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ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for August 6, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 06 Aug '23
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 06 Aug '23
06 Aug '23
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-218
In this edition:
* Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
* AMSAT at Huntsville Hamfest August 19-20, 2023
* IARU Coordinates Two Digipeating Satellites
* VUCC Satellite Standing August 2023
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 4, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 Aug 06
Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include:
- AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20
- 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21
- Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20
- AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21
- AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22
Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year:
- Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75
- Saturday Evening Banquet $55
- Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15
EVENT REGISTRATION
You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188.
HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS
The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22.
- Standard room with single King bed is $137.00*
- Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Hotel Reservations:
Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
For Online Hotel Reservations click on this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566…
Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com.
We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
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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/
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AMSAT at Huntsville Hamfest August 19-20, 2023
Planning to attend the Huntsville Hamfest later this month? Be sure to find the AMSAT folks and say "Hello!" Attending the Hamfest will be AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL. Robert will be pleased to share the latest news about the progress on major programs such as the Fox-Plus series of LEO satellites and the GOLF series of HEO satellites.
Robert should have an assortment of antennas and AMSAT bling available. Thinking of joining AMSAT or do you need to renew your membership? You can take care of that at Huntsville, too.
The Huntsville Hamvention will be held August 19-20, 2023 at the Von Braun Center South Hall, 700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL 35801.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.]
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IARU Coordinates Two Digipeating Satellites
The IARU has recently coordinated frequencies for two European digipeating satellites scheduled for launch later in 2023.
+ Veronika
From the Technical University of Kosice, Veronika is a 1U CubeSat scheduled for launch on a Falcon 9 launcher on the Transporter 9 mission in October 2023. The satellite will be equipped with a 24/7 digipeater on two different bands, as well as experimental SSDV transmissions.
The satellite also has an education and outreach mission in that it is planned to involve Slovak grammar and high schools and to transmit special CW and AX.25 messages on several special occasions. From a platform perspective, the satellite will be equipped with a novel ADCS subsystem, including electromagnetic actuators and a GNSS receiver. This will also help to identify the satellite during the first days and weeks. The satellite will communicate o using Spacemanic's well-known Murgas transceivers (BDSat-1, BDSat-2, Planetum-1).
Altogether, Veronika will provide: AX.25 telemetry; a CW beacon; a digipeater; AX.25 & CW messages on special occasions for community engagement; Experimental SSDV transmissions; and SATNOGS integration, decoder and dashboard. A downlink on 436.680 MHz has been coordinated and will use 9k6 G3RUH AX.25 and a CW beacon. Planning a SpaceX launch on Transporter 9 mission in Q4 2023 to a 500/600km polar orbit . More info at https://om3ksi.tuke.sk/en/home/.
+ ROM-3
From the Romanian Radioamateur Federation, ROM-3 is a 50 x 50 x100mm picosat with three missions and objectives. Its primary mission is to act as a digital amateur radio repeater. Its secondary mission is to transmit low-resolution SSDV images in a GFSK Mode. The tertiary mission is to transmit a CW beacon that will help amateur radio operators detect the presence of the satellite and measure basic properties of the signals such as its strength, fading due to spin, Doppler to measure speed, etc. A downlink on 436.235 MHz has been coordinated for 20 wpm CW, 500bps GFSK telemetry and 5kbps GFSK SSDV. Planning a SpaceX launch in October or November 2023 into a 500km polar orbit. More info at https://rom-space.ro/.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]
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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/
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VUCC Satellite Standing August 2023
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for July 01, 2023 to August 01, 2023.
AA5PK 1324 1350
N8RO 1317 1323
N0JE 950 975
PS8ET 726 925
F4BKV 800 900
DF2ET 752 862
KN2K 750 804
EA2AA 756 778
KQ4DO 710 750
WD9EWK (DM43) 727 734
AF5CC 644 646
FG8OJ 600 635
XE1MYO 525 575
N8MR 528 557
VE4MM 508 536
A65BR 436 455
IK7FMQ 304 426
AB1OC 371 400
K8BL 297 300
PA7RA 299 300
N3CAL 247 270
N6PAZ 241 247
W7BMD 100 208
ZS2BK 176 186
JE2UFF 158 185
KB9DAK 164 171
AG4W New 161
N9XG New 151
JI1SIE New 107
Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
AG4W is first VUCC Satellite holder from EM64
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 4, 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
Shaonian Xing NORAD Cat ID 43199 decayed from orbit on 30 July 2023
FIREBIRD FU3 NORAD Cat ID 40377 decayed from orbit on 31 July 2023
FIREBIRD FU4 NORAD Cat ID 40378 decayed from orbit on 01 August 2023
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.]
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ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
+ Completed Contacts
Baltasi airfield school in the Baltasinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Andrei Fedyaev .
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR.
Contact was successful on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at 14:02 UTC.
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Al Neyadi, KI5VTV.
The ARISS mentor was ON6TI.
Contact was successful on Monday, July 31, 2023 at 08:16 UTC.
Karasuyama Residents Center, Setagaya, Japan, direct via JA1ZSH.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV.
The ARISS mentor was 7M3TJZ.
Contact was successful on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 09:26 UTC.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Satellite Operations
EN67 & EN56; August 4-12, 2023
N8MR will be in EN57 roving to EN67 and EN56 August 4-12. Mike says to listening for DX. He prefers linear satellites. Skeds posted via
@GridMasterHeat Sked depends on wx, etc. All QSOs to LoTW using N8MR (no /p, /r).
FK87 & FK88; August 6, 2023
FG8OJ, Burt will begin his Caribbean rove of FJ/PJ6/FS and PJ7 on August 6. Additional info will be available on hams.at.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+ Huntsville Hamfest
August 19 & 20, 2023
Von Braun Center South Hall
700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL 35801
More information at: https://hamfest.org/
+ Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
More information at: https://hamxposition.org/
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
More information at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, is tracking Chandrayan 3, India's lunar lander in its highly eccentric orbit. Follow him live at https://www.youtube.com/live/UYJ1x9NUYTU?feature=share [ANS thanks Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE, for the above information.]
+ SpaceX launched the world's heaviest commercial communications satellite atop a Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday. The triple-core rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A with the Jupiter 3/EchoStar 24 satellite at 11:04 p.m. EDT. The booster carried EchoStar's Jupiter-3 (EchoStar-24) communications satellite, which weighs in at over 9,000 kg (198,416 lb.). It is the largest communication satellite ever launched to geostationary orbit. Jupiter-3, which was built by Maxar Technologies, will support Internet connectivity across North and South America, in-flight Wi-Fi, community Wi-Fi services, maritime connections, enterprise networks, and backhaul for mobile network operators. [ANS thanks parabolicarc.com for the above information.]
+ Voyager 2 has reestablished communication with Earth and is operating normally. NASA's long-running Voyager 2 mission, which launched from Earth in 1977 and is currently about 12.4 billion miles from Earth, lost contact with our planet after a set of commands accidentally moved Voyager 2's antenna two degrees away from Earth on July 28. A "heartbeat" signal was picked up on Tuesday, August 1. according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), letting mission controllers know the probe was still healthy despite being unable to communicate fully with it. Voyager 2 is programmed to automatically reset its orientation a few times a year in case of troubles like this, but the next window would have been in October. On Friday, August 4, JPL announced in a mission update that NASA's Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia was able to send a command into interstellar space that reoriented the spacecraft and pointed its antenna back towards Earth. Mission controllers had to wait 37 hours to learn if the command was successful. And it was. "The spacecraft began returning science and telemetry data, indicating it is operating normally and that it remains on its expected trajectory," JPL said in the statement. [ANS thanks space.com for the above information.]
+ The ISS briefly lost communication with ground control due to a power outage at Johnson Space Center and had to use its backup control systems for the first time. A power outage at NASA's building in Houston disrupted communication between mission control and the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, July 25. Space station program manager Joel Montalbano said neither the astronauts nor station were ever in any danger and that backup control systems took over to restore normal communications within 90 minutes. "It wasn't an issue on board. That was purely a ground problem," he said. "At no time was the crew or the vehicle in any danger." [ANS thanks The Orbital Index and The Guardian for the above information.]
+ The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a satellite spectrum licensing reform bill after House Science Committee leadership did not want to grant the FCC authority to regulate space debris/traffic management, since, in their opinion, doing so would divert from its primary responsibility of spectrum allocation. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-211
In this edition:
* 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium Set for Weekend of October 14th
* CubeSat: Celebrating 20 Years of Transforming Space Access
* ARRL Releases LoTW Configuration 11.25 with LEDSAT Support
* FO-29 Operation Schedule for August 2023
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 28, 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 https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-211 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 July 30
2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium Set for Weekend of October 14th
AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce the 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium, scheduled to run alongside the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom on October 14th and 15th, 2023.
The 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium will be part of the RSGB Convention and will feature presentations on satellite and space-related topics, continuing the tradition from previous years. Full details of the Colloquium will be made available nearer the time on the AMSAT-UK website (https://amsat-uk.org).
During the 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium, the Annual General Meeting of AMSAT-UK will take place, with the calling notice to be issued once the event's program is finalized.
AMSAT-UK will host an AMSAT Gala Dinner at the Marriott Delta Hotel on Trimbold Drive, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes on the evening of Saturday, October 14th. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased online at the AMSAT-UK Online Shop (https://shop.amsat-uk.org) and include a three-course meal with tea and coffee at its conclusion.
AMSAT-UK has reserved a limited number of rooms at the Marriott Delta for the night of October 14th, 2023, including breakfast on Sunday, October 15th. The rooms are available for single occupancy at £84 or double occupancy at £95. Bookings for the Hotel and Gala Dinner can be made through the AMSAT-UK Online Shop.
Interested participants are advised to book early, as the Hotel and Gala Dinner bookings will close on October 1st, 2023, or when sold out.
For access to the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, attendees are required to purchase Day Tickets for the RSGB Convention's Saturday and/or Sunday events. Early bird discounts are available through the RSGB website (https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention/).
The 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium will be a gathering of satellite and space enthusiasts, providing an opportunity to learn, network, and explore the latest developments in satellite technology.
[ANS thanks Barry Sankey G7RWY and Dave Johnson G4DPZ, AMSAT-UK Joint Secretaries for the above information]
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CubeSat: Celebrating 20 Years of Transforming Space Access
Twenty years ago, an invention emerged from the labs of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo that would change the face of space exploration forever. The CubeSat, a tiny satellite with the dimensions of a square tissue box, revolutionized access to space, making it more affordable and achievable for researchers and students alike.
The brainchild of professors Jordi Puig-Suari and Bob Twiggs, the CubeSat was born out of the need to solve a crucial problem. While universities aimed to train students through hands-on experience, getting their satellites into space was a daunting challenge due to the limited access to rockets and the high costs associated with launches.
The innovative solution was simple yet effective, the CubeSat. They designed a standardized, risk-containment mechanism where all the risk of potential failure would be confined within the small box. This not only addressed the rocket providers' concerns about carrying student-built satellites but also reduced the cost and time required to send satellites into orbit.
The CubeSat's impact was profound and far-reaching. Almost every rocket launched into space today carries CubeSats on board. The small satellite became an open standard, meaning anyone could use it without any charges, promoting uniformity and standardization across the industry.
Unlike traditional satellites that could take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, CubeSats presented a cost-effective alternative. Building a CubeSat was a fraction of the expense, and the standard's versatility allowed various scientific missions, ranging from Earth observation and mapping to space exploration. The CubeSat opened the doors to space for many countries that launched their first-ever satellites, including Colombia, Switzerland, Hungary, Vietnam, and more.
Private companies also capitalized on the CubeSat revolution, stepping in as intermediaries between satellite creators and rocket providers. Companies like Maverick Space Systems acted as "Uber for satellites," arranging rides for satellites of various sizes, including CubeSats, on rockets for commercial and government clients.
The CubeSat's impact also extended to educational institutions. Cal Poly's CubeSat Lab provided students with hands-on experience, allowing them to design, build, and even launch CubeSats. The educational aspect of CubeSats became so popular that high school students at Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley also had a class on spacecraft engineering, learning about CubeSats and building AMSAT CubeSat Simulators (CubeSatSim).
The CubeSatSim Project, led by Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations, is an initiative sponsored by AMSAT. It involves the development of a low-cost satellite emulator called CubeSatSim, designed with solar panels, rechargeable batteries, and UHF radio telemetry transmission capabilities. The CubeSatSim features a 3D printed frame and can be expanded with additional sensors and modules. The project aims to provide an accessible platform for educational purposes. Detailed documentation and build instructions are available on the project's Wiki at https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim.
As the CubeSat celebrates its 20th anniversary, it stands as a testament to the power of innovation and the impact of an open standard in transforming an entire industry. What began as a solution to a niche problem has now become an integral part of space exploration, enabling researchers, students, and commercial ventures to access space like never before. The CubeSat's legacy is imprinted in space, as these tiny satellites continue to leave their mark on missions, both in orbit and beyond.
[ANS thanks Michelle Loxton, writing for KCLU, and Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations for the above information]
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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/
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ARRL Releases LoTW Configuration 11.25 with LEDSAT Support
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has recently unveiled the latest version of the Logbook of The World (LoTW) configuration file, version 11.25, which includes support for LEDSAT, an educational 1U CubeSat developed by students from Sapienza University in Rome's S5Lab research team, with backing from AMSAT Italia.
LEDSAT's primary objective is to demonstrate a LED-based payload for ground-based optical tracking. One of the notable features of LEDSAT is its digipeater capability, which allows it to store and retransmit digital messages sent to the satellite, effectively acting as a transponder for long-distance communication.
When opening ARRL's TQSL (Trusted QSL) application, an "Update Available" dialog box will display if a newer configuration file is available. Simply click the 'OK' button to install the latest configuration file. You can easily determine whether a new version of TQSL or its Configuration Data is available by selecting the "Help" menu and clicking on "Check for Updates...". The latest version of TQSL (version 2.6.5) can be downloaded from https://www.arrl.org/tqsl/tqsl-2.6.5.msi.
Additionally, the GreenCube Terminal program developed by Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR, now includes support for communications with the LEDSAT digipeater by utilizing the "Soundmodem for GreenCube" TNC application created by Andy Kopanchuk, UZ7HO. The latest release of the GreenCube Terminal program version 1.0.0.62 was provided on July 22, 2023. More information can be found at https://moonbounce.dk/hamradio/greencube-terminal-program.html.
[ANS thanks the American Radio Relay League and Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR for the above information]
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FO-29 Operation Schedule for August 2023
Regarding Fuji No. 3 (FO-29), the period of continuous operation in full sunshine has ended, and continuous operation is not possible. After being switched on, the satellite will remain in operation until the onboard low-voltage trigger turns it off again when the satellite is no longer in sunlight.
In addition, regarding the recent situation of Fuji No. 3, it will continue to be difficult to receive commands in the morning laps in Japan, so please be aware that it may take some time before it is turned on.
Scheduled time to turn on the Fuji-3 analog transmitter (UTC) (posted on July 24, 2023)
August 2023
5th 05:12-20:00-
6th 06:00~
11th 04:55-06:40-
12th 05:45-07:35-20:30-
13th 04:50-06:35-
19th 06:20~
20th 05:25-07:17-
26th 05:10-06:55-20:00-
27th 06:00-07:50-
* Estimated time indicates the time to start sending commands. Please be aware that it may take some time for the repeater to turn on due to antenna pointing due to the attitude of the satellite, disturbances in the ionosphere, interference, power supply conditions of the satellite, etc.
Fuji 3 has been in an unstable situation for more than a quarter of a century since its launch, as we have already reported. Please use Fuji No. 3 after understanding when using it.
[ANS thanks JARL, the Japan Amateur Radio League, for the above information]
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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/
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 28, 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.
The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
MRC-100 NORAD Cat ID 56993 IARU Coordinated Frequency: 436.720 MHz.
(Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
DO-111 (ARDUIQUBE/DIY-1) NORAD Cat ID 47963 decayed from orbit on 21 July 2023 per Space-Track.org
[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
+ Upcoming Contacts
School in the Baltasinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Andrei Fedyaev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for: Sun 2023-07-30 14:05:00 UTC
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Mon 2023-07-31 08:16:45 UTC
Karasuyama Residents Center, Setagaya, Japan, direct via JA1ZSH
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ
Contact is go for: Thu 2023-08-03 09:26:18 UTC
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
From Wayne, W7WGC:
POTA K-2816 activation in grid square CN73 on Sunday, July 30
AO-91 @ 16:15Z & 17:50Z
JO-97 @ 17:36Z & 19:11Z
RS-44 @ 19:03Z & 20:56Z
SO-50 @ 21:34Z
ARISS @ 21:37Z
AO-7 @ 21:54Z (Mode B)
Several good low Eastern passes!
From John, KC7JPC:
I will be back in DN19 on August 9th and 10th. Will get on fm/linear while there. Evenings for sure but maybe some early morning passes as well. Will also be in dn29,dn39, dn36, and dn19 again the next week. August 14-18. Fm only and more than likely just the evening Tevel passes. Still need to do a pack up of gear on the motorcycle to make sure the radio fits in with the gear.
From Mike, N8MR - I will be in EN57 roving to EN56 and EN67 Aug 4 - 12. On Aug 4, will activate EN66 on RS-44 during the 1713z pass, and may be on other adjacent sat passes. Prefer linear sats, but will be on FM sats. Skeds posted mainly via Twitter @MikeN8MR. Sked depends on wx, etc. All QSOs will be posted LoTW, using N8MR (no /p, /r).
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+ Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
https://hamxposition.org/
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium & Annual Meeting will take place in Dallas/Ft. Worth on October 20-21. Attendees can book rooms at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel at a discounted group rate of $137.00 per night for a standard room with a single King bed or two Queen beds. State and local taxes of 15% are not included in the rate. Rooms are available for check-in from October 18 and check-out until October 22. Phone and online reservations are available, and attendees should mention "RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE" when booking. The hotel is conveniently located at DFW International Airport and offers free parking for attendees. For any inquiries, email info(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
+ The Moonlighter CubeSat has successfully reached its planned low earth orbit in preparation for the upcoming in-space hacking competition, known as the Space Security Challenge: Hack-A-Sat 4. This competition, run by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, aims to enhance security researcher knowledge and skills in securing space systems. The finals of the Hack-A-Sat event will take place in Las Vegas in August, with the winner having a chance to win a cash prize of $50,000. The competition provides an opportunity for hackers, researchers, and space enthusiasts to tackle space systems cyber security challenges. [ANS thanks Alun Williams, writing for ElectronicsWeekly.com, for the above information]
+ On July 23, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with 22 additional satellites for the Starlink communications constellation. During the launch, the rocket created a temporary hole in the ionosphere, also known as a rocket exhaust depletion (RED), by releasing exhaust that interacts with charged oxygen atoms, creating a reddish patch. Although the damage is not permanent and mainly affects amateur radio signals, the increasing frequency of such occurrences due to the growing number of satellite launches has raised concerns among scientists about the potential impact on the ozone layer, as rocket exhaust releases various toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Stricter controls for the launch services industry have been called for to address this issue. [ANS thanks Aditya Madanapalle, writing for News9 Live, for the above information]
+ The preparation for Ariane 6's inaugural flight is going well, as the teams completed a launcher preparation and countdown sequence successfully at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 18th July. The test included various critical tasks such as removing the mobile gantry, chilling down fluidic systems, and filling the tanks with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The launch chronology was also completed up to the ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine. During the 26-hour exercise, degraded and contingency modes were tested, demonstrating the launcher and launch base's proper functioning. Although the ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine had to be postponed to a later session, the overall performance of the full launch system was excellent. The teams are confident about the progress of the test campaign and are preparing for a long duration hot firing test in the summer. [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half-time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
ad0hj [at] amsat.org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-204
In this edition:
* AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium & Annual Meeting Rooms Now Available
* EO-88 (Nayif-1) Reenters
* URESAT-1 Update
* May/June 2023 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
* Special ARISS SSTV Experiment Scheduled for ARRL Teacher's Institute
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 20, 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-204 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 July 23
AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium & Annual Meeting Rooms Now Available
Planning on attending the AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium and General Meeting
in Dallas/Ft. Worth on October 20-21? Of course you are! Rooms at the
discounted group rate are now available. We suggest you make your
reservations right away because only a limited number of rooms are
available. The hotel and room rate information is as follows:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out
Sunday, October 22.
Standard room with single King bed is $137.00*
Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Reservations:
972-929-8400
Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
For Online Reservations:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=16899566…
(Make sure you enter the dates you want before clicking on the "Check
Availability" button.
The hotel is conveniently located at the DFW International Airport for
those flying to the event. The hotel offers free parking for those driving.
If you have questions or comments, please send your email to info [at]
amsat [dot] org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
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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/
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EO-88 (Nayif-1) Reenters
EO-88, with its 70cm to 2m linear transponder, having spent a trouble free
6 years and 5 months in space, finally re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere
and burned up on Tuesday, 18th July. Having originally been launched into a
500km orbit, EO-88 has reduced in altitude rapidly over the past year due
to the increased level of solar activity.
Remarkably, some of the last frames of telemetry were captured as the 1U
CubeSat passed over the South Western United States. The final 90 seconds
show a rapid rise in temperature across all the satellites sub systems. The
last frame of data was captured by David WB0IZO in New Mexico at 18:18:54
UTC showing the antenna temperatures operating about 40 degrees above
normal.
During the past 2 weeks, 86 stations have contributed EO-88 telemetry to
the FUNcube Data Warehouse and this has given us the opportunity to study
the behaviour of a functioning CubeSat as it makes its return from Space.
Thank you all for your support.
Having provided the last frame of data, David WB0IZO, wins the telemetry
section of the AMSAT-UK re-entry competition and will receive a framed
certificate of achievement.
The prediction for the date and time of re-entry was very close with Paul
N8HM predicting the 17th July and Larry N1MIW calculating the 21st.
However, the winning entry was made by Thomas HB9SKA who correctly
predicted the 18th July. Thomas also wins a framed certificate.
RIP EO-88. GOODBYE AND THANKS FOR THE FUN!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
URESAT-1 Update
This is an update about our satellite URESAT-1, launched with SpaceX on
June 12th (Transporter-8 mission from Vanderberg) and using Alba Orbital as
our space broker. First of all, URESAT-1 is a small pocketQube 1.5P (8x5x5
cm), much smaller than a Cubesat.
The satellite was expelled from the D-Orbit Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV)
ION ten days after the launch, on June 22th at 12.10 UTC, along with
MRC-100 and ROM-2 satellites. Soon after, using the OTV TLE available for
pointing, signals from MRC-100 and ROM-2 were received but not ours... This
made us think we again had a problem with the deployment of the antennas.
Fortunately Daniel EA4GPZ could receive the URESAT-1 on June 26th using the
ATA radio telescope at 22.03 UTC. The pattern of the transmissions matched
and, using the IQs from the two antennas used, with two polarities, we
could decodify telemetry, showing that the satellite was performing well
with no resets or events. The battery was almost fully charged but the
antennas were not deployed, as it was shown in the status packet received.
We worked hard to improve the deployment system from our previous
satellites but something hasn't gone well again. Satellite seems to be cold
even in sunlight but we performed tests using temperatures as low as 20 C
below zero so this should not be a problem...
Doing a lot of analysis (after the ATA observation we found that our
satellite was 20-30 seconds ahead of MRC-100) and with a lot of help from
the Satnogs thread regarding that launch, we managed to conclude that our
satellite should be NORAD object 56992.
The team at Dwingeloo radio telescope on Netherlands has confirmed this
with several observations these days
https://network.satnogs.org/observations/7877553/
https://network.satnogs.org/observations/7881183/
https://network.satnogs.org/observations/7883687/
Using the IQs of these recordings (available here
https://data.camras.nl/satnogs/) we have been able to decode new telemetry,
CW and even a SSTV image from the satellite image bank. After more than
three weeks in orbit the satellite is performing well and we hope that the
antennas will deploy at some moment.
The plan now is sending the satellite commands to try to deploy the
antennas, although we are going to need a lot of power because the received
signal without a proper antenna will be low. If you have a powerful station
for transmitting on VHF and want to help us, please let me know.
We want to thank Daniel EA4GPZ, the ATA radio telescope, PE0SAT, the
Dwingeloo staff, especially Tammo Jan, and Satnogs staff for their kind
help in identifying the URESAT and the reception of their signals. It has
provided very valuable data on the status of the satellite.
Decoded telemetry, CW and the SSTV image is available in our web (sorry, it
is in spanish) and also in the Satnogs thread about the Transporter-8
mission:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/
https://community.libre.space/t/spacex-f9-transporter-8-2023-06-12-21-35-ut…
[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President for the above
information]
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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
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May/June 2023 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
The May/June 2023 edition of The AMSAT Journal is now available to AMSAT
members on the AMSAT Member Portal (
https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal).
The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in
space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects,
technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from
around the world. Join AMSAT today at launch.amsat.org to get immediate
access to the latest issue and archived issues of The AMSAT Journal.
Inside this issue:
* Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
* Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y
* Engineering Update - Jerry Buxton, N0JY
* 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
* Interview with CubeSatSim Builder Bruce Semple, WA3SWJ - Paul Graveline,
K1YUB
* A Satellite Etiquette Primer - Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
* IO-117 Antenna Testing - Dave Fisher, KG0D
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Special ARISS SSTV Experiment Scheduled for ARRL Teacher's Institute
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) in collaboration
with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), plan to carry out a special
Slow Scan TV (SSTV) experiment from the ISS on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.
During the event, the Columbus Module Repeater, transmitting at 437.800
MHz, will carry a message to be received by teachers attending the ARRL
Teacher’s Institute class. The pass will be over the Mid-Atlantic / New
England area with transmissions scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET)
and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be
21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET).
Radio enthusiasts are welcome to download the message and follow along with
the event, but we ask that all hams please refrain from using the repeater
for voice contacts during the event.
Please understand this is a special experiment conducted through ARISS and
the ARRL. All regular operation of the repeater should continue to take
place in voice mode only.
Check ARISS Social Media for any updates.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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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 July 20, 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 been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution:
CUbeBel 2 (EU11S) NORAD Cat ID 57175 IARU Coordinated Frequency: 436.99 MHz.
(Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification)
URESAT-1 NORAD Cat ID 56992 IARU Coodinated Frequency: 436.888 MHz
(Thanks to Felix Paez, EA4GQS AMSAT EA President for identification)
The follwing satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from
this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
EO-88 (Nayif 1) NORAD Cat ID 42017 "[R]e entered over North America.
The last frame of data was provided by WB0IZO in NM" according to David
Bowman G0MRF AMSAT-UK
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between
amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with
astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The
downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
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: Thu 2023-07-27 09:57:42 UTC 88 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).
* SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to
begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If
necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55
ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice
repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet
operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and
voice repeater ops.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Satellite Operations
From David, N9KT:
I’ll be at the Philmont Scout Ranch activating DM76 on all the satellites
from July 19-28 using voice and digital. I’ll be doing demonstrations and
training for Radio Merit Badge and hope to be very active on the birds
every day. (Ed: David doesn’t appear to be active on Twitter. I’ve
suggested hams.at as an outlet for more detailed info as the date(s) draw
closer.)
I’ll also be trying to activate some grids on the trip out (July 17-18) and
back (July 29-30) between Indianapolis and the Philmont Scout Ranch.
BI1NJI will be QRV as BI1NJI/3 from ON83 24th through 27th July. FM and
IO-117. This is all I know at the moment. He does do Twitter (@YankaiP) and
has said that details will follow.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
https://hamxposition.org/
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
"Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!"
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+
presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ From Bruce Paige, KK5DO, (kk5do at arrl.net) "July 25 at 11:59pm is the
deadline to get your summary sheets to be scored for this years AMSAT Field
Day. I have received very few scores and even fewer pictures this year.
Even if you have already submitted your entry, drop me a picture or two
with a description."
+ Philippine cubesats May-5 and Maya-6 have been deployed. The satellites
were launched to the International Space Station on June 5 aboard the
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-26, and
were released from the ISS on July 19. The primary mission of Maya-5 and
Maya-6 CubeSats is to provide digital message relay service to the amateur
radio community by means of an APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System)
digipeater onboard. The APRS digipeater onboard the CubeSats will use
145.825 MHz for both receive and transmit. Another mission of the cubesats
is to demonstrate a data/message store-and-forward (S&F) system in line
with the Universal Amateur Radio Text and E-mail messaging. The CubeSats
will also carry Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cameras which will take
images of the participating countries from space for promotional and
educational awareness. A downlink on 437.375 MHz and APRS activities on
145.825 MHz have been coordinated. (ANS thanks The Philippine Daily
Inquirer and IARU for the above information)
+ The Order of Malta's Italian Relief Corps (CISOM) Amateur Radio Station -
1A0C will be activated from July 26th to August 2nd at the Magistral Villa
on the Aventine (Rome). The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a separate
DXCC entity. Satellite operations are expected on LEO satellites and
QO-100. Details to follow (ANS thanks the 1A0C team for the above
information)
+ The Sun's activity is defying forecasts and highlighting how difficult it
is to predict the machinations of Earth's nearest star. Space weather can
shorten the lifespans of satellites, cause radio blackouts and, in extreme
solar storms, bring down power grids. Predictions from 2020 suggested the
Sun would reach the peak of its 11-year solar cycle in 2025, and its
intensity would be on par with the last cycle. But current observations
show its activity could now peak as early as 2024. The current cycle is
also on track to be more extreme, with more solar flares, sunspots and
activity than the previous one, though not as big as others on record. The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is planning to fly two new
instruments to space that should help them keep an eye on the Sun in the
coming years. A Sun-focused instrument is slated to launch on the GOES-U
weather satellite next year, and another instrument will fly in 2025. (ANS
thanks Axios Space for the above information)
+ Congratulations to Joel Weiner, VE6WQ, the 60th recipient of the AMSAT
GridMaster Award.
The AMSAT GridMaster is awarded to those operators who confirm QSOs with
all 488 maidenhead grid squares located within the continental United
States. https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/ (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO,
AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at
one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status
shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary
years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-197
In this edition:
* AMSAT Board of Directors Voting Has Begun
* Youth on the Air Camp 2023 To Be On Satellites
* HABGab and StratoScience Balloon Launch
* Space Shuttle Remembered
* Historical Space Tour Before Orlando Hamcation
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS-USA Seeks for Director of Education
* 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-197 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 July 16
AMSAT Board of Directors Voting Has Begun
AMSAT members may access the 2023 Board of Directors election information
and balloting now. Candidate statements can be reviewed by voting members
via AMSAT’s Wild Apricot membership portal. An email with a link to the
electronic ballot was sent to all AMSAT members when the voting opened on
July 15th.
The nomination period for the 2023 Board of Directors Election ended on
June 15, 2023. The following candidates have been duly nominated:
Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, four
of these candidates will be seated on the Board, along with one alternate
when the voting period concludes on September 15th.
To view the candidate statements members may go to https://launch.amsat.org/
and log in using their usual member credentials. Those who need assistance
with the login should see the document at https://bit.ly/44LOXPV
[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
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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/
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Youth on the Air Camp 2023 To Be On Satellites
Youth on the Air (YOTA), the camp for young amateur radio operators in
North, Central and South America, will operate special event station
VE3YOTA while camp is in session from July 16-21, 2023. The camp will also
have a contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station,
and complete a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. The camp's opening and
closing ceremonies will also be streamed on YouTube.
Campers will be operating special event station VE3YOTA from the camp at
Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the Diefenbunker Cold
War Museum in Carp, Ontario, Canada. Additionally, campers will activate a
two-for-one POTA location.
Activation of the VE3YOTA callsign will begin on Sunday, July 16 and
conclude at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 21. Youth will operate the station as
they finish projects, between sessions, and during free time.
In addition, dedicated HF station operating times will be: Monday, July 17
through Wednesday, July 19 from 2300Z to 0230Z (7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT).
Dedicated satellite station operating time will be: Wednesday, July 19 from
1400Z to 1700Z (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT).
Fifteen QRP stations will activate a two-for-one POTA location, Central
Experimental Farm National Historic Site (VE-5095) and Rideau Canal
National Historic Site (VE-4882) on 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m. Weather
permitting, the activation will be on the air on Tuesday, July 18 from
1900Z to 2100Z (3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT) and Thursday, July 20 from 1300Z to
1600Z (9 a.m. to noon EDT).
