- ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-316 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 11 Nov '23

11 Nov '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-316 In this edition: * Trends in Propulsion Systems for Small Satellites * FO-99 Re-enters * URESAT-1 Designated Spain-OSCAR 120 (SO-120) * New Satellite Distance Records * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 10, 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-316 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 November 12 Trends in Propulsion Systems for Small Satellites Recently AMSAT News Service had the opportunity to interview Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP – Engineering about recent trends in propulsion systems for small satellites. ANS: “Jonathan, we understand you are looking at propulsion systems that might be added to future satellites. What is the impetus for this?” JB: “As we all know, debris is becoming a big issue in space. The amount of debris in space is growing and any of it that hits a satellite can cause significant damage. The European Space Agency estimates that there are more than 35,000 pieces of space debris, 2/3 of which is in LEO. Further, for the first time the FCC has issued a fine to Dish Network because they were not able to move its defunct EchoStar-7 satellite fully into the intended disposal orbit. Dish was supposed to move it 186 miles further from the earth, but it only reached 76 miles because the satellite ran out of fuel. This fine is likely a harbinger of things to come. “The FCC has pending requirements to be able to deorbit on command. Also, we are beginning to hear rumblings that we may have to be able to maneuver satellites to avoid a “conjunction event,” that is a collision. This is just in the conversation stage.” “In addition, we often wish to reach higher orbits with AMSAT’s satellites. With the ability to thrust we can launch into a lower and more accessible orbit then raise our orbit with onboard thrusters. ANS: “That is very crucial capability for AMSAT to add. What is required to do this and how difficult will it be to achieve?” JB: “We need three things: a GNSS – a Global Navigational Space System, an ADCS – an Attitude Determination, and Control System, and a thruster. “A GNSS is needed to determine the exact position of the satellite. We have a current ASCENT project in progress for this. “We have to be able to accurately determine the position and orientation of the satellite so that we know the thrusters are oriented in the correct direction when they are fired. We are currently planning to fly an ADCS on the GOLF-TEE satellite which estimated to be launched in Q2 2025. The plan is to fly an ADCS purchased from CubeSat. “We have a new ASCENT project for small satellite thrusters. This is our topic of discussion here. There are many different types of thruster systems. Examples are: - Solid motor thrusters which are very powerful, - Hall effect thrusters which are popular, large and power hungry but very reliable, - Electrospray thrusters are relatively inexpensive and simple. The propellant can be solid or a liquid which melts down quickly and then is accelerated out of the nozzle with an electric field. It is an affordable technology, and a moderately simple technology. - And pulsed plasma/vacuum arc thrusters which have the advantage of being a very, very simple and affordable technology. It uses an electric arc to ablate the material which becomes the fuel. The fuel material can be a light metal or a high technology plastic. “We’ve recently acquired a demonstration kit for a pulsed plasma type thruster. We are in the early stages of engaging our volunteers to perform an in-depth analysis of this thruster as part of our investigation to determine which thruster is the most appropriate for AMSAT. ANS: ”Interesting. How can we learn more?” JB: “I gave a 20-minute presentation on this at the recent AMSAT Annual Space Symposium, which you can see on YouTube. The presentation includes a short demonstration of a pulse plasma type thruster made by Hypernova Space. The demonstration includes firing the thruster, the control software, and some of the output data.” ANS: Thank you for your time, Jonathan! Link to Jonathan Brandenburg’s presentation is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=465s [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP – Engineering and Mark Blackwood, KI5AXK for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-99 Re-enters FO-99 re-entered on November 9, 2023 after nearly five years in orbit. Launched on January 18, 2019 on an Epsilon launch vehicle, the 1U CubeSat, named NEXUS for Next Generation X Unique Satellite, was designed and built by Nihon University in collaboration with JAMSAT. The satellite demonstrated a high speed QPSK transmitter and also sent SSTV transmissions and carried a VHF/UHF linear transponder. [ANS thanks Nihon University, JAMSAT, and AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------- URESAT-1 Designated Spain-OSCAR 120 (SO-120) On June 12, 2023, the URESAT-1 satellite was launched on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Developed by AMSAT-EA, the satellite carries an SSTV camera, and FM and digital repeater payloads to provide services to amateur radio enthusiasts around the world. Signals have been received with the use of several large dish ground stations, and efforts continue to deploy the spacecraft antennas and improve the downlink strength. At the request of AMSAT-EA, AMSAT hereby designates URESAT-1 as Spain-OSCAR 120 (SO-120). We congratulate AMSAT-EA, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them continued success on this and future projects. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT Vice President - Operations and OSCAR Number Administrator for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------- New Satellite Distance Records Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, set yet another distance record on October 15th when he worked Scott Richardson, N1AIA, on SO-50. Jérôme was located in JN14ch while Scott was in FN43rh, a distance of 5,645.3 km. This eclipses the previous record of 5,548 km set by KE9AJ and MI0ILE in May. Additionally, Puneit Singh, VU2TUM, claimed the initial distance record on Tevel-2 with a 3,815 km QSO with BA1PK in ON80eb. VU2TUM's QTH was ML88ij. [ANS thanks AMSAT Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 10, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: TY-1 NORAD Cat ID 41844 Decayed from orbit on or about 07 November 2023 Astrocast 0.2 NORAD Cat ID 44083 Does operate in the Amateur Satellite Service FO-99 NORAD Cat ID 43937 Decayed from orbit on 09 November 2023 YukonSat NORAD Cat ID 56316 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 November 2023 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: New Heights School & Learning Services, Calgary, AB, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is go for: Fri 2023-11-17 17:06:45 UTC 24 deg National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University, Nizhny, Novgorod, 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 Konstantin Borisov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Wed 2023-11-22 16:40 UTC 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 - Misconfigured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for Progress undock on November 29. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Progress docking on December 01. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Temporarily stowed. Default mode is for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. SSTV (Kenwood D710) – STATUS - OFF. Default mode is for scheduled SSTV operations (145.800 MHz down) * Next planned operation date(s) TBD. * Specifically configured for SSTV 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 No scheduled operations are listed at this time. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA has launched a new no cost, ad-free streaming service featuring live coverage and original video series. Details on the service, called NASA+, can be found at https://plus.nasa.gov/ (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Aviation Week has published an article entitled "CubeSats: How How An Accidental Standard Launched A New Space Age" which features quotes from AMSAT's 2023 Symposium keynote speaker Bob Twiggs. https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/commercial-space/cubesats-how-accidental… " + DO-64 (Delfi-C3) is rapidly approaching re-entry. Over 350 frames of telemetry have been submitted by amateur radio operators over the past few days. (ANS thanks Delfi Space for the above information) + Ireland's first satellite - EIRSAT-1 - is scheduled to launch at the end of the month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellite's downlink is 437.100 MHz (ANS thanks the EIRSAT-1 team for the above information) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

1 0

ANS-309 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for November 5, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 04 Nov '23

