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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]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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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
10 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
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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.]
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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, 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]
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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]
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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)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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-148
In this edition:
* 2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up
* AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Retires
* New SO-50 Distance Record
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 25, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information
service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes
news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities
of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active
interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog
and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in
Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at]
amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-148 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 May 28
2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up
The 2023 Dayton Hamvention is in the books! It was a great weekend in
Xenia, OH and at the various other events in the surrounding area. The
AMSAT booth and satellite demo area saw continuous traffic and attendees
had an excellent time at the informal AMSAT Dinner at Tickets on Thursday
evening and the TAPR/AMSAT Banquet on Friday evening.
The AMSAT forum from Saturday afternoon can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYTVTzJlXk&t=14680s (the ARISS forum
precedes the AMSAT forum, so you can back up the live stream to view that)
The video presented at the AMSAT forum featuring AMSAT engineers can be
viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6zTtJZPfL8
Grace Papay, KE8RJU, gave a talk at the Youth Forum on "Amateur Radio
Satellites Both Near and Far" and her presentation can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U-jsYYHY8w&t
We hope everyone enjoyed Hamvention this year and hope to see everyone in
Xenia next May!
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention Team 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 Orbital Elements Manager Retires
It is time for me to retire from the position of AMSAT-NA Orbital Elements
Manager.
I have held this position since October 8, 1993, when I inherited it from
Dick Campbell, WR5RW (formally N3FKV). I also inherited a BASIC sorting
program from Dick which has faithfully produced the AMSAT TLE format each
week for almost 30 years. Today I have to use an emulator, but it
consistently produces the format we (and our computer tracking programs)
expect to see.
But, have no fear, Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P has been developing a
software-based system that pulls the TLE data directly from the internet
(Space-Track, 18SPCS), formats it, and sends it out to the amateur radio
community. Joe has been testing it for over a month now and it is ready to
go!
It has been a privilege to serve AMSAT as Orbital Elements Manager and I
will miss the Thursday night routine of sending out the AMSAT TLE. But to
those who have helped me along the way … thanks. Special thanks to Keith
Pugh (W5IU Silent key), Dick Campbell (WR5RW), Nico Janssen (PA0DLO), and
also to Joe Fitzgerald (KM1P) for stepping up to the job.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, 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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New SO-50 Distance Record
A new distance record has been claimed on SO-50. During a SOTA activation
of Pine Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on May 24, 2023 at
13:16 UTC, Joe Werth, KE9AJ, worked George Mamjis, MI0ILE, in Northern
Ireland. KE9AJ's location was EN55wu90gp and MI0ILE's location was
IO64wn80. The distance between the two locations is 5,584 km. The previous
record on this satellite was 5,523 km - set by F4DXV and N1AIA on October
24, 2018.
[ANS thanks Joe Werth, KE9AJ, 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 May 25, 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical
model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly
updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. 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:
Muslyumovo, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sun 2023-05-28 14:25 UTC
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-05-31 08:42:20 UTC 66 deg
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 2023-06-01 07:53:35 UTC 51 deg
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC
Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sat 2023-06-10 10:15 UTC
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 U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON
June 10 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON
June 29 about TBD.
* 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 U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON
June 10 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON
June 29 about TBD.
* 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]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
From Mike, N8MR:
I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29.
Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe
for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR.
Major Roves:
I post ’em as soon as I know about ’em. Just be aware that I still work
roughly 60 hours a week. Tnx!
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]
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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 Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
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]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ John Shoffner, KO4MJC, pilot of the Axios Space AX-2 mission, was
reported to have made casual QSOs from the ISS via the ISS repeater on May
25, 2023. (Thanks to ARISS for this information)
+ The Tevel-3 and Tevel-6 satellites will be active through May 29, 2023 at
18:35 UTC.
Downlink frequency = 436.400 MHz, Uplink frequency = 145.970MHz NO PL tone.