The opening and closing ceremonies and the International Space Station
contact will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The
opening ceremony is Sunday, July 16 from 2100Z to 2315Z, and will feature
keynote speaker Phil McBride, VA3QR, the president of Radio Amateurs of
Canada. The ARISS contact is currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday,
July 18 at 1842Z (2:42 p.m. EDT). The closing ceremony is Friday, July 21
from 1500Z to 1600Z (11 a.m. to noon EDT). The channel will also feature a
daily highlight video spotlighting the activities of the previous day.
For details about the camp, visit https://youthontheair.org/
For additional information, please contact Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG
at director(a)youthontheair.org.
[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, and YOTA for the above information]
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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/
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HABGab and StratoScience Balloon Launch
HABGab 2023 is a special event for the ham radio community in New England
taking place in the Summer of 2023. Attached to a 2000g weather balloon
will be suspended three payloads:
+ One will contain a crossband UHF/VHF repeater, built from two linked
Baofeng BF-F8HP HTs. This repeater will act as a 2-3 hr. one-time event for
hams around New England. Anyone with a ham radio license is invited to try
calling into the repeater during the flight.
+ To make it even more exciting, the second payload will transmit live
video of the flight from two cameras. The camera feed and repeater audio
will be streamed live on YouTube from New England Sci-Tech.
+ The third payload will contain a number of science and engineering
experiments from middle school students at New England Sci-Tech and
Franklin’s BFCCPS school as part of a new program called StratoScience Lab.
Each weekend starting in July will be a new potential opportunity for
flight, however, much depends on good weather and wind patterns. Current
launch date set for Sunday, July 16. Please check
https://nescitech.org/clubs/newbs/habgab-launch/ regularly as the launch
date approaches to get an up to date countdown. High altitude balloon
flights can be frequently scrubbed many times before finally launching.
During the flight, the balloon’s real-time position will be available
online at https://amateur.sondehub.org under the callsign W1U. The
repeater’s frequencies are currently set to:
Uplink (your transmit): 146.55 MHz
Downlink (your receive): 446.05 MHz
When calling in, listen for the W1U station operator then try to making a
contact! Please have your four character Maidenhead grid location for the
contact exchange. If your contact is confirmed, you will receive a special
event QSL card for HABGab 2023!
The HABGab and StratoScience payloads will have several ham radio trackers
aboard, which provide live position and altitude data to ground stations.
These ground stations post this data to the internet in real time. This
means you can view the position of the payload at any time during the
flight by visiting this website, https://amateur.sondehub.org/, navigating
to Massachusetts, and looking for these callsigns:
W1U – Main payload (transmitted by repurposed RS-41 radiosonde)
W1U-15 – Main payload (transmitted by custom-built APRS transmitter)
W0MXX-15 – Autorotation device. A small, unpowered helicopter that will
separate from main payload at 81,000 feet and descend to the ground using
autorotation. Tracker is a LightAPRS module.
KC1SFR-11 – Glider that will separate from main payload at 80,000 feet and
glide back to the ground. It will also deploy a parachute at roughly 3,000
feet.
Also onboard will be a U4B Pico tracker being tested by KC1OAV in
preparation for a circumnavigation flight to happen at a later date. This
can be tracked separately at http://qrp-labs.com/tracking.html under the
name NESciTech1.
HABGab 2023 has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Amateur Radio
Relay League (ARRL).
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, and New England Sci-Tech for the above
information]
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Space Shuttle Remembered
Saturday, July 8 marked the 12th anniversary of the last Space Shuttle
mission. Ham astronauts operated amateur radio in space on a number of
shuttle missions, providing many with their first opportunity to contact an
astronaut in space -- an opportunity still actively pursued today through
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).
Over three decades, the five NASA space shuttles were launched on 135
flights to orbit. The shuttles collectively traveled more than 537 million
miles and spent more than three and half years in orbit.
* 355 people flew aboard the shuttles, including Sally Ride, the first
American woman to fly to space. Her first mission was aboard the Challenger
in 1983.
* Missions averaged about 10 days, with the shortest at 2 days, 6 hours and
the longest 17 days, 15 hours.
* Mission objective included building the International Space Station,
carrying large satellites to space and maintaining equipment like the
Hubble Space Telescope. Ten missions remain classified, with little to no
information publicly available.
Ultimately, the fatalities on Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003
helped bring about the end of the Shuttle program. The investigation in the
loss of Columbia concluded that safety improvements would be costly. The
program was shut down after construction on the ISS was complete.
[ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information]
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Historical Space Tour Before Orlando Hamcation
Sadly, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, a few years ago, stopped
offering historical tours of Cape Canaveral and the sites of the Mercury
launches and early uncrewed missions.
However, Bruce Perens, K6BP, has arranged for a Canaveral tour on Thursday,
Feb. 8, 2024 (the day before the Orlando Hamcation) at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Only 9 people can be accomodated, U.S. Citizens only, and there will be a
_required_ ID process before the tour. Cost will be about $60 each, and
lunch or snacks will be offered between the sites.
We will go to:
* LC-26, LC-5, and LC-6: the (adjacent) launch sites for much early space
exploration including the first crewed flights of Alan Shepard and Gus
Grissom. Besides walking around the pads and seeing a number of historical
space exhibits there, you will be able to access the firing room and the
Space Force Missile Museum.
* Hangar C, where there are many restored historical space vehicles and
missiles, and the Canaveral lighthouse.
We will NOT have access to the Mercury Memorial, LC-14 (restored uncrewed
flights firing room), and LC-34 (mostly-torn-down site of the Apollo 1
fire), which were (at times) on the old Rise to Space tour.
Activity on the base can force us to cancel or can change or curtail the
itinerary.
Reserve your spot now via email to bruce(a)perens.com
[ANS thanks Bruce Perens, K6BP, for the above information]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 14
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical
model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly
updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in
the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to
add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or
more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More
information may be found at
https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution:
UmKA 1 (RS40S) NORAD Cat ID 57172 IARU coordinated frequencies 437.625 MHz,
435.825 MHz and 2402.400 MHz (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for
identification).
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, and the AMSAT Orbital Elements page for
the above information]
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ARISS-USA Seeks for Director of Education
ARISS-USA, a 501(c)(3) educational and scientific non-profit organization,
is seeking an experienced educator with extensive leadership experience to
serve as our Director of Education. This is a part-time, remote position in
the USA which includes a one-year probationary period.
ARISS provides and operates Amateur Radio systems on International Space
Station (ISS) and elsewhere to inspire, educate, and engage youth and
communities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics
(STEAM) and to support ISS backup communications. For more detailed
information on ARISS, see the About ARISS-USA section, below, or visit the
ARISS web sites: www.ariss.org and www.ariss-usa.org.
Responsibilities
+ ARISS Education Senior Leadership: As the Director of Education, work
with the ARISS team to develop strategies and a vision to maintain and
expand the educational outcomes of youth that participate in the ARISS
experience.
+ Education Engagement Volunteer Team (EEVT) Leadership: Serve as the
leader of the ARISS education engagement volunteer team, fostering passion
within the team, recruiting new team members, and ensuring each radio
contact opportunity meets ARISS’ objectives of inspiring, engaging, and
educating youth in STEAM/STEM and encouraging youth to pursue careers in
these fields.
+ Host Organization Contact Competitive Selection: Coordinate the
semi-annual request for proposal (RFP) process to solicit and select host
organizations (e.g., schools and informal education organizations) for
ARISS astronaut radio contacts. Staff the proposal selection team, maintain
RFP selection rubric and RFP process, conduct host organization information
sessions, serve as the selection official, and coordinate with the ARISS
executive team on endorsement of final selections and on ensuring host
organizations and external media are promptly and accurately informed of
the results.
+ ARISS Education Ambassadors (AEA): Recruit, train and guide AEAs,
selected from the EEVT ranks. AEAs track their appointed ARISS contact host
organizations to gather details and insight into how these contact teams
are following their educational objectives as outlined in their proposals.
AEAs also gather data to document ARISS contact educational outcomes,
including photos, parent permission slips, student engagement descriptions,
metrics and post-survey compliance.
+ Diversity and Inclusion: Develop team strategies that explicitly target
improvements in ARISS’ engagement with diverse and underrepresented youth
and provide opportunities for these youth that motivate them to pursue
STEAM careers.
+ ARISS Lesson Plans: Create or coordinate the development of lesson plans
and educational kits that support the educational outcomes of ARISS host
organizations. Compile external lessons that can serve ARISS host
organizations, including lessons developed by our NASA and ISS National Lab
sponsors. Maintain dedicated areas on the ARISS web site for posting these
lessons for distribution.
+ National Science Standards Alignment: Ensure ARISS education
initiatives—including the contact experience, lesson plans, and educational
kits—align with National Science Standards.
+ Metric Collection: Work with the education volunteer team to ensure
contact metrics and post-contact surveys are submitted. Conduct
post-contact surveys and track survey performance over the course of the
program. Present metrics and survey results to ARISS executive team and
prepare materials and present results of educational outcomes to sponsors,
stakeholders and prospective new partners.
+ Networking: Participate in meetings, conferences, workshops and other
opportunities to convey the educational breadth and depth of the ARISS
Experience to space agencies, educators, sponsors, stakeholders, education
departments, and federal and state governments.
+ International Coordination: Work with ARISS educators in other countries
to develop best practices and to convey the activities and methods employed
by the ARISS-USA educator team.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
+ Demonstrated leadership in a formal or informal education setting.
+ 3+ years of teaching experience in a formal or informal education
environment
+ Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in
education, education administration or a related field.
+ Proficient in the use of virtual technology, including Zoom, and ability
to learn other virtual tools, such as Google Meet, Teams, Webex, Dropbox,
Google docs and Office 365 products.
+ Enthusiasm in providing education experiences in the STEAM field.
+ Enthusiasm learning about amateur radio and wireless technologies and to
enthusiastically convey these to educators and youth.
+ Must be a U.S. citizen.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
+ Basic understanding of amateur radio; possessing an amateur radio license
preferred; obtaining an amateur radio license required post-hire. License
training will be provided upon hiring.
+ Educator that has previously conducted an ARISS contact.
+ Experience and/or ability to work and lead a virtual, distributed,
nationwide team.
+ Experience in coordinating experiences, lessons learned and best
practices with ARISS international colleagues.
+ Experience in coordinating with partners, stakeholders and sponsors.
+ Experience interfacing with space agencies or space organizations.
Location
Remote, within the USA.
Anticipated Salary
Part time, 20-hour per week salary range is $23,000-$34,500 per year,
depending upon experience.
Hours worked per week and during the day are flexible, as long as the
candidate supports meeting engagements, meets deliverable times, and works
an average of about 20 hours per week.
Other Position Information
Candidates accepted into this position will be required to first serve a
one-year probationary period. All candidates must be U.S. citizens.
To Apply
If you are interested in making a difference as an ARISS-USA team member,
please send your resume or CV to candidates(a)ariss-usa.org. Include a cover
letter explaining your interest in the position and why you are the optimal
candidate for this position.
All position applications are due no later than midnight (Eastern Daylight
Time) July 31, 2023
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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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:
YOTA 2023, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS and the scheduled
crewmember is Steve Bowen, KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD. Contact is
go for: Tue 2023-07-18 18:42:54 UTC, 76 degrees maximum elevation.
Watch for Livestream at:
YOTA will be using https://youtube.com/live/A5bXZUGifYY?feature=share
IK1SLD will start about 15 minutes before AOS at http://www.ariotti.com/
Camp William B. Snyder, Haymarket, VA, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS
callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS and the scheduled crewmember
is Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor is AJ9N. Contact is go for:
Fri 2023-07-21 17:54:29 UTC, 54 degrees maximum elevation.
Watch for Livestream at:
The Camp will using: https://www.facebook.com/NCACSTEM/
IK1SLD will start about 15 minutes before AOS at http://www.ariotti.com/
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} &
437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is
pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband
repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
Bruce, VE7PTN, is planning to operate from the CO50/CO60 gridline during
July 20 to 22. FM / linear LEO, and Greencube MEO. Posible POTA activation
on July 22 from VE-0711. New area for me so not sure what I will find when
I get there. Will post more information closer to the date.
BI1NJI will be QRV as BI1NJI/3 from ON83, 24 through 27 July, FM and
IO-117. Twitter @YankaiP and has said that details will follow.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above
information]
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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+
presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Condolences to the family and friends of well-known satellite enthusiast,
rover, and POTA operator Sara R. "Bean" Lefebvre, KC1MEB, who became a
Silent Key on July 7 at age 40 after a battle with Auto-Brewery Syndrome.
(ANS thanks Ant Lefebvre, NU1U, for the above information)
+ Volunteer amateur satellite enthusiasts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are
needed to help talk Amateur Radio in space to a mostly non-ham audience of
all ages at the 2023 edition of an event called "Moon Day" at the Frontiers
of Flight Museum, Love Field, Dallas, TX on Saturday, July 22. The event is
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Setup at 8 a.m. Mostly indoor, but we will have a
number of satellite passes to work, cubesat simulators to show off, The FOX
Engineering model, and other cool things to show off. If you can
help/participate, contact Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, via email, n5hyp(a)arrl.net
immediately. For more information see https://www.flightmuseum.com/moon-day/
(ANS thanks Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, for the above information)
+ AMSAT-DL was founded in 1973, so with a view to the 50-year history of
AMSAT-Germany and its mission of promoting amateur radio via satellites, a
celebratory conference “From OSCAR 10 to OSCAR 100: 50 years of AMSAT-DL in
service to science, research and education” is planned for September 15-17,
2023, at the Bochum Observatory, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. For more
information, see https://bit.ly/44rhPNE (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above
information)
+ NASA has marked the first anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope’s
scientific debut this week with the release of a new image, demonstrating
the telescope’s ability to re-envision the universe. The dramatic, somewhat
hallucinatory image captures the dynamism of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud
complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth, where planetary systems
like our own could be in the initial stages of forming:
http://bit.ly/3PX0ZSb “The telescope is working better than we could have
possibly hoped for,” said NASA astrophysicist Jane Rigby, who earlier this
month became the senior project scientist for the JWST. (ANS thanks The
Washington Post for the above information)
+ The Mars Sample Return mission — a joint project between NASA and the
European Space Agency — is currently under a major review. The cost of the
mission may have increased from $4 billion or $5 billion to $8 billion or
$9 billion, according to one estimate. NASA confirmed that one estimate in
the review of the program was in that cost range, but added, "all scenarios
are highly speculative." If the sample return mission does come with a
higher price tag, it could impact NASA's entire planetary science
portfolio, as other missions are also experiencing technical delays and
schedule problems. (ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information)
+ Chinese private rocket firm Landspace achieved a global first late
Tuesday, July 11 by reaching orbit with a methane-fueled rocket. Zhuque-2
beats a range of other methalox rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship, the
ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Rocket Lab’s Neutron and Terran R from
Relativity Space, in reaching orbit. These other launch vehicles will be
much larger and feature much greater payload capacity. A methane-liquid
oxygen propellant mix offers advantages in performance and reduces issues
of soot formation and coking for purposes of reusability. (ANS thanks
SpaceNews for the above information)
+ India’s second attempt to land on the Moon, Chandrayaan-3, launched on
July 14. The mission is a replacement for Chandrayaan-2, which crashed
while descending to the lunar surface in September 2019. Chandrayaan-3 is
scheduled for an August 23 or August 24 arrival. The lander and rover are
scheduled to operate for one lunar day, which is about 14 Earth days. (ANS
thanks The Parabolic Arc for the above information)
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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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-190
In this edition:
* 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium First Call for Papers
* Ariane 5 Rockets into Retirement: Europe's Workhorse Completes Final Mission
* CubeSats Deploy from ISS: Nanoracks Mission Advances Science and Education
* ROSCOSMOS Successfully Deploys Forty-Three Satellites in Latest Soyuz 2.1b Launch
* Meteor-M2-3 Weather Imaging Satellite Now in Orbit and Transmitting Images
* UMKA-1 School Satellite Sets Out to Explore the Skies
* Satellite LEO Top 100 Rovers July 2023 Rankings
* VUCC Satellite Standings as of July 1 2023
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7 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-190 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 July 9
2023 AMSAT Space Symposium First Call for Papers
This is the first call for papers for the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Proposals for symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv (at) amsat (dot) org.