04 Nov '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-309 In this edition: * AMSAT Member and University of Louisiana Apply for ELaNa Grant * Delfi-C3 - DO64 Deorbiting Soon * VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing November 2023 * World Radiocommunication Conference to Consider Band Changes * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-309 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 NOV 05 AMSAT Member and University of Louisiana Apply for ELaNa Grant Bob Twiggs and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are applying for an ElaNa grant to fly 20 sub-1U satellites to low earth orbit. These sats are equipped with a two-way transceiver with enough link margin to communicate to a ground station with simple antennas. Included in this frame will be solar panels, batteries, an Arduino clone, a transceiver, and 150 ^ cm for your payload. Please see the YouTube link below for a more detailed description. If the ElaNa grant is approved this will allow the selected schools a very easy path to space. Bob and the University are now accepting application for you to participate in this program. The first five organizations to apply will be free while the remaining applicants must pay ~$200.00 in order to be part of the project. If you have an interest in this exciting opportunity, please contact Nick Pugh, K5QXK at quadpugh [at] bellsouth [dot] net. A detailed description of the project can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/live/DzKKHTBxyY8?si=s400V901Ysz19gcA&t=4039. [ANS thanks Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Delfi-C3 - DO64 Deorbiting Soon After more than 15 years in orbit, Delfi-C3's mission is about to come to an end. The team predict that re-entry will take place around November 16th 2023. The re-entry date might vary depending on the solar activity, which is very hard to predict accurately. See also @Marco_Langbroek on Twitter for a similar prediction. https://twitter.com/Marco_Langbroek/status/1720110996499349663 Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, says, "We would like to request all amateur radio operators / SWL's / satellite enthusiasts worldwide to listen for Delfi-C3's telemetry downlink on 145.867 MHz, 1200 baud AX.25 BPSK. We will hand out an award certificate to the person submitting the last Delfi-C3 telemetry frame." This can be done either through the RASCAL software (updated version coming), through the SATNOGS network or by sending us decoded telemetry frames with reception time and location via email to Delfi_at_tudelft.nl. On behalf of the entire Delfi-C3 team, we would like to sincerely thank the worldwide amateur radio/SWL/satellite community for assisting the team by forwarding received telemetry and reception reports. Delfi-C3 is a CubeSat satellite constructed by students at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It is a 3U CubeSat launched on April 28, 2008. Wouter recalls, "Back in 2008 we could not imagine the great support received so far and the many first we had, including a successful ground network and flying the first linear transponder in a CubeSat. We strongly believe that Delfi-C3 has paved the way for many follow-on missions, both amateur and commercial, and has been a great step towards maturing CubeSat technology as well as training the next generation of space engineers. Stay tuned for updates!" [ANS thanks Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing November 2023 + VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2023 to November 01, 2023. ------------------------------------------------------------ WA4NVM 1639 1653 K8DP 1555 1575 WC7V 1400 1426 N8RO 1356 1368 W5CBF 1201 1224 N0JE 1025 1057 S57NML 615 1028 F4BKV 900 1000 XE1AO 801 1000 N3GS 980 986 NS3L 851 875 W8LR 801 818 KN2K 804 808 KQ4DO 750 808 VE1VOX 610 731 N0GVK 543 701 XE1MYO 575 650 N8MR 581 617 N6UTC 525 551 KB2YSI 450 531 JG6CDH 468 515 A65BR 477 513 IW7DOL 474 504 JS1LQI 318 436 N3CAL 412 435 KO9A 424 434 N8URE (FM19) 409 430 JN1BPM 314 426 NA1ME 350 383 DL8GAM 301 351 N6PAZ 290 326 CT1ETE 283 323 JR8QFG 105 255 KB3IAI 175 254 KH6WI 203 252 KV4T 219 238 JI5USJ 200 236 DJ7NT 133 234 ZS1TA 152 202 K6VHF 151 201 N7GR 141 179 JF3MKC 150 175 JA1XGI New 174 I1FQH New 173 JL3OUW New 123 KB9RUG New 121 KS4YT 100 113 A65D New 111 KI7WXP New 100 YG3EMH New 100 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. YG3EMH is first VUCC Satellite holder from Indonesia and OI71. KI7WXP is first VUCC Satellite holder from DN09. A65D is first VUCC Satellite holder from LL74. + DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2023 to November 01, 2023. ------------------------------------------------------------ YO2KHK 142 151 SV8CS 146 150 YO2RR 136 138 WC7V 100 125 ZS2BK New 106 K0JM New 101 YU0W New 101 F5VMJ New 100 KE8RJU New 100 TF1A New 100 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new DXCC holders. K0JM is first DXCC Satellite holder from MN. YU0W is first DXCC Satellite holder from Serbia. TF1A is first DXCC Satellite holder from Iceland. [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ World Radiocommunication Conference to Consider Band Changes The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will hold its 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) on November 20 - December 15 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ITU is the United Nations' specialized agency for information and communication technologies. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the ITU includes 193 member states and several hundred Sector members and associates. WRC conferences are held every three to four years to review and revise, if necessary, the ITU Radio Regulations, which is the international treaty governing use of the radio frequency spectrum and geostationary satellite and non-geostationary satellite orbits. Among issues of interest to amateur satellite operators is an agenda item to "Review of the amateur service and the amateur-satellite service allocations in the frequency band 1240-1300 MHz to determine if additional measures are required to ensure protection of the radionavigation-satellite (space-to-Earth) service operating in the same band." To learn more about the WRC-23, visit https://www.itu.int/wrc-23/about/about-wrcs/. [ANS thanks the ARRL and ITU for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2023 The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Ex-Alta 2 NORAD Cat ID 56313 Decayed from orbit on or about 28 October 2023 ARKSAT 1 NORAD Cat ID 56311 Decayed from orbit on or about 30 October 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/ [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Completed Contacts Walkerston State School, Walkerston, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember was Loral O'Hara, KI5TOM. The ARISS mentor was VK4KHZ. Contact was successful on Friday, October 3, 2023. + Upcoming Contacts Halls Head College, Mandurah, Western Australia, Australia, telebridge via ZS6JON. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Loral O'Hara, KI5TOM. The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ. Contact is go for Monday, November 11, 2023 at 07:52:56 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 A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + On Thursday, NASA launched a new app to make it easier than ever to spot the International Space Station in the night sky. NASA has long operated the Spot the Station website, but its new app, available on both iPhone and Android, brings augmented reality features and a handy interface to learn more about the orbiting laboratory. Find the app at the Apple App Store or at Google Play. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information.] + Three Chinese astronauts lifted off on the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center deep in the Gobi Desert on Oct. 26, heading for the Tiangong space station for a six-month stay. This is China's sixth manned mission to its space station since 2021. China has sought to open up its station to collaboration with international partners, including by hosting experiments from other countries. It has promised an amateur radio presence aboard Tiangong, but no amateur activity has been observed thus far. [ANS thanks CNN for the above information.] + SatDump is a popular program that is used with RTL-SDRs and other SDRs for decoding transmissions from a wide array of weather satellites and their various imagers and sensors. Recently SatDump's author Alan Antoine, F4LAU has been working on improving the way projections work. Projections are essentially when the weather satellite image is stretched and skewed to fit correctly over the curved earth. This means now that city markings and border lines should show up in the correct placed in any images received from SatDump. If you're interested, Alan has uploaded blog post on the SatDump website explaining the math, algorithms and problems he found when trying to get projections done right. Read more at https://www.satdump.org/. [ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW. n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