(Thanks David Greenberg, 4X1DG, for this information)
+ Four CubeSats developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science
Institute (KASI) were launched on a Korean NURI rocket this past week.
These CubeSats were not IARU coordinated and the downlink of one of the
satellites is on 437.800 MHz. This has the potential to cause QRM to the
ISS FM repeater. (Thanks PE0SAT for the above information)
+ URESAT Antonio de Nebrija is expected to launch on the SpaceX
Transporter-8 mission on June 8th. Details available at
https://www-ure-es.translate.goog/uresat-antonio-de-nebrija-sera-lanzado-el…
(Thanks to URE 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,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-141
In this edition:
* Eleven U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
* Tevel Satellites Added to ARRL Logbook of the World
* SpaceX Ax-2 Mission Is 'Go' For May 21 Launch
* 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election - Call for Nominations
* 2023 AMSAT Field Day - Rules
* 2023 AMSAT Field Day - More Thoughts
* How Moon-based Telescopes Could Revolutionize Astronomy
* 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-141 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 May 21
Eleven U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the January-June 2024 window. A total 11 of the submitted ARISS Education Proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.
The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for these US host organizations. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS operations team, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA in January through June 2024.
The schools and host organizations are:
Belmont Elementary School Woodbridge, Virginia
Mountain View Elementary Marietta, Georgia
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, Florida
Lilburn Elementary School Lilburn, Georgia
Tooele County School District Tooele, Utah
Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Huntsville, Alabama
Thrive Home School Academy Colorado Springs, Colorado
Pleasant Knoll Middle School Ft. Mill, South Carolina
Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School Center for Innovation Raleigh, North Carolina
Washington State Science and Engineering Fair Bremerton, Washington
Girl Scout Troop 1089 Sacramento, California
[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information.]
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Tevel Satellites Added to ARRL Logbook of the World
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL), "The National Association for Amateur Radio," has recently added the Tevel satellites, numbers one through eight, to the list of acceptable satellites in its widely used Logbook of the World (LoTW) online system. Those who have made contacts using these satellites may now upload those QSOs to LoTW for possible confirmation, if the other station has done likewise.
It will be necessary to first update the TQSL configuration file, following the prompt when that program is opened. The current list of accepted satellites for LoTW may always be found in the LoTW help pages at: https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/frequently-asked-questions/#sats
Most published identification for the Tevel satellites, including many distributions of Keplerian elements, show these satellites as Tevel-1, Tevel-2, etc. Unfortunately, LoTW will only accept the names of the satellites in all upper case and without the hyphen: TEVEL1, TEVEL2, etc.
If using a log program that copies the satellite name directly from a tracking program, such as SatPC32, the logged satellite name may not match what LoTW is expecting, resulting in an error or rejected upload.
SatPC32 has a provision for correcting this issue. SatPC32 users may edit the AmsatNames.txt file in order to translate the satellite name from that in the Keplerian elements file to a name compatible with LoTW. By clicking on the ? on the top line of the SatPC32 window, and selecting "Auxiliary Files" from the pull down menu, the user may select AmsatNames.txt and the file will open for editing.
Being careful to follow the directions at the top of the text file, the following lines can be added to AmsatName.txt in order to effect the translation:
51013 22002AF TEVEL1
51069 22002CP TEVEL2
50988 22002E TEVEL3
51063 22002CH TEVEL4
50998 22002Q TEVEL5
50999 22002R TEVEL6
51062 22002CG TEVEL7
50989 22002F TEVEL8
Once added, the file must be saved (Ctrl-S) before being closed. Using the same ? and Auxiliary Files pull down, the satellite names in the Doppler.SQF file should also be changed to upper case without hyphens, and the file saved.
When the SatPC32 program is restarted, the satellites previously named Tevel-1, Tevel-2, and following, will appear as TEVEL1, TEVEL2, and following, in the satellite list. It will then be necessary to open the SatPC32 Satellite menu and delete the lower case names from the list of selected active satellites, and to then re-select the new, upper case names from the left column of available satellites.
