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ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 26 Mar '23

26 Mar '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-085 In this edition: * AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers * The January/February AMSAT Journal is Available * The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed * Austria restricts 23cm band operation * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 23, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Mar 26 AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers repeated from last week. It's less than eight weeks away when Amateur Radio's biggest event of the year happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. That's right, May 19-20 is Hamvention time when over 30,000 of our closest friends get together to get a first hand look at the latest products and to catch up with friends from around the world. With over 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, AMSAT is a major Hamvention exhibitor with displays from Engineering, Operations, Educational Relations, the AMSAT Store and much more. Last year in 2022, about 35 people assisted with the AMSAT booth. It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2022 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun. Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated. If you will be attending Hamvention and can help, please send an e-mail to Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator via w1eme [at] amsat [dot]org. [ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The January/February 2023 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. 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. [ANS thanks Joe Koronowski, Editor AMSAT Journal for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA shares some of the little-known techniques and implications of rocket architectural design. The discussion is fascinating and a valuable set of observations for those who are not in the business. Why big rockets sometimes do less. Why little rockets sometimes cost more. And why every rocket has its very own, perfect mission. There is no single, best rocket. Different rockets do different things. As it turns out, the design of a rocket flows directly from the mission the rocket is intended to do, and there are many different missions. Any given rocket is optimal for a specific orbit and payload. Its efficiency falls off as we move away from that perfect case. The entire Blog is comprehensive and available at: https://bit.ly/42BIAOA [ANS thanks Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA and the Medium platform for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Austria restricts 23cm band operation Austria has become the latest country to impose restrictions on Amateur Radio operation in the 23 cm band (1240-1300 MHz) to protect to protect ground-based receivers for the Galileo RNSS satellite constellation. Advice from Austria’s national amateur radio society ÖVSV cites changes to the legal conditions in the AFU area from 03/13/2023: Annex 2 of the Amateur Radio Ordinance is omitted and is now regulated in the Frequency Use Ordinance Annex 4. This results in some changes in the frequency ranges and powers. For the KW bands 80m, 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m, 1KW (High-Power) can now be approved for Class 1 FA after 1 year of trouble-free operation. Thus, the power limitation of 7100-7200 kHz (previously only 200W) in the 40m band is eliminated and AFU has primary status. 30m band still only max. 200W if power level B or C approved (no change) 160m band from 1810-1850 kHz now max. 200W if power level B or C approved and AFU has primary status. 160m band from 1850-2000 kHz only max. 100W (now instead of 1950 kHz up to 2000 kHz) 2023-03-13 Austrian Regulations The 6m band has been extended from 52-54MHz. (Limited until 31.12.2030, for research WRAN) -from 50-52 MHz now max 200W if power level B or C approved and AFU has primary status. -from 52-54MHz only max 100W. On the 70cm band now also allowed as already on 2m high-power (up to 1KW), if power level B or C approved (but only EME and MS with Yagis from at least 15dBd gain) The 23cm band was kept, but the performance was severely limited -only 10W allowed (previously max. 200W were allowed) -Repeaters with more than 16kHz bandwidth must cease operation by December 31, 2024. On all higher FM bands (except 10 GHz, since only 40dbW EIRB) now also max. 200W (previously only 100W) allowed. On 24GHz AFU has only secondary status Please note the new conditions. Kurt Baumann OE1KBC [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Kurt OE1KBC 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ No Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 26, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: None [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. “Valle de Camargo” High School, Revilla de Camargo, Spain, direct via EA1FBG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO. Contact is go for: Mon 2023-03-27 15:09:00 UTC 36 deg. Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia. Direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Thu 2023-03-30 08:20 UTC Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor is ON6TI. Contact is go for: Fri 2023-03-31 08:49:06 UTC 72 deg Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Fri 2023-03-31 13:50 UTC Stone Magnet Middle School, Melbourne, Fl, direct via AJ9N. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is AJ9N. Contact is go for: Fri 2023-03-31 18:07:55 UTC 50 deg The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html ARISS from Twitter: We've updated our username here on Twitter to @ARISS_Intl to make us easier to find. If you are all ready following, thanks! There's nothing for you to do. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations SAT DXPEDITION MENORCA ISLAND 2023 (DXCC : EA6 Balearic is. / GRIDS : JN10+JN20+JM19+JM29 / IOTA : EU-004) Philippe, EA4NF will be operating on satellite from MENORCA Island as EA6/EA4NF from April 5 to 8, 223. Portable activation with a FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna and also handheld+whip antenna. April 5-8, 2023 FM SAT & LINEARS. QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF. Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates : @EA4NF_SAT CY0S, the Sable Island DXpedition, is equipped with satellite gear and will attempt satellite operations as schedule and conditions permit. Operations will be announced on https://hams.at/ Sable is mostly in grid GN03, with parts of the island in both FN93 and GN04. The expedition is set up in FN93xw, very near the GN03/FN93 grid line. (ANS thanks https://t-rexsoftware.com/cy0s/frequencies.htm for the above information) Joe, KE9AJ will be in New Mexico Mar 26-30. Then onto DN70 in Colorado Apr 1-10. He will have his IO-117 gear with him. This will be a family trip so sat operations will be as time permits. Watch his Twitter Feed and AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations web page for more info as it becomes available. The AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations web page may be found at: https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, and https://t-rexsoftware.com/cy0s/frequencies.htm for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a satellite presentation scheduled with a group in Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/ Hamvention 2023 is coming! Greene County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center, May 19 - 21. AMSAT will have a full display as detailed by Phil Smith W1EME above. Please reach out to Phil if you can help. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Doug Papay, K8DP has continued to document the GreenCube IO-117 user lists by providing a very nice mapping page using the Google My Maps application. It is well worth a browse if you are considering using the satellite or are already involved. See: https://bit.ly/3LCKmsR. [ANS thanks the Doug Papay, K8DP for the above information] + After 15 years in space, NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission has ended. NASA first noticed issues with AIM’s battery in 2019, but the probe was still sending a “significant amount of data” back to Earth. NASA says AIM has now become unresponsive. Launched in 2007, AIM studied noctilucent or night-shining clouds, which can last hundreds of years in the Earth's upper atmosphere. It was only meant to operate up for two years, but it’s provided data for multiple groundbreaking studies, including a study that found methane emissions are causing night-shining clouds to form more frequently. (ANS thanks Engadget for the above information) + The world's first 3D-printed rocket launched successfully on Wednesday, marking a step forward for the California company behind the innovative spacecraft, though it failed to reach orbit. Billed as less costly to produce and fly, the unmanned Terran 1 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:25 pm (0325 GMT Thursday) but suffered an "anomaly" during second-stage separation as it streamed towards low Earth orbit, according to a livestream broadcast by aerospace startup Relativity Space. More may be found at https://bit.ly/3K1sSoI [ANS thanks Chris Lefkow and Lucie Aubourg of AFP, and Space Daily for the above information] +NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module. WASHINGTON — NASA is projecting spending nearly $1 billion on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station at the end of the decade to provide redundancy for safely disposing of the station. NASA released additional details March 13 about its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. An outline of the proposal, published by the White House March 9, requested $27.2 billion for the agency, a 7.1% increase from 2023 that roughly keeps pace with inflation. One of the biggest new initiatives in the budget is the ISS deorbit tug, which would be used to perform the final lowering of the station’s orbit to ensure it reenters over the South Pacific. NASA first indicated its plans for the tug in a request for information last August, but offered few specifics about the vehicle in the budget request. [ANS thanks Jeff Foust of Space News for the above information] +Is it possible that SpaceX has succeeded in making orbital launches boring? Increasingly, the answer to this question appears to be yes. On Friday the California-based company launched two Falcon 9 rockets within the span of just a little more than four hours. At 12:26 pm local time, a Falcon 9 rocket carried 52 of SpaceX's Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A mere 4 hours and 12 minutes later, another Falcon 9 rocket delivered two large communications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit for the Luxembourg-based satellite company SES from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This broke SpaceX's record for the shortest duration between two launches. However, the overall record for the lowest time between two launches of the same rocket still belongs to the Russian-built Soyuz vehicle. In June 2013, Roscosmos launched a Soyuz booster from Kazakhstan, and Arianespace launched a Soyuz from French Guiana within two hours. Those launches were conducted by two separate space agencies on separate continents, however. More may be found at https://bit.ly/42xueil. [ANS thanks Eric Berger of ARS Technica 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, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz [at] frawg.org

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ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for March 19, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 19 Mar '23

