur radio by the International Space Station: you can find them on https://issfanclub.eu/2024/11/08/esa-tips-how-to-get-pictures-from-the-inte… No two-meter radio? it’s always possible to decode the audio signals coming from the WebSDR at Goonhilly Earth Station https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/ Follow @ARISS_intl on X for official updates, since changes can occur. Reminder, the images are sent on a (roughly) 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off schedule. So if you don’t hear anything, give it wait two minutes. Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard. Free decoding software is available for Android and Apple smartphone. Check your phone's app store by searching SSTV". PC users can download the free RX-SSTV program. You can get predictions for the ISS pass times at https://www.amsat.org/track/ or from a myriad of free smartphone apps. More useful information to receive the pictures can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-UK for the above information.] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Almost Gone! ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [PC Coin] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ N4AKV Earns AMSAT VUCC Award/r Congratulations to Jonathan Eernisse, N4AKV, for his outstanding achievements in providing satellite contacts! Jonathan has roved an impressive 102 grid squares, earning him the AMSAT VUCC/r Award #19. The Reverse VUCC or VUCC/r Award, originally introduced by the Central States VHF Society and now carried on by AMSAT, recognizes the dedication of satellite rovers like Jonathan. For more information about this prestigious award, you can visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award. Keep on roving, Jonathan, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community with your remarkable achievements! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.] ________________________________ GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers January 2025 Rankings The January 2025 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) 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. Figures updated December 26, 2024. 1 ND9M 26 KX9X 51 W7WGC 76 LU4JVE 2 NJ7H 27 ON4AUC 52 N6DNM 77 AA8CH 3 JA9KRO 28 KG5CCI 53 JK2XXK 78 VE1VOX 4 UT1FG 29 N5BO 54 EA4NF 79 FG8OJ 5 N5UC 30 K8BL 55 SM3NRY 80 YU0W 6 DL6AP 31 KE4AL 56 JL3RNZ 81 PT9BM 7 OE3SEU 32 KB5FHK 57 DF2ET 82 KJ7NDY 8 WI7P 33 VE3HLS 58 XE1ET 83 KI7UXT 9 DP0POL 34 PA3GAN 59 AA5PK 84 N6UTC 10 K5ZM 35 KI0KB 60 KI7QEK 85 KB2YSI 11 F5VMJ 36 KI7UNJ 61 SP5XSD 86 N4DCW 12 N6UA 37 LA9XGA 62 F4DXV 87 WA9JBQ 13 HA3FOK 38 JO2ASQ 63 AD7DB 88 JM1CAX 14 WY7AA 39 F4BKV 64 VE1CWJ 89 AF5CC 15 N9IP 40 BA1PK 65 KE9AJ 90 VE3GOP 16 W5PFG 41 N7AGF 66 DL4EA 91 BG7QIW 17 AK8CW 42 VK5DG 67 N8RO 92 N0TEL 18 DL2GRC 43 VA3VGR 68 VA7LM 93 KG4AKV 19 AD0DX 44 XE3DX 69 KM4LAO 94 W8MTB 20 LU5ILA 45 KE0WPA 70 M1DDD 95 K0FFY 21 N4AKV 46 PR8KW 71 W8LR 96 CU2ZG 22 AD0HJ 47 K7TAB 72 W1AW 97 VE7PTN 23 WD9EWK 48 KE0PBR 73 N4UFO 98 K6VHF 24 ND0C 49 EB1AO 74 HB9GWJ 99 VE6WK 25 DJ8MS 50 AC0RA 75 PT2AP 100 DK9JC [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:[email protected]] When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ ________________________________ NASA’s Deep Space Network Upgraded Installation of the latest antenna took place on Dec. 18, when teams at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, installed the metal reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23, a multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna. When operational in 2026, Deep Space Station 23 will receive transmissions from missions such as Perseverance, Psyche, Europa Clipper, Voyager 1, and a growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space. [cid:[email protected]] “This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program. “The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond. “With the Deep Space Network, we are able to explore the Martian landscape with our rovers, see the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning cosmic observations, and so much more,” said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL. “The network enables over 40 deep space missions, including the farthest human-made objects in the universe, Voyager 1 and 2. With upgrades like these, the network will continue to support humanity’s exploration of our solar system and beyond, enabling ground breaking science and discovery far into the future.” Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-364-Deep-Space. [ANS thanks NASA 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! [cid:[email protected]] 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 27, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: SSS-2B Catalog No. 56184: Decayed from orbit on or about 23 December 2024. [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. [ARISS News] Upcoming Contacts ARISS school contacts are currently planned to resume the week of 2025-01-13 to 2025-01-19. The Slow Scan TV experiment continues until January 5, 2025. Transmitting PD120 mode on 145.800 MHz. 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 No operations listed as of December 23, 2024. 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.] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. [cid:[email protected]] January 8, 2025 West Valley Amateur Radio Association (WVARA) – Monthly Meeting – 7:00 PM “Build A Satellite Roving Station for Your Next Road Trip or POTA Activation” Santa Clara Valley American Red Cross 2731 N. 1st St. San Jose, CA 95134 https://wvara.org/wordpress/ WU0I January 11, 2025 Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society – TechFest Gwinnett County Fairgrounds Expo Center Building 2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy. Lawrenceville, GA 30045 http://www.techfest.info/ K4RGK February 14-15, 2025 Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds Yuma, AZ https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over Tom Schuessler, N5HYP is looking for volunteers for the upcoming Fort Worth Cowtown Hamfest. "The dates have slipped up on me, but, the hamfest is only three weekends away, January 17 and 18. Cowtown Hamfest, Fort Worth Texas. I have booked table space and at least one presentation for the weekend. Therefore, I Am looking for additional volunteers to help man the table, do demos and just talk amateur radio in space. The Cowtown club was the home of the late Keith Pugh, W5IU, who was an AMSAT Ambassador and ARISS mentor for many years before his passing. The Cowtown club recently dedicated a satellite station at their clubhouse in his honor and with some of his donated hardware. All this to say that the Cowtown Hamfest is a friend of AMSAT and so it is always good for us to make a good showing." Contact Tom Schuessler via tschuessler (at) amsat.org or n5hyp (at) arrl (dot)net for more information or to volunteer. [ANS thanks Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, AMSAT Ambassador for the above information.] The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology continues to grow. Fresh off a highly successful YouTube telethon that raised more than $41,000 for the program, some of next year’s dates have been announced. Applications are now open. The program is growing, and educators will have the opportunity to attend sessions around the country. “We love having the teachers here at ARRL Headquarters, but we wanted to bring this program nationwide,” said ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA. Dates and details of the regional sessions are still being determined, but the hope is to touch many areas of the United States. The application process is straightforward. Interested educators can find the web form at www.arrl.org/ti<http://www.arrl.org/ti>. ARRL covers all the costs of the TI, including travel, but there is a $100 application fee if the teacher is accepted. More information available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-364-Teachers. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.] The 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference is scheduled for August 11-13, 2025. The event will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Persons wanting to submit an abstract for a talk, poster or flash talk must submit their abstract by February 4, 2025 to be considered. Educators and researchers at universities can also apply for a University Exhibit. Complete information is available at https://smallsat.org/. [ANS thanks SmallSat.org 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 [dot] org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-357 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-357 In this edition: * Taiwan’s PARUS-T1A Launch Failed * NASA Astronauts Face More Time In Space With Return Delayed * NASA Now Knows Why Its Mars Helicopter Crashed * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS SSTV Event December 25 – January 5 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 <http://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-357 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Dec. 22 Taiwan’s PARUS-T1A Launch Failed Radio Amateurs around the world were anticipating a new FM repeater in space as a Christmas present this year, but it seems they will find only coal in their stockings. The rocket carrying the PARUS T1A satellite failed to reach orbit. Space One, a Japanese space startup, said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion. Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan. The company said it had aborted the flight after concluding that it was unlikely to complete its mission. “We are very sorry that we could not achieve as far as a final stage of the mission,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told a news conference Wednesday. “We don’t consider this a failure because we are getting valuable data that will help our pursuit toward a next challenge.” He said he hoped to find the cause to address the problems as soon as possible to achieve a success next time. Company executive and space engineer Mamoru Endo said the abnormality in the first stage engine nozzle or its control system is likely to have caused an unstable flight of the rocket, which started spiraling in midflight and eventually destroyed itself about three minutes after liftoff, using its autonomous safety mechanism. The Kairos No. 2 rocket was carrying five small satellites, including one from the Taiwanese space agency and several from Japanese startups. The Taiwanese satellite was PARUS-T1A a 3U CubeSat that featured an FM crossband repeater, as well as an APRS digipeater to provide global amateur activities at the same frequency of ISS APRS channel 145.825MHz. A second Taiwanese amateur satellite, PARUS-T1, carrying an APRS store-and-forward system, is still scheduled for launch next month on a SpaceX mission. Both satellites were constructed by students at National Formosa University. Space One said it had fixed the cause of the debut flight failure, which stemmed from a miscalculation of the rocket’s first-stage propulsion. Japan hopes the company can pave the way for a domestic space industry that competes with the United States. [ANS thanks the Associated Press and reporter Mari Yamaguchi for the above information] ------------------------------ *The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are still available!* Only 10 Days Left!!! *Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus* *Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help* *Keep Amateur Radio in Space!* *https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/* <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> ------------------------------ NASA Astronauts Face More Time In Space With Return Delayed NASA announced on Tuesday the latest delay in the homecoming for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, KD5PLB. Their space mission was extended again. That means they won’t be back on Earth until spring, 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The two test pilots planned on being away just a week or so when they blasted off June 5 on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission grew from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to send the company’s problem-plagued Starliner capsule back empty in September. Now the pair won’t return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements, according to NASA. *NASA shared a holiday snapshot of astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams on Dec. 17. [Credit: NASA Johnson]* NASA’s next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, followed by Wilmore’s and Williams’ return home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the brand new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than late March. Last month, news articles suggesting that Ms. Williams was experiencing health problems during her unplanned extended stay in orbit set off widespread rumors on social media. NASA’s medical chief, Dr. James Polk, assured the public on November 14 that Williams is healthy and not suffering from any medical problems. “I think there’s some rumors around outside there that I’m losing weight and stuff,” Williams said in an interview on November 12. “No, I’m actually right at the same amount. Things shift around quite a bit, you know? ” Not only is she healthy, according to her and NASA, but they made Williams commander of Expedition 72 crew. As KD5PLB, she continues to be an active participant in ARISS contacts during her time aboard the ISS. [ANS thanks The Washington Post, Space.com, and NASA for the above information] ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas?* *Purchase 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/* <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/> ------------------------------ NASA Now Knows Why Its Mars Helicopter Crashed Investigating an aircraft crash is no simple task here on Earth. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to diagnose a helicopter accident that took place 69 million miles away with none of the usual data present to help. NASA had to do just that after its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter suffered an accident on Jan. 18, 2024, that has since left it grounded in a crater on Mars. And now, after months of collecting data, the space agency may have finally figured out what happened. On April 19, 2021, the NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history by lifting off the Jezero Crater’s floor and becoming the first aircraft to fly on a celestial entity other than Earth. The helicopter was supposed to fly only five experimental flights over 30 days to demonstrate that flight on Mars was possible. But it exceeded all expectations, conducting 72 flights over three years, setting all sorts of altitude records in the process, ending with that early 2024 accident. *The wreckage of the Inguity Mars Helicopter as seen by the Mars Rover Perseverance. The helicopter is on the right and the broken rotor is approximately 49 feet away on the left. [Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS]* The final moments of the helicopter’s flight were more or less a mystery at first. Ingenuity lifted off like it had 71 times before. Then camera footage showed that it began initiating descent after just 19 seconds of flight. By the time 32 seconds had elapsed, the helicopter was on the Martian surface again and had halted communications. Six days later, the helicopter beamed back images that showed it had sustained severe rotor-blade damage and would no longer be able to fly. Now, NASA believes that the navigation system was ultimately to blame. The navigation system used the helicopter’s downward-facing camera to track visual features on the ground. During this final flight, the helicopter was flying over a portion of the Jezero Crater that is known for textured, featureless sand ripples. The navigation system was thus unable to find any suitable ground features to track for a landing. From there, several things went wrong. NASA says that the helicopter made hard contact with a sand-ripple slope, causing it to pitch and roll. The sudden change in altitude was too much for the rotor blades, and four of them broke off at their weakest points. This caused the rotor system to vibrate excessively, which ripped one of the blades clean off. Finally, the incident generated an excessive power draw that caused communications to fail. *NASA’s graphic depicts the most likely scenario for the accident, in which Ingenuity landed hard on a sand-ripple slope, causing irreparable rotor-blade damage.[NASA/JPL-Caltech]* “When running an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, you don’t have any black boxes or eye witnesses,” said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity’s first pilot and research technologist at JPL Robotics. “While multiple scenarios are viable with the available data, we have one we believe is most likely: Lack of surface texture gave the navigation system too little information to work with.” Nobody expected Ingenuity to last as long as it did. Its flights gave researchers excellent aerial views of our red neighbor. Even now, as it lies in the sands of the Jezero Crater, Ingenuity can no longer fly but still beams back weather and avionics data to NASA. The avionics data along with the flight data from Ingenuity’s 72 flights — combined with Ingenuity’s incredible longevity — are helping NASA develop smaller, lighter avionics for future aircraft on Mars. “Because Ingenuity was designed to be affordable while demanding huge amounts of computer power, we became the first mission to fly commercial off-the-shelf cellphone processors in deep space,” said Ingenuity project manager Teddy Tzanetos. “We’re now approaching four years of continuous operations, suggesting that not everything needs to be bigger, heavier and radiation-hardened to work in the harsh Martian environment.” Tzanetos and his team are already working on another Mars helicopter. It’s approximately 20 times heavier than the Ingenuity and is being designed to carry several pounds of science equipment while autonomously exploring remote locations on Mars. [ANS thanks CNET.com and space reporter Joe Hindy 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* <https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear> ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Dec. 20 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ <https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/>. This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] ------------------------------ ARISS SSTV Event December 25 – January 5 [ANS thanks 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. *RECENTLY COMPLETED:* Zespół Szkół Łączności, Warszawa, Poland, direct via SP5KAB The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember was Nick Hague, KG5TMV The ARISS mentor was SP3QFE Contact was successful: Mon 2024-12-16 08:35:06 UTC 71 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the Zespół Szkół Łączności students, Nick, mentor SP3QFE, and ground station SP5KAB! Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/DBafZYpxolI Sally Ride Elementary School, Orlando, Florida, direct via K1AA The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Sunita Williams, KD5PLB The ARISS mentor was AA4KN Contact was successful: Tue 2024-12-17 18:49:38 UTC 30 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the Sally Ride Elementary School students, Sunita, mentor AA4KN, and ground station K1AA! Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/DuCNyWOPxH0?feature=share *UPCOMING:* ARISS school contacts are currently planned to resume the week of 2025-01-13 to 2025-01-19. Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming. 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) *until December 25, when the SSTV event begins.* Ham TV – STATUS – *Stowed*. Default mode is for scheduled digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz 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. *Powering OFF for U.S. EVA on Jan 23. ON TBD.* 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 None announced at this time. 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] ------------------------------ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. February 14-15, 2025 Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds Yuma, AZ https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information] ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts From All Over + AO-73 (a.k.a. FUNcube 1) has been switched from autonomous mode to continuous transponder mode for the holiday period. This means that the transponder is available for use 24/7. AO-73 is anticipated to revert to autonomous mode sometime after January 5, 2025. In autonomous mode, the transponder is only available when the satellite is in eclipse. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.) + Two Chinese astronauts aboard their country’s orbiting space station spent nine hours working outside in the cold vacuum of space, the longest recorded spacewalk, the Chinese space administration has said. The astronauts on China’s Shenzhou-19 mission, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, finished their first “extravehicular activities” — spacewalking in popular parlance — this week, apparently nudging past the previous record of eight hours and 56 minutes set by two American astronauts in 2001, according to China’s Manned Space Agency. The feat was another sign of China’s ambitions to project its power and prestige in space. (ANS thanks The New York Times for the above information.) + The internet news site MSN recently published a feature on the history of amateur radio and astronauts in orbit, beginning with Owen Garriott, W5LFL, in 1983 and continuing to the present ARISS program. “How Amateur Radio Is Connecting Astronauts In Space With Kids On Earth” was written by Leonard David. See it at http://bit.ly/4gnfE3y (ANS thanks msn.com for the above information.) + The first Block 2 version of the giant SpaceX Starship, Ship 33, recently rolled out for testing and completed its first static fire test. It will be stacked on Booster 14 before it is targeted to complete the first flight of the Block 2 reusable upper stage in January. This upgraded Ship adds catch hardware and an additional ring, making it 1.8 m taller and now totaling 124.4 m (408 feet) when eventually stacked on top of Booster 14. The added height will allow it to pack 300 tons more propellant. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.) + Your AMSAT News Service volunteer editors, Mark Johns, KØJM; Paul Stoetzer, N8HM; Frank Karnauskas, N1UW; and Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ, wish all of our readers the happiest of holidays. ------------------------------ 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 mjohns [at] amsat.org