While an inconvenient chore in the short term, once these changes have been made to SatPC32, any log program that copies the satellite name directly from the tracking program will automatically record the correct name for upload to LoTW. This will make use of Logbook of the World very efficient for all future contacts with the Tevel satellites.
The same feature can be utilized for other satellites that may have different designations, such as some of the CAS satellites that go by several names.
[ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, for the above information]
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SpaceX Ax-2 Mission Is 'Go' For May 21 Launch
The second-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) remains on track to lift off this weekend. The crew includes three licensed amateurs: John Shoffner, KO4MJC; Ali Alqarni, 7Z1AJ; and Rayyanah Barnawi, 7Z1RB.
If all goes according to plan, Ax-2 will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 21:37 UTC on Sunday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The Ax-2 astronauts will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule to the orbiting lab, getting there around 13:30 UTC on Monday, May 21.
The mission will spend eight days docked to the ISS. That's a slight change from the previous plan, which had called for a 10-day ISS stay. During their stay, the amateurs on the AX-2 crew will attempt several ARISS contacts, and may possibly offer opportunities for general amateur QSOs with the ISS.
As its name suggests, Ax-2 will be the second crewed flight to the ISS operated by Axiom Space using SpaceX hardware. The first, Ax-1, sent four people to the orbiting lab for more than two weeks in April 2022. That crew was quite active on amateur radio during their stay on the ISS.
Ax-2 is also groundbreaking. Two of the mission's crewmembers, Barnawi and AlQarni, will become the first Saudi Arabians to visit to the ISS. Barnawi will be the first Saudi woman ever to reach space.
The other crewmember is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now works for Axiom and will command the mission. Whitson has racked up a total of 665 days off Earth — more than any other American and any other woman. NASA currently requires that all private astronaut flights to the ISS be led by a former agency astronaut.
[ANS thanks Space.com and ARISS for the above information]
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2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election - Call for 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
- Joesph 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(a)amsat.org.
No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15th. 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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2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules
The AMSAT Field Day 2023 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below.
1. Analog Transponders
ARRL rules apply, except:
- Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band.
- CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each.
- Stations may only count one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital),
- The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited.
2. Digital Transponders
We have only APRS digipeaters and 10m to 70cm PSK transponders (see Bob Bruninga's article in the March/April, 2016 issue of the AMSAT Journal).
Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. The one contact per FM satellite is not applied to digital transponders.
The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed.
For the Pacsats (FalconSat-3) or 'Store and Forward' hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL.
The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts.
(a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite).
(b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact."
You may make contacts with GreenCube, IO-117 and each one will count as 3 points as do other digital contacts.
Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules.
Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File:
Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73!
Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance.
3. Operating Class
Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.).
And Finally...
The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. I have not had a mail-in entry in over 6 years, probably even longer than that.
Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal.
You will receive an e-mail back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other e-mail address.
Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2023. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads.
You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event!
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.]
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2023 Field Day - More Thoughts
It's that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a "picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!" The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2023 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 24, 2023 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 25, 2023. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 24 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event.
This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to Field Day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/
If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice.
It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO's. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO's to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO.
The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day,
e.g.:
W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX
KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG
W6NWG de KK5DO QSL
If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, EO-88 or the XW satellites. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW.
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.]
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How Moon-based Telescopes Could Revolutionize Astronomy
The exploration of the Moon is experiencing a renaissance with numerous missions planned to visit the lunar surface in the coming years. While there are various motivations for these missions, such as geopolitical interests and the search for lunar resources, the field of astronomy is expected to greatly benefit from this renewed focus on the Moon. One significant advantage is the lunar far side, which provides a radio-quiet environment, shielded from human-generated radio signals and solar interference. This makes it an ideal location for radio astronomy, especially for studying the cosmic "dark ages" and the structure of the early universe. The Moon's stability and the presence of shadowed craters at its poles offer opportunities for optical, infrared, and gravitational wave astronomy, as well as the potential detection of radio waves from exoplanet magnetospheres. However, there is a need to balance lunar exploration activities with protecting the unique scientific value of certain lunar locations.