19 Mar '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078 In this edition: * AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers * Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo * IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites * AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available * AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Mar 19 AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers It's less than eight weeks away when Amateur Radio's biggest event of the year happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. That's right, May 19-20 is Hamvention time when over 30,000 of our closest friends get together to get a first hand look at the latest products and to catch up with friends from around the world. With over 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, AMSAT is a major Hamvention exhibitor with displays from Engineering, Operations, Educational Relations, the AMSAT Store and much more. Last year in 2022, about 35 people assisted with the AMSAT booth. It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2022 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun. Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated. If you will be attending Hamvention and can help, please send an e-mail to Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator via w1eme [at] amsat [dot]org. [ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on March 26, 2023 at 17:00Z. The title of the presentation is "Exploring Satellite Telemetry with the CubeSat Simulator." Alan writes, "There are thousands of satellites in low earth orbit above us transmitting radio signals. Many of those signals contain telemetry, that is information about the spacecraft and its environment and built in sensors. "A great way to learn about satellite telemetry is to use the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator, a functional model of a 1U CubeSat designed for the classroom and public demonstrations. In this presentation, I'll show how to receive and interpret telemetry from it using the same tools and apps used for in orbit satellites launched by AMSAT and other amateur radio organizations. "I will also show you how you can build your own CubeSatSim with some intermediate soldering and 3D printing skills as the project is fully open sourced and available on GitHub." This one hour presentation is geared for those beginning to explore the world of satellite telemetry. The cost of the two day virtual event is $15. More information is available at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites: + PW-SAT3 PW-SAT3 is a 1U CubeSat mission to be flown by the Warsaw University of Technology. Students from the PW-Sat3 team are 1) designing a butane warm gas propulsion device that will be used to perform station-keeping maneuvers deorbiting maneuver; 2) AOCS system that will be used during propulsion maneuvers to align the satellite in the optimal orientation; 3) Earth Horizon Sensors made from industrial IR matrixes; 4) A camera module to capture views from space. The team also wants to implement a simple open transponder for radio amateurs to operate packet radio. They are also investigating the possibility to allow radio amateurs to download on-demand low-resolution images from the camera module. Proposing a UHF downlink using 2GFSK at 9k6 or 19k2. A downlink on 437.170 MHz has been coordinated. No launch date has been defined but deployment into a SSO 550km orbit is planned. More info from https://pw-sat.pl. + SAKURA Sakura is a 1U CubeSat mission sponsored by the Chiba Institute of Technology. APRS Mission Will provide APRS services including Digipeater functionality. SAKURA will carry two cameras, one to photograph sunspots and the other to photograph typhoons ,volcanoes and flooding areas. Amateur Radio stations should be able to receive a photograph in one pass. Proposing VHF and UHF downlinks using APRS and 4k8 AX25 GMSK respectively. Planning a launch to the ISS in January 2024 for deployment. Downlinks on 145.825 MHz and 437.375 MHz have been coordinated. [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available The AMSAT 2021 Annual report is now available for download. Annual reports are typical made available to the public up to a year or so after the financial records have been reviewed and approved by an external accounting firm. Although AMSAT has always published its financial statements and IRS filings every year, it now finds it useful to publish a corporate-like annual report to inform our stakeholders and prospective donors of our activities. Because the annual report is written for sometimes non-technical persons outside the traditional Amateur Radio world, experienced technical readers might find some passages over simplified descriptions of the engineering contributions and activities that AMSAT conducts. Nonetheless, AMSAT hopes that everyone can find the annual report a fairly descriptive picture of the work is does in helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. The 2021 Annual Report can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-2021-Report. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support [Editor's Note: This is an updated version of the story that appeared in ANS-071.] Instituto Universitario "Ignacio Da Riva" IDR and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain has recognized and thanked the members of AMSAT who have supported their educational endeavors by collecting telemetry data downloaded from the UPMSat-2 satellite around the globe. Mr. Rafael García Romero, EA4BPN, along with project director Dr. Elena Roibas, and IDR Director Dr. Angel Sanz Andres , on behalf of the UPMSat-2 team, penned the letter of recognition dated February 17, 2023 and recently received by AMSAT. The letter reads: "On the celebration of UPMSat-2 launch date anniversary of the second year in orbit, UPMSat-2 team would like to thank AMSAT for its support to the satellite downlink data gathering. The effort of AMSAT members is seen at IDR as a valuable 'citizen science' contribution to our project and is gratefully acknowledged. We expect that the UPMSat-2 will continue to work for another two years, therefore, it would bring an opportunity to continue with this fruitful collaboration. "With our best regards, we wish all the best for AMSAT members." UPMSat-2 sends 2-FSK data at 2400bps, with transmitted power of approximately 2.5 watts, on 437.405 MHz. Originally scheduled to launch in 1999, it was finally launched on September 3, 2020 from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the flight VV16 of the Vega rocket, it entered a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately 518 km." [ANS thanks Rafael García, EA4BPN, and Dr. Angel Sanz Andres, IDR Director, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 2023 The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: FMN 1 NORAD Cat ID 43192 (decayed from orbit on 03/16/23 per Space-Track). HO-119 NORAD Cat ID 54816 (decayed from orbit on 03/15/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts Lana'i High and Elementary School, Lana'i City, HI, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. The ARISS mentors are AJ9N and W4NTR. Contact is go for: Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 18:22:52 UTC. Watch for Livestream at the ARISS YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxm5Ca2y0HD_NxXlZWXv11A. 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 NA-008; March 16 April 13, 2023 Pierre, VE3KTB, maybe active on FM satellites during his spare time from the Eureka station as VY0ERC. QSL via M0OXO OQRS. DM22qq; March 19, 2023 AD7DB working: AO-91 at 16:01Z (possibly) AO-91 at 17:35Z SO-50 19 18:06Z DM23ag AD7DB working: PO101 at 22:56Z Follow him on Twitter for updates [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled … - Nashville, Tennessee - April 20 - England, May 11 - Ohio - Students - ISS-specific, May 8 Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The national ham organization EARS of the United Arab Emirates runs the special event station A60AP with additional designators /0 to /15 to mark their country's astronaut program. They remain active until the end of August. More information at https://www.mbrsc.ae/service/astronaut_prog. [ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.] + NASA is awarding more than $3.8 million to 21 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions for projects designed to bring the excitement of space science to communities across the nation and broaden student participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Projects were selected for NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program and TEAM II Community Anchor Awards. The selected projects will engage their communities in a wide variety of STEM topics, from aeronautics and Earth science to human space exploration. More information including a complete list of the organizations receiving funds is available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-NASA-STEM. [ANS thanks SpaceRef.com for the above information.] + What time is it on the moon? A new era of lunar exploration is on the rise, with dozens of Moon missions planned for the coming decade. Europe is in the forefront here, contributing to building the Gateway lunar station and the Orion spacecraft – set to return humans to our natural satellite – as well as developing its large logistic lunar lander, known as Argonaut. As dozens of missions will be operating on and around the Moon and needing to communicate together and fix their positions independently from Earth, this new era will require its own time. Timing is a crucial element, adds ESA navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano: "During this meeting at ESTEC, we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to. A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this.” More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-Lunar-Time. [ANS thanks the ESA for the above information.] + Looking for a fun project for that 3D printer sitting in your workshop? Look no further than Relativity Space in California for inspiration. Their Terran 1 will try to become the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit. “There are a number of firsts here potentially on this rocket,” said Josh Brost, vice president of revenue operations at Relativity Space. “It has the chance of being the first liquid natural gas / liquid oxygen rocket to make it to orbit. It has, by far, the highest 3D-printed content of any rocket in history. We’re sitting at about 85% by mass, where I don’t think any other rocket has gone past maybe 4%.” Compared to a traditional rocket that has more than 100,000 parts, this 3D-printed rocket has less than 1,000 parts. After two aborted launches this month, Relativity Space is poised for another try on March 22. More information at https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/03/11/relativity-space-terran-1-glhf/. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for March 12
by Mark Johns, K0JM 12 Mar '23

12 Mar '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-071 In this edition: * AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support * ARDC Grant Funds FreeDV Project * Radio Interference From Satellites Threatening Astronomy * House Subcommittee Advances Five Satellite-Related Bills * AMSAT-INDIA Participates in Science Carnival * ISS Dodges Commercial Imaging Satellite * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Crew 5 Hams to Splashdown Sunday * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Mar 12 AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio of Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain has recognized and thanked the members of AMSAT who have supported their educational endeavors by collecting telemetry data downloaded from the UPMSat-2 satellite around the globe. Dr. Rafael García Romero, EA4BPN, along with project director Dr. Elena Roibas and team member Dr. Angel Sanz Andres, penned the letter of recognition dated February 17, 2023 and recently received by AMSAT. The letter reads: "On the celebration of UPMSat-2 launch date anniversary of the second year in orbit, UPMSat-2 team would like to thank AMSAT for its support to the satellite downlink data gathering. "The effort of AMSAT members is seen at IDR as a valuable 'citizen science' contribution to our project and is gratefully acknowledged. "We expect that the UPMSat-2 will continue to work for another two years, therefore, it would bring an opportunity to continue with this fruitful collaboration. "With our best regards, we wish all the best for AMSAT members." UPMSat-2 sends 2-FSK data at 2400bps, with transmitted power of approximately 2.5 watts, on 437.405 MHz. Originally scheduled to launch in 1999, it was finally launched on September 3, 2020 from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the flight VV16 of the Vega rocket, it entered a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately 518 km. [ANS thanks Rafael García, EA4BPN, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARDC Grant Funds FreeDV Project To advance the state of the art in HF digital voice and to promote its use, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded $420,000 to the FreeDV Project. FreeDV is a low-bit-rate digital voice mode for HF radio. Initially developed by David Rowe, VK5DGR, an international team of radio amateurs are now working together on the project. FreeDV is open-source software, released under the GNU Lesser Public License (LPGL) version 2.1. The modems and Codec 2 speech codec used in FreeDV are also open source. Hardware and software developers can integrate FreeDV into their projects using the FreeDV API. To operate FreeDV, radio amateurs either run the FreeDV GUI application on Windows, Linux and OSX machines or use the SM1000 FreeDV adaptor. Either method allows hams to use a single-sideband HF radio to send and receive FreeDV signals. To learn more about FreeDV, go to https://www.freedv.org. Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The organization got its start by managing the AMPRNet address space, which is reserved for licensed amateur radio operators worldwide. Additionally, ARDC makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radio’s practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to advances that benefit the general public, including the mobile phone and wireless internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all such technology is available through open source hardware and software, and where anyone has the ability to innovate upon it. To learn more about ARDC, go to https://www.ardc.net. [ANS thanks ARDC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Radio Interference From Satellites Threatening Astronomy Radio telescopes are facing a problem. All satellites, whatever their function, use radio waves to transmit information to the surface of the Earth. Just as light pollution can hide a starry night sky, radio transmissions can swamp out the radio waves astronomers use to learn about black holes, newly forming stars and the evolution of galaxies. In a paper published March 3,2023, Christopher Gordon De Pree, Deputy Electromagnetic Spectrum Manager, National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Christopher R. Anderson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the United States Naval Academy; and Mariya Zheleva, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University at Albany, State University of New York, call for creation of a national radio dynamic zone. This zone would be similar to existing radio quiet zones, covering a large area with restrictions on radio transmissions nearby. Unlike a quiet zone, the facility would be outfitted with sensitive spectrum monitors that would allow astronomers, satellite companies and technology developers to test receivers and transmitters together at large scales. The goal would be to support creative and cooperative uses of the radio spectrum. As the problem of radio pollution continues to grow, scientists, engineers and policymakers will need to figure out how everyone can effectively share the limited range of radio frequencies. One solution that astronomers have been working on for the past few years is to create a facility where astronomers and engineers can test new technologies to prevent radio interference from blocking out the night sky. Such a zone doesn’t exist yet, but our team and many people across the U.S. are working to refine the concept so that radio astronomy, Earth-sensing satellites and government and commercial wireless systems can find ways to share the precious natural resource that is the radio spectrum. [ANS thanks The Conversation for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ House Subcommittee Advances Five Satellite-Related Bills A U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee unanimously approved five space-related bills March 8, including legislation seeking to modernize regulations for satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO). + The Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (HR 1338) would give the FCC defined deadlines for processing satellite license applications. It would require the FCC to “modernize its rules to encourage operators to base their operations in the United States,” said House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-Wash.), “and incentivize operators to be responsible stewards of space and spectrum in a global marketplace.” + The Secure Space Act (HR 675) would prohibit the FCC from granting satellite licenses to foreign entities the U.S. deems a threat to national security or domestic supply chains. + Launch Communications Act (HR 682) would streamline the process for accessing certain spectrum for performing commercial spacecraft launches and reentries. + Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act (HR 1339) would compel the FCC would to review rule changes that could help promote space-based communications for the agriculture market. + Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act (HR 1353) would facilitate the use of satellites as providers of connectivity for emergency services in areas hit by natural disasters or otherwise lacking wireless communications. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-INDIA Participates in Science Carnival To celebrate National Day of India on February 28 one of the biggest Science Carnival 2023 was organised by Gujarat state - India at prestigious Science City Ahmedabad during 28th February to 4th March 2023. AMSAT-INDIA was specially invited to participate in this biggest scientific exhibition for mass awareness on Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication! AMSAT-INDIA Regional Coordinator Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP & team member Sakshi Vagadia VU3EXP did huge efforts to mass promote AMSAT activities amongst all sort of visitors which includes young kids, school-college students, budding engineers, IT Programmers, general public, professionals from various industries, scientists from renowned organization like ISRO, PRL, IPR, VSSE, ISR, officers from BSF, Police, Fire dept and citizens from every walk of life! More than 100,000 visitors were reported and grabbed the opportunity to visit science carnival 2023 and our Science exhibition during 5 days. AMSAT-INDIA stall was spacious & decent sized at 3m x 3m, it was a big attraction at the center of the Science Exhibition. With well prepared different informative Banners on AMSAT-INDIA, Various Satellite Activities, Amateur Radio Satellite chronology, ARISS Student outreach program, ARISS SSTV event, Question submission for our upcoming ARISS student outreach program etc was absolutely eye catching from a distance. For the curious visitors we tried to highlight every aspect of our hobby and exhibited all sorts of Radio stuff, Documents, QSL Cards, Books, Ham License, Awards, Project articles, Tracking software, SSTV software, SDR Software, Cube Satellite models etc to give bit idea of our hobby. Experiencing various amateur radio gear, satellite antenna & test instruments were highly appreciated by visiting budding engineers from a number of colleges at AMSAT-INDIA stall. Some of the stuff we displayed include; Dual band Arrow-II antenna, dual band Yagi, tape measure antenna, GP, Telescopic antenna for SDR, Radios includes Icom IC-705 with LiFePO4 battery pack, Kenwood VHF base, half dozen of VHF/UHF HTs, RTL-SDR setup, LDG ATU, NanoVNA, Morse Key, cw oscillator, Paddle, electronic keyer, SWR/Power meter, Cable, Connectors etc. It made our task easy to explain the use of each stuff according to the visitors' query. We came across various types of queries like how to be a Ham, Procedure to get license, Types of Amateur Radio satellites, operating modes, setting up ground station, how to receive ISS SSTV images, how to establish satellite contact etc. We made a humble attempt to answer & satisfy all of those queries. We enjoyed a very detailed discussion with students/groups who already know about Amateur Radio and always need to learn more on Satellite Communication. We also highlighted contributions of worldwide AMSAT organizations, IARU, ARISS, RSGB, ARRL and our ARSI & GIAR. I also mark a note on an author and my teacher Mr. Nagendra Vijay of popular Gujarati Science magazine named 'Scope' who did tremendous efforts to introduce Ham Radio in Gujarat (India) 40 years back and still continue to create awareness via it's leading Science magazine 'Safari', his stall was just after a row. Our AMSAT-INDIA stall were visited by many well-wisher GIAR Ham friends including VU2CPV Pravinbhai, VU2JGI Jagdishbhai, VU2MJP Manojbhai, VU2SPF Bhatnagarji, VU3APY Asheshbhai, VU3VDC Vitthhalbhai, VU3GLY Priyesh, VU3WHO Snehal etc. It was a great experience for us to spend the whole 5 days enjoying talking & explaining our favorite hobby Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication! We were happy to present amateur radio as a scientific hobby & experimenting platform for diversified fields and not just emergency communication tools! Lots of positive & appreciating feedback we received in the visitor feedback book. We are thankful to Science Carnival 2023 Organiser Dr. Vrajesh Parikh, Pulkesh Prajapati, Dr. Narotam Sahoo & team for inviting us for this prestigious Science Carnival Exhibition. I also thank our AMSAT-INDIA Secretary Mr Nitin Muttin VU3TYG, Director Educational B. A. Subramani VU2WMY, President Ramesh Ramsubbu VU2RMS & committee for complete guidance and support extended to us. I specially thank team member Sakshi Vagadia VU3EXP & my XYL Kiran Vagadia for supporting and assisting me all the time during the 5 day exhibition. I am optimistic to see the next generation taking keen interest in Amateur Radio & Satellites from VU Land. [ANS thanks Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Dodges Commercial Imaging Satellite The International Space Station adjusted its orbit March 6 to avoid a close approach by an imaging satellite operated by Satellogic, the latest evidence of growing congestion in low Earth orbit. NASA said in a March 6 blog post that the Progress MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station fired its thrusters for a little more than six minutes, raising the station’s orbit to move out of the way of what the agency called an Earth observation satellite. According to Roscosmos, the maneuver, lasting 375.8 seconds, changed the station’s velocity by 0.7 meters per second. NASA spokesperson Sandra Jones told SpaceNews March 7 that the spacecraft would have approached within about 2.7 kilometers of the station without the maneuver. She did not identify the satellite involved in the close approach to the station other than an “Argentine earth observation satellite launched in 2020.” Other sources said the satellite was NuSat-17, also called NewSat-17, one of 10 satellites launched in November 2020 by Satellogic, headquartered in Buenos Aires. A Satellogic spokesperson said late March 7 it received a conjunction data message, or CDM, from the 18th Space Defense Squadron, the Space Force unit that handles space situational awareness activities, about this close approach. The orbit of NewSat-17 and the other nine satellites launched in 2020 have been gradually decaying, and are now crossing the orbital altitude of the ISS. That is an increasing concern for ISS operations as it and other Earth observation satellites typically operate in higher sun-synchronous orbits that will decay if not actively deorbited at the end of the missions. The March 6 maneuver, NASA said, will not affect upcoming spacecraft going to and from the station. However, amateurs using the ARISS repeaters will want to be sure to have updated Keplerian elements that take the new orbit into account. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for [date] Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ {This spot for changes to TLEs when applicable. Can be eliminated or replaced if none.} {Do note that our Manual of Style specifies that we ALWAYS use first & last names, callsign separated by commas, and then the title of the AMSAT officer, if any. See example below. Same style applies to persons referenced in story bodies, as well as in attributions.} [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crew 5 Hams to Splashdown Sunday NASA and SpaceX are targeting 02:19 UTC Sunday (9:19 p.m. EST Saturday evening) for a splashdown that will wrap up a nearly six-month science mission for NASA astronauts Josh A. Cassada, KI5CRH, Nicole Aunapu Mann, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The return and related activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-5’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-5 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the International Space Station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts on its maiden voyage, will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down Saturday at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The spacecraft also will return time-sensitive research to Earth. [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: Jumeirah College Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The ARISS mentor was Ferrario Gianpietro, IZ2GOJ. Contact was successful: Tue 2023-03-07 08:45:03 UTC 27 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Jumeirah College Dubai students, Sultan AlNeyadi KI5VTV, telebridge station VK4KHZ, and mentor IZ2GOJ! This was the first ARISS contact for Sultan AlNeyadi, KI5VTV. 