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ANS-350 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-350 In this edition: * Five CubeSats Successfully Deployed from "Kibo" Module on ISS * Celebrate SO-50: Amateur Radio Special Event Marks 22nd Anniversary * ESA’s Proba-3 Satellites Launch to Create Artificial Solar Eclipses * VUCC / DXCC Satellite Standings for December 2024 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 13, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 https://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<http://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-350 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Dec 15 ________________________________ Five CubeSats Successfully Deployed from "Kibo" Module on ISS On December 9th, five CubeSats were successfully deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The deployment was part of JAXA’s J-SSOD#30 mission and included DENDEN-01, LignoSat, ONGLAISAT, YODAKA and YOMOGI satellites. Two of these satellites, LignoSat and YOMOGI, have received previous IARU coordination to operate over amateur radio frequencies. LignoSat was developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. This CubeSat tests the use of wooden materials in space by measuring strain, temperature, and geomagnetism, along with detecting single event upsets (SEU). Amatuer radio satellite enthusiasts were ready to decode telemetry from the satellite this week, but unfortunately there has been no reported reception of either CW or AX.25 packets on the satellite's coordinated frequency of 435.820 MHz. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/LignoSat-1U-Wood…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/LignoSat-1U-Wood…> LignoSat, a 1U solar-powered satellite with wood panels, will orbit earth for six months. [Credit: Kyoto University<https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en>] DENDEN-01 was developed by Kansai University and partner institutions. Its mission includes testing advanced nanosatellite technologies, such as temperature-stabilizing devices, thin solar modules, and compact S-band communication systems. The satellite also supports educational activities and data analysis using a compact hyperspectral camera. ONGLAISAT is a 6U CubeSat co-developed by the Taiwan Space Agency, the University of Tokyo, and ArkEdge Space Inc. It features a telescope for high-resolution Earth imaging using Time Delay Integration (TDI) technology. This mission aims to produce clear and high signal-to-noise ratio images for Earth observation. YOMOGI was developed by the Chiba Institute of Technology. Its mission combines environmental monitoring and engineering education. The satellite observes red tide in Tokyo Bay, monitors water pollution in Uganda, and uses APRS to send sensor data to ground stations. Many 4800 baud GMSK telemetry packets have been received and decoded over the last few days indicating that the satellite is functioning well. More information can be found on SatNOGS regarding recent observations: https://db.satnogs.org/satellite/HHVN-9456-4962-8588-2802#data [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/YOMOGI-1U-APRS-S…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/YOMOGI-1U-APRS-S…> YOMOGI will capture images of the Earth surface using both Bandpass and RGB cameras. [Credit: Chiba Institute of Technology<https://www.it-chiba.ac.jp/english/>] YODAKA was developed by ArkEdge Space Inc. and other collaborators. It features a store-and-forward communication mission, collecting and retransmitting text messages from users on Earth, as well as a camera mission to capture Earth imagery. These activities support educational programs at Iwate Prefectural Hanamaki Kita High School and rural revitalization efforts in Hanamaki City. The deployment highlights collaboration between JAXA, Space BD Inc., Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Co., Ltd., and the J-CUBE program, which fosters academic and commercial utilization of CubeSats. Amateur radio operators and educational institutions are actively participating in tracking and analyzing data from these satellites. [ANS thanks the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency<https://global.jaxa.jp/> (JAXA) for the above information] ________________________________ Celebrate SO-50: Amateur Radio Special Event Marks 22nd Anniversary Saudisat 1C (SO-50) was launched on December 20, 2002, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). For more than two decades, it has been a valuable resource for amateur radio communications and remains operational in low Earth orbit. The satellite is equipped with a mode V/U FM voice repeater, operating on an uplink frequency of 145.850 MHz with a PL tone of 67.0 Hz and a downlink frequency of 436.795 MHz. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saudisat-1C-SO-5…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saudisat-1C-SO-5…> SO-50 celebrates 22 years of amateur radio satellite operations. [Credit: Saudi Amateur Radio Society<https://sars.sa/en/home-en>] To celebrate the 22nd anniversary of SO-50, the Saudi Amateur Radio Society (SARS) is organizing a global competition, the Saudi Sat SO-50 Event 22. The event will take place from December 13, 2024, at 00:00 UTC to December 22, 2024, at 23:59 UTC, inviting amateur radio operators to make contacts (QSOs) via the satellite during the competition period. Participants in the competition will be eligible for certificates based on the number of successful contacts they make with amateur stations in different Maidenhead grid squares. Five successful contacts will earn a Beginner Satellite Catcher Certificate, while ten successful contacts qualify for an Advanced Satellite Hunter Certificate. Those who achieve twenty successful contacts will be awarded a Professional Satellite Hunter Certificate. Operators who document their contacts with audio or video recordings, including the satellite name, date, and time, will receive a distinguished Amateur Certificate. Certificates will be distributed in PDF format, and the deadline for log submissions is January 10, 2025. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SaudiSAT-SO-50-E…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SaudiSAT-SO-50-E…> Saudi Sat SO-50 Event 22 will be held from December 13th to December 22nd. [Credit: Saudi Amateur Radio Society<https://sars.sa/en/home-en>] Logs must be submitted to log [at] sars.sa<http://sars.sa>. For technical support or additional information, participants can contact hzldg [at] sars.sa<http://sars.sa>. This competition highlights the enduring success of SO-50 and encourages its continued use in the global amateur radio community. It provides a platform for operators to connect, compete, and celebrate the satellite’s legacy. [ANS thanks the Saudi Amateur Radio Society<https://sars.sa/> and AMSAT-HZ<https://x.com/AMSATHZ> for the above information] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-Coin-Both_5…] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ ESA’s Proba-3 Satellites Launch to Create Artificial Solar Eclipses Two European Space Agency (ESA) satellites launched aboard an Indian rocket on December 5th, beginning a mission to study the Sun’s corona and demonstrate new spaceflight technologies. Called the Proba-3 mission, the two spacecraft will conduct formation flying and create artificial solar eclipses to capture images of the Sun's outer atmosphere, which is usually hidden by its brightness. The satellites launched aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at 5:34 am EST (10:34 UTC) and were placed into an elliptical orbit with a low point of 356 miles (573 kilometers) and a high point of 37,632 miles (60,563 kilometers). Early next year, the Coronagraph satellite, carrying instruments to image the Sun, and the Occulter satellite, equipped with navigation sensors and thrusters, will separate to begin their experiments. The Occulter will position a disk to block the Sun’s surface, casting a shadow on the Coronagraph satellite. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Coronagr…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Coronagr…> Proba-3 completed its final operations tests at Redwire’s Belgium facilities in October [Credit: Redwire Space<https://x.com/RedwireSpace>] This arrangement allows scientists to create artificial eclipses, blocking sunlight to reveal the solar corona. Natural solar eclipses offer only brief observation windows, and traditional coronagraphs on single spacecraft face challenges like diffraction. Proba-3 addresses these limitations by keeping the two satellites 150 meters apart, enabling clearer imaging of the Sun's outer atmosphere. Proba-3 uses advanced navigation technology, including inter-satellite radio links, cameras, and a laser-ranging system. This system maintains millimeter-scale precision between the satellites, allowing them to create artificial eclipses lasting up to six hours. The mission aims to conduct at least 1,000 hours of such observations during its two-year operational phase. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Formatio…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Formatio…> Artist rendering of the Proba-3 Coronagraph and Occulter satellites positioned 150 meters apart. [Credit: ESA<https://www.esa.int/> / P. Carril] The mission’s scientific goal is to observe a part of the corona that existing instruments cannot study. This region is critical for understanding solar phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and the acceleration of the solar wind, which affect space weather and Earth. The mission will also capture high-frequency images to study plasma waves and jets that may heat the corona and drive the solar wind. Proba-3 also serves as a test of formation-flying technology. ESA officials hope the techniques demonstrated will be used in future missions, such as Mars Sample Return or space debris removal. "Proba-3 is an important step toward more complex space operations," said Josef Aschbacher, ESA's director general. "This mission shows how smaller spacecraft can work together to achieve goals that were not possible before." [ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Ars Technica<https://arstechnica.com/> for the above information] ________________________________ VUCC / DXCC Satellite Standings for December 2024 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for November 01, 2024 to December 01, 2024. Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders! EK/RX3DPK is first VUCC Satellite holder from Armenia and LN20. AC9O 1001 1126 W2GDJ 908 1022 FG8OJ 921 935 KC4CJ 702 751 WD9EWK (DM43) 736 737 KB1HY 648 727 RA3DNC 305 599 AB1OC 407 476 W3TI 103 444 K5WO 200 255 EK/RX3DPK New 200 EA4DEI 100 150 DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for May 13, 2024 to December 01, 2024. Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders! N8JCM is first DXCC Satellite holder from EN72 DF2ET 100 179 YO2CMI 173 174 LA6OP 143 151 KB8VAO 148 149 EA6VQ 145 147 IK1IYU 138 146 KB1HY 135 142 SP3AU 138 140 HB9GWJ 134 137 FG8OJ 116 120 HB9WDF 101 114 JA0FSB 101 111 EA5RM 108 110 DG7RO 100 103 M0SKM New 100 N8JCM New 100 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ<https://x.com/N7AZhikesAZ>, for the above information] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!<https://www.amsat.org/shop/> [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack1-300x298.png]<https://www.amsat.org/product/m2-leo-pack-antenna-system/> 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 December 13, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. AO-123 has been identified as NORAD Cat ID 61781 The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: CosmoGirlSat NORAD Cat ID 60953 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 December 2024 IDEASSat NORAD Cat ID 47458 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 December 2024 [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements<https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/> 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. + Recently Completed Contacts South-West State University, Kursk, Russia, direct via UB3WCL The ISS callsign was RSØISS The scheduled crewmember was Alexander Gorbunov The ARISS mentor was RV3DR Contact was successful: Mon 2024-12-09 09:29 UTC Congratulations to the South-West State University students, Alexander, mentor RV3DR, and ground station UB3WCL! Chrześcijańska Szkoła Podstawowa Daniel, Warszawa, Poland, direct via SP5POT The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember was Don Pettit KD5MDT The ARISS mentor was SP3QFE Contact was successful: Mon 2024-12-09 11:03:48 UTC Congratulations to the Chrześcijańska Szkoła Podstawowa Daniel students, Don, mentor SP3QFE, and ground station SP5POT! Watch the Livestreams at https://www.facebook.com/share/45Mq4px6R9Fnt6tK/ and https://www.youtube.com/live/CDMgY2x5Kwo Scuola Secondaria di I Grado “F.Anzani”, Cantù, Italy, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor was IZ2GOJ Contact was successful: Tue 2024-12-10 09:13:10 UTC Congratulations to the Scuola Secondaria di I Grado “F.Anzani” students, Sunita, mentor IZ2GOJ, and telebridge station VK4KHZ! Watch the Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/jU7bSfGfwfI?si=OTL5NoqViOGKZgtI Hillsboro Charter Academy, Purcellville, VA, direct via KQ4MAM The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor was AA6TB Contact was successful: Wed 2024-12-11 18:51:41 UTC Congratulations to the Hillsboro Charter Academy students, Sunita, mentor AA6TB, and ground station KQ4MAM! Watch the Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqKx6ytN96k and also https://live.ariss.org/ + Upcoming Contacts Zespół Szkół Łączności, Warszawa, Poland, direct via SP5KAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague KG5TMV The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE Contact is go for: Mon 2024-12-16 08:35:06 UTC Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/DBafZYpxolI Sally Ride Elementary School, Orlando, Florida, direct via K1AA The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is AA4KN Contact is go for: Tue 2024-12-17 18:49:38 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 None currently posted. 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<https://x.com/k5zm_>, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 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. Central Kentucky Amateur Radio Society - December 19, 2024 CKARS Monthly Meeting 558 S Keeneland Drive Richmond, KY 40475 https://www.ckars.org/home AI4SR Yuma HAMCON - February 20th thru 22nd, 2025 Yuma, AZ N1UW [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL<https://x.com/kyharleyfan>, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information] ________________________________ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store<https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AMSAT-Car-Flag-e…]<https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_car_flag-256716714380264543> Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA has announced delays to its Artemis moon program, pushing Artemis II, a crewed mission around the moon, to April 2026, with the Artemis III lunar landing planned for mid-2027. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized that this timeline keeps the U.S. ahead of China's goal to land on the moon by 2030, highlighting the competitive nature of the space race. The delays follow concerns about the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which cracked during reentry after the uncrewed Artemis I test mission in 2022; Artemis II will proceed with adjustments to the capsule’s trajectory, while future missions will feature an upgraded heat shield. Artemis, initiated under former President Trump’s administration, aims not only to return astronauts to the moon but also to establish lunar bases as a stepping stone for Mars exploration, despite rising costs and development delays. The program's reliance on SpaceX’s Starship for lunar landings has raised questions about its cost-effectiveness, especially under the incoming Trump administration. Nelson expressed optimism about Artemis's continuity under NASA’s next administrator, Jared Isaacman, amid ongoing bipartisan and international support for lunar exploration. (ANS thanks The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/> for the above information) + Less than a week after its December 5th launch aboard a Vega-C rocket, the Sentinel-1C satellite delivered its first radar images, showcasing its advanced capabilities in environmental monitoring. Equipped with a cutting-edge C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Sentinel-1C operates in all weather and lighting conditions, supporting critical applications like climate change research, disaster response, and environmental management. Early images captured regions such as Svalbard, Norway, highlighting its ability to monitor Arctic ice coverage, the Netherlands, showcasing intricate details for agriculture and water management, and Brussels, Belgium, revealing dense urban landscapes with historical ties to the Sentinel program. These high-resolution radar images, processed flawlessly by the Sentinel-1 Ground Segment, underline the satellite’s potential for actionable insights into soil moisture, urban planning, and polar ecosystems. Sentinel-1C continues the legacy of its predecessors while expanding its role in marine surveillance, ground deformation observation, and global humanitarian aid. Freely available via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, Sentinel-1C’s data ensures robust support for diverse Copernicus services and scientific applications worldwide. (ANS thanks the European Space Agency<https://www.esa.int/> for the above information) + NASA recently awarded SpaceX a $256.6 million contract to launch Dragonfly, a rotorcraft designed to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, using a nuclear-powered radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). This marks a milestone for SpaceX, as it will be the company's first time launching a nuclear-powered payload, a domain previously dominated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). The RTG will generate electricity from plutonium-238, chosen because Titan's dim and cloudy atmosphere precludes the use of solar power. Dragonfly will explore Titan's surface by hopping between locations using its eight rotors, investigating organic molecules essential to understanding the building blocks of life. Originally set for a 2026 launch, delays due to redesigns, COVID-19 impacts, and supply chain issues have pushed the timeline to July 2028, with costs escalating to $3.35 billion. This mission, one of NASA's most ambitious robotic endeavors, underscores the transition to new-generation rockets for launching nuclear payloads, with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy beating ULA's Vulcan rocket in competitive bidding for this historic mission. (ANS thanks SpaceNews<https://spacenews.com/> for the above information) + The USC Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL) at the University of Southern California has shattered the international altitude record for amateur rocketry with their Aftershock II rocket, reaching an unprecedented 470,000 feet. This achievement surpasses the previous 20-year record of 380,000 feet set by the Civilian Space Exploration Team in 2004, establishing Aftershock II as the first civilian-built rocket to achieve this altitude. Equipped with the most powerful solid-propellant motor ever fired by students and enhanced thermal protection systems, the rocket endured hypersonic speeds with innovative features like titanium-coated fins and a custom paint system. The launch on October 20th in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert also demonstrated advanced avionics and live data integration, enabling precise tracking and recovery. Building on their milestone 2019 launch of Traveler IV, the first student-designed rocket to cross the Kármán line, USCRPL continues to push the boundaries of amateur rocketry with cutting-edge engineering and teamwork. This remarkable achievement highlights the group’s role as a training ground for future leaders in the space industry, inspiring innovation and excellence among aspiring astronautical engineers. (ANS thanks University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering<https://viterbischool.usc.edu/> 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<https://www.amsat.org> for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org<https://www.amsat.org>