The far side of the Moon, shielded from Earth's radio signals and the Sun during the lunar night, provides an unparalleled radio-quiet environment. This makes it an ideal platform for conducting low-frequency radio astronomy, enabling the study of the cosmic "dark ages" and the early universe's hydrogen clouds. The 21cm wavelength emissions from neutral hydrogen in the early universe, shifted to longer wavelengths due to the universe's expansion, can be studied from the lunar far side, offering insights into the universe's early stages.
The far side of the Moon also holds potential for detecting radio waves from exoplanet magnetospheres and signals from intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations. The long wavelengths of these radio waves require a radio-quiet environment, making the far side an ideal location for such observations. Furthermore, exploring unexplored regions of the radio spectrum may lead to unexpected discoveries of new phenomena. However, it is crucial to ensure that human activities on the far side do not create unwanted radio interference that could hinder these observations and scientific endeavors.
Apart from radio astronomy, the Moon's unique characteristics and stable environment also offer advantages for other types of astronomy. Infrared telescopes, which are sensitive to heat, can benefit from the cold, shadowed craters at the lunar poles that provide natural shielding. The low gravity on the Moon allows for the construction of larger telescopes than what is feasible in free space. This could make the Moon the future hub for infrared astronomy. Additionally, the lunar surface, bombarded by solar wind and cosmic rays for billions of years, holds a wealth of information about the Sun and the Milky Way's evolution.
While the current era of lunar exploration promises significant advancements in astronomy, there is a need to protect lunar locations that are uniquely valuable for scientific research. Human activities and plans for resource extraction, such as water-ice from shadowed craters, must be carefully managed to minimize interference with astronomical observations. Preserving the pristine environment of the lunar far side and other scientifically important regions will be crucial to ensure the long-term benefits of lunar exploration for astronomy.
[ANS thanks Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology, Birkbeck, University of London 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 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
Saudi Space Commission (SSC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, direct via HZ1SAR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be HZØISS
The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni 7Z1AJ, or Rayyanah Barnawi 7Z1RB
The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ
Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Wed 2023-05-24 11:08:38 UTC 23 deg
Middlesboro School System, Middlesboro, KY, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner KO4MJC
The ARISS mentor is AA6TB
Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Thu 2023-05-25 15:07:12 UTC 33 deg
St. Francis Xavier High School, Gloucester, ON, Canada, telebridge via VK4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD
Contact is go for: Fri 2023-05-26 16:32:49 UTC 25 deg
The Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health), Bethesda, Maryland, telebridge via ON4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner KO4MJC
The ARISS mentor is W8AAS
Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Fri 2023-05-26 17:31:38 UTC 90 deg
Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sat 2023-05-27 16:50 UTC
Muslyumovo, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sun 2023-05-28 14:25 UTC
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
K5ZM: From 14th through part of 21st May, I’ll be in RDU where I’ll be based in FM05. Then on the 21st, I fly into PWM and after a short road trip, I’ll be in FN54 through the 26th. In each location, the usual scenario will apply: emphasis will be on grid lines whenever possible. I would love to do the 56/66/57/67 confluence but I’m not sure how much time I’m willing to invest in locating the owner of that field! Pass list(s) are under development. Watch Twitter and hams.at for the minutia.
Ray, KN2K, will be active in FM08, May 21 and 22. Details at hams.at and on Twitter.
From Mike, N8MR: I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR.
[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 Symposium and Annual Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
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,
Wonderful clubs in Florida and Southern CA heard our “Work the Easy Satellites” presentation this week. I swapped date for the England club with another speaker/topic - we are re-scheduling to the Summer. Upcoming dates for Escondido CA, Daytona FL, Sevierville TN, and Baraboo WI are being confirmed.