1 0

ANS-302 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 28 Oct '23

28 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-302 In this edition: * 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting YouTube Videos Available * ARISS Announces 40th Anniversary Conference at NASA Kennedy Space Center * Upcoming International Space Station Slow Scan TV Transmission Test * ISRO's Gaganyaan Successful Test Flight Sets Stage for Crewed Space Mission * NASA's Voyager Spacecraft Receive Software Patch to Extend Their Mission * Satellite Top 100 Rovers October 2023 Rankings * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 26 * 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-302 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 OCT 29 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting YouTube Videos Available Did you miss the recent AMSAT Space Symposium in Irving, Texas? Were you unable to participate in the Symposium Livestream event? Perhaps you are eager to rewatch a specific presentation. You're in luck because AMSAT has shared more than twelve hours of video recordings on their YouTube page. You can easily find these videos by clicking on the Live tab under The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation channel. Furthermore, YouTube offers Closed Captioning for these recordings; just click on the 'CC' icon in the video player's lower right corner. If you'd prefer, you can also enable subtitles in multiple languages by clicking the gear icon, then choosing Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate and selecting your preferred language. To help you quickly access video from the AMSAT Annual General Meeting along with the sixteen presentations given at this year's AMSAT Symposium, we have included direct links for you below. AMSAT 41st AMSAT Space Symposium Welcome Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=380s A Survey of Small Satellite Propulsion Systems Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=465s Microwave Ambitions for GOLF Satellites Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, AMSAT Board of Directors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=2270s AMSAT Engineering Update Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=3825s ASCENT and Fox-Plus Updates Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=8575s PACSAT Update and Demonstration Bill Reed, NX5R, PACSAT Project Manager https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=10095s CubeSatSim Update and Demonstration Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=720s ThinSat Project for High Schools Nick Pugh, K5QXY, and Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=4040s AMSAT Youth Initiative Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP Development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=6595s Amateur Radio Spectrum Use in the Lunar Environment Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=8650s Amateur Satellite Secondary Payloads Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT Board of Directors/VP Operations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=10500s AMSAT-HB Update Michael Lipp, HB9WDF, President, AMSAT-HB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=12150s AMSAT-UK Update David Bowman, G0MRF, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=13205s ARISS Update Dave Taylor, W8AAS, AMSAT US Delegate to ARISS International https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=18600s 40th Anniversary of Hams in Space & 2024 Anniversary Event Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=21305s Planned Non-AMSAT Amateur Satellites Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=22970s Space Qualified Antennas Kent Britain, WA5VJB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=23880s AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8&t=27575s [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Announces 40th Anniversary Conference at NASA Kennedy Space Center In recognition of the positive impact of amateur radio on human spaceflight, an exciting celebration is on the horizon. Space enthusiasts, astronauts, educators, and amateur radio operators are coming together to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of a groundbreaking event. This pivotal moment occurred when Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, pioneered amateur radio communication from space during his mission on the STS-9 Space Shuttle Columbia flight, spanning from November 28 to December 8, 1983. Astronaut Garriott, during his free time on the STS-9 mission, became the first person in space to communicate with amateur radio operators on the ground. Moreover, his radio signals were the first ever to be directly heard from space by the public, using nothing more than simple FM receivers and scanners. This milestone forever changed astronaut communication, opening up interaction with amateur radio operators and the public, who previously had limited access to speak with spacefarers. Over the past four decades, Garriott's pioneering mission has paved the way for countless interactions between astronauts and Earthlings through the medium of amateur radio, on the Space Shuttle, Mir space station, and the International Space Station. Over a million people on Earth have directly participated in these astronaut radio contact engagements, with a particular emphasis on educational youth contacts. This initiative, coupled with pre-contact education programs, has ignited the spark of curiosity and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) among youth worldwide. As the 40th anniversary of human spaceflight amateur radio approaches, the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) team is inviting volunteer teams, astronauts, space agency officials, educators, and space and amateur radio enthusiasts to join them in commemorating and celebrating this inspirational journey. The event, titled the "40th Anniversary Celebration of the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight" is scheduled to take place from February 22 to 24, 2024, at the Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation, located adjacent to the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Florida. The conference promises an array of engaging activities, including tours of the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center, exhibits on human spaceflight amateur radio, networking sessions, STEM education demonstrations, and two days filled with astronaut panel sessions. Attendees can also look forward to presentations by STEM career alumni and recollections shared by educators and volunteer team alumni who supported hardware development, flight operations, and youth STEM engagement for the Shuttle, Mir, and ISS missions. In a special request, the organizers of the event are seeking the stories of students who participated in the SAREX (Shuttle/Space Amateur Radio Experiment), Mir, and ARISS programs over the last 40 years and have since pursued careers in STEM. These students or those who know them are encouraged to get in touch with the organizers through in-person participation, video submissions, emails, or letters. Additionally, educator testimonials regarding the impact of these programs in schools are welcomed. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a collaborative initiative between international amateur radio societies and space agencies supporting the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors include the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN), and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to foster exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics through organized scheduled contacts between ISS crew members and students via amateur radio. These contacts are accompanied by hands-on learning activities related to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For registration and special event pricing at local hotels for the 40th Anniversary Conference, visit the event website at https://www.ariss.org and select the "40th Anniversary" tab. [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS Public Relations, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming International Space Station Slow Scan TV Transmission Test The International Space Station (ISS) is set to conduct a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) transmission test between October 27 and November 1, 2023. The test will serve to verify the performance of replacement SSTV equipment onboard the station. However, the test will be divided into two windows due to an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) taking place during that time frame. The first window for SSTV transmissions will open on Friday, October 27, at 12:15 UTC and will run until Sunday, October 29, at 18:50 UTC. The second window will begin on Tuesday, October 31, at 10:05 UTC and conclude on Wednesday, November 1, at 18:10 UTC. During these windows, the SSTV transmissions will take place on 145.800 MHz using the PD120 format. It's important to note that, similar to the earlier October test, the SSTV transmissions may not be active at all times within the specified windows. Therefore, enthusiasts and radio operators eager to capture these images should monitor the frequencies and times closely. The ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) SSTV gallery will be available for individuals to share the images they receive. The gallery can be accessed at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php. For more information on the SSTV images transmitted from the ISS, you can visit the Gallery Website. This website will showcase some of the best SSTV images received during the test period. No ARISS SSTV awards will be given for this event through the https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ website. Stay tuned for further updates and don't miss the chance to participate in this unique opportunity to capture images from space. For official updates and notifications related to the SSTV test, individuals are encouraged to follow ARISS on Twitter (@ARISS_Intl). [ANS thanks ARISS (@ARISS_Intl on Twitter) for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISRO's Gaganyaan Successful Test Flight Sets Stage for Crewed Space Mission India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has taken a significant step forward in its ambitious Gaganyaan project by successfully conducting the first in a series of test flights. The project aims to send astronauts into space by 2025, making India the fourth country, after the Soviet Union, the United States, and China, to achieve this milestone. The Gaganyaan spacecraft took to the skies at 10:00 local time (04:30 UTC) on Saturday from the Sriharikota launch site. Notably, this was the second attempt on the same day, as the first launch was put on hold just five seconds before its scheduled liftoff. The primary objective of this test flight, known as the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1), was to ascertain the spacecraft's ability to safely rescue the crew in the event of a rocket malfunction. This "crew escape system (CES)," a critical component, had to prove its effectiveness during the test. S Somanath, the Chairman of ISRO, announced the success of the mission, eliciting cheers and applause from his colleagues. The positive outcome of this test flight now paves the way for a series of unmanned missions, including sending a robot into space next year. The Gaganyaan project, named after the Sanskrit word for "craft" or "vehicle to the sky," has been developed at a cost of 90 billion rupees ($1 billion; £897 million). Its mission objective is to send a crew of three astronauts into low-Earth orbit, circling at an altitude of 400 kilometers (248 miles), for a duration of three days. Success in this endeavor will position India alongside the elite spacefaring nations. However, before embarking on this monumental mission, ISRO needed to confirm the safe return of the human-carrying capsule. This crucial safety aspect was addressed in the TV-D1 test flight, where the ability to ensure the crew's safety by moving them at least 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the rocket in case of an emergency was demonstrated. As part of the post-launch procedure, a series of parachutes were deployed to guide the module safely to the waters of the Bay of Bengal, approximately 10 kilometers from the Sriharikota coast. The Indian navy, with a ship and a team of divers, was prepared to recover the module and return it to shore. The Gaganyaan test vehicle, equipped with cameras and instruments, collected valuable data and imagery during the mission. ISRO expects that this data will aid in conducting further tests and preparing for the final Gaganyaan mission. With the