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV for the above information]
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Ariane 5 Rockets into Retirement: Europe's Workhorse Completes Final Mission
Europe's workhorse rocket has completed its final mission, launching two satellites into orbit before retiring after an illustrious 27-year career. The Ariane 5, known for its power and reliability, took off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on July 5, marking its 117th and last orbital liftoff.
The mission commenced at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT), with the Ariane 5's 103-foot tall solid rocket boosters separating from the core stage approximately 2.5 minutes into flight. The core stage, powered by a single engine, continued its ascent, carrying the two satellites onboard. At around nine minutes after liftoff, the core stage shut down, and the upper stage separated to initiate its own burn. About 30 minutes into the flight, the first satellite, Heinrich-Hertz, was released into geostationary transfer orbit. Shortly after, the second payload, Syracuse 4B, followed suit.
Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, the France-based company operating the rocket, hailed the Ariane 5's flawless performance during the launch webcast. Israël described the rocket as a "legendary launcher" that had completed its work perfectly.
Heinrich-Hertz, an experimental communications satellite managed by the German space agency (DLR), will serve as a test platform for new hardware and conduct scientific and technical experiments in collaboration with universities and public sector organizations. This satellite represents Germany's first dedicated technology demonstration and communications research spacecraft.
Syracuse 4B, joining its predecessor Syracuse 4A launched in 2021, was built by Airbus Defence and Space for the French government. Both satellites are military communication relays, replacing Syracuse satellites 3A and 3B.
To reach geostationary orbit, located approximately 22,200 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth, Heinrich-Hertz and Syracuse 4B will perform a series of engine burns.
The retirement of Ariane 5 draws the curtain on its nearly 30-year operational career, during which it outperformed its predecessors, making it the most successful Ariane rocket to date. The European Space Agency (ESA) highlighted the rocket's technical prowess and reliability, describing it as a major asset for Europe's autonomous access to space.
Arianespace, in collaboration with ESA and the French space agency CNES, operated the two-stage Ariane 5, which was built by Airbus Defence and Space. Over the years, the rocket underwent several upgrades and operated in five different configurations. The most recent versions, Ariane 5 EC/A and ES, started operating in 2009, succeeding the Ariane G5, which flew from 2005 to 2009 after the brief G+ version and the original Ariane 5 G.
Although the Ariane 5 encountered an initial failure during its debut launch in 1996, failing to reach orbit and initiating an auto-destruct abort mid-flight, it went on to become one of the most reliable launchers worldwide. According to ESA, the rocket achieved a 96% success rate across its 117 missions and delivery of 239 payloads to orbit.
The development of the Ariane 5's successor, the Ariane 6, has been in progress for over a decade. The new rocket aims to be more flexible, cost-efficient, and capable of serving various types of launches compared to its predecessor. It will come in two configurations: A62, with two solid rocket boosters, and A64, with four. Originally slated for a 2020 debut, the Ariane 6 has faced delays, with the current estimate pointing to alate 2023 launch. This delay leaves Europe with a temporary gap in launch options until the Ariane 6 becomes operational.
To ensure continuity in European programs, the European Space Agency (ESA) has explored alternative launcher options from a technical, schedule, and security standpoint. In April, there were reports that the European Commission was considering using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to launch some of the European Union's Galileo navigation satellites, rather than waiting for the Ariane 6. However, ESA officials emphasized that Ariane 6 remains the preferred launch option for European missions requiring a heavy launch vehicle, and they are working diligently to ensure its inaugural flight.
The final mission of the Ariane 5 was initially scheduled for June 16 but faced delays. The first attempt was scrubbed due to issues with the solid rocket boosters' pyrotechnical transmission lines, while the second attempt on July 4 was hindered by unfavorable weather conditions.
As Europe bids farewell to the Ariane 5, the spotlight now shifts to the eagerly anticipated Ariane 6, which promises to usher in a new era of flexibility and cost efficiency in space launches. In the meantime, efforts continue to bridge the launch gap and maintain the continuity of European space programs.
[ANS thanks Josh Dinner, Writing for Space.com for the above information]
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CubeSats Deploy from ISS: Nanoracks Mission Advances Science and Education
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen successfully deployed six CubeSats into low-Earth orbit outside the ISS Kibo module airlock on July 6th. The deployment was made possible by Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial space services, who had been preparing for this mission named NRCSD-26. Sponsored by the ISS National Lab, the mission carried five CubeSats developed by Canadian universities, as well as a groundbreaking project by The Aerospace Corporation. Nanoracks, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency, handles the integration and deployment of these satellites from the ISS. The six CubeSats were transported to the ISS on SpaceX's CRS-28 mission.
This deployment marks an important milestone for the Canadian CubeSat Project (CCP), a collaboration between Nanoracks and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The objective of the CCP is to launch a CubeSat from each province and territory in Canada. The deployment of these CubeSats serves scientific purposes while also promoting hands-on experience and generating interest in STEM studies and careers.
The selected CubeSats for the NRCSD-26 mission represent a diverse range of scientific objectives, showcasing the capabilities and interests of Canadian universities.
One of the CubeSats, RADSAT-SK developed by the University of Saskatchewan, aims to test a radiation detection system and evaluate the effectiveness of radiation protection using a purified form of melanin, a natural pigment found in various organisms. Another CubeSat, ESSENCE from York University, focuses on monitoring solar storms, arctic ice, permafrost thaw, and forests in the Canadian Arctic region. It also aims to demonstrate satellite attitude recovery in the event of a failure in one of its actuators. Ukpik-1, developed by Western University, carries a virtual reality (VR) camera to capture 360-degree images and videos of Northern Canada. This CubeSat not only contributes to scientific research but also facilitates educational outreach and public engagement in Ontario and Nunavut.
The University of Manitoba's CubeSat, IRIS, is designed to observe the weathering of geological samples under direct solar and background cosmic radiation, aiming to detect any visually detectable changes that may occur over short time scales. SC-ODIN, developed by Concordia University, has the primary mission of collecting data on dust storms in Argentina and Namibia. Additionally, it monitors radiation received inside and outside the satellite over a period, providing valuable insights into radiation exposure in space.
In addition to the Canadian CubeSats, Nanoracks also deployed Moonlighter, built by The Aerospace Corporation. Moonlighter is a 3U CubeSat and holds the distinction of being the world's first hacking sandbox in space. Its purpose is to advance the understanding of cybersecurity as it pertains to space systems. The CubeSat will be utilized at the DEFCON conference by the Air Force/Space Force, where cybersecurity professionals will be challenged to hack a real-life satellite. For more information on Moonlighter and the Hack-a-Sat challenge, visit the official website at https://hackasat.com/.
[ANS thanks NASA and Nanoracks for the above information]
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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/
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ROSCOSMOS Successfully Deploys Forty-Three Satellites in Latest Soyuz 2.1b Launch
ROSCOSMOS successfully launched the Meteor-M2-3 meteorological satellite and a cluster of 42 accompanying satellites on June 27, 2023. The launch took place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Oblast region of Russia, marking the 14th launch from this site.
The Meteor-M2-3 satellite is part of the Meteor-M series, which aims to modernize Russia's national meteorological satellite system. Developed by NPP VNIIEM and sponsored by ROSCOSMOS, the series is designed to enable climate and environmental monitoring, exploration of Earth's natural resources, surveillance of solar activity, and data acquisition from automated data collection platforms. The satellite also features the COSPAS-SARSAT search and rescue system.
Meteor-M2-3 is equipped with advanced instruments, including an onboard radar complex based on an active phased array antenna, a shortwave reflected radiation meter, and a radio frequency mass spectrometer. These instruments enable all-weather radar surveillance of the Northern Sea Route and broaden the range of monitored parameters. The satellite has a lifespan of five years and is equipped with two deployable solar arrays.
In addition to the Meteor-M2-3 satellite, the mission carried various accompanying satellites. Sixteen CubeSats from the Space-Pi project were deployed into orbit as part of an agreement between ROSCOSMOS and the Innovation Promotion Fund of Russia. Nine satellites from the UniverSat program, led by ROSCOSMOS, were also launched, along with seventeen SmallSats for commercial customers.
The launch vehicle used for this mission was the Soyuz 2.1b rocket, belonging to the Soyuz 2 rocket family. The Soyuz rocket has been a reliable workhorse of the Soviet/Russian space program since its introduction in 1966. The Soyuz 2.1b variant stands approximately 152 feet (46.3 meters) tall and has a diameter of 9 feet (2.95 meters). It consists of three stages, all of which are expendable.
The first stage of the Soyuz 2.1b rocket includes four side boosters powered by RD-107A engines. These boosters perform the iconic "Korolev cross" pattern during separation. The center core stage is propelled by a single RD-108A engine, while the upper stage is equipped with a single RD-0124 engine. Both engines run on rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOx).
The mission did not involve the recovery of the first stage or fairings, as the Soyuz rocket does not possess such capabilities. The first stage of the rocket landed in the Zeysky District of Amur Oblast, Russia.
This launch marked several milestones: it was the 115th flight of an upper stage from the Fregat family, the first launch of a Soyuz 2.1b rocket in 2023, the 80th launch of a Soyuz 2.1b variant, and the 96th orbital launch attempt of 2023.
With the successful launch of the Meteor-M2-3 satellite and its accompanying payloads, ROSCOSMOS continues to enhance Russia's meteorological satellite system and expand its capabilities in climate monitoring, resource exploration, and search and rescue operations.
[ANS thanks Mariia Kiseleva, writing for Everyday Astronaut, for the above information]
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Meteor-M2-3 Weather Imaging Satellite Now in Orbit and Transmitting Images
The latest addition to the Meteor-M satellite series, Meteor-M2-3, has successfully reached orbit and is already transmitting images of Earth. The Russian-owned weather imaging satellite was launched on a Soyuz-21.b rocket on June 27th. Previous iterations of the Meteor-M satellites faced premature mission terminations due to technical glitches or collisions with micro-meteorites.
Meteor-M satellites operate in a polar orbit, capturing and transmitting weather images in the LRPT format at a frequency of 137 MHz. This frequency range makes the reception of their signals as accessible as that of the older NOAA APT satellites. To receive these images, an appropriate 137 MHz satellite antenna is required, such as a V-Dipole, Turnstile, or QFH, along with a compatible software-defined radio (SDR) receiver like the popular RTL-SDR.
One of the recommended software options for receiving images from the Meteor-M2-3 satellite is SatDump. This user-friendly software offers binary releases for Windows and Android platforms, downloadable from SatDump GitHub Releases page: https://github.com/SatDump/SatDump/releases. Linux users can consult the SatDump Readme for a comprehensive build guide. It is worth noting that the SatDump graphical user interface has been reported to perform well on an Orange Pi 5, providing a convenient and portable solution for image reception.
To determine when the satellite is over your location you can use satellite tracking software such as Gpredict for Linux and Mac users, or Orbitron for Windows users. When utilizing Orbitron, it is important to run the software as an Administrator and update the Two-Line Elements (TLEs) to include the tracking data for the Meteor-M2-3 satellite found in the weather.txt TLE file. Consult the Meteor-M2-3 TLE (Two-Line Elements) available on Celestrak's website for precise tracking and monitoring.
Many satellite enthusiasts have already shared their successful reception of Meteor-M2-3's images to Twitter. The author of SatDump has revealed that work is underway to finalize projections for Meteor M2-3, and this should be ready to use in SatDump shortly. SDR++ software has now also integrated a Meteor Demodulator, further expanding the options available to those interested in receiving data from Meteor-M2-3.
Recent updates on Meteor-M2-3's progress from Happysat (https://github.com/happysat) indicate that telemetry data received on July 3rd suggests that the satellite's LRPT antenna might not have unfolded correctly, resulting in weaker-than-expected signals. It has also been reported that the satellite switched from transmitting on a frequency of 137.900 MHz to 137.100 MHz on July 4th, 2023.
[ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com and Happysat for the above information]
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UMKA-1 School Satellite Sets Out to Explore the Skies
The UMKA-1 satellite, developed by schoolchildren from the Moscow Regional Educational Institution Secondary School No. 29 named after P.I. Zabrodin (Podolsk) in collaboration with SPUTNIKS LLC, was successfully launched into orbit on June 27, 2023. As part of the "Space-π" program and with the support of the Innovation Assistance Fund, UMKA-1 aims to train young students in spacecraft design, programming, and assembly, while also conducting astronomical observations using its high-aperture telescope, Leptonar-20955K.
The UMKA-1 satellite is a 3U+ CubeSat equipped with a Leptonar-20955K optical telescope and an astronomical digital camera called PlayerOne Saturn-C SQR. This compact satellite operates in two frequency bands, with telemetry transmission taking place on the UHF downlink frequency of 437.625 MHz, using GMSK USP modulation scheme at a rate of 2400 baud. Additionally, the transmission of data from the telescope occurs on the S band at a frequency of 2402 MHz. On June 18th, 2023, UMKA-1, known by its designated callsign RS40S, obtained its IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination.
Named after a beloved Soviet cartoon character, UMKA-1 carries the spirit of adventure and discovery. The mission team plans to share the main course of their mission, interesting events from the ground segment, and a transmission schedule on the S band with the wider community. Once the satellite is fully operational, a schedule will be published, and opportunities will be provided for the reception of images from the telescope.
Despite some minor setbacks during the installation process, the UMKA-1 team remains dedicated to the success of their mission. The initial format installation confusion has been addressed, and the satellite is currently undergoing testing. The team expects the telescope to be fully operational by the end of July, following which a transmission schedule will be made available.
Alexey Shafiev, RA3PPY, expressed gratitude to SPUTNIX for their support and guidance throughout the project. He acknowledged the enthusiasm and efforts of the young schoolchildren and students who form the bulk of the team. Their passion for space exploration is evident, and they have been actively involved in every aspect of the project.
In the past week, the telemetry transmission format was updated to use GMSK USP 2400 baud. The Mission Control Center (MCC) team will next focus on stabilizing the spacecraft and ensure the proper functioning of the guidance system. Subsequently, a two-week testing period for the payload will commence before UMKA-1 can fulfill its educational mission.
The UMKA-1 team assures the community that updates on their progress will be provided as soon as possible. Despite their current work rush, they value the interest and support from all those following their mission. Alexey, on behalf of the team, promises to respond to all the emails received thus far in the near future.
As of July 4, 2023, UMKA-1 remains operational in orbit, transmitting telemetry data pertaining to the satellite's operation. The team has made available a tool for decoding S band dump transmissions from the spacecraft, allowing enthusiasts to access the images collected by UMKA-1.
For radio amateurs keen on participating in the mission, the UMKA-1 team offers a QSL card as recognition for receiving telemetry from the satellite. To qualify, individuals must receive three packets of telemetry data and upload the collected information to the QSL card application form found at https://r4uab.ru/diplomnye-programmy-i-qsl/mka-umka-1/ within 24 hours of receiving the last telemetry package. The required software for receiving the telemetry information, such as "SoundModem USP" and "AGW Client R4UAB," is available to facilitate the process.
The UMKA-1 mission is an exciting endeavor that combines education, amateur radio, and scientific exploration. By encouraging young minds to explore the wonders of space, this project aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronomers. The UMKA-1 team invites everyone to join them on this incredible journey as they unlock the secrets of the universe through their school telescope satellite.
More detailed information about the UMKA-1 satellite is available at https://sputnik.school29.ru/radio/. Individuals can visit the project's GitHub repository at https://github.com/radio-satellites/UmKa-1/ to obtain the software needed to decode the S band dump transmissions, which contain high resolution imagery from the telescope on board the satellite.
[ANS thanks Alexey Shafiev, RA3PPY and R4UAB.ru for the above information]
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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/
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Satellite LEO Top 100 Rovers July 2023 Rankings
The July 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data.