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ANS-343 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 07 Dec '24

07 Dec '24

*AMSAT News Service* *ANS-343* *December 8, 2024* In this edition: - AMSAT-OSCAR 7 Featured in YouTube Video - LignoSat ISS Deployment Information - HADES-ICM Offering FM Transponder to Launch Q1 2025 - Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, SK - Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 6, 2024 - ARISS News - Upcoming Satellite Operations - AMSAT Ambassador Activities - 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 https://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/ ------------------------------ AMSAT-OSCAR 7 Featured in YouTube Video AMSAT-OSCAR 7 celebrated its 50th birthday on November 15th. The YouTube channel Retro Rockets <https://www.youtube.com/@retrorockets6465> recently released an in-depth documentary entitled "AMSAT-OSCAR 7: The Little Satellite That Could. <https://youtu.be/D6XYlq4u2Yg?si=cCXNv1vF7cYQ1ptZ>" This 30 minute documentary covers the satellite's development, launch, and circumstances surrounding its rebirth. Retro Rockets is a YouTube channel focused on covering early and forgotten spacecraft. https://youtu.be/D6XYlq4u2Yg?si=C4NMzw19qPizmI8u *[ANS thanks Retro Rockets for the above information]* ------------------------------ LignoSat ISS Deployment Information LignoSat is a 1U-sized CubeSat whose outside structure is mainly composed of wood. In the development of wooden artificial satellites, we can produce wooden structures by using a familiar material "wood" and the usual manufacturing techniques. This will provide more people with the opportunity to develop amateur satellites at a lower cost. This satellite performs the following missions: 1. Amateur Radio Mission LignoSat will extract call signs of the amateur radio stations from the FM packet data signals uplinked, and respond to them by using the CW downlink and their call signs to send “thank you” messages. This shows the success of the interactive satellite communication using only UHF frequencies. 2. Educational mission Another LignoSat mission is to educate students to learn about the characteristics of the satellite by acquiring its HK data such as the internal temperature, the strain of the wooden structure, and the Earth’s magnetic field and calculating the rotational direction and rate of the satellite as well as observing the effect of the space environment on the wooden structure of LignoSat. Date and time of deployment: December 9, 2024, 20:30 JST/11:30 UTC +-90min Downlink frequency of CW beacon: 435.82MHz +-Doppler Please track the satellite using the orbital elements (TLE) of the ISS for a while after deployment. As time passes, it will gradually fly ahead of the ISS. The first path in Japan is expected to be around 06:30 JST on December 10th The antenna is scheduled to be deployed 30 minutes after deployment, so if the deployment is early, it may be possible to receive the satellite during the first pass in eastern North America (around 12:20 UTC). If the deployment is late, it may be possible to receive the satellite during the first pass in the EU (around 12:37 UTC). A release event is scheduled to take place on the JAXA YouTube channel. Please send your reception reports to jh3bum(a)jamsat.or.jp thank you. *[ANS thanks the Kyoto University LignoSat Support Team and the IARU for the above information]* ------------------------------ HADES-ICM Offering FM Transponder to Launch Q1 2025 The HADES-ICM 1.5p PocketQube recently underwent testing at UPM/IDR University in Madrid. It will offer the amateur radio community a VHF/UHF FM voice repeater as the one of SO-121 (HADES-D) but more powerful. It is scheduled to be launched in Q1 2025 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-13 mission. HADES-ICM 1.5 PQ satellite main mission is to act as a FM voice repeater. It can also repeat FSK derived modes like FT-4 and FT-8. As there is a small empty space available, it will be used to carry an experiment by Smart IR/Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, GEIC University of Manchester (UK) consisting in a very low power active radiator to be tested on space conditions. The data for this experiment will be transmitted in a specific data packet in the telemetry. This experiment is the same as the one in HADES-R. This experiment will be delivered to AMSAT EA for integration and will be operated by AMSAT-EA, being all its data public and open. Engineering and manufacturing support for this mission is carried out with the help of private sector companies and universities, but AMSAT-EA will be the only operating organization. icMercury is a company also supporting the mission. It will develop ground tracking software for the satellite. Telemetry will send some FSK English formatted text messages, part of a history, to be collected as a challenge. HADES-ICM will offer licensed radio-amateur around the world the opportunity to relay FM voice and AX.25 / APRS 300 / 1200 bps communications. FSK derived transmissions and modes like FT-4 and FT-8 are also supported. As an improvement from previous missions, maximum power is now 0.25W when battery is charged (the amplifier uses battery energy), allowing easier QSOs with handheld antennas like Arrow or Elk and less sensitive receivers. The satellite will also transmit telemetry with its status and CW messages. This all will be achieved by implementing a SDR based repeater. The FM / FSK repeater will be available all time and opened by squelch level without the need of a subtone. As payload, the satellite will carry an experiment by Smart IR/Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, GEIC University of Manchester (UK) consisting in a very low power active radiator to be tested on space conditions. This experiment is the same as the one in HADES-R satellite with updates and improvements. Also, as a challenge made with icMercury, telemetry will send FSK English formatted text messages, part of a history, to be collected. Launch is expected for February 2025 in SpaceX Transporter-13 mission managed by the space broker Alba Orbital / D-Orbit. The main mission for the satellite is to act as a FM voice repeater although due to its SDR nature it can repeat data too. Users will have the capability of making voice contacts and use FSK derived modes like FT-4 and FT-8. This satellite is based on the hardware of HADES-D (SO-121, currently being used by HAMs worldwide for voice contacts) and the next to launch HADES-R. FM satellites are very demanded and appreciated by the HAM community because they are easy to use, they don’t require of expensive transceivers and allow continental and even transatlantic contacts in some conditions. With this satellite we also put into use the amateur VHF and UHF satellite sub-bands helping to secure them for the community in the future. *[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA for the above information]* ------------------------------ *Last Chance - 2024 Coins Are Still Available!Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.**Join <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT President’s Club today!* ------------------------------ Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, SK *This past week, Frank Bauer KA3HDO ARISS-USA Executive Director and ARISS International Chair passed this along to the ARISS volunteers:* It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Gaston Bertels, ON4WF (SK). Gaston died today, December 3, 2024, from cancer. He was 97. Gaston was recently given the title “Elder Statesman” by the ARISS International team. This honor was given because of his monumental role in the formation and operation of the ARISS team. He wrote our ARISS Terms of Reference and participated in numerous discussions, over the years, on how to run a cohesive, results-oriented international team. His in-depth knowledge of amateur radio rules and regulations, particularly his knowledge of licensing and 3rd party traffic, enabled ARISS to develop an operations plan that could support human spaceflight amateur radio operations across the world. His knowledge of radio telecommunications was respected in Europe and elsewhere, allowing him to give presentations on amateur radio in space to members of the European Parliament. His personality radiated an inviting aura to all. He has been a friend, a leader, and an inspiration to all of us. Gaston began his journey in human spaceflight amateur radio by guiding a group of engaging students in a radio contact at a Belgian Space Camp during the 1992 STS-45 Space Shuttle mission. This contact was with Belgium’s first Astronaut, Dirk Frimout ON1AFD. Gaston coordinated the radio contact preparations and operated the radio station during the contact. Gaston was instrumental in convincing ESA to install L/S band antennas on the Columbus module, prior to launch, to support future operations in Columbus. He worked with Professor Pawel Kabacik from the Wroclaw University to design, build and certify the antennas and led a fundraising campaign to pay for the development, test and certification. With HamTV as the first hardware “customer” of these antennas, Gaston led the HTT, the HamTV Technical Team meetings to prepare the HamTV ground stations for operations and to coordinate the on-board HamTV operations. The L/S antennas have also been employed for two flight experiments: MarconISSta with TU Berlin and the upcoming NAVCOM experiment for ASI/Qascom. Gaston will be sorely missed. But the light of his legacy shines in all of us that he has touched—inside and outside of ARISS. Ad Astra Gaston! (To the Stars, Gaston!) *[ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, for the above information]* ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the **AMSAT Store! <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/>**When you purchase through **AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards **Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.* ------------------------------ 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. *SWSU, Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alexander Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Mon 2024-12-09 09:30 UTC *Chrześcijańska Szkoła Podstawowa Daniel, Warszawa, Poland, direct via SP5POT* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit KD5MDT The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE Contact is go for: Mon 2024-12-09 11:03:48 UTC 78 deg Watch for Livestreams at https://www.facebook.com/share/45Mq4px6R9Fnt6tK/ and https://www.youtube.com/live/CDMgY2x5Kwo *Scuola Secondaria di I Grado “F.Anzani”, Cantù, Italy, telebridge via VK4KHZ* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ Contact is go for: Tue 2024-12-10 09:13:10 UTC 35 deg via VK4KHZ Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/jU7bSfGfwfI?si=OTL5NoqViOGKZgtI *Hillsboro Charter Academy, Purcellville, VA, direct via KQ4MAM * The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is AA6TB Contact is go for: Wed 2024-12-11 18:51:41 UTC 45 deg Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. 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. 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 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. ADØHJ is planning his last 2024 rove to the Missouri Ozarks area between December 5th-8th. Mitch has never been to that area so he is looking to do some sightseeing and activate eight new satellite grid squares. EM26-EM28, EM36-EM39, and EN30. He will be working RS-44 passes in the evenings. See https://hams.at for details. EA4NF is planning to activate IN87 and IN97 in Brittany, France as F5OCE on December 12th-14th. Pass information will be posted at https://hams.at/. <https://hams.at/> *[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]* ------------------------------ * Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?* Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store <https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space ------------------------------ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 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. Scheduled Events *Central Kentucky Amateur Radio Society**December 19, 2024* CKARS Monthly Meeting 558 S Keeneland Dr. Richmond, KY 40475 https://www.ckars.org/home AI4SR *Yuma HAMCON* *February 20-22, 2025* Yuma, AZ N1UW *[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts from All Over + The ARRL has released LoTW configuration file version 11.30, adding support for QSOs made via AO-123. (ANS thanks the ARRL for this information) + A OneDrive <https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy9hN2MzMjI2ZjNmM…> containing all of the tools for AO-123 (ASRTU-1), include LiveCD, Windows decoding software, image calibration tool, offline image decoder, etc, has been made available. (ANS thanks BG2BHC for this information) + The Jovian-1 mission, with an AMSAT-UK U/V FM payload, has taken a giant leap forward as the satellite platform was delivered by GOMSpace on November 27th. (ANS thanks G0MRF for this information) + The Artemis 2 mission, scheduled to carry astronauts around the moon, has been delayed to early 2026 and the Artemis 3 mission, the first moon landing of the Artemis program has been delayed to 2027. (ANS thanks NASA for this information) + President-elect Donald Trump has announced his plan to nominate Jared Isaacman has the next NASA Administrator. Isaacman has flown in space twice, as a private astronaut aboard the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission and on board the Polaris Dawn mission this past September, where he became the first private citizen to perform a space walk. ------------------------------ 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] arrl.net <http://arrl.net>* *ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002*

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ANS-336 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 30 Nov '24