successful completion of this test, ISRO is set to send a humanoid robot, named Vyommitra (Sanskrit for "space friend"), into space within an unmanned Gaganyaan spacecraft next year. The agency has also been diligently preparing Indian air force pilots, selected to be part of the crew, by subjecting them to a battery of tests, including extensive physical exercise, lab investigations, radiological assessments, clinical tests, and evaluations of their psychological fitness. The Gaganyaan test flight generated substantial interest in India, even though it came more than half a century after astronauts from the Soviet Union and the United States embarked on journeys to low Earth orbit. China became the third nation to achieve spaceflight in 2003. India's recent historic lunar landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023 and the launch of the Aditya-L1, its first Sun observation mission, have also elevated its space achievements. In a bold vision for the future, India announced plans to establish a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040, reaffirming its commitment to expanding its presence in space exploration. [ANS thanks Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA's Voyager Spacecraft Receive Software Patch to Extend Their Mission In an ongoing effort to extend the life of NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, a team of dedicated engineers and scientists is working diligently to address the myriad challenges posed by the aging deep-space explorers. Launched nearly half a century ago, these iconic vessels have ventured into the far reaches of interstellar space, where their primary mission is to study cosmic rays, the magnetic field, and the plasma environment. These missions, despite their age, continue to provide valuable scientific data. Nevertheless, as the years have gone by, the Voyagers have encountered several technical issues that necessitate creative solutions to ensure their continued functionality. Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the importance of prolonging the mission's longevity. "These are measures that we're trying to take to extend the life of the mission," Dodd stated. One of the primary challenges faced by the Voyager team is the lack of redundancy in the spacecraft. After more than four decades in space, the Voyagers no longer possess backup systems, meaning that a failure of a single component could jeopardize the entire mission. "Everything on both spacecraft is single-string," Dodd explained. "There are not any backup capabilities left. In some cases, we powered off stuff to save power, just to keep the instruments on." To address recent issues and ensure the continued success of the missions, NASA has taken innovative approaches. Ground controllers at JPL recently uplinked a software patch to Voyager 2, as a test before deploying the same patch to Voyager 1. The patch aims to rectify a computer issue that had persisted since 2022, where the Voyager 1 computer responsible for orienting the spacecraft was sending garbled status reports. Furthermore, engineers have developed a new strategy for operating the spacecraft's thrusters. These thrusters are essential for keeping the main antenna on each probe pointed at Earth, and there is a buildup of propellant residue in the narrow lines that feed hydrazine fuel to the thrusters. While this approach may result in occasional data loss, it will significantly extend the overall mission by preventing the complete blockage of the propellant inlet tubes. "These two spacecraft are still operating, still returning uniquely valuable science data, and every extra day we get data back is a blessing," Dodd emphasized. Another pressing issue is the spacecraft's declining power levels, as they rely on nuclear batteries that gradually produce less electricity each year. The power situation is currently stable and predictable, but as the batteries continue to degrade, NASA anticipates having to deactivate Voyager's science instruments one by one late in the decade. Once the transmitter's power requirements exceed the available power, the mission will come to an end. Nevertheless, the Voyagers continue to push the boundaries of space exploration. Both spacecraft are now in the realm of interstellar space, representing the farthest human-made objects from Earth. These pioneering missions have not only provided an invaluable wealth of scientific knowledge but have also become a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of NASA's engineering and science teams. "If you only look at the power situation, the Voyagers should make it until 2030, and maybe slightly longer," Dodd stated. "But there are a lot of other issues that could pop up and cause a mission to fail." With contact still maintained with the Voyagers, albeit with a small team, it is NASA's hope that these venerable spacecraft will continue their journey and provide insights into the mysteries of the universe for years to come. "They've overcome lots of issues, and the engineers have been very clever in overcoming those issues," Dodd concluded. "I think the focus now is let's get to 50 and have the biggest party we can." [ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Space Reporter at Ars Technica, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Top 100 Rovers October 2023 Rankings The October 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data. Updated: 2023-10-02 1 ND9M 26 KE4AL 51 AD7DB 76 DF2ET 2 NJ7H 27 LU5ILA 52 KE9AJ 77 OE3SEU 3 N5UC 28 VE3HLS 53 VE1CWJ 78 W8LR 4 JA9KRO 29 KI7UNJ 54 JL3RNZ 79 CU2ZG 5 DL6AP 30 KB5FHK 55 KM4LAO 80 K0FFY 6 HA3FOK 31 F5VMJ 56 N4UFO 81 N0TEL 7 WI7P 32 LA9XGA 57 SM3NRY 82 KB2YSI 8 N9IP 33 N7AGF 58 VA7LM 83 KJ7NDY 9 WY7AA 34 DL2GRC 59 N8RO 84 YU0W 10 N6UA 35 XE3DX 60 KI7QEK 85 VE6WK 11 W5PFG 36 N6DNM 61 PT2AP 86 VE7PTN 12 AD0DX 37 F4BKV 62 W1AW 87 AF5CC 13 K5ZM 38 KE0PBR 63 AA8CH 88 HB9GWJ 14 DP0POL 39 K7TAB 64 VE1VOX 89 PT9ST 15 AK8CW 40 AC0RA 65 M1DDD 90 DK9JC 16 AD0HJ 41 KE0WPA 66 VK5DG 91 VO2AC 17 WD9EWK 42 JO2ASQ 67 FG8OJ 92 DL4EA 18 ON4AUC 43 W7WGC 68 PT9BM 93 KG4AKV 19 KG5CCI 44 JK2XXK 69 VA3VGR 94 LW2DAF 20 KX9X 45 EA4NF 70 LU4JVE 95 JM1CAX 21 ND0C 46 PR8KW 71 XE1ET 96 KC7JPC 22 K8BL 47 AA5PK 72 KI7UXT 97 AB5SS 23 N5BO 48 EB1AO 73 N4DCW 98 A41ZZ 24 DJ8MS 49 SP5XSD 74 WA9JBQ 99 K4DCA 25 UT1FG 50 F4DXV 75 VE3GOP 100 WN9Q [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 26 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Reaktor Hello World NORAD Cat ID 43743 Decayed from orbit on or about 22 October 2023 Astrocast 0.1 NORAD Cat ID 43798 Does not appear to operate in the Amateur Satellite Service Al Farabi 2 NORAD Cat ID 43805 Probably defunct [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Recently Completed A. L. Burruss Elementary School, Marietta, GA, direct via K4RGK The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL The ARISS mentor was K4RGK Contact was successful: Tue 2023-10-24 16:14:50 UTC Watch the video online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Dkz_E1Fug + Upcoming Contacts Walkerston State School, Walkerston, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ Contact is go for: Fri 2023-11-03 11:24:58 UTC ARISS planned radio outage this week. In support of the spacewalk by NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, and Loral O'Hara, KI5TOM, planned for Mon. 10/30 the Voice Repeater & Digipeater will be off for the event. Current Schedule: Radios Off: Sun. Oct. 29 about 18:50 UTC | 2:50 PM ET Radios On: Tue. Oct. 31 about 10:05 UTC | 6:05 AM ET 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 YJ, NEW HEBRIDES: YJ0TT will be the callsign for a contest team effort from Efate Island. Operators will also be active before and after (from Oct. 26 until Nov. 3) as YJ0SR (N7JI), YJ0ET (NG7E), YJ0NA (K6VHF via satellites), YJ0UC (W6UC), and YJ0EE (NJ6P, 6m EME). For more information see: https://www.dxobsessed.org/home Ray, KN2K, will be operating in grid square FM27 on November 1st through November 2nd. Watch @KN2K1 on Twitter for rove updates and https://hams.at for pass details. Jonathan, N4AKV, is planning to operate from the EM82/83 gridline in GA on FM, Linears, and GreenCube on November 4th. Passes will be available soon on https://hams.at. 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. + 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight Thursday February 22nd through Saturday February 24th, 2024 Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation Kennedy Space Center, M6-306 405 State Road, FL 32899 https://www.ariss.org/overview.html [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Congratulations the following individuals on receiving the AMSAT Rover Award for their outstanding achievements in portable satellite operating: Manfred Bester, AG7NR (#081) and Jonathan Eernisse, N4AKV (#082). 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) + Ray Crafton, KN2K, presents a "Simple, Portable Satellite Tracker" in the ARRL QST November 2023 edition. This tracker utilizes two servo gearboxes, SatPC32 for control, and an Arduino Uno for translation of commands. It is powered by a 13.8 VDC source, typically a 30 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery. The tracker consists of four subsystems: servo mount, adaptable antenna mount, servo control box, and control software interpreting SatPC32 commands. The servo mount includes Stingray-4 and Stingray-9 gearboxes for azimuth and elevation. The antenna mount offers flexibility for accommodating a range of antennas, and the servo control box houses an Arduino Uno along with power converters. For detailed construction notes and updates, the ARRL website https://www.arrl.org/qst-in-depth provides additional resources and information. (ANS thanks Ray Crafton, KN2K and the American Radio Relay League for the above information) + NASA has revealed that it has already processed 70.3 grams of rocks and dust collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission from asteroid Bennu. That means the mission has way exceeded its goal of bringing 60 grams of asteroid samples back to Earth — especially since NASA scientists have yet to open the primary sample container that made its way back to our planet in September. Apparently, they're struggling to open the container and could not remove two of its 35 fasteners using the tools currently available to them. The scientists are processing the samples inside a specialized glovebox with a flow of nitrogen in order to keep them from being exposed to our atmosphere and any contaminants. They can't just use any implement to break the container's fasteners open either: The tool must fit inside the glovebox, and it also must not compromise the samples' integrity. NASA has sealed the primary container sample for now, while it's developing the procedure to be able to open it over the next few weeks. (ANS thanks Engadget for the above information) + SpaceX will launch four European navigation satellites for the ESA due to delays in European launcher development. The agreement entails two Falcon 9 launches in 2024, each carrying two Galileo navigation satellites, pending approval from the European Commission and EU member states. Europe's preference was to use its own rockets, like Ariane 6 and Vega-C, but technical issues led them to seek SpaceX's services. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine ruled out the use of Soyuz rockets. These Galileo satellites are crucial for maintaining an independent European global satellite navigation system, and they contain encrypted communication equipment for European military use. This marks the first time in 15 years that Galileo satellites will launch from outside Europe and the first instance of SpaceX launching European satellites with classified equipment. (ANS thanks TechCrunch for the above information) + SpaceX plans to launch 144 missions in the coming year, aiming to increase its already impressive launch frequency. In 2023, the company has already completed 74 orbital missions, breaking its own previous record of 61 set in 2022. SpaceX intends to reach 100 flights this year, requiring a significant acceleration in launch cadence. They aim to achieve approximately 12 flights per month in 2024. Most of these missions will be dedicated to the Starlink internet-satellite megaconstellation. While Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have dominated SpaceX's missions so far, they are working on their reusable Starship rocket for future exploration, with a second test flight pending approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. SpaceX aims for rapid hardware development through frequent test flights despite regulatory challenges. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half-time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ ad0hj [at] amsat.org