Updated: 2023-07-01
1 N5UC 26 LA9XGA 51 VA7LM 76 5H3SE
2 ND9M 27 KG5CCI 52 JK2XXK 77 PT9BM
3 NJ7H 28 ON4AUC 53 AA8CH 78 KB2YSI
4 JA9KRO 29 DJ8MS 54 VE1VOX 79 XE1ET
5 DPØPOL 30 N6DNM 55 KM4LAO 80 DL4EA
6 N6UA 31 KEØPBR 56 VE3GOP 81 ACØRA
7 DL6AP 32 K8BL 57 AM1SAT 82 AB5SS
8 HA3FOK 33 XE3DX 58 AD7DB 83 LU4JVE
9 WY7AA 34 JO2ASQ 59 KD8RTT 84 VK5DG
10 ADØHJ 35 EA4NF 60 F5VMJ 85 KØFFY
11 AK8CW 36 OE3SEU 61 FG8OJ 86 EC3TZ
12 K5ZM 37 SP5XSD 62 N4UFO 87 VE6WK
13 ADØDX 38 VE1CWJ 63 N4DCW 88 CU2ZG
14 N5BO 39 WI7P 64 PT2AP 89 KG4AKV
15 N9IP 40 PR8KW 65 KJ7NDY 90 KC7JPC
16 WD9EWK 41 EB1AO 66 AF5CC 91 K4DCA
17 W5PFG 42 W7WGC 67 NØTEL 92 WN9Q
18 NDØC 43 F4DXV 68 VO2AC 93 DK9JC
19 KB5FHK 44 JL3RNZ 69 KI7QEK 94 V55QO
20 KX9X 45 KEØWPA 70 KI7UXT 95 KF6JOQ
21 VE3HLS 46 K7TAB 71 W8LR 96 N6UTC
22 LU5ILA 47 KE9AJ 72 WA9JBQ 97 PP2RON
23 KE4AL 48 AA5PK 73 A41ZZ 98 VO1FUA
24 N7AGF 49 DL2GRC 74 HB9GWJ 99 VA3VGR
25 KI7UNJ 50 M1DDD 75 PT9ST 100 WI4T
[ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information]
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VUCC Satellite Standings as of July 1 2023
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for June 01, 2023 to July 1, 2023.
WA4NVM 1632 1639
WC7V 1351 1383
N8RO 1258 1298
N0JE 914 950
N3GS 873 932
DL2GRC 800 842
K7TAB 708 814
EA2AA 686 730
KQ4DO 675 710
WA4HFN 636 676
HB9AOF 500 604
OZ9AAR 500 600
N8MR 509 528
AC9DX 427 525
WB7QXU 451 500
JN2QCV New 428
HB9GWJ 363 412
LU3FCA 310 406
JG6CDH 353 401
AB1OC 291 371
VA3VGR 302 352
EA3TA 301 350
JL1SAM 300 350
LU4FTA 268 346
AA9VI 122 336
JH0BBE 314 321
XE1BJ New 304
DL8GAM 275 301
JA1GZK 256 300
PA7RA 245 299
AD5JK 263 296
JS1LQI 155 259
JE1TNL 225 250
N6PAZ 223 233
N9ZTS 201 231
IK1SLD 200 225
PU5DDC 151 181
ZS2BK New 170
JE2UFF 100 158
DH0GSU 100 152
GM0WDD New 115
EA4DEI New 100
Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. GM0WDD is first VUCC Satellite holder from Scotland and IO85.
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ for the above information]
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]
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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
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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:
Due to summer school holidays, no contacts currently scheduled.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
Mitch AD0HJ will be roving six Western Kansas grids from July 14 through July 16. Look for him on the DM99/EM09 grid line on Friday, DM97/DM98 grid line on Saturday, and the EM07/EM08 grid line on Sunday. The best chance for contacts will be the afternoon RS-44 passes (1900Z to 2330Z) but he will also work the late shift with QSOs on the activated TEVEL satellites in the evenings (0230Z to 0500Z) except for Sunday where he will work the noon time (1600Z to 1800Z) TEVEL passes. Follow Mitch @AD0HJ on Twitter for updated rove information, https://aprs.fi/AD0HJ to track his location, and https://hams.at for the latest pass schedule.
To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for the latest roving information to become available at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/.
A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Congratulations to our latest GridMaster Award winners: Steve Nordahl, NS3L (#58) and Bill Attwood, VE6WK (#59). The GridMaster Award, AMSAT's most prestigious recognition, is available to amateur radio operators worldwide who establish two-way satellite communication with all 488 maidenhead grids within the contiguous United States. Contacts must be made from the same location or from locations within a 100-kilometer radius of a single location. Written confirmation, such as QSL cards or Logbook of the World (LoTW), is required. The GridMaster application and certificate fees have been underwritten by an anonymous donor. More information about this award can be found on the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/. Congratulations again to Bill VE6WK and Steve NS3L for their remarkable accomplishments! (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)
+ Congratulations the following individuals on receiving the AMSAT Rover Award for their outstanding achievements in portable satellite operating: Olivier Tymkiw HB9GWJ (#077), Erwin Vink PA3GAN (#078), Doug Keech VA7LM (#079), and Bruce Patten VE7PTN (#080). To qualify for this award, they accumulated a minimum of 25 points by activating grid squares beyond their home grid. Points were earned through various achievements, including activating states, provinces, or DX entities outside their home location via satellite, as well as promoting their grid operations through social media and documenting their activations through photographs and published articles. More information about this award can be found on the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/. Congratulations to our esteemed AMSAT Rover Award recipients! (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)
+ Quetzal-1, a 1U CubeSat developed by Universidad del Valle de Guatemala operated successfully for two hundred and eleven days in-orbit a few years ago. The project just released a massive trove of open-source design documents, the software that ran on the satellite and ground station, and all the captured telemetry from the flight. It’s the ultimate bootstrap for anyone else designing a CubeSat, and hopefully provides enough clues to avoid some of the same issues. And if you want the details on the Quetzal-1 design, and what went wrong with the electrical system, two PDF papers have been released. Seeing more open source in space is an encouraging development, and one that should continue to grow as the cost of payloads to orbit continues to fall. Information on Quetzal-1 CubeSat can be found at http://github.com/Quetzal-1-CubeSat-Team. (ANS thanks Hackaday.com for the above information)
+ Youth on the Air Camp 2023 is a camp for young amateur radio operators in North, Central and South America. Campers will operate the special event station VE3YOTA while camp is in session with a special focus on satellite operations occurring Wednesday, July 19 from 1400Z to 1700Z (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT). Additionally, an ARISS contact with the International Space Station is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, July 18 at 1842Z (2:42 p.m. EDT). For more information about the camp, please visit YouthOnTheAir.org or contact Camp Director Neil Rapp at director(a)youthontheair.org. (ANS thanks Neil Rapp, WB9VPG for the above information)
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Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half-time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
ad0hj [at] amsat.org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-183
In this edition:
* AMSAT Announces Candidates for 2023 Board of Directors Election
* Updated "For Beginners" Compilation Available on the AMSAT Website
* TX5S DXpedition to Clipperton Island to Include Satellite Operations
* 2023 AMSAT Field Day Preliminary Report
* Communication Problems on the Moon
* The Big Bang Theory Antenna Lives On
* 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-183 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 July 2
AMSAT Announces Candidates for 2023 Board of Directors Election
The nomination period for the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended
on June 15th. The following candidates have been duly nominated:
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, four
of these candidates will be seated on the Board, along with one alternate
when the voting period concludes on September 15th. The election will be
held via AMSAT's Wild Apricot membership system. Instructions for voting
will be emailed to all members in good standing as of July 1st by July
15th. Biographies of the candidates will be available for review online and
published in the next issue of The AMSAT Journal.
[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
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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/
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Updated "For Beginners" Compilation Now Available on the AMSAT Website
An updated freely downloadable compilation of “getting started” articles
written by Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, is now available on the AMSAT
website. These articles originally appeared in The AMSAT Journal from 2019
to 2021.
Check out the compilation at
https://www.amsat.org/introduction-to-working-amateur-satellites/
Unfortunately, because both satellites and URLs change over time, the
currentness of information such as this can quickly be overcome by events.
However, the tools and techniques outlined in Keith’s beginner series are
still very much applicable to operating on current and future AMSAT
satellites. For the latest information about satellites currently in orbit,
please consult the AMSAT Communications Satellites page.
More detailed information can be found in AMSAT's Getting Started with
Amateur Satellites book which can be purchased on the AMSAT store.
[ANS thanks Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, Past AMSAT President, and Joe
Kornowski, KB6IGK, AMSAT Journal Editor-In-Chief, for the above information]
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TX5S DXpedition to Clipperton Island to Include Satellite Operations
The TX5S DXpedition to Clipperton Island, scheduled for January 2024, has
announced that it will include satellite operations. The satellite station
manager, Andreas, N6NU, reports the following preparation
activities for the TX5S DXpedition to Clipperton Island:
Andreas has made his first QSO’s made on the IO-117 (GreenCube) Satellite.
This satellite has passes that last over an hour and has a huge footprint
since it is in an almost 6,000 KM orbit. He has an 11 Element 70CM antenna,
RAS Mini AZ/EL rotator with Green Heron Controller, Icom IC-9100H,
Rigblaster TI-5000 and Icom AG-35 mast mounted pre-amp. The 6ft mast uses a
home brew base. The next step is to configure an Icom IC-9700 as backup.
Then on to RS-44 and 6m and 23 cm EME. He appreciates the help and advice
offered by several AMSAT members.
For more information on the TX5S DXpedition, visit https://clip.pdxg.net/
[ANS thanks the Perseverance DX Group for the above information]
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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/
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2023 AMSAT Field Day Preliminary Report
The 2023 AMSAT Field Day is over, and early data shows how the satellites
were utilized.
It has been many years since there were more than one or two AMSAT Field
Day submissions from outside North America. This year, immediately after of
Field Day ended, there were two submissions from Japan.
The satellites worked well. The FM Tevel family of satellites and GreenCube
seemed to be popular. SO-50, AO-91, and the International Space Station
were also busy with their FM single channels. RS-44 was quite tame, with
plenty of bandwidth for many to make contacts, whether they were sitting on
a frequency and calling CQ or using the hunt-and-pounce method.
More data is on the way. For updates, visit the AMSAT website.
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Awards Manager, for the above
information]
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Communication Problems on the Moon
The chilly relationship between the U.S. and China on Earth could raise
safety risks in space and the specter of competition on the Moon as both
nations aim to send people to the lunar surface in the coming years.
China and the U.S. — the two most dominant players in space today — do not
generally collaborate on space research and exploration, and they have
limited communication in orbit and beyond. But both nations are separately
sending missions to the Moon. NASA expects its astronauts will be back on
the surface of the Moon as early as 2025, and China has plans for its
taikonauts to land on the lunar surface by around 2030.
The Chinese military is refusing to use established communications channels
that could help to prevent an unintended crisis on Earth. Recent close
calls between U.S. and Chinese crafts at sea and in the air underscore the
risk.
Lack of transparency into activities has framed the U.S-China relationship
in space for decades, with some key exceptions, including coordinating
orbiters at Mars and NASA collaborating with China during one of the
nation's robotic Moon missions.
The Chinese government has a fundamentally different way of engaging in the
world that makes open communication difficult, Dean Cheng, a China analyst,
tells Axios. The government is "not accustomed to thinking of alliance
structures and cooperation," he added.
NASA will likely miss its 2025 Artemis landing date, with technical and
budgetary delays pushing the first crewed landing to later in the decade.
China, however, "will put a human crew on the Moon by 2030," Cheng said.
"If that is their intent, then it will happen."
Communication could be particularly important on the lunar surface because
China and the U.S. are both planning to land missions in the same part of
the Moon, at the lunar south pole. While those initial landing zones will
likely be widely separated, future missions could lead to new questions
about space traffic management, communications satellites and even the
primary language used in those activities at the Moon.
[ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information]
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The Big Bang Theory Antenna Lives On
An antenna that holds an important place in scientific history sits on a
small parcel of land on Crawford Hill in Holmdel Township, New Jersey.
The antenna is known as the Holmdel Horn Antenna, and it was built in 1959
by Bell Labs (now Nokia Bell Labs) researchers. It was originally designed
to bounce radio signals off of reflective satellite balloons for
long-distance communication. It worked, and the Holmdel Horn Antenna was no
longer needed.
Two Bell Labs astronomer employees, Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson,
received permission in 1965 to use the antenna to search for radio
transmissions in outer space. They pointed the antenna toward what was
considered a quiet area, but what they discovered was anything but quiet.
They discovered Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, which provided
evidence for the Big Bang Theory.
Now, there is a historical marker at the site, but there has been some
dispute as to who owns the antenna and surrounding land. In mid-June 2023,
the Holmdel Township Committee voted unanimously to approve resolutions
that will begin the process of acquiring two of the three parcels that make
up the Crawford Hill property. The township committee is leaving the third
parcel to be part of the redevelopment toward preserving Crawford Hill as a
public park to celebrate the horn antenna's place in scientific history.
Visit the https://bit.ly/3rbnKaR to learn more.
[ANS thanks The ARRL Letter for the above information]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 2023 30 June
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical
model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly
updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in
the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to
add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or
more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More
information may be found at
https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]
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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:
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS
callsign was OR4ISS, and the crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The
ARISS mentor was ON6TI. Contact was successful: Thursday, 2023-06-22
08:38:52 UTC with 51 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre students, Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV, and
mentor ON6TI!
UPCOMING:
Due to summer school holidays, no contacts currently scheduled.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} &
437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is
pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband
repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly
bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a
couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated
weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire
before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for
the latest roving information to become available at
https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/
Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ, has a satellite rove planned over the July 4th
weekend in the hopes of joining the exclusive Western Roving Coalition.
Look for him to activate Montana grid squares DN57, DN67, DN77, DN87, DN97,
DN56, DN66, DN76, DN86, DN96, DN55, DN65, AND DN64 between June 30th and
July 3rd. Planned passes are available at http://hams.at OR on Twitter
@GridMasterHeat
Jim DeLoach, WU0I, with XYL, KK6DZS, just started a 6-week road trip. Along
the way, they hope to activate a number of rarer grid squares on the FM
birds on the way to the Four-Corners area of the Southwest from the
Michigan UP, through Western Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and
Idaho.
A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their
grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you
gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators
responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have
the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular
rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming
satellite passes that are accessible from your location.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above
information]
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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
Dallas, Texas
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+The 15th annual 13 Colonies Special Event will take place July 1 - July 7,
2023, and will include satellite operations, primarily on the linear
transponder satellites. All 13 colonies are covered by satops this year
making a clean sweep possible. See http://www.13colonies.us/ for more
details. (ANS thanks Ant Lefebvre, NU1U, for the above information)
+ In a highly anticipated and globally coordinated announcement on
Wednesday, June 28, teams of scientists worldwide reported the discovery of
the "low pitch hum" of cosmic waves flowing through the Milky Way. While
astronomers don't definitively know what's causing the hum, the detected
signal is "compelling evidence" and consistent with theoretical
expectations of gravitational waves emerging from pairs of "the most
massive black holes in the entire universe" weighing as much as billions of
suns. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)
+ ESA announced the Zero Debris Charter at the Paris Air Show, by which
they mean that they will figure out their plans for generating zero space
debris (hopefully) by the end of the year, to be implemented by 2030. (ANS
thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
+ Gamma Ray Burst 221009A, a supernova with its energetic jet pointed
directly at Earth, was first observed last October. While it was 2.4
billion light-years away, it still managed to disturb Earth’s ionosphere,
produced 18 tera-electron-volt photons, and saturated spacecraft X-ray and
gamma-ray sensors. This explosion is now referred to as the BOAT (Brightest
of All Time) and is thought to be a once-in-a-10,000-year occurrence. It
also illuminated dust clouds in our galaxy, allowing their distances and
properties to be measured with unprecedented accuracy. (ANS thanks The
Orbital Index for the above information)
+ Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic launched its first commercial space
flight Thursday, June 29, sending three Italian researchers, two company
pilots and an astronaut trainer on a high-speed thrill ride to the edge of
space aboard a winged rocketplane. (ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above
information)
+ A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station on
Thursday, June 29, to return to Earth. The spacecraft is carrying more than
3,600 pounds of equipment, supplies and scientific experiments, some of
which have been on the space station for nearly six years and which had
their final in-orbit tests completed earlier this year. (ANS thanks Space
Daily for the above information)
+ The European Space Agency’s Euclid spacecraft launched on July 1 from
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Euclid features a telescope 1.2 meters
across equipped with a camera operating at visible wavelengths and a
near-infrared spectrometer and photometer. The two-ton spacecraft will
operate at the Earth-sun L-2 point also used by the James Webb Space
Telescope 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, generating the largest and
most accurate 3-D map of the universe to date. Astronomers hope that
Euclid’s observations will shed light on two of the biggest mysteries in
cosmology: the nature of both dark energy and dark matter that, combined,
comprise 95% of the universe. (ANS thanks SpaceNews 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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-176
In this edition:
* Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88's Impending Re-Entry
* URESAT-1 Deployed
* Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio
Satellite
* How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit?