30 Nov '24

In this edition: * AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary: CodeStore Breaking New Ground * GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers December 2024 Rankings * Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite to Test Timber in Space * Open-Weather APT: Updates to the Web Based NOAA APT Image Decoder * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 [dot] 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-336 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Dec 01 AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary: CodeStore Breaking New Ground There has always been a fascination among radio amateurs in digital modes of communications. In thinking about where this spacecraft sits in electronic history, it is all too easy to forget that it was designed at least three years before the appearance of the first 8-bit microprocessor. The notion of packet communications was still nearly 10 years into the future. The team wanted to demonstrate that they could store data at-will on a spacecraft in transit across the sky and then download it at another location. They wanted to demonstrate non-real-time digital communications to themselves and to the world. Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT OSCAR-7 Project Manager explains, “Thinking in retrospect, that experiment wasn’t the best it could have been. However, it was simple and it proved our resolve. The entry in 1972 on AO-6 and, then again, in 1974 on-board AO-7 was a demonstration experiment we called CodeStore. And, it did lead to far more ambitious packetized, store-and-forward data satellites in our future. “It probably wasn’t the best choice at the time, but we chose the command frequency for the uplink. This meant we didn’t have to implement yet another receiver. However, this made the experiment far less accessible to hams than it could have. AMSAT did not want to share the knowledge of the command frequency and codes with anyone who didn’t have a need to know them. Thus, CodeStore was not an experiment that was shared with everyone as were the communications transponders. It could realistically only be used by authorized command stations. We had hoped for a universal store-and-forward demonstration, but what was in fact created was a broadcast tool and in that regard CodeStore was very successful.” CodeStore was the brainchild of and was designed and fabricated by John Goode, W5CAY. In one small module, he housed an AFSK decoding system, which allowed uplink data to be clocked into a “long” shift register containing 896 bits. This was done with the memory IC's of the day. What one could manage then was 14 IC's each containing 64 bits of serial data storage. The contents of the shift register was sequentially downlinked first-in-first-out (FIFO) to the selected beacon when CodeStore was commanded to the RUN mode. This number of bits is divisible by 8 so one might have expected that a downlinked message of 112 8-bit words. No, this was 1974 so Morse Code messages were downlinked. The idea was more individuals can copy a broadcast message if they don’t need specialized decoding equipment. King adds, “No one can deny that we could have made a better go of it if the notion of a remote terminal digital communications goal had remained pure. It did not.” “Ultimately, its highest value was discovered to be to store the spacecraft’s NORAD TLEs as well as any critical AO-7 operating schedule modifications, which might be of importance to the users. CodeStore was already available for use on AO-6. So, users were already expecting this feature, which appeared regularly on the beacons.” While CodeStore was used on both AO-6 and AO-7 to demonstrate non-real-time communications via satellite, it was never used by independent remotely located stations to demonstrate two-way communications in that way. The memory facilities required on-board and the lack of any firmware that even approached the capabilities of a file handling system did not exist in 1972-74. That would have to wait for another day when, once again, four AMSAT spacecraft in a small constellation would demonstrate a proper store-and-forward packet handling system. That was to occur in 1990. CodeStore went into service as a broadcast device allowing users to receive, in Morse Code, the latest, (then) NORAD TLEs. CodeStore was a complete success. It saved command stations a tremendous amount of work, avoiding the need for a global network of operators who would otherwise be needed to relay the same data. Persons wanting to read more about the life and history of AMSAT OSCAR-7 are invited to visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-ao-7-a-fifty-year-anniversary/. [ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT OSCAR-7 Project Manager for the above information.] ________________________________ GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers December 2024 Rankings The December 2024 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) 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 QSO's 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: 2024-11-29 1 ND9M 26 KX9X 51 N6DNM 76 LU4JVE 2 NJ7H 27 ON4AUC 52 JK2XXK 77 AA8CH 3 JA9KRO 28 KG5CCI 53 EB1AO 78 VE1VOX 4 UT1FG 29 N5BO 54 EA4NF 79 FG8OJ 5 N5UC 30 K8BL 55 SM3NRY 80 PT9BM 6 DL6AP 31 KE4AL 56 JL3RNZ 81 KJ7NDY 7 OE3SEU 32 KB5FHK 57 DF2ET 82 KI7UXT 8 WI7P 33 VE3HLS 58 XE1ET 83 YU0W 9 DP0POL 34 KI0KB 59 AA5PK 84 KB2YSI 10 K5ZM 35 KI7UNJ 60 KI7QEK 85 N6UTC 11 F5VMJ 36 LA9XGA 61 SP5XSD 86 N4DCW 12 N6UA 37 PA3GAN 62 F4DXV 87 WA9JBQ 13 HA3FOK 38 JO2ASQ 63 AD7DB 88 JM1CAX 14 WY7AA 39 F4BKV 64 VE1CWJ 89 VE3GOP 15 N9IP 40 BA1PK 65 KE9AJ 90 N0TEL 16 W5PFG 41 N7AGF 66 DL4EA 91 KG4AKV 17 AK8CW 42 VK5DG 67 N8RO 92 W8MTB 18 DL2GRC 43 VA3VGR 68 VA7LM 93 K0FFY 19 AD0DX 44 XE3DX 69 KM4LAO 94 CU2ZG 20 LU5ILA 45 KE0WPA 70 M1DDD 95 VE7PTN 21 N4AKV 46 PR8KW 71 W8LR 96 K6VHF 22 WD9EWK 47 K7TAB 72 W1AW 97 AF5CC 23 ND0C 48 KE0PBR 73 N4UFO 98 VE6WK 24 AD0HJ 49 AC0RA 74 HB9GWJ 99 DK9JC 25 DJ8MS 50 W7WGC 75 PT2AP 100 BG7QIW [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information.] ________________________________ Only four Weeks Left! And the 2024 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Gone! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [cid:[email protected]] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite to Test Timber in Space Japanese researchers launched the world’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, into space, marking an ambitious step toward exploring the viability of timber for lunar and Martian construction. This pioneering satellite, developed collaboratively by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, was sent to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on November 4, 2024. Once at the ISS, LignoSat will be released into orbit approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth. [cid:[email protected]] LignoSat, a 1U-sized CubeSat, carries an Amateur Radio mission that will extract callsigns from the FM packet data signals uplinked, and respond to them by using the CW downlink with their call signs. An educational mission is to educate students to learn about the characteristics of the satellite by acquiring its housekeeping data such as the internal temperature, the strain of the wooden structure, and the Earth’s magnetic field and calculating the rotational direction and rate of the satellite as well as observing the effect of the space environment on the wooden structure. The satellite, whose name derives from the Latin word for "wood," is a compact, palm-sized structure. LignoSat’s mission is to demonstrate the potential of wood as a sustainable and durable material for space exploration. Takao Doi, a former astronaut and a current researcher at Kyoto University, expressed that using timber could pave the way for constructing habitats that support human life and work in space indefinitely. “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live, and work in space forever,” Doi said. Doi’s team is working under a 50-year vision of building timber structures on the Moon and Mars, planting the seeds for future space-based infrastructure. The researchers opted for Honoki, a type of magnolia tree native to Japan traditionally used for sword sheaths, after conducting a 10-month experiment on the ISS. Honoki proved its resilience, leading to its selection as the core material for LignoSat. The satellite was constructed using a traditional Japanese craft technique without screws or glue, showcasing innovation steeped in heritage. One of LignoSat’s key roles in its six-month orbit will be to measure the endurance of wood against extreme space temperatures, which oscillate from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius (-148 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit) every 45 minutes as the satellite shifts from sunlight to darkness. The onboard sensors will also monitor how well wood mitigates space radiation’s impact on semiconductors, information that could be pivotal for designing data centers and other space-based structures. Kenji Kariya of Sumitomo Forestry emphasized the cutting-edge nature of this research, noting that despite appearing old-fashioned, wood could be integral to future space technology. The environmental benefits of using wood in space are significant. Unlike conventional metal satellites that produce polluting aluminum oxide particles upon re-entry, wooden satellites would disintegrate more cleanly in Earth’s atmosphere. “A wooden satellite burns up with much less pollution compared to metal ones,” Doi stated. This feature could be an advantage as the space industry grapples with sustainability and the proliferation of space debris. [cid:[email protected]] The team behind LignoSat is optimistic that their experiment could spur wider adoption of timber in space exploration. Doi even hinted at the potential for future partnerships, saying, “If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.” The successful deployment of LignoSat could mark the beginning of a new era where traditional materials meet advanced space technology, reinvigorating the timber industry and pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation in space exploration. A downlink on 435.820 MHz has been coordinated for CW, 4k8 GMSK AX25 telemetry and FM. More info at https://space.innovationkyoto.org/amateur-radio-operators/ [ANS thanks Kantaro Komiya and Irene Wang, Reuters, for the above information.] ________________________________ Open-Weather APT: Updates to the Web Based NOAA APT Image Decoder Dr. Sasha Engelmann and Sophie Dyer, the team behind the Open-Weather project have recently announced the launch of their new version of open-weather app, a web-based NOAA APT image decoder. The web-based program accepts a WAV file containing a NOAA satellite APT recording, demodulates and decodes it, and displays the resulting weather satellite image. Sasha writes, "…Open-weather apt is the only public, maintained, browser-based decoder for Automatic Picture Transmissions (APT) from satellites NOAA-19, NOAA-18 and NOAA-15. It was developed to improve access to satellite signal decoding for all practitioners. [cid:[email protected]] "We are excited to share a new and improved version available here! The new version includes the following updates and additional features: * Improved accuracy in decoding and finding sync positions (locates more sync positions than other comparable decoders) * Upload a WAV file of any sample rate (no more re-sampling with Audacity!) * Option to see the ‘raw’ image without syncing, and to ‘Find the Syncs’ * Option to Rotate 180 degrees, often useful for viewing images from nighttime passes * Go deeper in your analysis: explore Signal Value and Image Value Histograms * Upload directly from open-weather apt to the Public Archive "Open-weather apt is co-developed by open-weather with Rectangle (Lizzie Malcolm and Dan Powers), Bill Liles (NQ6Z) and Grayson Earle." Complete information at https://open-weather.community/decode/. [ANS thanks RTL-SDR.com for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:[email protected]] 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 TLE Distribution for November 29, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: AO-123 Provisional catalog number 99130 IARU coordinated downlink 435.4000 MHz. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] ________________________________ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? [cid:[email protected]] 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 ________________________________ 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. [ARISS News] Upcoming Contacts South Carolina RWAs (Regional Workforce Advisors), Columbia, SC, direct via N4EE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague, KG5TMV. The ARISS mentor is Don Hopson, K4CF. Contact is go for Monday, December 2, 2024 at 16:22 UTC. Watch for Livestream at https://dew.sc.gov/. Simferopol College of Radio Electronics, Simferopol, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR . Contact is go for Monday, December 2, 2024 at 15:15 UTC. CEIP INDAUTXUKO ESKOLA HLHI, Bilbao, Spain, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor is Marcelo Teruel, IK0USO. Contact is go for: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 11:47 UTC. State Budgetary Educational Institution "Vorobyovy Gory", Moscow, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Alexander Gorbunov. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 11:00 UTC. Shchyolkovo, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Friday, December 6, 2024 at 10:10 UTC. Publiczna Szkola Podstawowa im. Walentego Stefanskiego w Bodzechowie, Bodzechow, Poland, direct via SP7POS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT. The ARISS mentor is Armand Budzianowski, SP3QFE. Contact is go for Friday, December 6, 2024 at 11:49 UTC. Completed Contacts Colegio do Castanheiro, Ponta Delgada, Azores, direct via CQ8CDC. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT. The ARISS mentor is Marcelo Teruel,IK0USO. Contact was successful on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 at 14:57 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 * ADØHJ is planning his last 2024 rove to the Missouri Ozarks area between December 5-8, 2024. Mitch has never been to that area so he is looking to do some sightseeing and activate eight new satellite grid squares. EM26-EM28, EM36-EM39, and EN30. He will be working RS-44 passes in the evenings. See https://hams.at for details. 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, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. [cid:[email protected]] December 19, 2024 Central Kentucky Amateur Radio Society CKARS Monthly Meeting 558 S Keeneland Dr. Richmond, KY 40475 https://www.ckars.org/home AI4SR February 14-15, 2025 Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds Yuma, AZ https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over * NASA has confirmed that one of its greatest ever missions, Voyager 1, is back in business with communications restored following an incident in October that had led to the veteran spacefarer losing its voice. When engineers commanded Voyager 1 to switch on one of its heaters to give the instruments a gentle thermal massage, a safety feature was tripped because of low power levels. It automatically switched off non-essential systems. The fault protection system took it upon itself to switch off the main X-band transmitter and activate the lower-power S-band transmitter instead. Because of the great distance between Voyager 1 and Earth, however, transmissions on the S-band antenna could not be heard by NASA's Deep Space Network, meaning that Voyager 1 had effectively fallen silent. NASA engineers were able to resolve the problem early in November, and X-band communication resumed on Nov. 18, with the spacecraft once again returning data from its four remaining instruments. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-336-Voyager-1. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.] * In addition to all the AMSAT OSCAR-7 publicity in the news this few weeks, AMSAT also received nice exposure about the ARISS program putting kids in contact with astronauts. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-336-ISS. [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 [dot] org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-329 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 23 Nov '24