1 0

ANS-295 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 21 Oct '23

21 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-295 In this edition: * AMSAT Board Appoints Officers, Hears Reports * AMSAT Board Discusses Policies and Procedures * AMSAT Symposium Takes Place in Dallas * ESTCube-2 Fails to Deploy After Launch * Scientists Confirm Ancient Solar Storm * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Oct. 19 * EVA Event Upcoming on ISS * 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-295 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 OCT 22 AMSAT Board Appoints Officers, Hears Reports The AMSAT Board of Directors met on Thursday, Oct. 19 in Dallas, Texas in advance of the annual meeting and Symposium. + Since Board members whose terms were expiring were all re-elected, the Board was as previously constituted. Frank Karnauskas was welcomed as the new Alternate Board member. + All officers were re-appointed by acclamation: President -- Robert Bankston, KE4AL, Dothan, AL Executive Vice President -- Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Washington, DC Vice President - Engineering -- Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Granbury, TX Vice President - Operations -- Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Brooksville, FL Vice President - Educational Relations -- Alan Johnston, KU2Y, Philadelphia, PA Vice President - Development -- Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, Tucson, AZ Treasurer -- Steve Belter, N9IP, West Lafayette, IN Secretary -- Jeff Davis, KE9V, Yorktown, IN + President Robert Bankston gave his President's Report. His focus was on improving transparency and accountability between AMSAT leadership and membership. This would include better reporting of finances, better standards for publishing our accomplishments, more attention to Member Services for member satisfaction, and redesign of the AMSAT website. + Treasurer Steve Belter was not in attendance, but the Treasurer's Report was given on his behalf. The financial status of the organization is healthy. + Alan Johnston, Vice President - Educational Relations, reported that the CubeSat Simulators are getting good use in the amateur community, as well as in universities and high schools. The Simulator circuit boards have been selling well, and the fully built loaners are circulating constantly. An upgraded Simulator board, v.2, is in beta, and testers will be recruited from among builders of version 1. A new v.2 kit should become available next year. + The engineering report by Jerry Buxton, Vice President - Engineering, and Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Assistant Vice President - Engineering. The engineering team now consists of more than 35 volunteers, each working 4 to 5 hours per week, on various projects for Fox-Plus, GOLF, ASCENT, and other related efforts. Recruiting of engineering volunteers is ongoing. Engineering challenges include supply chain problems and inflationary pressures. As technology advances quickly, some components become unavailable in the space between planning and construction. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) make international cooperation difficult. The GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) program was approved in 2017 as an incremental development path for return to High Earth Orbit (HEO). Applications for the first two satellites in this program, GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1, have both been accepted by NASA. The satellites are under construction, and the first will be delivered to NASA in late 2025, but there is no time frame for launch at this time. ASCENT (Advanced Satellite Communication and Exploration of New Technology) allows a "sandbox" for future satellite systems to be explored for eventual flight. Some of these projects are being incorporated into GOLF, including the deployable solar panels and the 3U cubesat structure. Fox-Plus, a 1U cubesat, is currently under construction utilizing the Linear Transponder Module similar to those that have been supplied to partners such as HuskySat and MESAT-1. The first Fox-Plus satellite will be completed no earlier than late 2024, with no time frame for launch at this time. + Vice President - Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, gave a rundown on satellites in orbit. We have a number of old satellites that keep chugging along, and the Operations team manages these resources as possible. + Vice President - Development, Frank Karnauskas, reported on plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of AO-07 and the publicity surrounding it. There was also discussion of the AMSAT News Service bulletins and how they are distributed. + The IT report focused on the availability of @amsat.org email accounts. Costs of maintaining this service have increased immensely, and there have been many problems with spam filters crushing mail sent through this service. + Board Member Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported on AMSAT Field Day and the awards programs. The AMSAT Store, reached through the amsat.org website, continues to do a brisk business with the SatPC32 tracking program being the best seller. + Export Control and Economic Sanctions Compliance Training was the last item on the agenda. President Bankston briefed the Board on current legal requirements. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Board Discusses Policies and Procedures President Robert Bankston reconvened the Board of Directors on Friday morning, Oct. 20. Bankston opened with a discussion of AMSAT’s policies and procedures, specifically the financial policies and procedures. Discussion ensued regarding communicating information regarding Engineering projects and a public release of schedules. In some cases, legal agreements preclude release of specific launch information. Discussion also continued regarding budgeting procedures for Engineering projects. Bankston compiled a list of further items for new business to discuss by the end of the meeting. Further new business discussion followed. Paul Stoetzer raised the issue of a document repository to manage corporate documents for improving management and communication. It was broadly agreed that AMSAT would seek a solution in concert with the IT team. Drew Glasbrenner was recognized to discuss a potential updated satellite tracking software. A concern was raised that more senior AMSAT leadership should attend various conferences and events. It was agreed that there would be an increase in the amount budgeted for attendance at conferences in the 2024 Budget. There was discussion of allocating funds for services would be contracted for user services, since AMSAT no longer has any employees. A discussion also ensued on the AMSAT IP Policy. It was agreed that ideas for updating it would be developed and discussed in January. Alternate Director Frank Karnauskas was recognized to discuss the need to define positions before filling them with volunteers. Some feel that positions need to be flexible in order to fit the willingness of volunteers. Jerry Buxton opened discussion of ITU/FCC satellite authorization. He suggested obtaining external support to handle applications for satellite authorization. Drew Glasbrenner, as the AMSAT licensee, concurred. It was broadly agreed that it would be a benefit. As the 50th anniversary of AO-7 draws near, plans are in the works for celebrating the anniversary. Also discussed were potential locations for the 2024 Symposium. It was broadly agreed that Florida would be the location. President Bankston mentioned his desire for re-engagement with our sister AMSATs around the world on satellite programs. The Board broadly agreed that the President should reach out to international AMSAT leadership and begin discussions. The need was discussed for an updating of the Getting Started Guide and the need for a new editor. President Bankston adjourned the meeting so that all could move on to attending the 41st AMSAT Symposium. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, Acting Secretary, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Symposium Takes Place in Dallas The 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting was held October 20-21 in Dallas, Texas. Nearly 60 participants were in attendance. The Symposium sessions will be available for viewing on AMSAT's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AMSATNA/ Friday, October 20 + Welcome from Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President + A Survey of Small Satellite Propulsion Systems by Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering + AMSAT Engineering Update from Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering; Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering; sZach Metzinger, N0ZGO, AMSAT Board of Directors + PACSAT Update and Demonstration by Bill Reed, NX5R, PACSAT Project Manager, et al Saturday, October 21 + Welcome from Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President + CubeSatSim Update and Demonstration by Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Resources + ThinSat Project for High Schools by Nick Pugh, K5QXY, and Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD + AMSAT Youth Initiative by Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP Development + Amateur Radio Spectrum Use in the Lunar Environment by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director + Amateur Satellite Secondary Payloads by Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT Board of Directors/VP Operations + AMSAT-HB Update from Michael Lipp, HB9WDF, President, AMSAT-HB + ARISS Update from Dave Taylor, W8AAS, AMSAT U.S. Delegate to ARISS International + 40th Anniversary of Hams in Space & 2024 Anniversary Event by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director + Planned Non-AMSAT Amateur Satellites by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President + Space Qualified Antennas by Kent Britain, WA5VJB The session was followed by the AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony, and in the evening, by the AMSAT Symposium Banquet. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ESTCube-2 Fails to Deploy After Launch A pair of payloads that were among 12 carried to orbit aboard the Arianespace-managed Vega VV23 flight failed to be deployed and likely burned up in the atmosphere still attached to the rocket’s upper stage. The Vega VV23 flight was launched on October 9 at 01:36 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The rocket carried the THEOS-2 and FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON satellites as its primary payloads and ten smaller satellites as secondary payloads. Following a successful launch, Arianespace published a press release confirming that the two primary payloads and eight of the ten secondary payloads had been deployed. However, the launch services provider added that “the separation of the last 2 cubesats is still to be confirmed.” The launch utilized the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser, which was designed by SAB Aerospace for Avio and is operated by Arianespace with the support of SAB Launch Services. In an email sent by Arianespace to the affected teams that European Spaceflight has seen, the launch services provider explained that the ESTCube-2 and ANSER-Leader cubesats likely failed to separate from their respective deployers. “Following the VEGA VV23 launch last Sunday, ARIANESPACE has now the strong suspicion that your satellites ESTCube-2 and ANSER-Leader were unfortunately not separated from their respective deployers,” said the email. ESTcube-2, a 3U cubesat, was built by the Estonian Student Satellite Foundation and was supposed to carry a 9600bps digipeater similar to the former FalconSat-3, as well as several other amateur-related experiments. [ANS thanks European Spaceflight for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Scientists Confirm Ancient Solar Storm The largest known solar storm struck Earth more than 14,000 years ago, according to a new study of the growth rings in ancient trees. A similar storm striking Earth at present would likely knock out radio communications and satellites while causing widespread blackouts. Carbon-14 (C14), the rarest carbon isotope on the planet, is primarily formed by cosmic rays emitted by the Sun through solar flares and coronal mass ejections interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. The radioactive carbon isotope can eventually be absorbed by living organisms — like trees, plants and animals — throughout their lifetimes. The amount of C14 in certain organisms can reflect how abundant the isotope was in the atmosphere and, by extension, the amount of solar activity present at a given time. A team of scientists discovered evidence of the storm by measuring the levels of C14 in rings of ancient pine trees that lived in the French Alps more than 14,000 years ago. The researchers hypothesized that the abrupt spike was likely from a massive solar storm that was probably two times larger than all other major storms on record. To verify their hypothesis, the researchers turned to ice cores, or cylinders of ice drilled from ice sheets and glaciers. They discovered that the C14 spike in the trees corresponded with an unusual concentration of beryllium-10 from between 14,301 and 14,292 years ago found in a Greenland ice core. Tim Heaton, a professor of applied statistics at the University of Leeds and a co-author of the new study in the journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, noted that, "Extreme solar storms could have huge impacts on Earth. They would also create severe radiation risks to astronauts." [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Oct. 19 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Robusta 1B NORAD Cat ID 42792 Decayed from orbit on or about 16 October 2023 LO-87 LUSEX NORAD Cat ID 41557 Decayed from orbit on or about 19 October 2023 [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EVA Event Upcoming on ISS Two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk Monday, Oct. 30, to complete maintenance activities at the orbital complex. Live coverage of the spacewalk begins at 6:30 a.m. EDT on NASA Television, the NASA app<https://www.nasa.gov/apps/>, and the agency’s website< https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/>. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin about 8:05 a.m., and last about six-and-a-half hours. NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, and Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM, will exit the station’s Quest airlock to remove an electronics box called the Radio Frequency Group from a communications antenna on station. They also will replace one of 12 trundle bearing assemblies on a solar alpha rotary joint. The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to track the Sun as the station orbits the Earth. When looking at the space station, the antenna is on the starboard (right side) truss, and the rotary joint is on the port, or left side. U.S. spacewalk 89 will be the first for both Moghbeli and O’Hara. Moghbeli will serve as extravehicular activity crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. O’Hara will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. Station managers continue planning for another spacewalk with O’Hara, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, to collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex. That spacewalk, which now is U.S. spacewalk 90, has been postponed to no earlier than December. [As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.] [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. RECENTLY COMPLETED Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The crewmember was Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor was AB1OC Contact was successful: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg Congratulations to the Valley Stream South High School students, Andreas, and mentor AB1OC! Watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, direct via GB4SPT The ISS callsign was NA1SS The crewmember was Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM The ARISS mentor was MØXTD Contact was successful: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Congratulations to the St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School students, Loral, and mentor MØXTD! UPCOMING: A. L. Burruss Elementary School, Marietta, GA, direct via K4RGK The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL The ARISS mentor is K4RGK Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-24 16:14:50 UTC 74 deg Watch for Livestream at www.youtube.com/channel/UCuI4sKDBpERtEFs9bFrRMFA/live 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 Temporarily stowed (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 Ray, KN2K, will be in FM17 the morning of Wednesday, 25th October and will be QRV for a number of morning passes. Check hams.at for details. 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. + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, “Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!” Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + ARRL has released TQSL v.2.7.1 for Windows, Mac and Linux as of Oct. 17, 2023. Users of Logbook of the World should update to the latest version at their earliest opportunity. (ANS thanks ARRL/LoTW for the above information) + The presentations from the 50th Anniversary AMSAT-DL Satellite Meeting on September 16, 2023 in Bochum are available on the AMSAT-DL YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amsatdl/videos. Though many are in German, some presentations are in English. (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information) + The ISS experienced another coolant leak, this time on a radiator circuit that is part of the Russian Nauka module—the crew and station are safe, and there is a spacewalk planned later this month to investigate the root cause. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Researchers at Purdue University’s College of Science found metals high in Earth’s stratosphere. Those metals are altering the chemistry in our planet’s atmosphere in ways we don’t fully understand, and may be causing damage to the earth's protective ozone layer. The team concluded that the aerosols of over 20 chemical elements, including lithium, aluminum, copper, and lead, come from vapour boiling off of the surfaces of spent boosters and other space debris as it re-enters the atmosphere and burns up. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + SpaceX filed for a 29,988 satellite W-band network—likely around 71-86 GHz which offers higher data rates but suffers more atmospheric attenuation—this filing is presumably part of SpaceX’s original 42,000 satellite proposed constellation and would quadruple the number of active satellites that humanity has in orbit. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