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 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-176 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 June 25
Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88's Impending Re-Entry
As you may be aware, Solar Cycle 25 has already shown that we cannot yet
predict what the sun will be doing with any great accuracy.
Sunspots, X-class solar flares and CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are
increasing in frequency and intensity on a daily basis.
The peak of Solar Cycle 25 was not expected until late 2024 or early 2025
but it may be coming earlier and have a higher intensity than was predicted.
One result of this increased activity is that the upper atmosphere and
ionosphere of the earth becomes warmer and expands upwards. This means that
spacecraft in low earth orbit experience more drag or resistance as a
result of the increase in the number atoms they are having to displace as
they travel around the globe. As a consequence, the spacecraft loose more
kinetic energy and start to descend lower in orbital height, which, of
course, makes the problem worse and a fiery end to the spacecraft is
hastened.
The actual effect is also dependant on the drag coefficient of the
particular spacecraft…simply how much mass (the more the better) to how
much surface area (the less the better). So in CubeSat terms, a 1U CubeSat,
fairly full of stuff with a mass near the maximum of 1.3kg, will probably
be better off than a half empty 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels and
other drag inducing protuberances.
All TLEs (Two Line Elements) include a parameter called drag, it is usually
a very small number preceeded by four or more zeros! Although this
parameter is calculated by the system, it is not usually precise or even
stable, so cannot be used to accurately predict deorbit dates when looking
forward many weeks/months. It can give us a guide though! Alarm bells
should ring when we only see two leading zeros.
How does this effect our activities? Well for the FUNcube family, there are
presently three active members!
FUNcube-1, AO-73 was launched almost ten years ago in November 2013 into an
elliptical polar orbit of approx 682×595 km. Presently those numbers are
around 640×570 km so probably not too much to worry about. The drag number
from the TLEs is, at the time of writing, 0.000074, a good number.
The same applies to JY1SAT, JO-97. This was launched in December 2018 into
a 573×590 km polar orbit. Presently those numbers are around 557×573 km and
the current drag is listed as 0.000076.
Unfortunately, however, the same cannot by said for Nayif-1, EO-88. This
spacecraft was launched in February 2017 into a 496×507 km polar orbit.
Currently the orbit parameters show a height of around 320 km with the drag
at 0.00319. It is now well below the ISS and much lower than at launch.
As mentioned, largely due to the random nature of the our star’s flux
output on a day to day basis, it is not possible at this stage to
accurately predict the likely deorbit date but it seems that it will
certainly be before the end of this year. As the spacecraft continues to
perform 100% nominally this is a great shame. Presently it is switching
autonomously from high power telemetry when in daylight and with lower
power telemetry and the transponder active when in darkness. The solar
panels, battery and power system also continue to be reporting nominal
numbers, essentially unchanged since the day of launch.
It will therefore be a really sad moment when re-entry occurs but in the
meantime everyone is encouraged to use the spacecraft whilst it remains
available.
To mark the event of EO-88/Nayif’s demise, AMSAT-UK is offering two awards.
These will be individual framed certificates.
Firstly, to the station who submits the last telemetry to the FUNcube Data
Warehouse and also to who “guesses” or calculates the re-entry time and
date most accurately. Submissions for this award must be made to
EO88(a)amsat-uk.org before midnight (UTC) on July 4th 2023. So time is short
to get your entries in. Good luck!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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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/
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URESAT-1 Deployed
The URESAT-1 satellite, also known as HADES-B according to its ITU
designation, successfully launched into space as part of the SpaceX
Transporter-8 mission from Vandenberg AFB on Monday, June 12. The satellite
is a joint effort between AMSAT-EA, URE (the Spanish equivalent of ARRL),
private companies, and universities.
The URESAT-1 satellite, contained within the D-Orbit ION Orbital Transfer
Vehicle (OTV), was not deployed directly from the Falcon-9 rocket. Instead,
approximately one hour and twenty minutes after launch, the Falcon-9
released the OTV. URESAT-1 was deployed from the OTV at approximately 12:10
UTC on June 22, 2023. As of this writing, signals have not yet been
received from the satellite.
One of the primary objectives of URESAT-1 is to serve as an FM voice and
FSK data repeater. Equipped with a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) camera, the
satellite will transmit live images as well as stored images at regular
intervals. It also features a chess game, enabling players on Earth to
engage in a game against the satellite. Periodically, the satellite will
transmit updates on the state of the game, including the chess board, the
last movement made, and whether the next move belongs to the players or the
satellite.
The specified frequencies for communication with URESAT-1 are as follows:
for uplink transmissions, 145.975 MHz or 145.925 MHz (auxiliary frequency)
using FM voice without subtone, FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400
bps. For downlink transmissions, the frequency is set at 436.888 MHz, and
modes include FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps telemetry, SSTV Robot 36, and a
voice beacon with the callsign AO4URE.
To provide further information regarding URESAT-1's transmissions, the
AMSAT-EA organization has made available a comprehensive document that can
be accessed at the following link:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13366685/AMSAT+EA+-+URESAT-1+Transmis…
For those interested in decoding the telemetry, a Linux x86/ARM decoder is
available for download at the following link:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13395017/URESAT-1_telemetry_decoder_L…
A sample file containing the audio of a telemetry file can be found here:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13398144/URESAT-1_sample_FSK_telemetr…
If URESAT-1 operates as intended, the project team plans to release a Linux
program that will allow players to send their chess moves to the satellite,
further enhancing the interactive experience.
[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President for the above
information]
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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
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Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio Satellite
Lunar OSCAR II is a lunar amateur radio payload developing by a team
consists of students in Harbin Institute of Technology and international
amateur radio enthusiasts. Its baseline functions include telemetry,
digital image downlink from an infrared camera, and digipeater with JT4G
uplink/downlink. It will also provide chances for uploading and testing new
waveforms and algorithms for radio communications and measurements in very
long distance.
Amateur radio orbit determination experiments, for example Very Long
Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), are also possible with these links.
Harbin Institute of Technology has previously successfully developed the
first lunar amateur radio satellite, Longjiang-2 / DSLWP-B. (LO-94) As a
subsequent mission, Lunar OSCAR II will continue offering various resources
for communications relay and amateur radio research, and promoting the
cooperation of amateur radio communities.
The Lunar OSCAR II payload will be on board a lunar microsatellite with a
volume of about 300x200x100 mm3 and a mass of about 14 kg and will utilize
downlinks on UHF for telemetry and images using 250/500 baud GMSK with
turbo codes and Digipeater using 4.375 baud $FSK with convolutional coding
(JT4G). More information is available at https://by2hit.github.io/.
The satellite is planned for a launch from Wenchang in 2024.
A downlink on 437.750 MHz has been coordinated.
[ANS thanks the IARU and Harbin Institute of Technology for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit?
Just 10 years ago, a mere thousand or so operational satellites may have
orbited our planet, but there will be tens or even hundreds of thousands a
decade from now. Experts have been sounding alarm bells for years that
Earth orbit is getting a bit too crowded. So how many satellites can we
actually launch to space before it gets to be too much?
Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics warns the first signs that
things are getting a little too tense are, in fact, already present. "It's
going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm with
everyone driving much too fast," he told Space.com when asked what the
situation in orbit will be like if existing plans for satellite
megaconstellations such as SpaceX's Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper come
to fruition. "Except that there are multiple interstate highways crossing
each other with no stoplights."
McDowell's British colleague Hugh Lewis is another frequently heard voice
of caution. In a post published on Twitter on Jan. 13, Lewis stated that
"the overall number of conjunctions predicted for 2022 was 134% higher than
the number for 2020 and 58% higher than 2021, exceeding 4 million." That
doesn't mean that on 4 million occasions objects in space came close to a
collision — just that managing traffic in space is getting much more
complicated than it has ever been in the past.
Take SpaceX's Starlink as an example. According to information submitted to
the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December last year,
SpaceX's autonomous collision-avoidance system performed 26,037 orbital
avoidance maneuvers with its Starlink satellites in the two-year period
between Dec. 1, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2022. That means each Starlink satellite
of the nearly 4,000 that have been launched to date performed, on average,
12 avoidance maneuvers during that time.
But the size of SpaceX's current constellation is less than 10% of what the
company plans to deploy. Within the next 10 years, the number of Starlink
satellites in orbit may rise to 42,000. Add to that the up to 4,000
satellites that OneWeb wants to launch, another 3,200 of Amazon's Kuiper
craft and 13,000 satellites of China's envisioned Guowang system, and it
becomes obvious that things are set to get much more heated.
According to the FCC document, SpaceX claims that each of its satellites
has a sufficient amount of fuel on board to perform 350 collision-avoidance
maneuvers over its expected five-year lifetime. But that number could be
reached remarkably soon, according to Lewis' calculations. In short, less
than five years from now, Starlink satellites may be running out of fuel in
a shorter period of time than their designed lifetime because of the sheer
number of avoidance maneuvers they will have to perform.
[ANS thanks Tereza Pultarova, writing for Space.com, for the above
information]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 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-NA TLE
distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
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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:
No contacts currently scheduled
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 Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON
July 27 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 Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON
July 27 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
Adrian (AA5UK) is heading back to the Cayman Islands. He will be operating
as ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman June 25 to June 29th (EK99wp). He plans to
rent a car June 28th/29th and will try to make it to FK09 grid at the other
end to the island, time permitting. He will operate from Grand Cayman as
ZF2AE June 30th to July 3rd (EK99ki) with focus on cross Atlantic contacts
via AO7, RS44, FO-29 and IO-117. He will be relocating to Seven Mile Beach
to operate from July 4th – July 7th in EK99hi and will try to mix it up on
the passes with focus on Western passes.
The gear will be FT-1634 with Alaskan Arrow antenna. For IO-117, he will
be using an IC-7000. Operation will be holiday style. Please follow him on
Twitter @ZF2AE and @AA5UK and watch for the latest announcements. He also
plans to periodically operate HF with focus on RTTY, FT8/FT4 and other
digital modes. QSL information on QRZ.com. LOTW preferred.
[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 Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Dallas, Texas
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
"Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!"
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+
presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An
email message received after a recent presentation:
"I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had
taken the time to research and know something about his audience and
welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a
refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to
watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly
prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost
along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up."
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ For rocket geeks, an interesting video shows the dynamics of SpaceX’s new
stage separation technique, which will be tested on Starship, separating
the booster and upper stage without pusher pistons (like Falcon) or
explosives (like many traditional rockets). The video may be found at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yesni8HUEA4 (ANS thanks The Orbital Index
for the above information)
+ Although their identities have been widely circulated previously, the
European Space Agency (ESA), on June 20, formally announced the personnel
who will make up SpaceX Crew-7. They are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli,
KI5WSL, commander; ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, from Denmark,
who will serve as pilot; as well as JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa,
KE5DAW, from Japan, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, from
Russia, who will both serve as mission specialists. This crew will launch
from Cape Canaveral in Florida later this summer on a SpaceX’s Crew Dragon,
and will remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for
approximately six months. (ANS thanks ESA for the above information)
+ Spei Satelles is a 3U CubeSat created by the students and teachers of the
Polytechnic of Turin. During its stay in orbit, Spei Satelles will transmit
a radio signal that can be received by amateurs. The signal contains
messages of hope from the magisterium of Pope Francis. Spei Satelles (the
Latin words for Satellite of Hope) operates in a sun-synchronous low Earth
orbit at about 525 km of altitude from the Earth's surface. At a frequency
of 437.5MHz (Editor's note - this satellite is not coordinated by the IARU
and AMSAT encourages radio amateurs to decline to offer telemetry
collection or other technical support to groups that launch satellites that
are not IARU coordinated and do not offer amateur communications
opportunities) it transmits GMSK at 9600 bit/s AX.25. Spei Satelles also
contains a nanobook, a 2x2x0.2 mm silicon slab on which the images,
speeches, and readings by Pope Francis on March 27, 2020, in the midst of
the pandemic, were imprinted by nanotechnologies. The satellite hitched a
ride aboard Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket launching from the Vandenberg Space
Force Base in California on June 10, after being blessed by Pope Francis on
March 29 at his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. (ANS thanks
Religion News Service and Polytechnic of Turin for the above information)
+ Congratulations to Olivier Tymkiw, HB9GWJ, on receiving AMSAT Rover Award
# 077! To earn the AMSAT Rover Award, participants must accumulate a
combined total of 25 points through various achievements in portable
satellite operations outside their home grid square. The AMSAT Rover Award
was established to recognize and honor the accomplishments of satellite
operators who engage in rover operations. Rover operations involve the
activation of grid squares outside one's home grid, utilizing various
satellite transponders and modes to establish communication links. A
breakdown of the points system along with a list of past AMSAT Rover Award
recipients can be found at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/. Keep
on roving, Olivier, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community!
+ Virgin Galactic will launch its first commercial spaceflight on June
27th.
https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-first-commercial-spaceflight-june-2023
(ANS thanks space.com)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-169
In this edition:
* Spain's URESAT-1 Collaborative Satellite Launches on SpaceX Transporter-8
* SpaceX's Transporter-8 Mission Launches a Diverse Array of Smallsat Missions
* European Space Agency and S5Lab Announce LEDSAT Digipeater Challenge
* ARISS-USA Seeks Experienced Educator for Director of Education Role
* Satellite LEO Top 100 Rovers June 2023 Rankings
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 16 June 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-169 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 June 18
Spain's URESAT-1 Collaborative Satellite Launches on SpaceX Transporter-8
The URESAT-1 satellite, also known as HADES-B according to its ITU designation, successfully launched into space as part of the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission from Vandenberg AFB on Monday, June 12. The satellite is a joint effort between AMSAT-EA, URE (the Spanish equivalent of ARRL), private companies, and universities.
The URESAT-1 satellite, contained within the D-Orbit ION Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), was not deployed directly from the Falcon-9 rocket. Instead, approximately one hour and twenty minutes after launch, the Falcon-9 released the OTV, which will orbit the Earth for several days before deploying URESAT-1, along with other satellites.
One of the primary objectives of URESAT-1 is to serve as an FM voice and FSK data repeater. Equipped with a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) camera, the satellite will transmit live images as well as stored images at regular intervals. It also features a chess game, enabling players on Earth to engage in a game against the satellite. Periodically, the satellite will transmit updates on the state of the game, including the chess board, the last movement made, and whether the next move belongs to the players or the satellite.
The specified frequencies for communication with URESAT-1 are as follows: for uplink transmissions, 145.975 MHz or 145.925 MHz (auxiliary frequency) using FM voice without subtone, FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400 bps. For downlink transmissions, the frequency is set at 436.888 MHz, and modes include FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps telemetry, SSTV Robot 36, and a voice beacon with the callsign AO4URE.
To provide further information regarding URESAT-1's transmissions, the AMSAT-EA organization has made available a comprehensive document that can be accessed at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13366685/AMSAT+EA+-+URESAT-1+Transmis…
For those interested in decoding the telemetry, a Linux x86/ARM decoder is available for download at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13395017/URESAT-1_telemetry_decoder_L…
A sample file containing the audio of a telemetry file can be found here: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13398144/URESAT-1_sample_FSK_telemetr…
If URESAT-1 operates as intended, the project team plans to release a Linux program that will allow players to send their chess moves to the satellite, further enhancing the interactive experience.