Clint Bradford K6LCS
work-sat.com
951-533-4984
“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 Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, 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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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ AMSAT News Service welcomes its newest weekly editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ. Mitch is a Life Member of AMSAT who has confirmed over five thousand contacts via satellite, activated eighty seven Maidenhead grid squares, and completed his AMSAT GridMaster Award in 2022. News tips can be forwarded to Mitch, and to all ANS editors, at ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. (ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, Senior Editor, for the above information)
+The Providence Radio Association, W1OP will attempt SSB and FM satellites QSO's from the Alan S. Feinstein Middle School, in Coventry, RI on Tuesday May 23rd. This will be part of a presentation on ham radio to about 350 students in their 8th grade STEM program. N1DM will be the operator and will attempt to work any available satellites during the demo portion of the program which will occur somewhere in the period of 1300 to 1500 UTC. W1OP/N1DM requests if you make a QSO in addition to call and grid square you give your STATE or PROVINCE. (ANS thanks Dom Mallozzi, N1DM for the above information.)
+ China’s secretive spaceplane may have performed multiple recaptures of an object it released into orbit during its recently completed second flight as part of on-orbit testing. Private firm Leolabs, which provides space situational awareness data through its global network of radars for tracking objects in low Earth orbit, said its analysis found evidence of what appeared to be at least two and possibly three capture/docking operations with a co-orbiting object. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)
+ Around 7,000 satellites circle the Earth, generating a massive volume of data on a daily basis. This wealth of information, operated by various governments and commercial entities, can prove challenging for researchers looking to fully harness the potential of these orbital sensors. Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have introduced a digital platform named the New Observing Strategies Testbed (NOS-T), a tool that facilitates the exchange of limited, approved data messages, ensuring data sharing without revealing sensitive information, control algorithms, or proprietary technologies. Leveraging multiple satellites enables continuous monitoring of specific locations, which can be applied to tasks such as wildfire detection and landslide prediction.(ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information)
+ SpaceX’s launch of 51 more Starlink internet satellites Wednesday, May 10 from California marked the 200th consecutive successful mission for the company’s Falcon rocket family, a record unmatched by any other space launch vehicle. (ANS thanks SpaceFlight Now for the above information)
+ China’s Tianzhou 6 cargo ship lifted off on a resupply mission to the country’s Tiangong space station on May 10 – the first since the station was completed in November. The uncrewed ship – carrying 7.4 tons of fuel, food and other supplies – was launched on top of a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China’s Hainan island, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The upgraded Tianzhou cargo spacecraft has expanded capacity, which means China will need to launch a Tianzhou mission once every eight months, instead of every six months, as previously. (ANS thanks SpaceNews 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 [dot] org
1
0
13 May '23
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-134
In this edition:
* Call for Nominations - 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
* Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet
* AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention
* 2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules
* 2023 Field Day - More Thoughts
* 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-134 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 May 14
Call for Nominations - 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
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
- Joesph 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(a)amsat.org.
No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15th. 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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Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet
Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, will be the guest speaker at the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet. He will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events.
Dr. Frissell is a Space Physicist and Electrical Engineer at the University of Scranton's Physics and Engineering Department. Dr. Frissell has a passion for radio science and remote sensing of the ionosphere. He was introduced to space physics and space weather in middle and high school through the hobby of amateur (ham) radio, where he was fascinated by long-distance radio propagation and the variability imposed on it by the geospace system.
In addition to leading him to pursue a Ph.D. in this field, it enabled him to found and lead the Ham radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI, hamsci.org), a citizen science collective that aims to bring together the professional research and the amateur radio communities. This has led to the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a nationwide ham radio experiment to study the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (hamsci.org/seqp), and an ongoing collaboration with the amateur radio electrical engineering organization TAPR (tapr.org) to develop a Personal Space Weather Station (hamsci.org/swstation). For his efforts, the amateur radio community has awarded him the prestigious 2017 Yasme Foundation Excellence award and the 2019 Dayton Amateur Radio Association Amateur of the Year Award.