1 0

ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Schedule and Livestream Details Announced
by Paul Stoetzer 19 Oct '23

19 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-293 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/ In this edition: * 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Schedule and Livestream Details Announced SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-293.01 ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 293.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE October 20, 2023 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-293.01 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Schedule and Livestream Details Announced The 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting lifts off at 1:00pm Central Daylight Time / 18:00 UTC on Friday, October 20th. If you are not joining us in Dallas this year, we are pleased to offer a live stream of the Symposium sessions on AMSAT's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AMSATNA/streams The Symposium schedule and direct livestream links for each day follow. All times are Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). The sessions start at 18:00 UTC on Friday and 13:00 UTC on Saturday. Friday, October 20th YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs 1:00 – 1:15 Welcome Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President 1:15 – 1:45 A Survey of Small Satellite Propulsion Systems Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering 1:45 – 3:00 AMSAT Engineering Update Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, AMSAT Board of Directors 3:00 – 3:15 Break 3:15 – 4:15 PACSAT Update and Demonstration Bill Reed, NX5R, PACSAT Project Manager, et al 4:15 – 5:00 Break-Out Session Member Services Saturday, October 21st YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKKHTBxyY8 8:00 – 8:15 Welcome Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President 8:15 – 9:00 CubeSatSim Update and Demonstration Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Resources 9:00 – 9:30 ThinSat Project for High Schools Nick Pugh, K5QXY, and Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD 9:30 – 10:00 AMSAT Youth Initiative Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP Development 10:00 – 10:15 Break 10:15 – 10:45 Amateur Radio Spectrum Use in the Lunar Environment Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director 10:45 – 11:15 Amateur Satellite Secondary Payloads Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT Board of Directors/VP Operations 11:15 – 11:35 AMSAT-HB Update Michael Lipp, HB9WDF, President, AMSAT-HB 11:35 - 12:00 TBD 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch 1:00 – 1:45 ARISS Update Dave Taylor, W8AAS, AMSAT US Delegate to ARISS International 1:45 - 2:15 40th Anniversary of Hams in Space & 2024 Anniversary Event Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director 2:15 – 2:45 Planned Non-AMSAT Amateur Satellites Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President 2:45 – 3:15 Space Qualified Antennas Kent Britain, WA5VJB 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. 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. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

1 0

ANS-288 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 14 Oct '23

14 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-288 In this edition: * Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit * 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend * AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 15, 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-260 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 October 15 Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit ESTCube-2 is a 3U Cubesat largely designed and built by undergraduate students at the University of Tartu, Estonia. It was launched into sun-synchronous orbit as an auxiliary payload on the European Space Agency (ESA) Vega flight VV23 from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou on October 8 at 01:36 UTC. Among ESTCube-2's several missions, it will conduct in-orbit signal strength mapping in the 2m and 70cm amateur bands, using periodical full band received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements in order to check how polluted these two radio amateur bands are in low Earth orbit. In addition, a cross-band AX.25 digipeater mode will be used to allow amateur radio operators to use satellite for two-way digital communication. 9600 bps G3RUH AX.25 data uplink will be in 2m amateur band and transmission of digipeated packet in 70cm amateur radio band. Transmission speed and modulation will be the same as for uplink. [Similar to the now re-entered FalconSat-3.] There are plans to include periodic short audio announcements (similar to FOX-1) to indicate that the digipeater is active. The high-speed communications system is a COTS transmitter system called HiSPiCO from IQ Technologies. It is used when downloading preselected Earth observation scientific camera full-resolution images using the 2.4 GHz amateur radio band. (See https://www.iq-spacecom.com/products/hispico for details.) Data will be downlinked using QPSK modulated up-to 1 Mbps data-rate signal. Software tools (e.g. GNU Radio, web browser- based) will be published before the satellite launch, in order to enable reception of high speed downlink by the amateur radio community. The optional multi-station radio frequency ranging experiment will be used to determine satellite distance to Earth in order to improve accuracy of satellite orbit determination. For the experiment, the 70cm radio amateur band will be used in conjunction with four or more amateur ground stations using SDR-based equipment that can provide stable and accurate frequency and time measurements. The satellite downlink will be listened to from several ground stations at the same time. To educate the next generation of radio amateurs, the satellite will transmit analog messages from space using an NBFM signal containing pre-recorded audio greetings. This activity will infrequently take place according to a schedule published publicly to schools and the AMSAT/HAM community. The transmitted signal will be received by participating Estonian secondary and high schools, using their own built radio antennas and SDR-based receiver systems. This activity is targeted primarily to promote amateur radio and satellite communication (and in general STEM fields) among the younger generation. The Primary transceiver, shared with the amateur payloads, is using the 70 cm amateur radio band for uplink and downlink purposes. It will be used as the housekeeping beacon for a simple overview of the satellite status and as the main transceiver for receiving tele-commands and firmware upgrades. As well transmitting mission data, like telemetry from each subsystem (< 256 bytes per subsystem) and payload data, e.g. compressed, low resolution image thumbnails (~100 KiB), in AX.25 data packet format with 9600 baud data-rate with G3RUH modulated signal. The spacecraft will have experimental capability to change data-rate up-to 38600 baud using 2GFSK (or 4GFSK for testing) different modulation schemes. During the mission, it is planned to transmit a housekeeping telemetry beacon periodically (~1 KiB), typically once per minute, containing telemetry, health data packets from every subsystem. The 70 cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to send Plasma brake tether experiment [link] and housekeeping data of the payload module such as temperature measurements, information about the attitude of satellite, energy production etc. (< 256 bytes). After performing measurements of a material science experiment on corrosion resistant coating, the 70cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to transmit a very small amount of acquired sensor data (~ 200 B per day). The satellite will measure the electrical continuity of the coating material to determine its lifespan after exposure to atomic oxygen in LEO. Proposing UHF 9k6 using GFSK/G3RUH modulation or 38k4 GFSK/4GFSK or, alternatively, FM voice downlinks, and on S Band downlink DQPSK modulation with 1 Mbps data-rate, downlinks on 435.800 MHz and 2425.000 MHz have been coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). The Vega C VV23 launch plan was to put ESTCube-2 into a 555km Sun-Sychronous Orbit (SSO). Actual orbit parameters have yet to be confirmed. More info is at https://www.estcube.eu/projekt/ESTCube-2 and https://www.estcube.eu/blogi/Raadio [ANS thanks IARU, ESA, and the University of Tartu for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX More Information at: https://tinyurl.com/41st-AMSAT-Symposium +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend Although the deadline for the banquet and Sunday morning Members' Breakfast has passed, there's still time to join us for the 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting next weekend. A livestream of the Symposium Presentations and Annual General Meeting will be available on AMSAT's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/amsatna For more information, visit https://www.amsat.org/41st-amsat-annual-space-symposium-and-annual-general-… Schedule (Times CDT) Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM AMSAT Board Meeting 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pre-Registration Check-in Friday, October 20, 2023 8:00 – 12:00 Noon AMSAT Board Meeting (Closed Session) 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Registration 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM AMSAT Symposium Kickoff, President’s Welcome 1:15 PM – 5:00 PM Paper Sessions 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Informal Dinner on your own 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM AMSAT Reception and Auction, Cash Bar Available Saturday October 21, 2023 8:00 AM – 11:45 AM Registration 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM AMSAT Symposium Welcome 8:15AM – 12:00 Noon Paper Sessions 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM Paper Sessions 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM AMSAT Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Attitude Adjustment (Social), Cash Bar 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM AMSAT Banquet, Cash Bar Sunday October 22, 2023 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM AMSAT Member Breakfast [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing Although the first day of the AMSAT-UK Colloquium has concluded at the time of publication, a livestream of Sunday's presentations is available. Volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) are providing a live stream of the presentations from the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium which takes place as part of the RSGB Convention on October 14-15. BATC volunteers have been recording and streaming the Colloquium for over 11 years. Watch the AMSAT-UK Colloquium presentations on Sunday from 09:30-15:15 BST (GMT +1) at https://batc.org.uk/live/amsatuk2023 The AMSAT-UK talks are in Lecture Room 5 and PDF’s of the talk schedule can be downloaded from the RSGB site at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention/2023-convention-lectures/ Further information on the BATC is available at http://batc.org.uk/ Individual videos of Colloquium presentations will also be available on AMSAT-UK's YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK) over the coming weeks. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 13, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: AstroBioCubsat NORAD Cat ID 53107 Probably defunct, USSF no longer providing element sets. Aurorasat NORAD Cat ID 56312 Decayed from orbit on or about 9 October 2023 Lightcube NORAD Cat ID 56314 Decayed from orbit on or about 12 October 2023 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg Watch for livestream at https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, direct via GB4SPT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM The ARISS mentor is MØXTD Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 19. OFF TBD. ON TBD. * Powering off for ROS EVA on Oct 25. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 30. OFF TBD. ON TBD. * Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. SSTV (Kenwood D710) – STATUS - OFF. Default mode is for scheduled SSTV operations (145.800 MHz down) * Next planned operation date(s) TBD. * Specifically configured for SSTV 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, N8AJM, will be QRV from EM85 (TN) 16th – 20th October. This will be LEO/MEO. Details are available at hams.at [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The first PCBs for AMSAT-UK's next FUNcube satellite arrived this past week. This satellite will provide a Mode U/v linear transponder, an FM transponder with an uplink at 1267 MHz and downlink on 2 meters (Mode L/v), and an experimental QPSK downlink at about 20 kbps. (Thanks to G0MRF for this information) + ITU‑R WP5A meeting #30 could not achieve consensus on the measures needed to protect the RNSS in the 23cm band. (Relating to WRC-23 AI 9.1b) Link to the IARU report on WP5A meeting is at the end of https://www.iaru-r1.org/2023/itu-r-wp5a-meeting-30-could-not-achieve-consen… (Thanks to AMSAT-UK and the IARU for this information) + VU2JO has created a post detailing tips and tricks for working LEO satellites. The blog post is available at https://johnsonfrancis.org/techworld/tips-and-tricks-for-working-leo-satell… (Thanks to VU2JO for this information) + The Psyche mission to all-metal asteroid Psyche successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 13, 2023 on a Falcon Heavy. This was NASA's first user of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. https://spacenews.com/nasa-launches-psyche-mission-to-metal-world/ (Thanks to SpaceNews.com for this information) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