23 Nov '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-329 In this edition: * The Space Age, Morse Code and STEM Innovation + ASRTU-1 Designated ASRTU-OSCAR 123 * CubeSatSim Kits Available Once Again (Revised) * New Chinese Satellite Completes Frequency Coordination * Update on PARUS-T1A Satellite * Air Leak on ISS Russian Module Is Getting Worse * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Space Station Raises Orbit Avoiding Orbital Debris * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 <http://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-329 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins* To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Nov 24 AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary — The Space Age, Morse Code and STEM Innovation At first glance, there is something about Morse Code and the space age that don’t go together. But, think about Morse in its simple beauty. In addition to building a few spacecraft and pursuing a global amateur radio allocation for satellites at the International Telecommunications Union World Radio Conference, AMSAT was also busy developing an educational curriculum. Before STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) was even a concept, AMSAT thought it would be quite exciting to allow grade-school to high-school students the opportunity to understand the basics of a spacecraft — not by reading about it in a book, rather by using a real spacecraft, in class. *Artist rendering of AO-7* One of AMSAT’s members, Dr. Martin Davidoff, K2UBC, decided to write a curriculum at the secondary education level and received a grant from the Department of Energy to write it. The *Satellite Experimenter's Handbook* was distributed by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and AMSAT to anyone who might want to teach others about spacecraft technology. The book especially targeted secondary school educators. Key among the concepts was the idea of giving a teacher, who may or may not be a radio amateur, the information necessary to assemble a receiving system, which could act as a student demonstration tool in school. This receiver and antenna would allow a class to “receive and decode” telemetry. This process, then, required the students to think through some orbital mechanics, the technology of antennas and receivers, and finally, the principles of demodulation and decoding. This is where Morse came in. For just the numbers, 0-9, in Morse can be learned in 10 minutes by just about anyone. And, so it is a perfect tool for any eighth grader! The Morse Code Telemetry Encoder System (TLM) was designed and fabricated by John Goode, W5CAY. This unit was built in one of the small modules that comprised the AO-7 spaceframe. This little box used fixed logic comprised of 34 IC’s and one op-amp for the A/D converter. Using CMOS components was amazingly efficient; it required 2 mA of current at 10V DC from the power bus – a whopping 20 mW! This TLM encoder had 24 analog input channels that were organized in 4 columns and 6 rows. They were divided, basically, into current, voltage and temperature channels. All were scaled to a 1.0 V full- scale input to the A/D converter. The encoder produced decimal values and was organized into two Morse characters between 0 and 99. The first number of each word is a digit giving the row number of the datum. This reduces the ambiguity of where in the frame the encoder was; in case the student got a bit lost. AMSAT’s commitment to STEM education continues today with its CubeSat Simulator program and its developing Youth Initiative – all fueled by a fifty-year-old satellite that is still in operation today. Persons wanting to read more about the life and history of AMSAT OSCAR-7 are invited to visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-ao-7-a-fifty-year-anniversary/. [ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP-Development, for the above information] ------------------------------ *The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are still available!* *Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus* *Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help* *Keep Amateur Radio in Space!* *https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/>* ------------------------------ ASRTU-1 Designated ASRTU-OSCAR 123 At the request of Harbin Institute of Technology and Amur State University, AMSAT has designated ASRTU-1 as ASRTU-OSCAR 123 (AO-123). *Illustration of AO-123 [Credit: nanosats.eu <http://nanosats.eu>]* ASRTU-1 was launched on November 4, 2024 at 23:18 UTC, on a Soyuz launch vehicle from Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia. Built and operated by Harbin Institute of Technology and Amur State University, the satellite carries a V/U repeater, UHF SSDV digital image transmitter, and a 10.5 GHz QPSK image transmitter. All of these payloads have been successfully tested, and the repeater has been operational for QSOs. The satellite contains an FM transponder, which is currently operational, with an uplink of 145.850 MHz (67 Hz CTCSS tone required) and a downlink of 435.400 MHz. After the repeater detects the end of uplink, it will wait for 0.5s. If no new uplink in 0.5s, telemetry will be sent. So make fast QSOs so the telemetry is less like to interrupt you. The satellite also contains two cameras with an SSDV downlink for low resolution images on 436.210 MHz, and a high speed downlink on 10.460 GHz for high resolution images. Windows software for decoding telemetry is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W8nm-P0_h0J1Bd1eif74mLo-EuRdWcjH Two-Line Keplerian elements (TLEs) may be found at http://asrtu.mqsi.xyz/ASRTU_TLE.txt AMSAT congratulates the Harbin Institute of Technology and Amur State University, thanks them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wishes them continued success on this and future projects. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, OSCAR Number Administrator, for the above information.] ------------------------------ CubeSatSim Kits Available Once Again (Revised) Another batch of CubeSatSim Kits will be available on the AMSAT Store on Monday, November 25 starting at noon U.S. Eastern time (1700 UTC). Due to an error, previous announcements had included an earlier date. The $400 kits include everything you need to assemble a CubeSat Simulator with no soldering. Only about an hour and half of assembly is required to stack the boards, assemble the frame, and mount the solar panels. The CubeSatSim Kit includes: - Fully assembled and tested PCBs (Main, Solar, and Battery Boards) - Raspberry Pi Zero 2 with a Pi Camera and fully programmed micro-SD card, along with a fully programmed Raspberry Pi Pico WH - AMSAT logo Remove Before Flight tag switch - 3D printed frame, nylon screws, and nuts, with a mini screwdriver included for assembly - Metal standoffs, stacking headers, and JST jumpers for stacking the PCBs and Pi Zero 2 - 10 solar panels with pre-soldered JST connectors and mounting tape - BME280 sensor (pressure, temperature, altitude, humidity) and MPU6050 IMU/gyro pre-soldered - Two 6″ SMA coax cables and two SMA antennas The kit also comes with an instruction sheet, parts inventory, and links to online instructions. Assembly time is estimated to be under two hours, with scissors and the provided mini screwdriver. *Limited quantities of the CubeSatSim Kit will soon be available for purchase from the AMSAT Store. [Credit: Alan Johnston, KU2Y]* The v2.0 CubeSatSim features improvements over v1.2, such as an FM transceiver, Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, and RF command and control using DTMF or APRS packets. It can also be modified to function as a 500mW high altitude balloon payload. For those interested in creating their own CubeSatSim, v2.0 blank PCB sets are available at the AMSAT Store for $35. These require additional components, which can be purchased for approximately $300 using the provided Bill of Materials. Additional resources include: - Kit Instructions https://cubesatsim.org/kit - Kit Videos https://cubesatsim.org/kit-videos - Discussion Forum https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/discussions - Quick Start Guide https://cubesatsim.org/qsg For more information or to borrow a loaner CubeSat Simulator, contact Alan Johnston, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, at ku2y [at] arrl.net. *How to Order* Kits will be sold exclusively on the AMSAT Store website, https://www.amsat.org/product/cubesatsim-kit/. Only U.S. shipping addresses are eligible; orders with non-U.S. addresses will be refunded and closed. *About CubeSatSim* CubeSatSim is a low-cost satellite emulator powered by solar panels and batteries. It transmits UHF radio telemetry and can be expanded with additional sensors and modules, making it ideal for educational and public demonstrations. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations for the above information] ------------------------------ New Chinese Satellite Completes Frequency Coordination The satellite frequency coordination committee of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on November 15 completed approval of frequency requests from the Chinese Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) for a new amateur satellite to be launched next year. CAS-11, a 6U CubeSat will include: - HF/UHF – H/U Mode Linear Transponder, with a bandwidth of 15kHz downlink centered at 435.505 MHz, EIRP 24 dBm Uplink 21.320 MHz +/- 7.5 kHz. - VHF/UHF – V/U Mode Linear Transponder, with a bandwidth of 30kHz downlink centered at 435.540 MHz, EIRP 24 dBm. Uplink 145.860 MHz +/- 15 kHz. - VHF/UHF – V/U Mode FM Transponder, downlink at 435.600 MHz, EIRP 24 dBm Uplink at 145.925 MHz - VHF/UHF – V/U Mode digital store-and-forward Transponder, downlink at 435.700 MHz, EIRP 24 dBm Uplink at 145.895 MHz - UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon and - UHF telemetry beacon using AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK at 435.570 MHz, EIRP 23 dBm. The above transponders and beacon will work 24/7 when the satellite power supply is sufficient. Amateur radio enthusiasts around the world can use it for two-way radio relay communication, data storage and forwarding communication, and receive satellite CW beacons. The CAS-11 satellite will also be equipped with a 2.4 GHz multi-mode amateur radio satellite beacon transmitter, which is designed and built by university students, high school students and primary school students from Beijing Donggaodi Science and Technology Museum and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications under the guidance of CAMSAT. This is an unprecedented satellite project in China. It has brought opportunities for learning and practicing amateur radio and amateur satellites to students of all grades from elementary school to university, and promoted the application of amateur radio in space. This 2.4 GHz experimental beacon transmitter can switch to transmit five different modes of radio signals, and it will work continuously when the satellite is fully powered. This project aims to cultivate students’ knowledge, skills and interests in amateur radio satellites. All transmission modes operate at 2.4 GHz, and the working modes are converted by the on-board computer program and ground remote control commands. It can work in the following modes: CW Telemetry Beacon, FT8 Telemetry Beacon, PPM Telemetry Beacon, or USB/SSTV Robot36, PD120 1. This beacon will transmit at 2405.500 MHz, EIRP 27 dBm. CAS-11 carries three cameras, and the photos it takes are stored in the flash memory on the satellite. The builders have designed a simple remote control system based on DTMF commands. Amateur radio enthusiasts around the world can send DTMF commands to download the photo catalog and all photos taken by all cameras. Anticipating a launch in September, 2025 into a 536 km polar orbit from Haiyang Sea Launch Platform, Shandong, China. [ANS thanks IARU and Alan Kung, BA1DU, of CAMSAT for the above information.] ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas?* *Purchase 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/* <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/> ------------------------------ Update on PARUS-T1A Satellite The satellite frequency coordination committee of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on November 20 updated information regarding the approved frequency requests from the National Formosa University for satellite PARUS-T1A. The satellite is tentatively scheduled for launch in January. PARUS-T1A, a 3U CubeSat, is designed to continue the successful legacy of the PARUS- T1 mission. This satellite will provide essential services to the global amateur radio community. The Primary Mission is an FM Voice Cross-Band Repeater to facilitate real-time voice communication between amateur radio operators on 145.980 MHz (Uplink tone 67Hz) and 435.250 MHz (Downlink). The satellite will also carry an APRS Digipeater to enable the transmission of real-time position and status information from APRS-equipped devices on 145.825 MHz. A telemetry beacon downlink on 437.850 MHz has also been coordinated, with unencrypted telemetry packets accessible to the public through online dashboards like SatNOGS, promoting transparency and community collaboration. Anticipating a SpaceX launch from Florida in January, 2025 into a 590 x 510 km 98 degree orbit. [ANS thanks IARU and Randson Huang, BV2DQ, for the above information.] ------------------------------ Air Leak on ISS Russian Module Is Getting Worse For the past five years, air has been escaping through a Russian section of the International Space Station (ISS) at an increasing rate. NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, are still in disagreement over the root cause of the leak, as well as the severity of the consequences. The leak was first discovered in 2019 in the vestibule (named PrK) that connects a docking port to the Russian Zvezda module, which Roscosmos had launched to low Earth orbit in July 2000. Earlier this year, NASA elevated the leak to the highest level of risk as the rate of air escaping from the module had doubled from one pound of air per day to a little over two pounds. “While the Russian team continues to search for and seal the leaks, it does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the PrK is realistic,” Bob Cabana, a former NASA astronaut who now chairs the ISS Advisory Committee, said during a meeting on Wednesday, SpaceNews reported. “NASA has expressed concerns about the structural integrity of the PrK and the possibility of a catastrophic failure.” “The Russians believe that continued operations are safe but they can’t prove to our satisfaction that they are, and the U.S. believes that it’s not safe but we can’t prove to the Russians’ satisfaction that that’s the case,” he added. Russian teams believe the air leak was likely caused by high cyclic fatigue from micro vibrations, while teams at NASA think pressure and mechanical stress, residual stress, material properties of the module, and environmental exposure are all at play, according to SpaceNews. *The ISS is set for retirement by 2030. [NASA photo]* The air leak was addressed in a recent report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which highlighted its true severity and the risk it poses to the crew. The OIG report stated that the two space agencies can’t seem to agree on the point at which the leak should be considered unsustainable. NASA and Roscosmos met to discuss the ISS air leak, with NASA officials noting that Roscosmos “is confident they will be able to monitor and close the hatch to the Service Module prior to the leak rate reaching an untenable level,” according to the report. “Although the teams continue to investigate the causal factors for the crack initiation and growth, the U.S. and Russian technical teams don’t have a common understanding of what the likely root cause is or the severity of the consequences of these leaks,” Cabana is quoted in SpaceNews as saying. The rate of air leaking from the hole increased around a week before the February 14 launch of the Progress MS-26 cargo spacecraft, which docked to the aft end of Zvezda. The hatch that connects the module to the ISS remained open for five days as the crew offloaded the cargo from Progress MS-26 onto the space station, but was closed shut afterwards. NASA and Roscosmos are currently monitoring the leak and preparing to close the hatch to the service module when access is not required in order to minimize the amount of air lost and isolate the leak itself from the rest of the space station. If required, the space agencies are prepared to permanently shut off the hatch should the leak rate became unmanageable. The ISS would function normally, but there would be one less docking port for spacecraft delivering cargo to the space station. As the two space agencies continue to discuss the potential risk, the aging space station is inching closer to retirement within the next six years and its hardware may finally be giving in to the wear and tear of the harsh space environment. [ANS thanks Gizmodo 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* <https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear> ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Nov. 22 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. XW-2B NORAD Cat ID 40911 Decayed from orbit on 21 November 2024 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] ------------------------------ Space Station Raises Orbit Avoiding Orbital Debris The Progress 89 thrusters were fired at 20:09 UTC on Tuesday, November 19 for 5 minutes, 31 seconds, to raise the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) to provide an extra margin of distance from a piece of orbital debris from a defunct defense meteorological satellite that broke up in 2015. The Pre-determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) was conducted in coordination with NASA, Roscosmos and the other space station partners. Without the maneuver, ballistics officials estimated that the fragment could have come within around 2.5 miles of the station. The maneuver had no impact on station operations and did not affect Thursday’s launch of the Progress 90 cargo craft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. *[Operators attempting to utilize Amateur Radio aboard the ISS should make sure that the Keplerian orbital data in their tracking software has been updated since this change in orbit.]* [ANS thanks NASA 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. *RECENTLY COMPLETED:* Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity in the City of Pugachev, Saratov Region, Russia, direct via R4DS The ISS callsign was RSØISS The crewmember was Aleksey Ovchinin The ARISS mentor was RV3DR Contact was successful Wed 2024-11-20 15:16 UTC Congratulations to the Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity students, Aleksey, mentor RV3DR, and ground station R4DS Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RКØJ The ISS callsign was RSØISS The scheduled crewmember was Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor was RV3DR Contact was successful Thu 2024-11-21 11:24 UTC Congratulations to the Amur State University students, Alex, mentor RV3DR, and ground station RКØJ! Escola Secundária Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, direct via CS5SS The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember was Don Pettit, KD5MDT The ARISS mentor was IKØUSO Contact was successful: Fri 2024-11-22 16:37:40 UTC 31 deg Congratulations to the Escola Secundária Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro studnets, Don, mentor IKØUSO, and ground station CS5SS! Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/QzZOq7bhOas *UPCOMING:* Colégio do Castanheiro, Ponta Delgada, Azores, direct via CQ8CDC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO Contact is go for: Tue 2024-11-26 14:57:32 UTC 74 deg Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/ORRXzIPnjvg Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for: Thu 2024-11-28 15:05 UTC Scuola Media “Giovanni Verga”, Caltanissetta, Italy, direct via IT9AOI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT The ARISS mentor is IKØWGF Contact is go for: Fri 2024-11-29 11:01:30 UTC 59 deg Watch for Livestream at https://meet.google.com/bdb-hoaf-iaf and also on https://www.youtube.com/@scuolamediafilippocordova 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). Ham TV (2395.00 MHz down) is currently *STOWED*. 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 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. + *N4AKV/R* plans to operate linear and FM satellites from EM71/EM72 on Nov. 25. + *ADØHJ* is planning his last 2024 rove to the Missouri Ozarks area between December 5th-8th. Mitch has never been to that area so he is looking to do some sightseeing and activate eight new satellite grid squares. EM26-EM28, EM36-EM39, and EN30. He will be working RS-44 passes in the evenings. See https://hams.at for details. [ANS thanks hams.at for the above information] ------------------------------ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. February 14-15, 2025 Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds Yuma, AZ https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information] ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts From All Over + The space news website Space Daily carried a full article on Nov. 12 about the 50th anniversary of the launch of amateur radio satellite AO-7. As noted in anniversary articles by Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT Vice President – Development, that have been published here in the AMSAT News Service bulletins [*see above for this week’s installment*], AO-7 is the world’s oldest active satellite. The Space Daily article, by reporter Clarence Oxford, incorporated a good share of Frank’s text from ANS issue #308 published on Nov. 3. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information.) + The Space Force wants its next fleet of GPS satellites to be smaller, cheaper and more resilient — and it’s looking to a mix of commercial and defense firms to help design those spacecraft. The program, expected to cost $1 billion over the next five years, comes amid growing concern from Pentagon and other government leaders about GPS vulnerability. The system, which guides weapons and helps military units navigate, has been a target for Russia in its war with Ukraine, using electronic warfare to jam signals on a regular basis. Users have also reported increased spoofing incidents, a method of manipulating GPS data to confuse a receiver about its location. A larger number of small satellites should make it harder for enemies to target the fleet and will ensure there’s a backup capability when they do, the Space Force says. (ANS thanks Defense News for the above information.) + Earlier this month, three tiny Australian satellites from Curtin University’s Binar Space Program burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. That was always going to happen. In fact, Binar means “fireball” in the Noongar language of the First Nations people of Perth. But these CubeSats, known as Binar-2, 3, and 4, entered the atmosphere much sooner than originally planned. They only lasted for two months – a third of what was expected. Recent high solar activity has been causing an unexpected headache for satellite operators in the last few years, and it’s only increasing. (ANS thanks Science Alert for the above information.) + China has taken another step toward its crewed lunar goals by successfully testing fairing separation for its Long March 10 moon rocket series. The fairing separation test was conducted recently, according to a Nov. 20 statement from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). The separation test is one of a number of milestones needed in order to get the Long March 10 ready for flight, with a first launch to low earth orbit currently targeted for 2026. China has committed to the goal of getting a pair of its astronauts onto the lunar surface by 2030. (ANS thanks Space News 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 mjohns [at] amsat.org