[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President for the above information]
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SpaceX's Transporter-8 Mission Launches a Diverse Array of Smallsat Missions
SpaceX's Transporter-8 mission successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California during its afternoon launch window on Monday, June 12. Part of SpaceX's small satellite (smallsat) rideshare program, Transporter-8 carries dozens of small to pico-sized satellites and orbital test vehicles. This launch marks the 38th Falcon 9 rocket launch of 2023, showcasing the rocket's significance as the major workhorse in the space industry.
As a rideshare launch, Transporter-8 doesn't have a primary mission but aims to lower costs for small spacecraft operators. The launch manifest for Transporter-8 includes an eclectic variety of missions. Among them is URESAT-1, a 1.5 P Pocketqube spacecraft from AMSAT-EA and the Spanish Amateur Radio Union (URE), equipped with an amateur radio payload that will attempt to play chess against opponents on Earth.
Transporter-8's diverse manifest demonstrates the wide range of missions being pursued, from space manufacturing technology demonstration by Varda Space Industries to two cryptocurrency technology satellites (CRYPTO3 and MOXY-1) and a communications satellite for the Vatican (SpeiSat). This blend of missions highlights the growing importance and potential of small satellite deployments.
With its rideshare model, SpaceX is enabling more affordable access to space for small spacecraft operators. By sharing the launch vehicle with multiple payloads, the costs are distributed among different customers, allowing them to realize their space ambitions at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated launch.
The success of Transporter-8 adds to SpaceX's impressive track record, and if the company maintains its launch pace while incorporating successful Falcon Heavy rocket launches, it could be on track to achieve Elon Musk's ambitious target of 100 rocket launches by the end of 2023. SpaceX's dedication to advancing space exploration and commercial satellite deployments is evident in its consistent launch operations and commitment to driving innovation in the industry.
[ANS thanks Jon Kelvey, writing for SpaceRef, for the above information]
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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/
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European Space Agency and S5Lab Announce LEDSAT Digipeater Challenge
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Fly Your Satellite! program in collaboration with S5Lab is offering a unique opportunity for radio amateurs around the world. The challenge is to establish communication through the LEDSAT CubeSat digipeater, providing a chance to win a special prize: a QSL card issued by the ESA Education Office and the LEDSAT team. Running from June 26 to July 30, this challenge allows radio enthusiasts to engage with space technology and showcase their communication skills.
LEDSAT, developed by students from Sapienza University in Rome's S5Lab research team with support from AMSAT Italia, is an educational 1U CubeSat that participated in the second edition of the Fly Your Satellite! program. Its primary objective is to demonstrate a LED-based payload for ground-based optical tracking. The successful launch of LEDSAT on Vega flight VV19 on August 17, 2021, marked a significant milestone for the project. To celebrate the launch, a competition was launched, encouraging participants from around the world to record the first signs of life from the spacecraft.
To participate in the challenge, radio amateurs are invited to send a message to the ESA Education Office ESTEC Ground Station, with the callsign PI9ESA. The digipeater will be activated during specific time windows, with operators stationed at the ground station to receive incoming messages. Upon successful reception of a message, the sender's callsign and contact details will be documented on a personalized QSL card, acknowledging their accomplishment.
The LEDSAT digipeater can store and retransmit digital messages sent to the satellite, acting as a transponder for long-distance communication. Messages can be retransmitted immediately or with an optional delay of up to two days.
LEDSAT follows a Sun-Synchronous orbit, resulting in two communication windows each day – around midday and midnight – where contact can be established. Participants can predict passes precisely above the ESTEC ground station or their area of residence by using their favorite pass prediction software or obtaining the latest Two-Line Elements for LEDSAT from https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?CATNR=49069.
Due to LEDSAT's monitoring and housekeeping requirements and the potential high demand from operators, the digipeater activation time slots will follow a pattern of one day ON and one day OFF, with the switch-on/off always occurring at 00:00 UTC. This schedule will begin on Monday, June 26th at 00:00 UTC, and conclude on Sunday, July 30th at 24:00 UTC.
While the challenge is supported by operators on a voluntary basis, efforts will be made to cover as many LEDSAT passes as possible, especially those occurring around local midday on weekdays. A detailed schedule of pass coverage will be published, so participants are advised to regularly check for updates.
The LEDSAT digipeater uplink frequency is 435.310 MHz, the downlink frequency is 435.190 MHz, and the modulation type is GMSK using a CSP + Golay + ASM (AX100 Mode 5) protocol at 1200 baud. The LEDSAT team has prepared a software package and a user manual for connecting to the digipeater, available for download on the LEDSAT website at https://www.s5lab.space/index.php/ledsat-digipeater/.
It is important to note that transmitting to the satellite is prohibited for those who are not licensed radio amateurs. However, non-licensed individuals can still participate in the challenge by listening to the messages transmitted by the ESTEC ground station. If they provide evidence of successful reception, including the date and time, they may also receive a customized QSL card.
Participants are encouraged to mark their calendars, prepare their messages, and not miss the chance to connect and communicate with the LEDSAT spacecraft to receive their QSL card. Let's come together and make this event a memorable celebration of our shared passion for space exploration and amateur radio communication.
For any inquiries regarding LEDSAT or the digipeater challenge, please email cubesats(a)esa.int.
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency along with S5Lab for the above information]
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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/
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ARISS-USA Seeks Experienced Educator for Director of Education Role
ARISS-USA, a 501(c)(3) educational and scientific non-profit organization, is seeking an experienced educator to serve as their Director of Education. The position is part-time and remote, with a one-year probationary period. ARISS provides and operates Amateur Radio systems on the International Space Station (ISS) and elsewhere to inspire, educate, and engage youth and communities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and to support ISS backup communications.
Responsibilities of the Director of Education include developing strategies to maintain and expand the educational outcomes of the ARISS experience, leading the Education Engagement Volunteer Team (EEVT), recruiting and guiding ARISS Education Ambassadors (AEA), coordinating the selection of host organizations for astronaut radio contacts, promoting diversity and inclusion in STEAM engagement, creating educational lesson plans and kits, ensuring alignment with National Science Standards, collecting and analyzing metrics and survey data, networking with stakeholders and space agencies, and coordinating with ARISS educators in other countries.
The desired candidate should have demonstrated leadership in education, at least three years of teaching experience, a degree in education or a related field, proficiency in virtual technologies, enthusiasm for STEAM education and amateur radio, and U.S. citizenship. Knowledge and experience in amateur radio, coordination with international colleagues, working with partners and sponsors, and interfacing with space agencies are preferred.
The position is remote within the USA, and the anticipated salary for 20 hours per week ranges from $23,000 to $34,500 per year, depending on experience. Flexibility in working hours is allowed as long as deliverables and engagement requirements are met. Interested candidates should submit their resume, CV, and a cover letter to candidates(a)ariss-usa.org by July 15, 2023.
[ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information]
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Satellite LEO Top 100 Rovers June 2023 Rankings
The June 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operations, as determined by @GridmasterMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data.
Updated: 2023-06-07
1 N5UC 26 N6DNM 51 AD7DB 76 WN9Q
2 ND9M 27 DJ8MS 52 KD8RTT 77 DK9JC
3 NJ7H 28 KE4AL 53 N4UFO 78 VE6WK
4 JA9KRO 29 K8BL 54 N4DCW 79 N6UTC
5 N6UA 30 KE0PBR 55 PT2AP 80 VA3VGR
6 HA3FOK 31 XE3DX 56 KJ7NDY 81 AB5SS
7 AD0HJ 32 LA9XGA 57 AF5CC 82 PT9BM
8 K5ZM 33 EA4NF 58 N0TEL 83 WI4T
9 WY7AA 34 JO2ASQ 59 VO2AC 84 DL4EA
10 AK8CW 35 VE1CWJ 60 KI7UXT 85 N3CRT
11 AD0DX 36 W7WGC 61 KI7QEK 86 N7EGY
12 DL6AP 37 F4DXV 62 AM1SAT 87 LU3EQ
13 N5BO 38 WI7P 63 W8LR 88 JK2XXK
14 N9IP 39 JL3RNZ 64 PR8KW 89 KF7R
15 WD9EWK 40 KE0WPA 65 WA9JBQ 90 PT2AZ
16 W5PFG 41 EB1AO 66 PT9ST 91 KF6JOQ
17 ND0C 42 AA5PK 67 KB2YSI 92 YU0W
18 KX9X 43 AA8CH 68 AC0RA 93 VO1FUA
19 KB5FHK 44 KE9AJ 69 XE1ET 94 W8MTB
20 VE3HLS 45 VA7LM 70 LU4JVE 95 LU5UFM
21 LU5ILA 46 K7TAB 71 K0FFY 96 JR8QFG
22 N7AGF 47 VE1VOX 72 KG4AKV 97 VE7PTN
23 KI7UNJ 48 M1DDD 73 KC7JPC 98 FG8OJ
24 ON4AUC 49 VE3GOP 74 CU2ZG 99 HB9WDF
25 KG5CCI 50 KM4LAO 75 K4DCA 100 K0JM
[ANS thanks @GridmasterMasterMap for the above information]
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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 16 June 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
MiTEE 1 NORAD Cat ID 47314 (decayed form orbit on 12 June 2023 per Space-Track).
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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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
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Tue 2023-06-20 10:16:10 UTC
SPACE (Space Port Area Conference for Educators), Kennedy Space Center, FL, telebridge via VK4KHZ (***)
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is AJ9N and AA4KN
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-06-21 14:52:25 UTC
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Thu 2023-06-22 08:38:52 UTC
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for the latest roving information to become available at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/.
A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
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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 2023 Field Day
June 24, 1800 UTC - June 25, 2100 UTC, 2023
More information at: https://www.amsat.org/field-day/.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/.
+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
Dallas, Texas
More information to follow.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Congratulations to Ian Parsons, K5ZM, for providing satellite contacts from an impressive 104 grid squares and earning AMSAT VUCC/r Award # 12! The Reverse VUCC or VUCC/r Award, originally introduced by the Central States VHF Society and now carried on by AMSAT, acknowledges the efforts of satellite rovers like Ian. More information about this award can be found on the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award. Keep on roving, Ian, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community!
+ Congratulations to Terry, AJ4A, for being awarded GridMaster Award # 57! This prestigious award, introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014 and sponsored by Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, is now entrusted to AMSAT for the benefit of the entire AMSAT community. The GridMaster Award recognizes amateurs worldwide who establish two-way communication via amateur satellite with operators in all 488 Maidenhead grids in the contiguous United States of America. More information about this award can be found on the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/. Well done on this remarkable achievement Terry!
+ E2QRP special event station will operate on QO-100 and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that pass over Thailand during IARU QRP Day. The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) operators will be on the air from grid OK04nk on June 16 , 2023 at 12.00 UTC until June 18, 2023 at 5.00 UTC. QSL via Thailand HS Bureau or direct from RAST, G.P.O. Box 2008 Bangkok Thailand. (ANS thanks Tanan Rangseeprom, HS1JAN, for the above information)
+ The Small Satellite Conference provides an extensive series of talks, speed sessions, and posters that focus on successfully carrying out a small satellite mission. From early wildfire detection using CubeSat images to UHF ground stations for controlling satellites, topics vary wildly. The conference takes place August 5-10, 2023 at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. (ANS thanks Amateur Radio Daily for the above information)
+ Have your name etched onto a microchip mounted on NASA’s Europa Clipper expedition to explore Jupiter's icy moon: https://europa.nasa.gov/message-in-a-bottle/sign-on/ (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and NASA for the above information)
+ United Launch Alliance (ULA) briefly test-fired the first-stage engines on its new Vulcan Centaur rocket on Wednesday evening (June 7), completing a crucial milestone for the booster’s first flight. Vulcan Centaur is designed to replace ULA’s current fleet of Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy launch vehicles. The first stage can be supplemented with strap-on solid rocket boosters for heavier payloads. ULA is gearing up for the first Vulcan Centaur launch, which is likely to occur in July. The rocket’s primary payload will be Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lunar lander, which will carry payloads for NASA and private companies under the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Vulcan Centaur will also carry the KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 demonstration satellites for Amazon. The spacecraft will demonstrate technology for the company’s 3,236-satellite broadband constellation. (ANS thanks the Parabolic Arc for the above information)
+ Capturing footage of the International Space Station (ISS) hurtling through space at approximately 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h) is no mean feat, yet French astrophotographer Thierry Legault has pulled it off yet again. In his latest stunning footage, captured on June 9, Legault imaged the ISS whizzing past three sunspot groups. The entire solar transit lasted just 0.75 seconds. In addition, Legault captured these shots while two NASA astronauts, Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, were carrying out a spacewalk to install a new solar array outside the station. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)
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Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
ad0hj [at] amsat.org
1
0
11 Jun '23
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-162
In this edition:
* June 15 is Deadline for 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Nominations
* IARU Coordinates Sapling Magnifica Satellite
* eBay Sellers Donate to AMSAT
* AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2023 President's Club Members
* An RTL-SDR Telemetry Decoder for the Soon-to-be-Launched MRC-100 CubeSat
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 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-162 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 Jun 11
June 15 is Deadline for 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Nominations
AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following four incumbent Directors expire in 2023 and will be filled by this year’s election:
– Jerry Buxton, N0JY
– Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO
– Robert Bankston, KE4AL
– Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee’s name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators’ names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the AMSAT Secretary:
Jeff Davis, KE9V
PO Box 11
Yorktown, IN 47396
AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary who has elected to accept written nomination materials via mail or in electronic form, including email or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted.
Email nominations may be sent to jdavis [at] amsat [dot] org.
No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15, 2023. The Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June.
[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.]
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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/
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IARU Coordinates Sapling Magnifica Satellite
The Sapling Magnifica, developed by the Stanford Student Space Initiative, is a technology demonstration mission aimed to prove several key technologies necessary for SSI's satellites to host scientific payloads in the future. These include a magnetorquer-based ADCS, a higher quality camera than on previous Sapling missions, and reaction wheels. The satellite will be either a 1U or a 2U spacecraft. Sapling Magnifica is an Amateur Radio mission that is entirely initiated and developed by undergraduate students, most of whom already have or are studying for their Amateur Radio license.
Amateurs will be able to participate by sending commands to the satellite and receiving images in response. Research will be conducted on image downloading comparing three different modulation techniques: FSK, LoRa, and FLRC. Amateurs will be able to receive images and, if all goes well, take an image on command.
Downlinks have been coordinated on 437.400 MHz and 2427.00 MHz. Planning a launch into a SSO 525km orbit in Q2 or Q3 2023. More info from https://github.com/stanford-ssi.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]
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eBay Sellers Donate to AMSAT
Are you an eBay seller? One item, ten items, or a full-time business you can donate a percentage of your winning bid to AMSAT.
To do so, do not list your item with the basic listing tool, select advanced tools. eBay will give you a warning message that it is for large volume sellers, however this is where the eBay for Charity tool is found.
You can “select another nonprofit you love” and search for either AMSAT or Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Choose the percentage amount of the sale you would like to donate to AMSAT, and boom! When your item sells and the winning bidder pays, eBay will deduct the percentage from your take and forward it to AMSAT.
Please consider giving a piece of the pie to a new satellite and choose AMSAT for your eBay Charity.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
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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/
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AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2023 President's Club Members
AMSAT wishes to thank those amateurs who have contributed to the 2023 AMSAT President's Club during the first quarter of this year. Their generous donations are essential in helping to Keep Amateur Radio is Space.
TITANIUM LEVEL
Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Alan Biddle, WA4SCA
William Brown, K9LF
PLATINUM LEVEL
Doug Tabor, N6UA
GOLD LEVEL MEMBERS
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ
Mark Hammond, N8MH
John Kludt, K7SYS
Glenn Miller, AA5PK
SILVER LEVEL
Warren Fugate, W3WE
Joseph Lynch, N6CL
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Jason Schwarz, N4JJS
BRONZE LEVEL
Bruce Perens, K6BP
Dave Taylor, W8AAS
David Vine, WA1EAW
CORE LEVEL
George Carr, WA5KBH
Jim Clary, ND9M
Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT
David Hartrum, WA3YDZ
Martin Shinko, KB3AEV
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA
Jeremy Wyatt, KA2PFD
David York, N8SGZ
2022 Correction
SILVER LEVEL
Jason John Schwarz, N4JJS
President Club members for 2023 receive a limited edition commemorative coin featuring AMSAT OSCAR 10, commemorating the 40th anniversary of its launch; full-color certificate, and cork beverage coasters with the AMSAT logo. To join the 2023 AMSAT President's Club, go to https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/.