In 2019, Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to fund a 3-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The grant supports a collaborative team to develop the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station, a modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation platform used to study variability in the coupled geospace system and to better understand HF radio propagation.
In 2021, he was awarded a $481,260 grant through the NASA Space Weather Applications Operations Phase II Research Program. Frissell served as principal investigator for a research project entitled, "Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets." He collaborated with Philip Erickson, W1PJE, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and Bill Engelke, AB4EJ, at the University of Alabama.
"This grant includes significant funding for participation of Scranton undergraduate students in this research, as well as support for new computation resources," Frissell said. He explained that the grant will fund "the development of an empirical model for the prediction of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) in high-frequency radio communications while investigating the geophysical drivers of these disturbances." The grant covers two years of work.
Frissell said that the predictive, empirical TID models being developed uses data collected by the Reverse Beacon Network, WSPR, and PSKreporter - automated, global-scale radio communication observation networks operated by the amateur radio community. Undergraduate students help the faculty researchers to create algorithms used for the model development.
This NASA award complements a 5-year National Science Foundation grant of more than $616,000 that Frissell received in 2020. That investigation aims to understand the source of TIDs observed in amateur radio and other scientific datasets.
In addition, Dr. Frissell has a long-time passion for teaching and education. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University (2007). He voluntarily coordinated and taught amateur radio license classes and radio and astronomy merit badge classes. An Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member, Dr. Frissell taught science and technology for six summers at Forestburg Scout Reservation in New York, and taught amateur radio with the K2BSA group at multiple Boy Scout National Scout Jamborees.
[ANS thanks AMSAT, TAPR and the ARRL for the above information.]
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AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention
+ Thursday, May 18th – Dinner at Tickets
The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery on Thursday, May 18 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT. There is no program or speaker – just good conversation. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. Tickets has a great selection of Greek and American food and great company! Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar.
Come as you are; no reservations required. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention. Tickets Pub & Eatery is located at 7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH 45324. (Telephone (937) 878-9022)
+ Saturday, May 20th – AMSAT Hamvention Forum
The AMSAT forum will be held from 1:10 PM – 2:10 PM in Forum Room 2. The forum will include updates on AMSAT’s operations, engineering, and Youth Initiative, and development programs. Arrive early, grab a seat, take in some air conditioning and catch up on the latest AMSAT happenings!
+ Saturday, May 20 - Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum – Saturday, May 20 at 9:15 AM
AMSAT member Grace Papay (KE8RJU) will present on the topic of “Amateur Radio Satellites Near and Far.” The time is 9:15 AM in Forum Room 2. Come support one of AMSAT’s youth ambassadors!
+ Saturday at 12:10 PM - ARISS 2.0: The future vision for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will lead the main forum Forum Room 2. In December 1983, Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, electrified the world via his ham communications from the Space Shuttle Columbia. Starting at Hamvention 2023, ARISS will spend a year celebrating 40 years of amateur radio on human spaceflight vehicles! Our new vision, ARISS 2.0, will expand ARISS youth education outcomes, ham-in space operations, flight hardware systems, and even our space platform (in addition to ISS, think commercial space stations and lunar operations). Learn what ARISS is doing to support ham radio operations on human spaceflight vehicles – now and over the next 40 years. Expect some surprise guests and new announcements.
+ The ARISS booth will be in building 4, the “Volta” building. Four mini-forums will be hosted in the booth area. Those include:
- Friday – 10:00 AM: ARISS Educational Opportunities: SPARKing Interest in Amateur Radio in Teachers and Students
Presented by: Dan White (AD0CQ) ARISS-US Education Committee and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Valparaiso University. Learn how ARISS engages educators and students, including a demonstration of the SPARKI kit and STAR robot.
- Friday – 2:00 PM: ARISS Engineering
Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering. Find out more about how ARISS integrates with the space program partners and new design concepts.