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ANS-322 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 16 Nov '24

16 Nov '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-322 In this edition: * AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary – A Testbed for Saving Lives * Another Batch of CubeSatSim Kits Available Soon in AMSAT Store * SpaceX Dragon Fires Thrusters to Boost ISS Orbit for the First Time * SEAQUE Quantum Tech Arrives at ISS for Groundbreaking Demo * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 15, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 https://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<http://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-322 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Nov 17 ________________________________ AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary – A Testbed for Saving Lives As we observe AMSAT OSCAR-7’s 50th anniversary as the oldest operating satellite, we should recall what may be its most noteworthy accomplishment. OSCAR-7 was used to investigate the possibility of locating downed aircraft and disabled sea vessels by using Doppler analysis of signals from emergency location transmitters (ELT’s). As envisioned by spacecraft engineers from the United States and Russia, the concept was to relay signals from beacon devices, ELT’s or emergency location transmitters, already installed on large and small aircraft and on ships and smaller vessels equipped with EPIRB’s or Emergency Position-Indicating Radiobeacon Stations. These one-way beacon transmitters, originally intended to be received by surface rescue parties, could also be received and transponded by a LEO spacecraft, greatly extending the rescue potential. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Cospas-Sarsat-Lo…] The signals could also be Doppler tracked, one-way, by processing the beacon uplink signal on-board the spacecraft. This would allow the spacecraft to find the source beacon’s location immediately. This would allow the emergency beacon to be identified and located and the position stored for immediate downlink at the next available ground station. We know it is hard to remember but this was in an era before the creation of GPS! Scientists from the Russian COSPAS (Russian acronym for “Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress) and the U.S. SARSAT (Search and Rescue Satellite) teams simulated ELT’s on amateur radio stations and demonstrated how receiving and relaying ELT transmissions and analyzing Doppler shift as OSCAR-7 passed overhead could accurately locate the emergency beacons. The tests were highly successful. The COSPAS/SARSAT program went ahead and has been operational since 1982. From that time until 2021, when the program merged with others providing similar capability via LEO, MEO and GEO spacecraft, the program had saved the lives of 57,413 persons in 17,663 separate rescue events, involving downed aircraft and ships at sea. [ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT AO-7 Project Manager for the above information] ________________________________ Another Batch of CubeSatSim Kits Available Soon in AMSAT Store A new batch of fifteen CubeSatSim Kits will be available for purchase in the AMSAT Store on Wednesday, November 20, at noon US Eastern time (1700 UTC). Priced at $400 with shipping included for U.S. addresses, the CubeSatSim Kit offers a hands-on learning experience with no soldering and some assembly, making it ideal for both educational use and public demonstrations. The CubeSatSim Kit includes: * Fully assembled and tested PCBs (Main, Solar, and Battery Boards) * Raspberry Pi Zero 2 with a Pi Camera and fully programmed micro-SD card, along with a fully programmed Raspberry Pi Pico WH * AMSAT logo Remove Before Flight tag switch * 3D printed frame, nylon screws, and nuts, with a mini screwdriver included for assembly * Metal standoffs, stacking headers, and JST jumpers for stacking the PCBs and Pi Zero 2 * 10 solar panels with pre-soldered JST connectors and mounting tape * BME280 sensor (pressure, temperature, altitude, humidity) and MPU6050 IMU/gyro pre-soldered * Two 6″ SMA coax cables and two SMA antennas The kit also comes with an instruction sheet, parts inventory, and links to online instructions. Assembly time is estimated to be under two hours, with scissors and the provided mini screwdriver. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CubeSatSim-KitKi…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CubeSatSim-KitKi…> Limited quantities of the CubeSatSim Kit will soon be available for purchase from the AMSAT Store. [Credit: Alan Johnston, KU2Y] The v2.0 CubeSatSim features improvements over v1.2, such as an FM transceiver, Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, and RF command and control using DTMF or APRS packets. It can also be modified to function as a 500mW high altitude balloon payload. For those interested in creating their own CubeSatSim, v2.0 blank PCB sets are available at the AMSAT Store for $35. These require additional components, which can be purchased for approximately $300 using the provided Bill of Materials. Additional resources include: * Kit Instructions https://cubesatsim.org/kit * Kit Videos https://cubesatsim.org/kit-videos * Discussion Forum https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/discussions * Quick Start Guide https://cubesatsim.org/qsg For more information or to borrow a loaner CubeSat Simulator, contact Alan Johnston, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, at ku2y [at] arrl.net<http://arrl.net>. How to Order Kits will be sold exclusively on the AMSAT Store website. Only U.S. shipping addresses are eligible; orders with non-U.S. addresses will be refunded and closed. About CubeSatSim CubeSatSim is a low-cost satellite emulator powered by solar panels and batteries. It transmits UHF radio telemetry and can be expanded with additional sensors and modules, making it ideal for educational and public demonstrations. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations for the above information] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-Coin-Both_5…] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ SpaceX Dragon Fires Thrusters to Boost ISS Orbit for the First Time For the first time, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully raised the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by firing its thrusters. The orbital boost marks a significant milestone in Dragon’s capabilities and comes as part of SpaceX's 31st commercial resupply mission to the ISS. The mission, which launched on November 4, delivered a Dragon cargo vehicle which docked with the station the following day. On November 8, the vehicle conducted an orbit-raising maneuver, stabilizing the ISS’s position in low-Earth orbit. Orbit-raising maneuvers are routine for the ISS, which requires regular boosts to counteract orbital decay caused by Earth’s gravity. Until now, this task has been handled mainly by Russia's Soyuz and Progress vehicles, alongside occasional boosts from other spacecraft. With Dragon now performing such maneuvers, the U.S. spacecraft has added a critical capability, especially significant as NASA prepares for the eventual decommissioning of the ISS. The data gathered from today’s maneuver will aid in the development of SpaceX’s future ISS deorbit vehicle, known as the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, which NASA has contracted to guide the station into the Pacific Ocean upon its retirement. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Crew-9-Dragon-Sp…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Crew-9-Dragon-Sp…> Crew-9 Dragon "Freedom" firing its thrusters as it arrived at the ISS on September 29, 2024 [Credit: NASA / Don Pettit<https://x.com/astro_Pettit>] The reboost began at approximately 12:50 p.m. ET (1750 UTC) and lasted around 12.5 minutes, elevating the station’s orbit slightly. NASA monitored the reboost closely and shared updates on social media platform X, noting that Dragon’s performance in its first orbit-raising task was “a good demonstration” of its growing capabilities. SpaceX intends to apply the maneuver’s data toward the design of the planned U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, scheduled to be used once the ISS reaches the end of its operational lifespan. This recent success by Dragon is not the first instance of a U.S.-made spacecraft boosting the ISS. In 2022, NASA tested a similar maneuver using a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicle. However, the data collected from Dragon’s maneuver holds unique importance, as it directly informs the planning of the ISS’s controlled deorbit mission. The spacecraft, which has been continuously occupied for nearly 25 years, is expected to remain operational until around 2030, when the costs and maintenance demands of the aging structure will likely lead to its retirement. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SpaceX-U.S.-Deor…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SpaceX-U.S.-Deor…> SpaceX's design of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle is based on its Dragon spacecraft with an enhanced trunk section. [Credit: SpaceX<https://x.com/SpaceX>] The ISS’s eventual decommissioning aligns with NASA’s shift towards commercial partnerships in low-Earth orbit. The agency envisions that new, privately operated space stations will replace the ISS as research outposts, enabling NASA to focus its budget on deeper space exploration, including the Artemis Program’s return to the Moon. With the ISS contract awarded to SpaceX, the agency has placed its trust in the private sector to develop the technology needed to safely conclude the station’s mission in a controlled manner. The success of Dragon’s reboost maneuver also underscores the U.S.'s reduced reliance on Russian spacecraft to maintain ISS operations. Despite global political tensions, notably since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S.-Russian partnership on the ISS has persisted. However, Dragon’s demonstrated ability to perform reboosts offers NASA an alternative if needed. Since Dragon began launching U.S. astronauts in 2020, SpaceX has provided NASA with a reliable launch option from American soil, and now it has proven capable of supporting the station’s orbit, a role essential to the ISS’s long-term stability. [ANS thanks Josh Dinner, Space.com<https://www.space.com/> for the above information] ________________________________ SEAQUE Quantum Tech Arrives at ISS for Groundbreaking Demo The Space Entanglement and Annealing QUantum Experiment (SEAQUE) has officially arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), delivered aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 mission. The SpaceX Dragon capsule docked with the ISS on November 4th, carrying over 6,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo, including SEAQUE. Planned for installation on the Nanoracks Bishop airlock, SEAQUE represents an important step forward in building a global quantum communications network. Quantum computers promise computation speeds that are exponentially faster than conventional computers, and distributed quantum sensors may lead to new understandings of Earth and our place in the universe by measuring minute changes in gravity. However, to fully harness these abilities, a dedicated communication network must be established, capable of linking quantum computers and sensors regardless of their location. SEAQUE's experiment aims to prove the viability of orbiting nodes that can securely transmit and receive quantum data to and from the ground via free-space optical communications. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Space_Entangleme…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Space_Entangleme…> SEAQUE is among 25 experiments integrated into the Aegis MISSE-20 mission to be installed on the ISS. [Credit: Aegis Aerospace<https://aegisaero.com/>] A cornerstone of SEAQUE's mission is to test an integrated source of entangled photons, a critical requirement for secure quantum data transmission. Entangled photons are uniquely interconnected, where measuring one instantly influences the other, regardless of distance. This property enables potential data transmission that is secure and extremely difficult to intercept. Unlike prior quantum experiments that used bulk optics, SEAQUE utilizes a waveguide-based photon source. This innovation is more compact, efficient, and resilient, eliminating the need for manual optical realignment post-launch. “SEAQUE will demonstrate a new and never-before-flown entanglement source based on integrated optics,” said Paul Kwiat, principal investigator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He emphasized that the technology is pivotal for scalable global networks, as manual adjustments would be impractical when managing hundreds of quantum nodes spread across continents. Makan Mohageg, SEAQUE co-investigator from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), reinforced that SEAQUE's success would pave the way for future, widespread quantum networks. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SEAQUE-Installat…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SEAQUE-Installat…> SEAQUE will be hosted on the International Space Station by the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. [Credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory<https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/>] An added element of SEAQUE’s demonstration involves testing its ability to self-heal from radiation damage, a persistent challenge in space. High-energy particles can impair the detectors that receive quantum signals, causing noise and, eventually, failure. SEAQUE will employ a bright laser to periodically repair such damage using a technique known as annealing. This process has shown success on the ground, “bubbling away” defects and reducing noise to extend detector life. The SEAQUE mission reflects a truly international effort, including experts and students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, the National University of Singapore, and commercial partners such as AdvR, Inc., and Nanoracks. Funded by NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division, SEAQUE is expected to drive breakthroughs in secure quantum communications, establishing a foundation for future advancements in long-distance data sharing. [ANS thanks the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory<https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/> for the above information] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!<https://www.amsat.org/shop/> [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack1-300x298.png]<https://www.amsat.org/product/m2-leo-pack-antenna-system/> 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 November 15, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: Binar 2 NORAD Cat ID 60956 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 November 2024 [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. + Recently Completed Contacts Bishop O'Connell HS, Arlington, VA, telebridge via VK4ISS The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Nick Hague The ARISS mentor was AA6TB Contact was successful: Fri 2024-11-15 18:06:21 UTC Watch the Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/qlIufW_FCBU Cottam Scouts, Cottam, ON, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember was Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor was VE6JBJ Contact was successful: Sat 2024-11-16 18:17:04 UTC + Upcoming Contacts Erie Migration District School, Kingsville, ON, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is go for: Mon 2024-11-18 16:41:47 UTC Aznakaevsky district resp. Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Tue 2024-11-19 16:05 UTC Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity in the City of Pugachev, Saratov Region, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Wed 2024-11-20 15:15 UTC Escola Secundária Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, direct via CS5SS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit KD5MDT The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO Contact is go for: Fri 2024-11-22 16:37:40 UTC Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for: Thu 2024-11-21 11:25 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 ARISS SSTV Series 22 event is now underway from Mon 2024-11-11 11:50 UTC to Mon 2024-11-18 16:00 UTC (times are approximate). 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 Guyana: Aldir, PY1SAD (ZZ1M), operates from Georgetown as 8R1TM between Oct. 12 and Nov. 24 on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via satellites. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com<http://qrz.com/>. (From DXNL 2427 – October 9, 2024 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] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 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. Yuma HAMCON - February 20th thru 22nd, 2025 Yuma, AZ N1UW [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information] ________________________________ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store<https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AMSAT-Car-Flag-e…]<https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_car_flag-256716714380264543> Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over + SpaceX is set for its sixth Starship test flight on November 18th, marking the first mission without regulatory delays following FAA approval for both Flights 5 and 6. Flight 6 will be similar to Flight 5, including a suborbital launch and splashdown of the upper stage in the Indian Ocean, with a key difference being an attempted relight of a Raptor engine during coast, revisiting a goal from Flight 3. This test also includes new experiments with the thermal protection system, including sections without heat shield tiles to gather data on ship-catching configurations. SpaceX aims to catch the Super Heavy booster again, making improvements to its propulsion and structural systems after facing near failures and unexpected damage in Flight 5. The launch will depart in the afternoon to achieve a daylight splashdown, while testing higher angles of descent to simulate future landing profiles. Flight 6 will conclude the Block 1 version of Starship, with upgraded features planned for Flight 7, as SpaceX targets a faster launch cadence to support future NASA missions and lunar landings. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now<https://spaceflightnow.com/> for the above information) + NASA's Parker Solar Probe recently completed its seventh and final flyby of Venus, setting it on a course to approach within 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface—closer than any human-made object in history. This maneuver, crucial for tightening the probe's orbit, marks a significant step in its mission to study solar mysteries such as the sun’s extremely hot corona. Described by Nour Raouafi as “almost landing on a star” and compared to the 1969 moon landing, the achievement underscores its importance to humanity. The spacecraft’s gravity assists from Venus have not only propelled it closer to the sun but also provided unique data about Venus itself, revealing surface features through its WISPR camera and unexpected details like potential chemical differences. During the most recent flyby, Parker came within 233 miles of Venus’ surface to further study these surface properties. On December 24th, the probe will achieve its closest solar encounter, reaching a speed of 430,000 miles per hour, with mission control anticipating confirmation of its success by December 27th. (ANS thanks Space.com<https://www.space.com/> for the above information) + Arianespace has announced that the second flight of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, its first commercial mission, has been rescheduled from December 2024 to no earlier than mid-February 2025. This mission will carry the CSO 3 reconnaissance satellite for the French military and marks the first Ariane 6 launch to be overseen by Arianespace. Initially expected to launch in December following the Vega C rocket’s return to flight, the schedule changed after analysis of an issue during the Ariane 6's debut in July. The delay stemmed from a temperature measurement anomaly that prevented the upper stage’s auxiliary power unit (APU) from starting, now corrected with a software update. Both the rocket’s core and upper stages are still in production and are set to be transported soon to French Guiana for launch preparation. Arianespace has assured that this delay will not impact future missions, with plans to conduct six Ariane 6 launches in 2025. (ANS thanks SpaceNews<https://spacenews.com/> for the above information) + AST SpaceMobile has recently deployed five massive BlueBird satellites in low Earth orbit, each with a record-breaking 693-square-foot communications array, marking the start of the company's space-based cellular network. These satellites are brighter than most objects in the night sky, presenting significant challenges for astronomers by obstructing observations. AST aims to establish the first cellular broadband network directly accessible by cell phones, with plans to expand its constellation to over 100 satellites. The rapid increase in large satellites, like those of AST and competitors such as SpaceX and Amazon, has raised concerns about space debris and environmental impact. A group of experts has urged the FCC to reconsider satellite environmental exemptions, fearing an irreversible clutter of space. This surge in satellite launches is not only reshaping communications but also sparking debate on preserving the accessibility of space for scientific exploration. (ANS thanks Gizmodo<https://gizmodo.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<https://www.amsat.org> for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org<https://www.amsat.org>