1 0

ANS-282 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
by Mark Johns, K0JM 08 Oct '23

08 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-282 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free 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/ In this edition: * ARISS SSTV Event Reported in Error ANS-282 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 Oct 09 ARISS SSTV Event Reported in Error The announcement in yesterday's AMSAT News Service bulletins concerning an upcoming Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) event transmitted from the International Space Station (ISS) was incorrect. This SSTV activity is a verification test with new hardware uploaded to ISS. This activity was never meant to be an operational SSTV event as some sources have speculated. ARISS International encouraged informing the ham community of the test and encouraged amateurs to post to the SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php, only so that the verification test can be fully evaluated. Official ARISS participation certificates will not be issued for this activity, because it is only a verification test. It should be noted that third-party certificates mentioned in the ANS article are not official ARISS awards. Further, the Oct 16-20 dates, described in the ANS article for the SSTV test are not correct because specific dates for this test have not yet been selected or placed in the ISS crew schedule. The ARISS team is working to fit the SSTV event in the crew schedule. Separate U.S. and Russian EVAs to be performed in October will necessitate suspension of amateur radio activity, as always. Further, ARISS school contacts planned in that time period, as well as the normal science investigations that are part of the crew schedule, make it difficult to establish a definite timeline in advance. The Service Module radio system will be down until the SSTV verification test is completed. That means that the 145.825 MHz packet digipeater from the Service Module radio is off for now. Amateurs interested in ARISS activity should consult the official status page at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html Those interested in receiving SSTV images from the ISS should monitor the ARISS SSTV blog at https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ ANS regrets the publication of incorrect information in the previous bulletin and apologizes for the error. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This issue's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm at amsat dot org

1 0

ANS-281 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Oct. 8
by Mark Johns, K0JM 07 Oct '23