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 David Bartholomew, AD7DB, will activate FM satellites from DM31 on Saturday, March 18. He may also pop up in DM23 and or DM22 on March 17 and March 19. Follow him on Twitter for updates @ad7db. If YOU know of anything that should be here, please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023. Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA and SpaceX are targeting 23:30 UTC Tuesday, March 14, to launch the company’s 27th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch timing is dependent upon the undocking and return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5. Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + The White House is proposing a $27.2 billion budget for NASA in fiscal year 2024 that would include increased funding for Artemis and starting work on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station. The Biden administration’s budget framework, released March 9, proposed increasing NASA’s budget by 7% from the nearly $25.4 billion the agency received in fiscal year 2023, roughly keeping pace with inflation. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + China has been dropping hints about its Long March 9 (CZ-9) rocket, a three-stage super-heavy variant of the Long March family. This launch vehicle will reportedly be capable of transporting up to 150,000 kg (16.5 tons) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 54,000 kg (59.5 tons) to a trans-lunar injection. On March 2nd, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) announced (via the Chinese social media platform Weixin) that it had finished building the first propellant tank for the CZ-9. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + After a decade in development, JAXA & Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ medium-lift H3 rocket, an upgraded and lower cost (around $50M vs $90M per launch) version of their H2-A launch vehicle, finally took off. Unfortunately, second-stage ignition failed and flight controllers were forced to terminate the mission. The self-destruct sequence took JAXA’s ALOS-3 along with it -- a high-resolution optical Earth Observation satellite which would have had a ground resolution of 0.8 m. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking U.S.education institutions and organizations to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS in the first half of 2024. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31st, 2023. See https://www.ariss.org/ for details. (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-064 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 05 Mar '23

05 Mar '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-064 In this edition: * New Satellite Distance Records * VUCC Satellite Standings as of March 1, 2023 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 3, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-064 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Mar 05 New Satellite Distance Records IO-117 continues to provide a lot of DX fun for amateur satellite operators. Numerous satellite operators have reported receiving the ARRL's Worked All States and DX Century Club Satellite awards lately as well as CQ Magazine's Worked All Zones Satellite award (25 of 40 zones are required for the satellite award). For an example about the distances that can be worked via this satellite in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), two QSOs got very near the 13,000 km mark recently. On February 11, 2023, Dave Fisher, KG0D, worked Lucky Bijanki, VU2LBW. The distance between KG0D in CN88kd and VU2LBW in MK82tv is 12,939 km. Unfortunately for this claim, Hector Martinez Sis, W5CBF, worked Oleg Vakochine, A65BR, on January 29, 2023 at 21:00 UTC. The distance between W5CBF and A65BR is 12,996 km. Note that only real-time QSOs will be considered for distance records. Under the ARRL's current interpretation of their award rules, satellite QSOs involving delayed messaging or store-and-forward systems are not valid for WAS, DXCC, or VUCC. Thus, QSOs made over multiple orbits using this method will not be considered for inclusion in the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records archive. Also please note that the distance calculator at k7fry.com/grid is used to calculate all distances for AMSAT records purposes. This may not provide the most accurate distance under the most recent geodetic datum standards, but it is a consistent reference. Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standings as of March 1, 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for February 01, 2023 to March 01, 2023. Callsign Feb 1 Mar 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ N8RO 1151 1173 AA5PK 1149 1162 N0JE 775 879 DL2GRC 628 725 W8LR 687 703 DF2ET 601 700 KB9STR 508 681 EA2AA 653 665 KS1G 579 628 KQ4DO 579 600 N0GVK 401 543 N8MR 425 452 JK2XXK 310 429 OZ9AAR 207 400 IK7FMQ 254 304 DL8GAM 220 250 PA7RA 242 245 JN1BPM 102 178 K7TEJ 126 155 AD2DD 125 150 DL1COM New 133 N6UTC (MOJAVE DE 101 126 N9BX 100 125 N6PAZ 110 121 HL2WP New 115 XE2YWH 108 114 XE2YWH (DL82 - D 108 114 XE2YWH (DL82) 113 114 JS1LQI New 101 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. HL2WP is first VUCC Satellite holder from South Korea and PM47 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 2, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Jumeirah College Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, telebridge via VK4KHZ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV Contact is go for: Tue 2023-03-07 08:45:03 UTC 27 deg (***) The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for Soyuz 68 undocking on March 28. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 19. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 26. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 04. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for Soyuz 68 undocking on March 28. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 19. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 26. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 04. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations From AD7DB: AD7DB will activate FM satellites from DM31 on Sat March 18. I may also pop up in DM23 and or DM22 on March 17 and March 19. Follow me on Twitter for updates. Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Hamvention 2023 May 19-21, 2023 Stay tuned for announcements about AMSAT Hamvention activites, including the TAPR/AMSAT Dinner. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The FO-99 operation schedule for March is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2100 (Thanks to JAMSAT for this information) + The SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched to the ISS on Thursday March 2nd with the crew arriving on Friday. Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, is scheduled to make the first ARISS QSO from the new crew on Tuesday. (Thanks to NASA and ARISS for this information) + USA ARISS contact proposals for January 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024 are due March 31, 2023. For details see https://ariss-usa.org/message-to-us-educators-amateur-radio-on-the-internat… (Thanks to ARISS for this information) + FO-118's camera has been active with a new protocol to more easily reconstruct image data. For details, see version 2.1 of the user manual at https://mega.nz/file/4rIywT5L#WoZsMxzIkUKhqHTrYh__nvv_N9CGwVV-dLsJ2k4_2OA (Thanks to CAMSAT for the inforamtion) + Happy 54th Birthday to AMSAT! AMSAT was officially incorporated in the District of Columbia on March 3, 1969. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 26 Feb '23

26 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-057 In this edition: * Space Station Contact With Students In Malta * AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers * Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event * Crew-6 Launch Slips * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS Proposal Window Now Open * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 26 Space Station Contact With Students In Malta An ARISS contact between students at Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, callsign 9H1MRL and the International Space Station (ISS) took place successfully at 12:34 GMT on Wednesday, February 15. It was the first ever ARISS contact from the European island nation of Malta. The ISS crew member, astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, used the ISS callsign OR4ISS on the downlink frequency of 145.800 MHz. The ARISS team Malta made use of the callsign 9H1MRL, the club call of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL). The signal was receivable in the British Isles and across Europe. The contact was conducted by five local radio amateurs; Dominic Azzopardi, 9H1M, Manuel Grech, 9H1GW, Andrew Vella, 9H2AV, Trevor Sammut, 9H5TS and Anthony Scicluna, 9H2AS. The station was set up in the school’s auditorium with a 10 element crossed Yagi and rotator on the roof. Stella Maris College is part of a network (La Salle Malta) of Lasallian Colleges that include De La Salle College and the Mellieha Retreat Centre. The schools take their inspiration from their founder, John Baptist de la Salle. In the Christian faith, John De La Salle is venerated as the Patron Saint of Teachers. La Salle Malta was founded as a single school in 1903 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and is now the La Salle Malta’s Lasallian Colleges, run by the Malta Trust of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Stella Maris College hosted this ARISS contact for participating students in grades 5 through 10 (ages 9-15 years). Stella Maris College has partnered with members of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) (9H1MRL) who provided support during the ARISS contact. Members of MARL have also made presentations to students about amateur radio, and demonstrated satellite tracking and talking to other hams through amateur radio satellites. As a member of MARL, Stella Maris College has previously operated their own amateur radio station. Members of other organizations that are also part of educational activities surrounding this ARISS contact include; the University of Malta, the Malta College for Science and Technology, Malta Council for Science and Technology and Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology. Basically, a Lasallian School has the following characteristics: A) respect for each student as a unique person. B) A strong spirit of Community. C) A school of Quality. D) A school that embraces everyone. E) Shows special preference for persons who are considered poor financially, morally, physically, psychologically. Mission statement: Our school is a place where everyone strives to create and nurture a holistic, inclusive and well-ordered learning climate thereby ensuring a high-quality, values-based academic preparation. The school has an astronomical observatory and electronics forms part of the school curriculum. The whole event was streamed live, and archived on YouTube at the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk-Onkbr6PY&t=15s [ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers + RF Engineer AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience to join its FOX-PLUS team. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to ten electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design. + Mechanical Engineers AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX and GOLF CubeSat teams. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider's and space vehicle owner's specifications. Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required. Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to: volunteer(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP, Engineering for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event A group of amateurs, including Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, Michael Tutt, VK6TU, and others, will activate the special event call sign of VI6CRO (to be confirmed) in recognition of the NASA Carnarvon and Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) Carnarvon historic location. The activation will occur from April 17 ending April 23 to coincide with the massive surge of visitors as a result of the April 20 Eclipse event in the area. The Station will be set up in the middle of the historic OTC buildings between the Casgrain Horn used during Apollo 11 and the large 30m Dish. The station will have FM satellite capability and intends to organize contacts with Australian and Indonesian amateurs, hopefully via the ISS repeater and AO91 if they are operating at that time. Also near the station site is the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum. Buzz Aldrin opened the museum in June, 2012, so the NASA connection will resonate through the event at which many hundreds of visitors are expected to attend daily. [ANS thanks Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crew-6 Launch Slips NASA has delayed the launch of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station by a day to give SpaceX additional time to complete work on the vehicle. The crew will include three licensed amateur radio operators for a six-month stay on the ISS. At a briefing after a flight readiness review for the Crew-6 mission Feb. 21, NASA announced it has rescheduled the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to Feb. 27 at 1:45 a.m. Eastern. The Falcon 9 launch of the spacecraft had been planned for Feb. 26. The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission. If the launch slips again, there is another launch opportunity Feb. 28 at 1:22 a.m. Eastern, followed by three opportunities March 2 through 4. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 23 February 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/ The following satellite has decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Oculus-ASR NORAD Cat ID 44348 (decayed from orbit on 02/21/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Proposal Window Now Open A scheduled ARISS contact is a voice-only communication via Amateur Radio between the International Space Station (ISS) crew and classrooms and communities. These scheduled contact opportunities are offered to formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together. Proposals from schools and organizations in the U.S. are accepted during two proposal windows each year – one in the fall and one in the spring. Proposals are not accepted outside of the scheduled proposal windows. The Spring 2023 proposal window opens February 20, 2023 for contacts to be scheduled from January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024. This proposal is due to ARISS by March 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. A Proposal Guide is offered to help you plan and identify the resources you will need to host an ARISS scheduled contact. After reading the Guide and developing your plan, you can complete the ARISS Proposal Form and submit it during the proposal window. Download the current version of the Proposal Guide (Spring 2023) at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-09-18-ARISS-Proposal-… U.S. schools and educational organizations may download the ARISS Proposal Form to submit a proposal to host an ARISS contact at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ARISS-Proposal-2023-01-04.… A Proposal Webinar is being offered to answer questions about the program and proposal on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 8:00 pm ET. Visit https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2023.eventbrite.com to register. A recording of the Proposal Webinar can be located on our ARISS YouTube channel at any time: https://youtu.be/xOYrpeqLzfY Those with questions regarding the proposal process, please send an email to: ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com [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. COMPLETED: Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Koichi Wakata KI5TMN. Contact was successful: Thursday, 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC with 60 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo” students and Koichi! UPCOMING: Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd, Moka, Mauritius, direct via 3B8ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. Contact has been postponed per school request. It is unknown at this time when it will be rescheduled. 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 Congratulations to Ian Parsons, K5ZM, who has recently been appointed manager of the "Upcoming Satellite Operations" page of the AMSAT website https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ Thanks, Ian, for volunteering your time to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! We also thank Paul Overn, KE0PBR, who has recently given up this task after several years of doing a great job tracking grid rovers rovers, both on the AMSAT page and on Twitter. + No roves are currently scheduled. Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023. Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Ready for Round Two of QRPp #EME fun? Bernd Wilde, DL7APV, will look for small 70cm stations starting 23 Feb. Weeks ago. Max Romensky, M0SKN, US6IKN, SA5IKN, and EI6KCI, demonstrated that even 3 element Yagi and 40W can work the EME big guns of various calibre, not just Bernd. More information at https://hb9q.ch/2018/?page_id=37 (ANS thanks Max Romensky, M0SKN,for the above information) + Last week, the EU Parliament funded the development of a new communications constellation, the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection & Security by Satellites (IRIS2 or sometimes IRISS), which will operate alongside its existing Galileo (GNSS), EGNOS (GNSS overlay), and Copernicus (EO) constellations. The new constellation will consist of up to 170 satellites deployed to LEO, MEO, and GEO and will integrate with existing communications assets. This will be in addition to commercial ventures by Starlink (12,000+ sats), OneWeb (648 sats), and Rivada (300 sats), as well as the Chinese state-owned mega-constellation plan for just under 13,000 satellites in LEO. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and SpaceNews for the above information) + Recent updates have been made to the Greencube Terminal program by OZ9AAR. The program interfaces with the UZ7HO Soundmodem, and optionally with N3FJP's ACLog software. Information and free download available at: https://www.moonbounce.dk/hamradio/greencube-terminal-program.html (ANS thanks Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR, for the above information) + New features have also been added to the satellite rover tracking site at https://hams.at/ (ANS thanks Rockwell Schrock, WW1X, for the above information) + Hackaday has published an entertaining YouTube video, "Searching for Space Pirates on Old Military Satellites." The video explains how U.S. Fleet SATCOM UHF transponders, still in space from the 1970s, are being used illegally, often for criminal purposes. It also describes using a simple RTL receiver to listen in on these pirate transmissions. The video is available at https://hackaday.com/2023/02/24/hunting-for-space-pirates/ (ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information) + NASA is seeking ham volunteers to gather data during upcoming solar eclipses on October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024. For details, see https://go.nasa.gov/3IQrFiz (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 19 Feb '23

19 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-050 In this edition: * IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting * AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem * VK5QI Wins FS3 Award * SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS * Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 19 IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting The 56th meeting of the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was held via Zoom on January 16, with President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, presiding. The council received reports from the officers of each of the three regions. The meeting's focus was on the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) later this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The IARU effort for WRC-23 is being led by IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR. Here is a summary of the meeting submitted by IARU Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN: "Of particular interest to the amateur radio and amateur satellite services for WRC-23 is agenda item 9.1b concerning the amateur allocation in the 23 - centimeter band at 1240-1300 MHz. The Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS) is seeking protection from secondary users in addition to an expanded allocation. Preparatory work for this item is being conducted within the ITU's Working Party 5A. IARU's global WRC-23 9.1b team, led by Barry Lewis, G4SJH, has been consulting with the amateur community, resulting in a contribution to the draft guidance recommendation in support of coexistence with RNSS. Details on this work can be found at www.iaru.org. The council reviewed a comprehensive written report from IARU [Electromagnetic Compatibility] Coordinator Dr. Martin Sach, G8KDF, on his work with the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). CISPR was formed in 1934 to set standards for controlling electromagnetic interference in electrical and electronic devices. CISPR's specific areas include radio interference measurements and statical methods, and limits for the protection of radio frequencies. An ongoing strategic planning review of the current IARU structure is being conducted within several Working Groups (WGs). The Administrative Council received reports from the Futures WG Steering Committee, Relationship WG, Governance WG, and the Legal WG. This work is scheduled for completion no later than July to allow discussion at the Region 1 [General] Conference in Serbia in October, with additional opportunities provided to the other two regions. Region 1 has received several inquiries regarding the status of [John Devoldere's,] ON4UN, and [Mark Demeuleneere's,] ON4WW, book, Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur and is considering how this document [can] be updated. The Summary Record from this meeting, in addition to previous meetings, is available at www.iaru.org/reference/ac-summary-records/." The next virtual meeting of the Administrative Council is scheduled for March 20, and an in-person meeting is scheduled for June 25 at the conclusion of Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The members of the IARU Administrative Council are the President, Vice President, Secretary, and two members from each of the regional organizations. Members participating in this meeting were IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR; Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN; IARUI Region 1; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD,Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, President, and Mats Espling, SM6EAN, Secretary, IARU Region 2; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD, Secretary, and Region 3; Chairman Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP, and Director Yudi Hasbi, YD1PRY. Assistant Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, also participated. Founded in 1925, IARU is the worldwide voice of radio amateurs who secure and safeguard the amateur radio spectrum. ARRL serves as the International Secretariat of IARU. [ANS thanks The ARRL Letter for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files. The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The official report from the team's leader: "My grandma would say that AMSAT's software is just a little too persnickety." A member of the tiger team agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1. Meanwhile, manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VK5QI Wins FS3 Award The Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) announced, on January 19, a special Award for the last formal (AMSAT Leaderboard/Satnogs) reported signals from FalconSat3. An MO-112 postal first day cover was to be sent to the winner with the certificate. On Janary 28, Mark Jessop, VK5QI, was declared to be the winner for the MARS FS3 Award. The certificate and MO-112 first day cover were sent last week in an envelope with MO-112 stamps. Congratulations! FS3 was a great adventure for many of us, thanks again to Mark (N8MH) for his dedication to keep the bird alive for so many years. [ANS thanks Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, MARS President, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 07:07 UTC, Sunday, Feb. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 07:54 UTC Monday, Feb. 27. The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission. This is the sixth crew rotation mission with astronauts using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. This Dragon is named Endeavour. NASA TV launch coverage begins on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 03:30 UTC (10:30 p.m. EST) [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions Balloon hobbyists are also worried that the small balloons they launch into the sky could be shot down or that the focus on balloons could lead to tight restrictions on their little-known hobby. Speculation has grown about whether one of the unidentified objects taken down by a U.S. F-22 on Feb. 11 over Canada’s Yukon Territory was a small party-style balloon launched by a hobby group whose name is a whimsical reference to the children’s film “Up.” The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade recently said one of its balloons went “missing in action” on Feb. 11, near an island off the coast of Alaska. People launch balloons for radio experiments, or as part of projects to learn more about technology, balloons, and the sky — as well as for fun, according to Dave Akerman, a member of the U.K. High Altitude Society who has launched nearly 100 larger latex balloons. Now enthusiasts are concerned “there will be a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happened,” he said in an interview. He said he hoped that authorities and hobbyists could coordinate on reasonable guidelines or rules if needed. “It’s also in the interests of authorities not to be shooting down party balloons with missiles.” [ANS thanks The Washington Post for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 19 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/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: CP-7 DAVE NORAD Cat ID 43615 (decayed from orbit on 02/12/23 per Space-Track). NO-104 (PSAT-2) NORAD Cat ID 44354 (decayed from orbit on 02/15/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Completed: Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, direct via 9H1MRL. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful: Wed 2023-02-15 12:48:01 UTC 60 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Stella Maris College students and Josh for the first Malta contact! Upcoming: Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thu 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC 60 degrees. Watch for Livestream at https://bit.ly/3I2xaKg 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 From Richard, VA3VGR: Tentative plan, will depend on the roads and weather of course. All times UTC. 19 Feb – FN58 FO-29 18:41 145.950 Tx FO-118 19:03 145.810 Tx PO-101 19:17 CAS-3H 20:02 FO-29 20:23 145.950 Tx 19 Feb – FN57 RS-44 21:04 145.950 Tx CAS-3H 21:34 FO-29 22:09 145.950 Tx 19 Feb – FN47 RS-44 22:53 145.950 Tx JO-97 23:43 145.860 Rx CAS-4B 00:05 145.925 Rx CAS-4A 00:35 145.870 Rx RS-44 00:47 145.950 Tx 20 Feb – FN38 RS-44 08:41 145.950 Tx (maybe – is there interest?) FO-29 09:11 145.950 Tx 20 Feb – FN48 XW-2C 10:25 145.800 Rx RS-44 10:34 145.950 Tx FO-29 10:56 145.950 Tx AO-91 12:06 AO-91 13:39 SO-50 14:01 JO-97 14:25 145.860 Rx Also possible only if there is interest out west: RS-44 12:28 145.950 Tx FO-29 12:42 145.950 Tx [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The Pehuensat-1 or PO-63, the hamradio payload made by Universidad del Comahue, Argentina that was attached to the structure of an Indian PSLV rocket, re-entered Earth atmosphere on January 16, 2023 according to Space_Track. (ANS thanks Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ, for the above information) + As reported above, NO-104 (PSAT-2) decayed from orbit on 02/15/23. The Technical University of Brno in Brno, Czech Republic wishes to thank again Bob Bruninga WB4APR(SK) who allowed us to build the PSK transponder and to add the SSTV camera to the project undertaken by the U.S. Naval Academy. "We had lot of fun during experiments! Both transponder and camera operated flawlessly till the battery deterioration. Hopefully some future satelite builder will be interested in those space tested blocks." (ANS thanks Tomáš Urbanec, OK2PNQ, of Technical University of Brno, for the above information. + A new Indian rocket successfully delivered three satellites to orbit on Thursday, Feb. 9, including Janus-1, which was built by the Indian-American company Antaris, is a technology-demonstrating "smart satellite," according to the ISRO mission description. Like its predecessor, AzaadiSAT-2 was built by hundreds of female students from across India. AzaadiSAT-2 "aims to demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities, measure radiation levels in space and demonstrate expandable satellite structure, etc," ISRO officials wrote. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + Even as Russia’s Progress MS-22 arrived at the ISS, the uncrewed Progress MS-21 cargo craft lost pressure—this vehicle isn’t used for crew return and will be disposed of in a fiery reentry anyway, but it doesn’t increase confidence in aging ISS and Russian hardware—meanwhile, Russia is planning to launch a replacement for their other failing ISS vehicle, Soyuz MS-22, on Sunday, Feb. 19. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + As SpaceX tests a vehicle that will be capable of 100 tons to LEO (and, eventually, as much as 150 t), and continues a record-setting Falcon launch (and pad turnaround) cadence, the industry is talking about “bloodletting” and how other launch companies can’t compete with the $275,000 that SpaceX charges to take a 50 kg smallsat to Sun-Synchronoous Orbit (SSO) on a Transporter mission. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for February 12, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 12 Feb '23

12 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-043 In this edition: * AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers * NASA Announces Winners of 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 9, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 12 AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers + RF Engineer AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience to join its FOX-PLUS team. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to ten electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design. + Mechanical Engineers AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX and GOLF CubeSat teams. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider's and space vehicle owner's specifications. Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required. Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to: volunteer(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP, Engineering for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA Announces Winners of 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge The 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge which was held October 1 and 2, 2022, brought together a host of participants from different locations, cultures, backgrounds, interests, and skill levels. The theme for the 2022 challenge – Make Space – perfectly describes the primary goals of the event: creating innovative solutions to space-related problems, while also making space for people around the world to participate and engage in a collaborative scientific effort. “NASA’s Space Apps Challenge really puts students around the world to the test, helping to solve some of our time’s toughest problems,” said Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator. “I’m proud of all those who participated and challenged themselves to think creatively. Their remarkable ingenuity is proof that the Artemis Generation will help lead us into the future.” The challenge underscores the importance and value of NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative that creates more advanced and inclusive research faster, builds a more just and equitable world, and provides access so that great minds from all walks of life can participate in science. The 10 global winning teams proposed solutions using tools, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, 3D globes and maps, web applications, interactive games, and the infusion of art and music into their projects. The winning teams were: - Best Use of Science: What’s New? (Taipei, Taiwan) - Best Use of Data: Starflock (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) - Best Use of Technology: Taming particles (Vilnius, Lithuania) - Galactic Impact: Selene (Jamshedpur, India) - Best Mission Concept: Mars 3D Home (Mendoza, Argentina) - Most Inspirational: Team Diamonds (Cumilla, Bangladesh) - Best Storytelling: MIMBI (Asuncion, Paraguay) - Global Connection: Standard NCTU CS Student (Taoyuan, Taiwan) - Art & Technology: Earth, Wind & Flare (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) - Local Impact: Brute Force (Nisocia, Cyprus) Read the full story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-043-Apps. [ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 9, 2023 The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: SurfSat NORAD Cat ID 43614 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) IRVINE 01 NORAD Cat ID 43693 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS4S NORAD Cat ID 53306 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) RS3S NORAD Cat ID 53308 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS1S NORAD Cat ID 53309 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS5S NORAD Cat ID 53310 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS6S NORAD Cat ID 53311 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) RS9S NORAD Cat ID 53312 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS12S NORAD Cat ID 53313 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution because their TLE's appear not to be updating: AstroBioCubeSat NORAD Cat ID 53107 CELESTA NORAD Cat ID 53111 The following satellite has failed it's NiCad batteries and has gone silent. In hope of a miraculous return, it will be continued in the AMSAT TLE Distribution for the time being: AO-95 NORAD Cat ID 43770 [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts School No. 547, St. Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for February 13, 2023 at 09:35 UTC. Gymnasium Christian-Ernestinum, Bayreuth, Germany, direct via DK0BT. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Predicted times drifting earlier by about 4 minutes at this time. This contact will be using the Kenwood radio located in the Service Module. Contact is go for: February 14, 2023 at 10:20:12 UTC. Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, direct via 9H1MRL. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Predicted times drifting earlier by about 4 minutes at this time. Contact is go: February 15,2023 at 12:48:01 UTC. + Completed Contacts About Gagarin From Space Secondary secondary school No. 2, direct via RY6AAC. The ISS callsign was RS0ISS. The crewmember was Anna Kikina Contact was successful on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on February 7, 2023. Colegio Diocesano Santa María Nuestra Senora, Ecija, Spain, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on February 8, 2023. 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 FN10; Sunday, February 12, 2023 K4DCA - Will be there with his FM gear. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + Orlando Hamcation February 10-12, 2023 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Newly found is the SARCTRAC Mk3b, a $290 satellite antenna rotator from Australia. USARCTRAC comes with all its components enclosed in a waterproof IP65 rated enclosure. It makes use of a 3D position sensor with magnetometer, allowing the unit to know its orientation at all times, meaning that it should be able to automatically position itself from startup. The design also makes use of DC motors with a built in worm gear drive, so the motors back driving is not possible. The system is controlled via a built in Raspberry Pi 3B+ and can communicate with the controlling PC via WiFi. More information available at https://www.sarcnet.org/sarctrac.html. [ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.] + The 2022 edition of State-of-the-Art of Small Spacecraft Technology At NASA is now available for download. As with all previous editions of this report, the 2022 edition captures and distills a wealth of new information available on small spacecraft systems from NASA and other publicly available sources. This report should not be considered as a comprehensive overview of all the technologies but a great reference for the current state-of-the-art SmallSat technologies. Read the complete description of the report and download it at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-043-Report. [ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-036 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 05 Feb '23