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ANS-315 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 09 Nov '24

09 Nov '24

*AMSAT *News Service*ANS-315* *November 10, 2024* In this edition: - Celebrating AO-7: First Earth-Space-Space-Earth Relay Communications - September/October 2024 Issue of *The AMSAT Journal* Available - 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available to AMSAT Members - ASRTU-1 Satellite With FM Transponder Launched - MO-122 Telemetry Beacon Level and Update - November 9, 2024 - ARISS SSTV Event - Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 8, 2024 - ARISS News - Upcoming Satellite Operations - AMSAT Ambassador Activities - 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 https://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/ ------------------------------ Celebrating AO-7: First Earth-Space-Space-Earth Relay Communications As AO-7, launched on November 15, 1974, approaches is 50th Anniversary and setting a record as the longest operating satellite, we look back at a few of its noteworthy accomplishments. The downlink spectrum of AO-7’s UHF/VHF transponder overlapped with AO-6’s VHF-to-HF transponder. The overlap of the two was approximately 50 kHz wide. The two orbits were the same - almost. AO-7’s mean motion was slightly higher than that of AO-6, which means, once every year of so, AO-6 will “lap” its younger sibling in space. During the time when the two spacecraft are in closer proximity, it was already known to be theoretically possible (if AO-7 has its UHF/VHF transponder on) for one user to communicate through two spacecraft in succession, with the downlink of AO-7’s transponder being relayed through AO-6’s VHF/HF transponder uplink, and then, with the doubly relayed signal arriving on 29.5 MHz to another user on the ground. This could be done, in certain geometries, in both directions, making a two-way double-hop communications possible. The first successful Earth-Space-Space-Earth relay of this type took place on January 6, 1975. This happened early in AO-7’s “first” lifetime and during the first occasion when AO-6 approached AO-7, in their very similar orbits. The two stations were both located in the state of Texas – one in Dallas and one in Richardson. This method of communications was also conducted and reported by 55 other user stations from 12 countries during 1975. These events were documented in the IEEE Proceedings in October of 1975. See another AO-7 50 Year Anniversary highlight in next week’s ANS Weekly Bulletin. *[ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT AO-7 Project Manager for the above information]* ------------------------------ September/October 2024 Issue of *The AMSAT Journal* Available The September/October 2024 issue of *The AMSAT Journal *is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal <https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal>. *The AMSAT Journal* is a bi-monthly digital 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. *Inside the Current Issue:* - Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL - AMSAT Awards - Bruce Paige, KK5DO - The History of AMSAT AO-7 - Jan King, W3GEY - Long Range Modulation (LoRa) in Low Earth Satellites - Omar Álvarez Cárdenas, XE1AO, et al. - A Visit to the Tokyo Ham Fair 2024 - Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF - 2024 Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Photos *[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]* ------------------------------ 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available to AMSAT Members The Proceedings of the AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium and Annual Meeting are now available for AMSAT members on the AMSAT Member Portal <https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings>. In this year's edition: - Welcome - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Silent Keys - The AMSAT CubeSatSim v2.0 Software Overview - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - AMSAT Education and CubeSat Simulator Project Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - Integration of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research - Rachel Jones, KO4HLC - ARISS Prototype: Automation and Remote Control (ARC) of the IORS - Chris Thompson, G0KLA / AC2CZ / VE2TCP - FUNcube Lite on Jovian-1, A 6U University CubeSat with an AMSAT-UK Payload - David Bowman G0MRF - CARD-SAT® - A Step Forward for Satellite Miniaturization - Adrian Totu, YO3HOT - GOLF-TEE Flight Software and Bus Overview - Burns Fisher, WB1FJ - Determination of Spacecraft Orbital Elements from In-flight GNSS Measurement - Joseph DiVerdi, K0NMR *[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]* ------------------------------ *2024 Coins Are Still Available!Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.**Join <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT President’s Club today!* ------------------------------ ASRTU-1 Satellite With FM Transponder Launched On November 4, 2024 at 23:18 UTC, a Soyuz rocket launched from Vostochny with at least 17 satellites using amateur satellite service frequencies. Among those launched was ASRTU-1, a 12U CubeSat designed by Russian and Chinese students and developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, China, for education and amateur radio. The satellite contains an FM transponder, which is currently operational, with an uplink of 145.850 MHz (67 Hz CTCSS tone required) and a downlink of 435.400 MHz. After the repeater detects the end of uplink, it will wait for 0.5s. If no new uplink in 0.5s, telemetry will be sent. So make fast QSOs so the telemetry is less like to interrupt you. The satellite also contains two cameras with an SSDV downlink for low resolution images on 436.210 MHz, and a high speed downlink on 10460.00 MHz for high resolution images. On November 7, 2024, the camera system was tested for the first time. N6RFM uplinked the command and the image was downloaded by Chinese stations using the UHF SSDV downlink. Windows software for decoding telemetry is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W8nm-P0_h0J1Bd1eif74mLo-EuRdWcjH A Live ISO Linux image is also available for telemetry at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T6GMNnDNEEavckoe4oPXPIU_SPFXLDd4 A Telegram group has been created for discussing the satellite: https://t.me/+I5NTtX7eAJA4ZDVl Latest TLEs: ASRTU-1_20241108D 1 99130U 24313.98869213 .00036395 00000-0 15511-2 0 00005 2 99130 097.3830 178.7387 0016365 224.8894 196.6964 15.22873038000014 *ASRTU-1* Uplink FM (67 Hz CTCSS) Downlink FM Comments ASRTU-1 145.850 MHz 435.400 MHz In orbit, commissioning Also downlinks on 436.210 MHz, 10460.00 MHz. Download Live CD <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T6GMNnDNEEavckoe4oPXPIU_SPFXLDd4> for telemetry decoding. *[ANS thanks BG2BHC, the IARU, and AMSAT-F for the above information]* ------------------------------ MO-122 Telemetry Beacon Level and Update - November 9, 2024 Your continued collection of telemetry data for MO-122/MESAT1 is always appreciated. For the next couple of days the telemetry beacon on MO-122 will remain at its lowest power level. This puts the signal down a couple of dB, and it's noticeable from the ground. The low signal is a great opportunity to work on improving the sensitivity of our receiving stations! The transponder power remains the same--it's strong, thanks to AMSAT's LTM (Linear Transponder Module)! The satellite remains in good health. Since launch in early July, eclipse periods have increased a good deal, going from about 15 mins to nearly 29 mins. At the same time, the orbit has precessed so the bird appears over populated areas where the transponder gets more use while in eclipse. These conditions mean the battery is getting used more with less time to fully recharge. We keep a watchful eye on the battery and its reported capacity, and when there is an apparent decline it seems prudent to turn off the transponder for a couple of days to allow recovery. The low beacon for the next couple of days will allow us to see how much "relief" that gives to the power budget; it won't be much, but we can watch and learn. Managing a satellite's power budget is a balancing act of sorts. The good news is that by the end of February it looks like eclipse periods will drop back to around 17 mins. At the same time, the battery will be 4 months older--and have gone through a lot of orbits. Some fun math- from today until the end of February, there are 112 days. There are 1440 minutes per day, and MO-122 orbits about every 95 mins. 1440 min/day / 95 min/orbit is about 15 orbits per day. So, 15 orbits / day X 122 days means almost 1700 orbit and discharge/recharge cycles will occur before the end of February! Do that with your power drill battery pack ;) Hopefully my update will help provide an answer to the logical question, "why is the transponder being turned off and on?" As the guest payload on UMaine's satellite, we are doing our best to be good stewards of an important resource, while also learning about LTM, lithium batteries, and powerbudgets---all of which is helpful to our engineering teams as they work on new birds like Fox-Plus and the GOLF family. Enjoy the bird! *[ANS thanks Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and Command Station, for the above information]* ------------------------------ ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for November 11-18 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announces an SSTV event to be held next week. The event is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 11 at 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 at 13:40 UTC. SSTV transmissions will be paused during scheduled school contacts on November 15 and 16. Downlink transmissions will be at 145.800 MHz and the mode is expected to be PD 120. The transmissions will consist of 12 images featuring activities from the 2024 40th Anniversary Celebrating Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight. If you are a past participant in our SSTV events, please note that we will be using our newly updated gallery at *https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ <https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/>* . ARISS has a new way to request a special certificate. When participants successfully receive at least one image and submit it at the new gallery, participants will be moved to a thank-you page. There, a person can read text about data protection, and press the button that says “I agree,” and receive an email in two weeks or sooner with a certificate. If a person submits additional images, the thank-you page tells them they have already asked for a certificate. Thanks to our user community for participating in ARISS. *[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 8, 2024 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/ SR-0 Demosat NORAD Cat ID 60455 Decayed from orbit on or about 02 November 2024 Binar 4 NORAD Cat ID 60952 Decayed from orbit on or about 04 November 2024 SO-121 NORAD Cat ID 58567 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 November 2024 Binar 3 NORAD Cat ID 60957 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 November 2024 *[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]* ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the **AMSAT Store! <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/>**When you purchase through **AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards **Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.* ------------------------------ 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. *International Aerospace School named after U.N. Sultanov, Ufa, Russia, direct via RZ9WWB* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Fri 2024-11-01 21:08 UTC If anyone heard this contact, please let ARISS know. *Scuola Primaria “Bandello”, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Italy, telebridge via VK6MJ* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ Contact was successful: Thu 2024-11-07 07:56:25 UTC 25 deg Congratulations to the Scuola Primaria “Bandello” students, Sunita, mentor IZ2GOJ, and telebridge VK6MJ! *Bishop O'Connell HS, Arlington, VA, telebridge via VK4ISS* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague The ARISS mentor is AA6TB Contact is go for: Fri 2024-11-15 18:06:21 UTC 46 deg *SWSU, Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Fri 2024-11-15 19:15 UTC *Cottam Scouts, Cottam, ON, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is go for: Sat 2024-11-16 18:17:04 UTC 53 deg *Aznakaevsky district resp. Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Tue 2024-11-19 16:05 UTC *Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity in the City of Pugachev, Saratov Region, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Wed 2024-11-20 15:15 UTC *Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Thu 2024-11-21 11:25 UTC Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. 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. 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 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. Guyana: Aldir, PY1SAD (ZZ1M), operates from Georgetown as 8R1TM between Oct. 12 and Nov. 24 on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via satellites. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com. (From DXNL 2427 - October 9, 2024) *[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]* ------------------------------ * Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?* Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store <https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space ------------------------------ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 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. Scheduled Events *Yuma HAMCON* *February 20-22, 2025* Yuma, AZ N1UW *[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts from All Over +Hackaday featured a homebrew LNA suitable for satellite operation on November 4th. https://hackaday.com/2024/11/04/a-lesson-in-rf-design-thanks-to-this-homebr… (Thanks to Hackaday for the informaiton) + AMSAT-EA released a statement on the decay of SO-121: "HADES-D (SO-121) satellite has re-entered the atmosphere, disintegrating as planned. Many thanks to the ham radio community for your support. We are glad that, even with its low power, many amateurs were able to make voice contacts and had fun receiving its telemetry." (Thanks to AMSAT-EA for the information) + FO-29's batteries are unable to support continuous operation of the analog transponder throughout its orbit after over 28 years. However, JARL continues to turn on the transponder at various times. Operation continues until the satellite's UVC (under-voltage control) automatically turns off the transponder. Times for the remainder of November are: Nov 10th 01:50 UTC Nov 16th 01:35 UTC Nov 17th 02:24 UTC Nov 23rd 02:09 UTC Nov 24th 01:15 UTC Nov 30th 02:43 UTC (Thanks to JARL for the 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] arrl.net <http://arrl.net>* *ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002*