[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP-Development, for the above information.]
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An RTL-SDR Telemetry Decoder for the Soon-to-be-Launched MRC-100 CubeSat
The MRC-100 Hungarian CubeSat is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 on June 12 from Vandenburg Space Fore Base. The MRC-100 is the successor to the SMOG-1 CubeSat which was launched in March 2021. The satellite is named to honoring the 100th year anniversary of the HA5MRC Ham Radio Club at the Budapest University of Technology.
To help with decoding the Telemetry on the CubeSat, an RTL-SDR based telemetry receiver was created and an installation script for Raspberry Pi's and Linux PC's which installs OpenWebRX along with the satellite receiver software.
The satellite should be receivable with a simple satellite antenna, such as a handheld Yagi, Turnstile, Dipole or quadrifilar-helix antenna. It will be transmitting telemetry at 436.720 MHz. If you have a dish and tracking equipment for it, there is also a high speed downlink at 2267.5 MHz. Like the original SMOG-1, the satellite carries a sensor that is designed to measure human caused electromagnetic pollution. It also carries a camera and an AIS receiver for tracking marine vessels. More information is available at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/.
[ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.]
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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 9 June 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 satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
VZLUSAT 1 NORAD Cat ID 42790 (decayed form orbit on 06 June 2023 per Space-Track).
The following satellites have been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
SNIPE 4 NORAD Cat ID 56744 (uncoordinated frequency: 437.8000 MHz).
SNIPE 2 NORAD Cat ID 56745 (uncoordinated frequency: 435.9999 MHz).
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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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.
+ Successful Contacts
About Gagarin From Space, Participants Of The Children's Creative Competition For The Day Of Cosmonautics, Orel, Russia, direct via RA3ED.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Andrey Fediaev.
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR.
Contact was successful Sunday, June 4, 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.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
IN90; June 9-11, 2023
Philippe, EA4NF will be activating the rare grid IN90 in Spain on June 9-11, 2023 on FM and linear LEO satellites. Further details on Twitter @EA4NF_SAT.LoTW confirmations will be issued with the call EA4NF/P
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.]
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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 2023 Field Day
June 24, 1800 UTC - June 25, 2100 UTC, 2023
More information at: https://www.amsat.org/field-day/.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/.
+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
Dallas, Texas
More information to follow.
+ AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!” Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information.]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP-Educational Relations, was interviewed by Eric Guth, 4Z1UG / WA6IGR, on QSO Today Amateur Radio Podcast. Alan tells how he reaches out to educate the general public about the world amateur satellites, and satellite technology using CubeSatSim, for live classroom simulations of satellite communications. Alan also explains how he turns to high-altitude balloon launches as a practical, hands-on approach to bringing amateur payloads closer to space, thereby affording opportunities for tangible experience and simulation. Listen to Alan's interview at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-162-KU2Y. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP-Educational Relations, for the above information.]
+ Over on his latest video, Matt, from the TechMinds YouTube channel shows us how to receive and decode the packets from the GreenCube digipeater. In his demonstration Matt uses an SDRPlay RSPdx as the receiver, SDR++ as the receiver software, SoundModem as the packet decoder, GreenCube Terminal for displaying the messages, and GPredict for tracking the satellite and compensating for the Doppler effect. He also notes that while a directional antenna on a motorized tracker is recommended, he was able to still receive packets with his omnidirectional terrestrial antennas without much issue. Watch the video at https://youtu.be/Rr87Ci96SRY. [ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.]
+ NASA is worried that SpaceX's giant new Starship vehicle won't be ready to carry astronauts to the surface of the moon in late 2025, as currently planned. In 2021, the agency selected Starship — the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built — to be the first crewed lunar lander for its Artemis program of moon exploration. Starship will put astronauts down near the ice-rich lunar south pole on the Artemis 3 mission, in humanity's first return to the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972. Artemis 3 is currently targeted to lift off in December 2025, but it's unlikely Starship will be able to meet that timeline, NASA officials said. More information at https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-problems-delay-artemis-3-2026. [ANS thanks space.com for the above information.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-155
In this edition:
* Astronauts Engage in Voice Contacts from International Space Station
* The March/April AMSAT Journal is Available
* VUCC Satellite Standings June 2023
* New Record Set with Seventeen People in Earth Orbit Simultaneously
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Another Delay For Boeing’s Starliner Crew Capsule
* 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-155 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 June 4
Astronauts Engage in Voice Contacts from International Space Station
Amateur radio enthusiasts were thrilled as astronauts aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) engaged in voice contacts as NA1SS over
the period of May 25-29. The astronauts, John Shoffner, KO4MJC and Woody
Hoburg, KB3HTZ, provided an opportunity for amateur radio operators to
establish contact with the orbiting space station.
The Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) program facilitated these voice
contacts, allowing radio operators to communicate with the astronauts
onboard the ISS. As the news spread on social media, amateur radio
operators shared their excitement about making successful contacts with the
astronauts.
Hams from different parts of the world, including Europe, the United
States, and the United Kingdom, shared their experiences of communicating
with the ISS crew on Twitter. The astronauts were actively seeking
information about the location of each station, showing a keen interest in
the diverse range of contacts they were making.
The ARISS program encourages participants to submit QSL cards to
commemorate their successful contacts. These cards serve as proof of
communication with the International Space Station. The ARISS website
provides information on how to send in QSL cards and further details about
the program. The QSL contacts are regional so find the proper one at:
https://ariss.org/qsl-cards.html
For many radio operators, making contact with the International Space
Station is a memorable experience. The ability to communicate with
astronauts orbiting the Earth, even if only for a brief moment, is a
testament to the power of amateur radio and its ability to connect people
across vast distances.
As the ARISS program continues to facilitate these voice contacts, space
and amateur radio enthusiasts eagerly await further opportunities to
establish communication with the astronauts onboard the ISS. The chance to
exchange greetings and information with those who reside in space remains a
unique experience that showcases the wonders of technology and human
ingenuity.
Operators interested in attempting a contact with the ISS crew, should set
the downlink frequency to 437.800 MHz FM and listen for activity. The
uplink frequency is 145.990 MHz FM with a PL tone of 67 Hz. The ARISS
website and the AMSAT status page provide information on the ISS crew's
radio activities. See https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html for
details.
[ANS thanks Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ, for the above information.]
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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/
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The March/April AMSAT Journal is Available
The March/April 2023 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members
on AMSAT’s Member Portal.
Inside the Current Issue
Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y
Generative AI and Amateur Radio in Space: A Chatbot Conversation - Joe
Kornowski, KB6IGK
AMSAT CubeSatSim Version 2 Design - Alan Johnston, KU2Y
Operating Low Elevation DX via GreenCube - Dave Fisher, KG0D
Evaluating Antennas For LEO Satellites - Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC
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. Join AMSAT to get immediate access to the latest issue
and archived issues of The AMSAT Journal.
[ANS thanks Joe Koronowski, Editor AMSAT Journal for the above information]
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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/
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VUCC Satellite Standings June 2023
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for
May 01, 2023 to June 01, 2023.
------------------------------------------------------------
Callsign May June
K8DP 1425 1500
AA5PK 1282 1324
KF7R 975 1000
NS3L 826 851
K9UO 828 850
AC9O 675 836
KE8RJU 725 825
DF2ET 700 752
W8LR 735 751
G0IIQ 519 750
EA2AA 675 686
KQ4DO 633 675
KS1G 628 655
FG8OJ 531 600
W8MTB 515 600
N9FN 567 569
N8MR 499 509
IK1IYU 101 508
A65BR 260 436
JG6CDH 305 353
KF0QS 205 301
JL1SAM 200 300
WA1ECF 299 300
JN1BPM 178 257
JA1QJI 200 253
N6PAZ 201 223
SA0UNX New 205
IK1SLD New 200
W3UTD New 186
NK0S 159 164
JR0GAS 108 140
N6UTC (DM14) New 110
NY1V 102 104
G0MOH New 100
JA9OJM New 100
JE2UFF New 100
------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
G0MOH is first VUCC Satellite holder from IO70
SA0UNX is first VUCC Satellite holder from JO99
JA9OJM and JE2UFF are first VUCC Satellite holders from PM86
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]
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New Record Set with Seventeen People in Earth Orbit Simultaneously
In a remarkable achievement, the number of individuals in Earth orbit has
reached a new record high. On May 30, 2023, a total of seventeen people
from five different countries were in Earth orbit.
The population in orbit skyrocketed with the launch of China's Shenzhou 16
mission, which took place on May 29 at 9:31 p.m. EDT. This three-person
mission propelled the overall count to a new record. Previously, the record
stood at fourteen people, achieved during the privately funded Inspiration4
mission in September 2021.
The current count consists of four crews representing various space
agencies and private ventures. The first crew, Shenzhou 16, consists of
Chinese taikonauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gui Haichao, who have
joined the astronauts already aboard China's Tiangong space station. This
mission contributes three members to the total count.
The second crew, Shenzhou 15, consists of Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and
Zhang Lu. They have been residing aboard the Tiangong space station since
November 2022 and are expected to return to Earth in early June. Their
presence adds another three individuals to the record-breaking count.
The third crew, Expedition 69, comprises seven members from different
countries. It includes cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin, and
Andrey Fedyaev from Russia's Roscosmos, as well as astronauts Frank Rubio,
Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, from NASA.
Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, KI5VTV, of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) also joins them. These individuals are currently on the International
Space Station (ISS), contributing significantly to the total population in
orbit.
The fourth crew, Axiom-2, is composed of Axiom Space astronaut Peggy
Whitson, private astronaut John Shoffner, KO4MJC, and Saudi Arabian
astronauts Ali AlQarni, 7Z1AJ, and Rayyanah Barnawi, 7Z1RB. They departed
the ISS aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon "Freedom" on May 30. The Axiom-2 crew
splashed down off the Florida panhandle near Panama City around 11 p.m. on
May 30, reducing the count to thirteen people.
Interestingly, the current record-breaking count coincides with another
milestone. Barnawi, a member of the Ax-2 mission, became the 600th person
to enter Earth orbit. She also holds the distinction of being the first
Saudi woman in space, as she launched alongside her crew on May 21.
Although the record stands at seventeen people in Earth orbit, it's worth
noting that a recent record for the most people in space (not just in Earth
orbit) was set briefly. For approximately five minutes, a total of twenty
individuals were off the planet. This record occurred when the six members
of Virgin Galactic's Unity 25 SpaceShipTwo crew embarked on a suborbital
spaceflight, coinciding with three Chinese taikonauts residing aboard
Tiangong and eleven astronauts, cosmonauts, and spaceflight participants
aboard the International Space Station.
The previous record for the most people in space simultaneously was set
during Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-19 suborbital flight on December 11,
2021, when there were briefly nineteen individuals off Earth.
Since the year 2000, there has been an unbroken presence of humans in
space, starting with the first crew to inhabit the International Space
Station. China's completion of its three-module Tiangong space station last
year marks another significant milestone. The Shenzhou 16 crew represents
the station's fifth contingent since 2021.
[ANS thanks Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com Contributor, for the above
information]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 2
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 has been removed from
this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
NUDATSat NORAD Cat ID 42787 (decayed form orbit on 28 MAY 2023 per
Space-Track).
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT-NA Assistant Orbital Elements
Manager, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Delay For Boeing’s Starliner Crew Capsule
Boeing and NASA officials said Thursday, June 1, that the first launch of
astronauts on Boeing’s delay-prone Starliner crew capsule won’t happen in
July after engineers recently discovered a problem with the spacecraft’s
parachute system and identified flammable tape around wiring harnesses
inside the vehicle.
The technical problems, which escaped detection for years, dealt another
setback for Boeing’s Starliner program, already running years behind
schedule after a series of issues with software, valves, and other parts of
the spacecraft.
NASA wants Boeing’s Starliner to come online as a second U.S. crew
transportation provider for the space station. Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft,
which was the sole vehicle to carry crews to the space station for nine
years, is currently NASA’s backup if SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket or Crew
Dragon spacecraft suffer significant delays or failures.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, KD5PLB, were in the final
stages of training for launch on the first Starliner crew mission, called
the Crew Flight Test, as soon as July 21. They were slated to lift off from
Cape Canaveral on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and fly to the
space station on the Starliner spacecraft for a test flight lasting about
one week, then return to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in New
Mexico.
That would have paved the way for Boeing to start launching regular NASA
crew rotation flights to the space station on a schedule of about once per
year beginning in 2024.
Boeing and NASA officials did not provide an estimate for when engineers
might resolve the newest technical problems on the Starliner spacecraft.
[ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information]
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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:
About Gagarin From Space, SBEI Secondary School No. 285 of the Krasnoselsky
District of St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via R1AIT. The
ISS callsign was RSØISS. The crewmember was Andrey Fediaev and the ARISS
mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on 2023-05-27 at 16:48
UTCCongratulations to the St. Petersburg students, Andrey, and mentor RV3DR!
About Gagarin From Space, Muslyumovo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct
via RC4P. The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The crewmember was Dmitry Petelin
and the ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on 2023-05-28 at
14:26 UTC. Congratulations to the Muslyumovo students, Dmitry, and mentor
RV3DR!
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS
callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi. KI5VTV, and the
ARISS mentor was ON6TI. Contact was successful on Wed 2023-05-31 at
08:42:20 UTC. Congratulations to the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre
students, Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV, and mentor ON6TI!
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The
crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi. KI5VTV, and the ARISS mentor was ON6TI.
Contact was successful on Thu 2023-06-01 07:53:35 UTC. Congratulations to
the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre students, Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV, and
mentor ON6TI!
About Gagarin From Space, MAOU Ust-Ivanovo Secondary School,
Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ. The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The
crewmember was Dmitry Petelin and the ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was
successful: Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC. Congratulations to the MAOU
Ust-Ivanovo Secondary School students, Dmitry, and mentor RV3DR!
Upcoming contacts:
Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently
scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. The
ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Sat 2023-06-10 10:15 UTC
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} &
437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is
pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband
repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Satellite Operations
From Jerry, W8LR: June 4 EN80/EN81 gridline. Logging as W8LR and operating
on IO-117, RS-44, JO-97, AO-7 Mode B, and AO-91 if available.
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.
+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
Dallas, Texas
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
"Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!"
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+
presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An
email message received after a recent presentation:
"I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had
taken the time to research and know something about his audience and
welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a
refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to
watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly
prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost
along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up."
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ A casual meeting of QO-100 users is being planned for Saturday, June 24,
2023 starting at 19:00 CEST at a restaurant near the HAM RADIO trade show
in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Members of AMSAT-DL and QO-100 DX Club have
already confirmed their participation. Others interested are asked to
confirm their participation at:
https://nuudel.digitalcourage.de/PCbXouT7CSXsKPUa More details will follow
here shortly before the event. (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above
information)
+ Virgin Orbit, the launch provider for AO-109, sold its assets at
bankruptcy auction and shut down on May 22. Rocket Lab bought the company’s
Long Beach headquarters ($16.1M), Stratolaunch bought their modified 747
($17M), and Launcher (now owned by Vast) bought a Mojave facility along
with sundry equipment ($2.7M). (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above
information)
+ If we received an extraterrestrial message, how would we interpret it? On
24 May, a signal was transmitted by the Trace Gas Orbiter -- a European
Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft orbiting Mars -- and was received at the
Green Bank Telescope (West Virginia), the Medicina Radio Astronomical
Station (Italy), the Allen Telescope Array (California) and the Very Large
Array (New Mexico). ESA, SETI, and other partners are asking individuals
and groups to take part in decoding and interpreting the content of the
message. To participate, go to https://asignin.space/decode-the-message/
(ANS thanks The Orbital Index and A Sign in Space for the above information)
+ N3FJP Software has recently released Amateur Contact Log 7.0.8 which
includes API enhancements to support the SatPC32 interface by Carsten
Groen, OZ9AAR:
https://moonbounce.dk/hamradio/satpc32-to-aclog-interface.html (ANS thanks
Scott Davis, N3FJP, for the above information)
+ The FO-99 operating schedule for June, 2023 is available at
https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2274 (ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above
information)
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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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