- Saturday – 10:00 AM: ARISS How To – Intro to working the repeaters on the ISS
Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering. Want to know how to get started making contact with and through the ISS or interested in becoming an ARISS technical mentor, find out more in this session.
- Saturday – 2:00 PM – ARISS Post-Forum Q&A / Meet and Greet
Hosted by: Frank Bauer (KA3HDO) – ARISS International Chair and the ARISS team. Meet some of the team that makes things happen behind the scenes and get all your ARISS questions answered.
[ANS thanks AMSAT and ARISS for the above information.]
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2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules
The AMSAT Field Day 2023 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below.
1. Analog Transponders
ARRL rules apply, except:
- Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band.
- CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each.
- Stations may only count one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital),
- The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited.
2. Digital Transponders
We have only APRS digipeaters and 10m to 70cm PSK transponders (see Bob Bruninga's article in the March/April, 2016 issue of the AMSAT Journal).
Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. The one contact per FM satellite is not applied to digital transponders.
The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed.
For the Pacsats (FalconSat-3) or 'Store and Forward' hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL.
The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts.
(a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite).
(b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact."
You may make contacts with GreenCube, IO-117 and each one will count as 3 points as do other digital contacts.
Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules.
Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File:
Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73!
Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance.
3. Operating Class
Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.).
And Finally...
The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. I have not had a mail-in entry in over 6 years, probably even longer than that.
Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal.
You will receive an e-mail back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other e-mail address.
Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2023. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads.
You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event!
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, 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 Field Day - More Thoughts
It's that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a "picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!" The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2023 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 24, 2023 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 25, 2023. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 24 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event.
This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to Field Day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/
If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice.
It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO's. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO's to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO.
The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day,
e.g.:
W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX
KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG
W6NWG de KK5DO QSL
If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, EO-88 or the XW satellites. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW.
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, 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 Contacts
Webb Bridge Middle School, Alpharetta, GA, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ.
The ARISS mentor is W4NTR.
Contact is go for Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:20:31 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at www.ariotti.com starting 15min before AOS.
Fairview Elementary, Olathe, KS, telebridge via VK4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ.
The ARISS mentor is AJ9N.
Contact is go for Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:58:08 UTC.
Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin.
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR.
Contact is go for Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 19:15 UTC.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
+ IO74TJ; May 15-17
David, G0MRF has booked a short trip over to the Isle of Man, travelling out very early on Monday, May 15 and leaving the Island Wednesday, May 17 in the afternoon.
The callsign will be GD0MRF/P. He will be taking an IC-9700 and some LEO equipment as well as a dish/converters for QO-100.
Plans are as follows:
- Monday, May 15 from 08:00 UTC. QO-100. Will start with FT modes and move to SSB later in the day. If no takers later, he will move onto LEO/MEO.
- Tuesday, May 16 will focus on LEO/MEO. Mainly JO-97, RS-44 and IO-117; Especially any passes that cover NA.
- Wednesday, May 17th he will have a short time to drive around the Isle of Man TT course, but will come back on QO-100 for about one hour mid-morning for anyone who missed him on Monday.
QSL via LoTW. Updates while he's on Twitter @g0mrf.
+ EN84, EN85 and EN76; May 26-May 29.
Mike, N8MR will be using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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.
+ Dayton Hamvention
May 19-21
See "AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention" above for scheduled events.
Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385
https://hamvention.org/
+ AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
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)!”
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The 27-year-old FO-29 is still operational, but is in a period of periodic eclipses. JAMSAT control ops turn it on during some weekend passes over Japan, and it remains on while in the sun. But because the batteries failed long ago, it turns itself off again during eclipse. When the satellite returns to full sun, it will become reliable once again. Also, the FO-99 operating schedule for May is at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2128. [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information.]