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ANS-308 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 02 Nov '24

02 Nov '24

In this weeks issue: * AMSAT AO-7 to Celebrate 50th Anniversary * AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium Presentations Now Available * Back to Basics: What is the CubeSat Launch Initiative? * VUCC Satellite Standing for November 2024 * FO-29 November Operating Schedule * Telemetry Reports Wanted for Upcoming ASRTU-1 Satellite Launch * Voyager 1 Resorts to Transmitter that Hasn't Been Used Since 1981 * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 1, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 [dot] 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-308 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Nov 03 AMSAT AO-7 to Celebrate 50th Anniversary It has often been reported that the oldest satellites still working in space are the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The Voyagers were both launched in 1977 to take advantage of the planetary alignment called, back then, the “Grand Tour”. Their images changed the human vision of our solar system. [cid:[email protected]] But, are they really the oldest, still functional spacecraft in outer space? What if we include spacecraft that remained behind in Earth Orbit? Is it even believable that the oldest still working satellite in space wasn’t even designed or operated by NASA, USAF, ESA or any other space agency? What if this satellite was designed by Radio Amateurs and the final assembly occurred in a basement laboratory not far from Goddard Space Flight Center? Then all things considered, AO-7, a SmallSat launched on November 15, 1974 is the oldest working satellite and is still providing service to hundreds of Amateur Radio operators around the world. In its first life, AO-7 lived a very healthy lifetime of 6.5 years. Not to over-state the case, AO-7 outlived both its commercial and government co-passengers launched by Delta-104. In late 1980, AO-7’s poor, abused, NiCad battery began to show serious signs of increased series resistance. This was a sure sign to AMSAT command stations that the end was in sight. The cells had been originally matched for capacity by NASA. And, indeed the cells all failed within a matter of weeks of one another. AO-7 stayed asleep for 21 years, to the nearest month. Then one day AO-7 woke up again. This was only possible if something caused an open circuit in the battery. A very active user of AO-7, Pat Gowain, G3IOR, from the UK, made a telephone call to Perry Klein, W3PK, (first AMSAT President and designer of the VHF/HF transponder). This was on June 21, 2002. Pat wondered if we had launched a new LEO spacecraft? He was hearing Morse Code Telemetry again on the old beacon frequency of AO-7. He played Perry a tape recording. It sure sounded like AO-7 telemetry! Many radio amateurs who were satellite enthusiasts very quickly began to observe the signals from AO-7 and the second life of the "Sleeping Beauty" of satellites began. Over the next three weeks in November AMSAT News Service will honor this historic achievement with a series of short articles highlighting the life of AMSAT OSCAR 7. In the meantime be sure to visit a special page on the AMSAT website where you will find a collection of AO-7 articles and links at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-ao-7-a-fifty-year-anniversary/. [ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT AO-7 Project Manager for the above information.] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [cid:[email protected]] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium Presentations Now Available The fifteen live presentations given at the recent AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium are now available online for viewing. The URL's for presentations on Day 1 and Day 2 are shown along with the approximate timeline for each presentation. [cid:[email protected]] Also available is the Symposium Banquet keynote address by Brian Abbott, NA7D, and the AMSAT General Meeting conducted by AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL. Day 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhYXX9AXlI AMSAT-UK Payload on Jovian-1 CubeSat David Bowman, G0MRF 0:00:58 CARD-SAT®: A Step Forward for Satellite Miniaturization Adrian Totu, YO3HOT 0:58:15 Working QO-100 from Beyond the Nominal Footprint Graham Shirville, G3VZV 1:18:55 AMSAT & ARISS Over the Past 40 Years Frank Bauer, KA3HDO 2:01:20 MO-122 (MESAT1) Commissioning Recap Mark Hammond, N8MH 2:35:05 AMSAT-HB Update Michael Lipp, HB9WD 3:08:05 Fox Plus Update Mike Moore, K4MVM 3:24:45 Day 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64Zm7rEmi0 AMSAT CubeSatSim Education Update and Software Overview Alan Johnston, KU2Y 0:00:48 Integration of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research Rachel Jones, KO4HLC 0:44:00 ARISS Engineering Update – ISS, Lunar, and Commercial Activities Randy Berger, WA0D 1:47:00 Automation and Remote Control of the Inter-Operable Radio System (IORS) on the ISS Chris Thompson, VE2TCP/G0KLA 2:51:56 Getting Ready to Receive HamTV from the ISS Graham Shirville, G3VZV 3:36:00 GOLF-TEE Flight Software and Bus Overview Burns Fisher, WB1FJ 4:22:55 Determination of Orbiting Spacecraft Space Vectors Solely from In-flight Position Measurements Joseph DiVerdi, K0NMR 5:20:00 AMSAT Engineering Update Jerry Buxton, N0JY 6:02:00 AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony Robert Bankston, KE4AK, AMSAT President 7:15:30 Banquet Keynote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb-pQmr97KA Brent Abbott, NA7D, Chief Revenue Officer , Rogue Space 0:00:45 [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] ________________________________ Back to Basics: What is the CubeSat Launch Initiative? (Editor's note: In this avocation, we sometimes toss around acronyms or titles with scant understanding of what they stand for. From time to time, ANS will offer short articles that can help up better understand the vocabulary of amateur satellites.) The CubeSat Launch Initiative, or CSLI, is a NASA initiative that provides opportunities for qualified CubeSats to fly as auxiliary payloads on future launches that have excess capacity or as deployments from the International Space Station (ISS). In very simple terms that means that NASA will cover the cost of providing a CubeSat a ride to space in exchange for a report on the results of that CubeSat's investigation. [cid:[email protected]] NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative provides opportunities for CubeSats built by U.S. educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, including informal educational institutions such as museums and science centers to fly on upcoming launches. Through innovative technology partnerships NASA provides these CubeSat developers a low cost pathway to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space, thus enabling students, teachers, and faculty to obtain hands-on flight hardware design, development, and build experience. CSLI provides a low-cost platform for NASA science missions, including planetary exploration, Earth observation, and fundamental Earth and space science. These efforts are a cornerstone in the development of cutting-edge NASA enabling technologies including laser communications, next generation avionics approaches, power generation, distributive sensor systems, satellite-to-satellite communications, and autonomous movement. Leveraging these missions for collaboration optimizes NASA’s technology investments, fosters open innovation, and facilitates technology infusion. CubeSat missions are enabling the acceleration of flight-qualified technology assistance in raising Technology Readiness Levels, which aligns to NASA’s objective of advancing the Nation’s capabilities by maturing cross-cutting innovative space technologies. About half of all CSLI missions are conducting scientific investigations, most frequently Space Weather and Earth Science. Specific science investigation areas include: biological science, study of near Earth objects, climate change, snow/ice coverage, orbital debris, planetary science, space-based astronomy, and heliophysics. Sixty-six percent of all CSLI missions are conducting technology development or demonstrations. Communications, propulsion, navigation and control, and radiation testing lead the topics in this area. Other notable technologies are solar sails, additive manufacturing, femtosatellites, and smart phone satellites. The low cost of development for a CubeSat allows for conducting higher risk activities that would not be possible on large-scale NASA missions. What is the difference between CSLI and ELaNa? NASA’s Launch Services Program manifests CSLI payloads with a variety of launch providers. Each launch with manifested CSLI payloads is called an ELaNa mission (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) and is given an ELaNa mission number (e.g., ELaNa 49, ELaNa 50). Simply put, CSLI is the payload and ELaNa is the ride. To be eligible for CSLI, a CubeSat investigation must be of clear benefit to NASA by supporting at least one goal or objective stated in the NASA Strategic Plan. This plan can be found on NASA’s Web site http://www.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:[email protected]] 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 Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 1, 2024 to November 1, 2024. DF2ET 1500 1602 KF7R 1154 1175 HB9AOF 743 907 W8LR 887 888 IK3ITB 604 800 N7ZO 650 669 N6UTC 600 651 F6GLJ 501 609 JA1GZK 500 575 HB9GWJ 514 553 DJ7NT 348 432 SP5ULN 156 404 JF3MKC 275 280 W6IA 246 278 WA3YDZ New 271 IC8TEM New 147 YB1RQX/P New 100 Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders. YB1RQX is first VUCC Satellite holder from OJ21 DXCC Satellite has still not been updated since May [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ for the above information.] ________________________________ FO-29 November Operating Schedule FO-29 will be turned on at the following times in November and will remain active following each activation until the satellite’s under-voltage control (UVC) disables the transmitter. The estimated time (UTC) to turn on the analog transmitter are as follows: 2nd 02:10 ~ 3rd 03:00 ~ 4th 02:05 ~ 9th 02:45 ~ 10th 01:50 ~ 16th 01:35 ~ 17th 02:24 ~ 23rd 02:09 ~ 24th 01:15 ~ 30th 02:43 ~ [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information.] ________________________________ Telemetry Reports Wanted for Upcoming ASRTU-1 Satellite Launch The LilacSat team is seeking for first day telemetry reception stations all over the world, especially in Europe and Africa. ASRTU-1 (BJ2CR / RS64S) satellite is planned for a Soyuz 2.1b launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome. Separation is expected on November 5, 2024 at approximately 03:36 UTC. [cid:[email protected]] The satellite carries a V/U FM repeater, UHF SSDV and 10G hi-res image downlink. The telemetry downlink frequency is 435.400 MHz, 9600bd BPSK. A SDR dongle or a rig that supports bandwidth > 12kHz IF output (e.g. IC-705 or IC-9700) is required. LiveCD for decode can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-ASRTU-1. The preliminary TLE is shown below: ASRTU-1 1 00000U 24001A 24310.15069444 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00014 2 00000 097.3998 174.6627 0017604 130.9343 144.0104 15.26720093000011 A special QSL card is planned for first day telemetry reports. Follow the project at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/530294498525868/?multi_permalinks=913084726… [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP - Operations for the above information.] ________________________________ Voyager 1 Resorts to Transmitter that Hasn't Been Used Since 1981 Following recent communication issues, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft resorted to using a backup radio transmitter that has been inactive since 1981. The interstellar explorer experienced a brief pause in communications after putting itself in a protective state to conserve power. This was triggered by a command sent on Oct. 16 instructing the spacecraft to turn on one of its heaters. [cid:[email protected]] The mission's flight team first realized there was an issue with Voyager 1 on Oct. 18, when the spacecraft failed to respond to that command. The team later discovered that the spacecraft had turned off its primary X-band radio transmitter and instead switched over to its secondary S-band radio transmitter, which uses less power, according to a statement from NASA. The transmitter shut-off seems to have been prompted by the spacecraft's fault protection system, which autonomously responds to onboard issues. The spacecraft's fault protection system switched to the S-band radio transmitter, which, prior to that date, hadn't been used since 1981. Given the spacecraft is located much farther away in interstellar space today than it was 43 years ago, the flight team was not sure a signal on the S-band frequency could be detected — especially because it transmits a significantly fainter signal while using less power. A command was sent to the S-band transmitter on Oct. 22. Two days later, on Oct. 24, the team was finally able to reconnect with Voyager 1. Voyager 1, which launched in 1977. Its time in deep space has taken a toll on its instruments and caused an increasing number of technical issues. Earlier this year, the team had to fix a separate communications glitch that was causing the spacecraft to transmit gibberish. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-Voyager. [ANS thanks Space.com 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! [cid:[email protected]] 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 1, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: UVSQ-SAT NORAD Cat ID 43758 Decayed from orbit on or about 26 October 2024 TianYi 6 NORAD Cat ID 43158 Decayed from orbit on or about 18 October 2024 [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. [ARISS News] Upcoming Contacts Instituto Privado Rivadavia, Alderetes, Tucuman, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor is Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ. Contact is go for Monday, November 4, 2024 at 13:02 UTC. Scuola Primaria “Bandello”, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Italy, telebridge via VK6MJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor is Ferrario Gianpietro, IZ2GOJ. Contact is go for Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 07:56 UTC. Completed Contacts Coastal Community School, Satellite Beach, FL, direct via KD4GPI. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember ass Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor was Charlie Sufana, AJ9N. Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 13:42 UTC. Colegio Parroquial el Salvador, Yerba Buena, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF. The ISS callsignwas NA1SS. The crewmember was Don Pettit, KD5MDT The ARISS mentor was Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ. Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 15:32 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 There are no operations listed. 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, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. [cid:[email protected]] November 9, 2024 Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Marana Middle School 11285 West Grier Rd. Marana, AZ 85653 https://www.tucsonhamradio.org/copy-of-hamfest-2022 N1UW February 14-15, 2005 Yuma Hamfest & ARRL Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over * As millions of people around the world celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams radioed home a message of festive cheer. "I want to extend my warmest wishes for a Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the festival of lights today at the White House and around the world," Williams said in a recent video message sent from the International Space Station. Speaking from the ISS' window-filled cupola with Earth as her backdrop, Williams, who is an American with Indian heritage, spoke about her father's efforts to keep Indian culture alive after he migrated to the United States in 1957. She also touched upon the symbolism of Diwali — the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and hope over despair. "Diwali is a time of joy as goodness in the world prevails," she said. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.] * In a few years, as part of the Artemis Program, NASA will begin the creation of permanent infrastructure that will allow for regular missions to the surface (once a year) and a sustained program of lunar exploration and development. In a recent NASA-supported study, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated a new method of sending spacecraft to the Moon. It is known as “multimode propulsion,” a method that integrates a high-thrust chemical mode and a low-thrust electric mode – while using the same propellant. To break it down, a multimode thruster relies on a single chemical monopropellant – like hydrazine or Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic (ASCENT) propellant – to power chemical thrusters and an electrospray thruster (aka. colloid thruster). The latter element relies on a process known as electrospray ionization (ESI), where charged liquid droplets are produced and accelerated by a static electric field. Electrospray thrusters were first used in space aboard the ESA’s LISA Pathfinder mission to demonstrate disturbance reduction. By developing a system that can switch as needed, satellites will be able to perform propulsive manuevers using less propellant, thus requiring fewer fuel transfers. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-Propulsion. [ANS thanks UniverseToday.com for the above information.] * Has orbital debris gone out of control? In 1978, NASA scientists Donald J. Kessler and Burton G. Cour-Palais proposed a scenario where the density of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) would be high enough that collisions between objects would cause a cascade effect. In short, these collisions would create debris that would result in more collisions, more debris, and so on. This came to be known as the Kessler Syndrome, something astronomers, scientists, and space environmentalists have feared for many decades. In recent years, and with the deployment of more satellites than ever, the warning signs have become undeniable. Currently, there is an estimated 13,000 metric tons (14,330 US tons) of “space junk” in LEO. With the breakup and another satellite in orbit – the Intelsat 33e satellite – the situation will only get worse. Read the full report at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-208-Debris. [ANS thanks UniverseToday.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 [dot] org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

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