05 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-036 In this edition: * AO-95 QRT * VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023 * New Satellite Distance Records * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-036 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 05 AO-95 QRT After a lingering illness of the battery, AO-95 passed away peacefully on December 23rd. While a miraculous return is always possible, it is not expected. AO-95, known prior to launch as Fox-1Cliff to commemorate amateur satellite pioneer Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, who became a silent key in 2007, launched on December 3, 2018 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenburg Air Force Base. Shortly after deployment, the AMSAT Engineering team received nominal telemetry data from the satellite, but upon the first attempts at commanding, it was discovered that the receiver had failed for unknown reasons. Still, the satellite provided an easy to receive beacon and telemetry data for over four years before the NiCd batteries failed. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, AMSAT Fox Operations Team, and AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2023 to February 01, 2023. K8DP 1350 1425 WC7V 1256 1303 MI6GTY 579 970 KF7R 925 N3GS 796 873 NS3L 725 785 K9UO 750 777 KE8RJU 650 725 WD9EWK (DM43) 715 720 KN2K 654 701 F4BKV 600 700 VE6WK 564 700 W8LR 667 687 EA2AA 643 653 XE1L 639 KC1MMC 532 629 DL2GRC New 628 FG8OJ 513 531 VU2LBW 400 513 KB1HY 427 457 KC3KOP New 439 AC9DX 332 427 N8MR 377 425 WB7QXU 325 400 DL6KBG 250 331 XE1UYS 126 327 JH0BBE 226 314 LU3FCA 101 310 AA0MZ 263 276 LU4FTA 223 268 IK7FMQ 190 254 W7YED 163 254 PA7RA 224 242 JG6CDH New 235 DL8GAM 186 220 JH8FIH New 214 JA1GZK 150 205 AG7NR 101 200 IK3ITB 100 200 JL1SAM New 200 IK8YTA 106 162 JG2TSL New 157 JS2GGD 101 157 SP5ULN New 156 JE1TNL New 150 PY2YJ New 150 JO4JKL New 135 KE8RPJ 100 125 IK0WRB New 123 XE1EVP New 123 N6PAZ 100 110 JA1QJI New 109 KB9DAK New 108 N1QDQ New 107 JI5USJ New 104 JE3HCZ New 103 NY1V New 102 4Z1JJ New 100 DH1OK New 100 N9BX New 100 VA7TF New 100 Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. 4Z1JJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from Israel and KM71 JG6CDH is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM43 JI5USJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM64 JO4JKL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM65 JG2TSL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM94 JH8FIH is first VUCC Satellite holder from QN14 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New Satellite Distance Records A number of new distance records via satellite have been claimed over the past couple of months. First is the massively popular new MEO satellite IO-117. Burt DeMarcq, FG8OJ, worked Shigenori Nasu, JH8FIH, on November 25, 2022 at 08:22 UTC. The distance between FG8OJ in FK96hg63 in Guadeloupe and JH8FIH in QN14qi16 in Japan is 12,823 km. Note that for future claims of IO-117, only live QSOs may be counted and not those completed over multiple orbits using the satellite's delayed messaging capabilities. A new distance record was also claimed via the QO-100 geostationary satellite. PT9AL in GG27os in Brazil worked XW4KV in Laos OK27jj on December 10, 2022 at 14:41 UTC. The distance between the two stations is 17,834 km, eclipsing the previous record held by PR8KW and YC5YC of 17,378 km. Finally, FO-118, launched in December is a LEO satellite carrying three transponders. Familiar faces for the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records have claimed the initial record on all three transponders - the V/u FM transponder, the V/u linear transponder, and the H/u linear transponder (15 meter uplink). F4DXV and VE1CWJ completed transatlantic QSOs on all three transponders. On January 6, 2023 at 04:15 UTC, they completed a QSO via the V/u FM transponder and then switched over to the V/u linear transponder to complete a QSO there one minute later. VE1CWJ was in FN85do83sg and F4DXV was in JN04js20pr. They completed the sweep of all three transponders on January 30, 2023, when they completed a QSO via the H/u linear transponder at 17:16 UTC. VE1CWJ was in the same location while F4DXV was in JN04it22nt for this QSO, for a distance of 4,908 km. Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files. The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The official report from the team's leader : "My grandma would say that AMSAT's software is just a little too persnickety". A member of the tiger team agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1st, meanwhile manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files. There were no changes to the February 2, 2023 distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina Contact is go for Sun 2023-02-05 14:25 UTC (***) Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH Contact is go for: Tue 2023-02-07 18:45:54 UTC 32 deg Colegio Diocesano Santa María Nuestra Señora, Écija, Spain, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH Contact is go for: Wed 2023-02-08 10:13:59 UTC 74 deg Starting about 15 minutes before AOS, watch for Livestream at http://www.ariotti.com/ Special thanks to our ARISS telebridge ground stations. Approximately 38% of the ARISS school contacts are handled by the ARISS telebridge stations. Thanks to following stations: AB1OC, IK1SLD, K6DUE, NA7V, ON4ISS, VK4ISS, VK4KHZ, VK5ZAI, VK6MJ, and ZS6JON. The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). *Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30 UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC. *Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about 18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00. *Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about 18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC. *Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD . ON Feb 13 about TBD. *Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) *Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30 UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC. *Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about 18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00. *Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about 18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC. *Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD . ON Feb 13 about TBD. *Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on 2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13 2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html. 2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, will present "Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday, February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FL, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 10-12, 2023 [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The FO-99 operation schedule for February is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2079 (Thanks to JAMSAT for this information) + A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to “retire” from the project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for this information) + A while ago, perhaps almost two years ago, I modified the LVBTracker firmware in my Fox Delta ST2-USB so that it would allow for more calibration points than just the min and max for azimuth. I had added a remote-control option to an old Yaesu G-450XL, but the output voltage was very non-linear, which led to terrible aiming of the antennas. With the mods I made to the firmware it now allows me to calibrate the controller at 0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees and aiming is now rather accurate. I wrote about it here: https://thehamlab.com/2023/02/02/fox-delta-st2-lvbtracker-calibration-mods/ If you feel this could be useful for you, the source code for the project can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/TheHamLab/LVBTracker.KR1ST (Thanks KR1ST for this information) + SuitSat-1 (AMSAT-OSCAR 54) deployed from the ISS 17 years ago February 3rd. It played voice messages in languages recorded by the ARISS partners and students from around the globe. It also sent telemetry data. It was lost 15 days later. SuitSat came back to life in a 2021 short horror film! If you'd like to watch the Sci-Fi Horror short film "Decommissioned" based on the ARISS SuitSat, it can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNtpdvfbTjA (Thanks ARISS for this information) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by flyingfrawg＠gmail.com 29 Jan '23

29 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-029 In this edition: * FalconSAT-3 has re-entered * LUSAT LO-19 33Y Aniversary * Rocket Lab launches first Electron mission from US * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 26, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 29 FalconSAT-3 has re-entered. The 18th Space Defense Squadron has confirmed the orbital decay of FalconSAT-3. Thanks to the @AF_Academy for allowing amateur satellite operators its use as an amateur radio digipeater/PACSAT BBS for the past 5+ years following the conclusion of the satellite's primary mission. [ANS thanks 18th Space Defense Squadron for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ LUSAT LO-19 33Y Aniversary Today, Jan-22, 33 years ago was launched LO-19, LUSAT, 1st Argentine Satellite, till now emitting on 437.125 KHz. A special Certificate to celebrate is being granted by radio from Jan-21 to Jan-29, thru many collaborating stations. Details: http://amsat.org.ar?f=33 http://qrz.com/db/LU7AA https://www.qrzcq.com/call/LU7AA (last in english) LUSAT could be tracked/seen thru http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=lusat Deep appreciation to AMSAT-NA that in the eighties developed the AO-16 & LO-19 novel pacsat protocol and lead on design and launch. Thanks! 73, LU7AA, AMSAT Argentina http://amsat.org.ar [ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina LU7AA Team for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Rocket Lab launches first Electron mission from US Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has launched its 33rd Electron rocket and first mission from Virginia. The "Virginia is for Launch Lovers" mission lifted off 18:00 EST on January 24th from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The mission deployed three satellites to a 550km orbit for leading radio frequency geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360. Rocket Lab has now successfully deployed a total of 155 satellites to orbit from the Company's three launch pads across the U.S. and New Zealand. The successful launch from LC-2 marks the beginning of a new era of responsive launch capability for small satellites from U.S. soil. Built with support from Virginia Space, the Commonwealth of Virginia and NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 is designed to serve the responsive space needs of commercial, civil, defense, and national security customers, supporting up to 12 missions per year. More information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3kyNU3M. [ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 26, 2022 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/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Falconsat-3 NORAD Cat ID 30776 (decayed from orbit on 01/21/23 per Space-Track). JAGSAT NORAD Cat ID 53771 (decayed from orbit on 01/23/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT, direct via W1HLO. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Mon 2023-01-30 18:55:20 UTC 43 deg Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2023-02-02 15:10 UTC Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBDThe ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Sat 2023-02-04 10:25 UTC 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 ARISS from Twitter: We've updated our username here on Twitter to @ARISS_Intl to make us easier to find. If you are all ready following, thanks! There's nothing for you to do. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and VE3FU will plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27. (Ed. Note: Not yet specified which passes they might work) JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on 2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13 2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, and Masaji "Masa" Ishihara JH3BUM/JD1BPX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html. 2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Robert Bankston, KE4AL AMSAT President AMSAT - will present "Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday, February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FLFriday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 10-12, 2023 [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to retire from the project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information) + SpaceX successfully performed the first WDR of Starship Booster 7 and Ship 24 on Monday. This is a major milestone in any rockets march towards a first launch, especially for a super heavy lift monster like Starship, which will have more than twice the thrust of the Saturn V (heres a scale comparison to the minuscule Falcon 9). SpaceX loaded 4.5 million kg of cryogenic propellant into the fully reusable, two-stage rocket (causing it to shrink noticeably) and performed a countdown as it would on launch day (including some massive venting). A 33-engine static fire is now the next dramatic step toward an orbital launch, although how soon that might happen is unknown. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Next-gen propulsion incoming? Yesterday, NASA announced a new collaboration with long-time partner DARPA to develop a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) system and spacecraft. NTP promises 3x or more improvements in Isp over traditional chemical rockets by heating a low molecular mass propellant (like hydrogen) to high temps using a reactor and then expelling the expanded propellant out a rocket nozzle (this achieves high exhaust velocities while needing no oxidizer, saving mass). DARPA will continue to develop DRACO, an orbital and cislunar NTP-powered experimental spacecraft (cf. Issue No. 170) as part of this collaboration, and the agencies are targeting an in-space demonstration of the propulsion system as soon as 2027. The demonstration spacecraft could be used as low as 700 km or as high as 2,000 km, but the long-term vision is cislunar space and Mars. This collaboration is separate from other recent NTP projects like the DOEs initiative. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + A truck-sized asteroid that suddenly loomed out of the darkness a few days ago with the Earth in its sights then sailed harmlessly past us on Thursday, space scientists said. Asteroid 2023 BU whizzed past without incident and back out into the blackness of space. The rock, which was spotted for the first time on Saturday by an amateur stargazer in Crimea, came closest to the southern tip of South America at around 0029 GMT Friday, according to scientists who were tracking it. More at: https://bit.ly/3HiVtTQ (ANS thanks Spacedaily.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz [at] frawg.org

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ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 22 Jan '23

22 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-022 In this edition: * AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation * IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites * AMSAT Thanks 2022 President's Club Members * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 22 AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation AMSAT will be at Hamcation 2023 on Friday through Sunday, February 10-12, 2023. The AMSAT booth will be located at the west end of Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Center's East West Hall (main building as you enter from the parking lot). right next to our friends and partners ARISS-USA. AMSAT staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and provide amateur satellite, SatPC32, and CubeSatSim demonstrations. In addition, AMSAT will host a forum on Sunday, February 12, from 11:00AM - 12:00PM. AMSAT President, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, will kick off Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow, an open discussion on developing the next generation of amateur radio satellites. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites: + ROSEYCUBESAT-1 Orbital Solutions Monaco is the sponsor for ROSEYCUBESAT-1, a 1U CubeSat platform from ISISPACE with a very simple mission for students: taking simple pictures, providing telemetry and teaching radio amateur activities. Students can learn how to use an Amateur Radio antenna provided by the Vaudois Amateur Radio Club to download telemetry data, photos from the satellite and send commands to the satellite. Amateur Radio operators can participate in the mission because the satellite carries a built-in TRXVU transponder mode. A UHF downlink using 1k2/9k6 BPSK with AX 25 on 436.825 MHz together with a transponder uplink on 145.850 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg into a 550km SSO in February 2023. + KASHIWA China University of Technology is the sponsor for a 1U CubeSat spacecraft with the following features. * APRS - When KASHIWA receives an APRS query from a ground station, it returns an ACK signal. The satellite logs the call sign and reception time of the received query. The log data is transmitted from the satellite to the ground station by a UHF downlink. The log is then published on the website. The APRS operation period will be from one week after orbit insertion until deorbit, almost one and half years. * "MoG' (Music of Geomagnetic) KASHIWA transmits VHF analog FM signal containing the analog audio sound generated from geomagnetic data. The geomagnetic field observation data will also be transmitted in the data by UHF. * KASHIWA has two cameras onboard. They will take ISS (International Station), Ocean, and Land day and night. The field-of-view of two cameras is 194 degrees. Image data from the two cameras will be stored in flash memory then divided and downloaded by the UHF downlink and then restored by the ground station. Telemetry using 4k8 GMSK with downlinks on 145.825 MHz, 437.375 MHz and 437.380 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a deployment from the ISS in October 2023. More info at https://sites.google.com/view/gardens-02/english_ver/home?pli=1. [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Thanks 2022 President's Club Members In 2022, a total of 78 members and friends of AMSAT contributed a total of $63,717 and were recognized with membership in the AMSAT 2022 President's Club. We thank them for their generous support and helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space! Membership levels begin at $120 and can be paid in one lump-sum or in monthly installments. For complete details on AMSAT President Club membership, https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/. Titanium ($4,800+) Barry A. Baines, WD4ASW Alan P. Biddle, WA4SCA John D. Botti, KC8OKB William G. Brown, K9LF Platinum ($2,400+) Steve Belter, N9IP Ronald G. Parsons, W5RKN Cheryl Printon Gold ($1,200+) Anonymous Dwight Aussieker, K9QJ Douglas Besemer, K0VPL Burns Fisher, WB1FJ James Hain, W2IMY Joseph Lynch, N6CL John R. Kludt, K7SYS Glenn Miller, AA5PK Mary Lou Monteiro John Pinkham, K3PER Thomas Schaefer, NY4I Michael Stipick, KC4RI Douglas B. Tabor, N6UA Silver ($600+) John Boehme, K4PRK Warren Fugate, W3WE Mark Johns, K0JM Jean-Louis Maridet, F5DYD Patrick Maroney, KD0YMO Bruce Paige, KK5DO David A. Vine, WA1EAW Chuck Weaver, W3VAR Bronze ($300+) Anonymous Scott Danzer, N1XCY Robert Grattan III, N4MRV Allen Kenney, KK4AK Donald J. Lum, WA6ICW Bruce Perens, K6BP Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT Scott Shaheen, WB8OOJ Thomas Talley, K0CFI Dave Taylor, W8AAS Rickey N. Walker, K4TD Core ($120+) Oscar Alonso, N6PAZ Dwight Aussieker, W9QJ Steve Bachhuber, K9SJB Robert Brennan, KC3CKV Burlington Amateur Radio Club George Carr, WA5KBH Michael Caughey, N2BT Jim Clary, ND9M Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT Todd Dugdale, KD0TLS John Flowers, K4ZMR James Gallagher III, KB3SQS George Gallis, AL7BX David Grebe, WA4LM David Hartrum, WA3YDZ Stephen Howard, AB0XE Nels E. Knutzen, W0PEC Edward Krome, K9EK Gailen Marshall, N5GDM Brendan McNeil, ZL3BAM Juan Munoz, TG9AJR Andrew Northam, KE8FZT Art Payne, VE3GNF Maxwell Rathbone, W3POI Larry Schroeder, KD4HSL Jay Schwartz, WB8SBI Jason Schwarz, N4JJS Alton Simpson, WA5TJB Carl Starnes, W4EAT Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Dennis Turner, K0DIS Arun Vijayshankar, K6ARV Christopher Wach,s WA2KDL Stefan Wagener, VE4SW Wayne Wagner, AG1A Jim Wellinghoff, W0NBC Jeremy Wyatt, KA2PFD [ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, VP, Development 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 16:00 UTC. Brentwood Elementary School of Engineering, Raleigh, NC, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 17:31:24 UTC. Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 15:10 UTC. Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 10:25 UTC. + Completed Contacts Escola Secundária de Lagoa, Lagoa, Azores, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 18:20:34 UTC. 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 GO11; January 24-27, 2023 Chris, VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA and @Dave, VE3KG will be operating the linear and FM satellites. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Orlando Hamcation February 10-12, 2023 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ 2023 CubeSat Developer's Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + In 2013, Amazon launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to support their favorite charities. After almost a decade of running AmazonSmile, Amazon decided that with so many eligible organizations - more than 1 million globally - their ability to have an impact was often spread too thin. Thus, Amazon will be winding down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. Until this date, customer purchases made via AmazonSmile will continue to accrue funds for their charity as normal. After that, Amazon will provide each charity with a one-time payment equivalent to three months of payments based on what it accrued in 2022. [AMSAT thanks AmazonSmile for the above information.] + It has been quite a week for the UK space industry. What was meant to mark a new era of space launch has sadly been put on hold after Virgin Orbit’s launch failure just over a week ago. The mission, “Start Me Up,” suffered a failure on Monday Jan. 9, and an investigation is underway to find the result of anomaly. Virgin Orbit has said it hopes to return to the newly inaugurated Spaceport Cornwall in the future. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-022-Virgin-Orbit [ANS thanks SatelliteToday.com for the above information.] + The global space economy grew to $424 billion in 2022. The space industry is in a major period of growth defined by attracting new customers, breaking into new industries and courting new investment, but it's not yet clear how much the industry will grow in the coming years. The space economy grew 8% since 2021, despite facing major economic head winds caused by supply chain issues lingering after pandemic lock downs, high inflation, global tensions and other factors. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.] + Crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this week moved astronaut Frank Rubio's seat liner - a molding designed to fit his body and make spaceflight more comfortable - from the leaking Soyuz capsule to the Crew Dragon attached to the space station. That change will allow the Crew Dragon to act as a "lifeboat" if Rubio needs to come back to Earth in a hurry. Moving Rubio to the Crew Dragon would help reduce the heat within the Soyuz if it needs to be used by Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin for an emergency Earth return. Once the new, replacement Soyuz arrives at the station next month, Rubio's lining will be moved to that ship instead. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas N1UW [at] amsat [dot] org

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