+ When the crewed Artemis II mission makes its lunar flyby in late 2024, we’ll be able to see video of the moon like never before — and it’s all thanks to lasers. Along for the historic journey to the moon will be the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, or O2O — making Artemis II the first crewed lunar flight to demonstrate laser communications technology. The O2O system will be capable of returning high-resolution images and video of the lunar surface back to Earth with a downlink rate of up to 260 megabits per second. The laser system will also be able to send and receive procedures, flight plans, voice messages and other communications between the Orion spacecraft and mission control on Earth. Read the complete story at https://www.cnn.com/search?q=laser&from=0&size=10&page=1&sort=newest&types=…. [ANS thanks cnn.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, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org
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10 May '23
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-130
In this edition:
* TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet Ticket Deadline is Friday, May, 12, 2023.
* Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAS, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet
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-130 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 MAY 10
TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet Ticket Deadline is Friday, May, 12, 2023.
The deadline for ordering tickets for the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet is only two days away - the deadline for purchasing banquet ticket is Friday, May 12th! Remember, there will be no banquet ticket sales at the AMSAT booth or at the banquet door.
The 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention.
This year’s banquet speaker is Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, who will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events.
The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds.
Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline.
Order your tickets online at:
https://www.amsat.org/product/2023-tapr-amsat-joint-hamvention-banquet-regi…
[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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Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAS, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet
Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, will be the guest speaker at the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet. He will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events.
Dr. Frissell is a Space Physicist and Electrical Engineer at the University of Scranton’s Physics and Engineering Department. Dr. Frissell has a passion for radio science and remote sensing of the ionosphere. He was introduced to space physics and space weather in middle and high school through the hobby of amateur (ham) radio, where he was fascinated by long-distance radio propagation and the variability imposed on it by the geospace system.
In addition to leading him to pursue a Ph.D. in this field, it enabled him to found and lead the Ham radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI, hamsci.org), a citizen science collective that aims to bring together the professional research and the amateur radio communities. This has led to the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a nationwide ham radio experiment to study the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (hamsci.org/seqp), and an ongoing collaboration with the amateur radio electrical engineering organization TAPR (tapr.org) to develop a Personal Space Weather Station (hamsci.org/swstation). For his efforts, the amateur radio community has awarded him the prestigious 2017 Yasme Foundation Excellence award and the 2019 Dayton Amateur Radio Association Amateur of the Year Award.
In 2019, Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to fund a 3-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The grant supports a collaborative team to develop the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station, a modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation platform used to study variability in the coupled geospace system and to better understand HF radio propagation.
In 2021, he was awarded a $481,260 grant through the NASA Space Weather Applications Operations Phase II Research Program. Frissell served as principal investigator for a research project entitled, “Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets.” He collaborated with Philip Erickson, W1PJE, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and Bill Engelke, AB4EJ, at the University of Alabama.
“This grant includes significant funding for participation of Scranton undergraduate students in this research, as well as support for new computation resources,” Frissell said. He explained that the grant will fund “the development of an empirical model for the prediction of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) in high-frequency radio communications while investigating the geophysical drivers of these disturbances.” The grant covers two years of work.
Frissell said that the predictive, empirical TID models being developed uses data collected by the Reverse Beacon Network, WSPR, and PSKreporter — automated, global-scale radio communication observation networks operated by the amateur radio community. Undergraduate students help the faculty researchers to create algorithms used for the model development.
This NASA award complements a 5-year National Science Foundation grant of more than $616,000 that Frissell received in 2020. That investigation aims to understand the source of TIDs observed in amateur radio and other scientific datasets.
In addition, Dr. Frissell has a long-time passion for teaching and education. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University (2007). He voluntarily coordinated and taught amateur radio license classes and radio and astronomy merit badge classes. An Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member, Dr. Frissell taught science and technology for six summers at Forestburg Scout Reservation in New York, and taught amateur radio with the K2BSA group at multiple Boy Scout National Scout Jamborees.
[ANS thanks AMSAT, TAPR and the ARRL 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, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW.
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org
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