07 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-281 In this edition: * Symposium Registration Deadlines Drawing Near * ARISS SSTV Event Rescheduled to October 16-20, 2023 * Amateurs Participate in Annular Solar Eclipse Event on October 14 * NEXUS (FO-99) Operation Schedule and JAMSAT DXpedition * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * VUCC Satellite Standing October 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-281 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 Oct 08 Symposium Registration Deadlines Drawing Near Persons planning to attend the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX should be aware of the upcoming deadlines. + The deadline for Symposium registrations with tickets to the Saturday evening banquet or the Sunday morning members breakfast is Friday, October 13th. MEALS CANNOT BE ORDERED AFTER THAT DATE. + The deadline for the guaranteed group rate has passed but you can call the hotel at 972-929-8400 then press #1. Request “Rodriguez” Reservation Coordinator and ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE. A room at that rate might still be available depending on availability. The rate for a standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00 plus state and local taxes of 15%. Rooms may be available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22. The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is: Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy. Irving, TX 75063 972-929-8400 + The deadline for submitting proposals for presentations at the Symposium is NOW. If you have been entertaining submitting a paper at the Symposium, contact Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, immediately at n8fgv [at] amsat [dot] org. We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space. Schedule Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM AMSAT Board Meeting 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pre-Registration Check-in Friday, October 20, 2023 8:00 – 12:00 Noon AMSAT Board Meeting (Closed Session) 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Registration 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM AMSAT Symposium Kickoff, President’s Welcome 1:15 PM – 5:00 PM Paper Sessions 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Informal Dinner on your own 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM AMSAT Reception and Auction, Cash Bar Available Saturday October 21, 2023 8:00 AM – 11:45 AM Registration 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM AMSAT Symposium Welcome 8:15 AM – 12:00 Noon Paper Sessions 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM Paper Sessions 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM AMSAT Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Attitude Adjustment (Social), Cash Bar 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM AMSAT Banquet, Cash Bar Sunday October 22, 2023 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM AMSAT Member Breakfast [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hungary Lil' Buckaroo? Make Your Reservation for the Symposium Banquet Today! (Deadline is is Friday, October 14) It's a Belt Bustin' Texas Style Barbecue with Smoked BBQ Sliced Brisket and Roasted BBQ Chicken BBQ Baked Beans, Southern Style Potato Salad, Roasted Corn Salad Greens, Corn Bread, Pecan Pie and all the fixin's! More Info At: https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT2023 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS SSTV Event Rescheduled to October 16-20, 2023 The transmission of images via the SSTV protocol as part of the experiment “About Gagarin from Space” from the International Space Station is postponed to October 16-20, 2023 due to technical problems. Images will be transmitted from the International Space Station via the SSTV protocol as part of the “About Gagarin from Space” experiment. The topic of the program is the first artificial Earth satellite, amateur radio satellites, school satellites. SSTV images will be transmitted on 145.800 MHz using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver. They are expected to use the PD-120 SSTV format. The “Russia ISS SSTV” diploma is awarded to radio amateurs (observers) for receiving SSTV (slow-scan television) broadcasts from aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the space experiment (SE) “About Gagarin from Space.” To receive the “Russia ISS SSTV” Diploma, one must receive and decode three images transmitted over a radio channel from on board the ISS using the SSTV protocol only on the days of the experiment. Each image must be at least 90% complete and of acceptable quality. Information on earning the certificate is available at https://r4uab.ru/diplom-iss-sstv/. AMSAT Argentina is also offering a diploma for reception of ISS SSTV images. Learn more at http://amsat.org.ar/?f=9. [ANS thanks Ignacio Granados Vega, TI3IES, and R4UAB.ru for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Amateurs Participate in Annular Solar Eclipse Event on October 14 An annular solar eclipse will make its appearance in the skies over parts of North America on October 14, creating a singular spectacle for those in its path — and a rare opportunity for amateurs to contribute to scientific research. The dazzling celestial event will allow millions of people to witness “the awe and the wonder of seeing a beautiful ring of fire eclipse,” said Peg Luce, acting director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA headquarters. The “ring of fire” nickname comes from the appearance of annular solar eclipses, which are like total solar eclipses, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can’t completely block the sun. Instead, the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow, creating the so-called ring of fire. The annular solar eclipse will begin in the United States at 16:13 UTC (9:13 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time) and pass from the Oregon coast to Texas’ Gulf Coast, appearing in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. The lunar shadow will also be visible in parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona. After leaving the U.S., the eclipse will cross Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama and Colombia before ending off South America’s Atlantic coast at Natal, Brazil. Weather permitting, a cresecent-shaped partial solar eclipse, where only part of the sun is covered by the moon, will be visible October 14 in all 49 continental US states, including Alaska, according to NASA. Use the agency’s interactive eclipse map to check when the eclipse will pass over your area: https://bit.ly/3rCbSz1 For those unable to see the eclipse, NASA will share a live stream beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on eclipse day, sharing views from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kirbyville, Texas, and White Sands, New Mexico, according to Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA. “The next annular eclipse seen in this part of the country is actually going to be in 2046,” Korreck said. “It’s going to be a long stretch before we will see this phenomenon again, so we’re really encouraging folks to go out there and observe safely.” It’s never safe to look directly at the sun without using specialized protection, and there is no phase of an annular eclipse that is safe to view with the naked eye because the sun’s light is never completely blocked. To view the annular eclipse, wear certified eclipse glasses or use a handheld solar viewer. Sunglasses won’t work in place of eclipse glasses or solar viewers, which are thousands of times darker and held to an international standard, ISO 12312-2. A Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP) will be held from 1200 - 2200 UTC, and participants may use any band or mode (except WARC bands). Researchers will take the submitted logs and work to derive meaningful observations from the data. All radio amateurs need to do is operate using any mode and any band for all or part of the day, then upload their logs. Participation can be from anywhere; you don't need to be near the path of the eclipse to contribute valuable data. For SEQP contest and rules, visit www.hamsci.org/contest-info. For information on the Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge using CW, WSPR, and FST4W, go to https://www.hamsci.org/contest-info. ARRL members can find out more about the SEQP by reading "The Solar Eclipse QSO Party: A Fun Way to Support Radio Science" in the September/October 2023 issue of On the Air magazine. [ANS thanks CNN.com and ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NEXUS (FO-99) Operation Schedule and JAMSAT DXpedition The October operating schedule for JAMSAT FO-99 is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2341. However, There is an error in the values shown in the table due to the altitude drop of the satellite. Please use the displayed time as a guide and check “Satellite Tracking” on the JAMSAT website for exact transit times. [ANS thanks Y.Ohtani, JH4DHX/3, of the JAMSAT NEXUS operations team for the above information] JAMSAT also reports that the VK9QO Cocos (Keeling) Island DXpedition coming up in November will include satellite operation on QO-100, IO-117, and RS-44. Unfortunately, there are not likely to be mutual windows when any satellite footprints include the island and North America. However, some amateurs in Hawaii may enjoy brief opportunities for this DX on IO-117. [ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP/VK9QO, and JAMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Oct. 6 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Grizu 263a NORAD Cat ID 51025 Decayed from orbit on or about 01 October 2023 PICSAT NORAD Cat ID 43132 Decayed from orbit on or about 01 October 2023 NUSAT-2 Norad Cat ID 41588 Decayed fromorbit on or about 02 October 2023 Suchai 1 NORAD Cat ID 42788 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 October 2023 [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Satellite Standing October 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------ VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for September 01, 2023 to October 01, 2023. ------------------------------------------------------------ AA5PK 1350 1382 N8RO 1342 1356 W5CBF 841 1201 KF7R 1027 1050 N0JE 1000 1025 DF2ET 950 1000 N3GS 932 980 K6FW 825 951 CO6CBF 841 900 XE1L 639 860 EA2AA 800 825 W8LR 783 801 OZ9AAR 700 800 N6UK 707 777 K0JM 601 702 KE8FZT 625 700 N9FN 569 700 KB1HY 521 604 VA7LM 400 600 N8MR 557 581 NM3B 566 572 JL1SAM 410 511 A65BR 455 477 IW7DOL 101 474 HB9GWJ 412 450 KO9A 423 424 N3CAL 352 412 AB1OC 400 407 AG7NR 300 350 F6EQD 130 311 M0SKM 118 300 W1LE New 300 N6PAZ 262 290 CT1ETE New 283 AD2DD 175 261 N9XG 151 252 JR0GAS 140 250 ZS2BK 213 244 JA6SZV 205 207 KH6WI 155 203 JQ1TIV New 201 W6AER 126 201 IK7EOT New 171 K6VHF New 151 JF3MKC 103 150 N7GR 113 141 DJ7NT 100 133 W8XCT New 127 VU2YQ New 125 K9JKM New 114 K2HAT New 103 K2PLL New 102 N6UTC (DM05) New 101 XE1BRX New 100 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. XE1BRX is first VUCC Satellite holder from DL90 CT1ETE is first VUCC Satellite holder from IN51 IK7EOT is first VUCC Satellite holder from JN80 VU2YQ is first VUCC Satellite holder from MK65 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. RECENTLY COMPLETED CONTACTS: 149 Secondary School, Baku, Azerbaijan, direct via 4K6EH The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The rewmember was Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor was SP3QFE Contact was successful: Fri 2023-10-06 08:29:20 UTC 32 degrees elevation Congratulations to the 149 Secondary School students, Andreas, and mentor SP3QFE! Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, direct via EI1ISS The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL The ARISS mentor was EI8BP Contact was successful: Fri 2023-10-06 13:11:32 UTC 49 deg Congratulations to the Technological University Dublin students, Jasmin, and mentor EI8BP! Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E8wZd2gBoo or https://www.youtube.com/@tudublin/ UPCOMING CONTACTS: Belgian Defence (KSOO), Koninklijke School voor Onderofficieren, Sint-Truiden, Belgium, direct via ON4BAF AND telebridge to IEPSCF Colfontaine, Colfontaine, Belgium The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL The ARISS mentor is ON6TI Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-10 11:36:29 UTC 78 deg Sekolah Kebangsaan Wangsa Maju Seksyen 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, direct via 9M2RPN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-11 11:12:42 UTC 78 deg Covenant Christian Academy, West Peabody, MA, direct via N1DQF The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Fri 2023-10-13 13:51:42 UTC 39 deg (***) Watch for Livestream at https://vimeo.com/event/3761617 (***) 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 JW7XK (Svalbard Island) will be activated around October 11th to 16th by Halvard Eriksen, LA7XK, on RS-44 and Greencube IO-117 packet satellite. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and DX News for the above information) ****** Jonathan, N4AKV, will be QRV ‘from the EM93/EM94 line and the FM03/FM04 line’ on the afternoon of 13th October and all day on the 14th. This will be a LEO/MEO operation. Check hams.at for passes/times. ****** Alex, N7AGF, says he’ll be in DN02 for the solar eclipse on 14th October. -Ed: this is really all I know at the moment. Best suggestion is to watch his X account or keep an eye on hams.at for additional info. ****** Adrian, N8AJM, will be QRV from EM85 (TN) 16th – 20th October. This will be LEO/MEO. Details are available at hams.at 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. + ARRL Minnesota State Convention Saturday, October 14 Hennepin Technical College 9000 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota http://mnconvention.org + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT2023 + ARRL Pacific Division Convention Friday, October 20 - Sunday, October 22 San Ramon Marriott 2600 Bishop Drive San Ramon, CA 94583 https://www.pacificon.org AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has spoken to these clubs recently … + Gallatin Ham Radio Club, Montana + London Bridge ARC, Arizona + Sevir Amateur Radio Society, Tennessee + GOTA HAMS, Southern California + Daytona Beach ARA, Florida This month, he'll be informally visiting with hams in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands during a personal trip. Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event in November or December? Send email to Clint at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The International Telecommunications Union has released a 'Handbook on Small Satellites.' The guide was developed in response to the United Nations agency's Resolution ITU-R 68 on “Improving the dissemination of knowledge concerning the applicable regulatory procedures for small satellites, including nanosatellites and picosatellites.” It includes a section (5.4) on what types of satellites should qualify for use of amateur radio frequencies. See https://www.itu.int/hub/publication/r-hdb-65-2023/ (ANS thanks the ITU for the above information) + The Federal Communications Commission has fined Dish Network $150,000 for failing to properly remove a satellite from geostationary orbit, the U.S. regulator said Oct. 2 in a first for its space debris enforcement action. The settlement includes an admission of liability from Dish for leaving EchoStar-7 at 122 kilometers above its operational geostationary arc, less than halfway to where the satellite broadcaster had agreed. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + NASA announced on Friday (Sept. 29) that it will extend operations for New Horizons until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper Belt, which is expected in 2028 or 2029. New Horizons launched in January 2006, on a mission to provide the first-ever up-close looks at Pluto, the Kuiper Belt's most famous resident. NASA extended the mission to include a flyby of another Kuiper Belt object (KBO) — the 21-mile-wide (34 kilometers) Arrokoth. Additional extensions are possible. New Horizons has enough nuclear fuel remaining to continue flying through at least 2040, mission team members have said. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + NASA delayed the launch of the Psyche asteroid mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy by a week to October 12. The spacecraft will explore the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche that orbits between Mars and Jupiter. (ANS thanks The Parabolic Arc for the above information) + Amazon has officially joined the race to build massive constellations of satellites that can blanket the globe in internet connectivity — a move that puts the tech company in direct competition with SpaceX and its Starlink system. The first two prototype satellites for Amazon’s network, called Project Kuiper, launched aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Oct. 6. + It was a bad week for small satellite launchers with multiple failures: Galactic Energy’s Ceres-1 suffered its first failure in 10 launches on September 21. The failure lowered the solid-fuel booster’s reliability to 90 percent. Galactic Energy has not revealed the cause of the failure. The failure came two days after a Rocket Lab Electron booster fell back to Earth after its second stage failed to ignite properly. It was the fourth failure in 40 launches for the orbital rocket, whose reliability fell to 90 percent as a result. (ANS thanks The Parabolic Arc 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

ANS-274 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins For October 1, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 30 Sep '23

30 Sep '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-274 In this edition: * Apogee View * Twigggs/Pugh Planning 30 ThinSat Launch for Schools * Window for Educational/ARISS Contact Proposals Now Open * SSTV Event Scheduled for ARISS on October 3, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-274 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 OCT 01 Apogee View The end of my summer is marked by a trek up north to “the Friendliest Hamfest in the World” - the Huntsville Hamfest, and this year was no exception. I had the pleasure of spending Saturday at the AMSAT booth, assisting the volunteers to answer questions and share the excitement of amateur radio in space. Tim Cunningham, N8DEU, an AMSAT Ambassador, has represented AMSAT at the Huntsville Hamfest for as long as I can remember and has been doing a fabulous job. In addition, it was great working and getting the chance to catch up with Peter Spinnelli, N4YOT, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Jim McCullers, WA4CWI, and Dr. Alan Biddle, WA4SCA. The following Monday, we got a shout-out on the nationally syndicated radio show, The Rick and Bubba Show. This should not be a surprise as Bill “Bubba” Bussey not only holds the amateur radio call sign, KJ4JJ, but he is also an AMSAT member. With less than two months to go, our team, led by Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, and Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, are at a full sprint in planning for the 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, to be held Friday, October 20th through Saturday, October 21st. This year, we will be in Dallas, Texas, at the Sheraton DFW Airport adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Space Symposium will kick off at 1:00 PM on Friday and break at 5:00 PM for dinner on your own, followed by a Friday Night Social and Auction, starting at 7:00 PM. The symposium presentations will begin Saturday at 8:00 AM and end at 3:15 PM, with an hour break in between for lunch. I look forward to presentations as they give us a glimpse into what everyone is working on within the AMSAT community. Saturday afternoon, we will hold our annual general meeting with our members to report on our progress for the year. Then, we will cap off the symposium Saturday night with our banquet. For those still around Sunday morning, we will have an AMSAT member breakfast to share one last meal before returning home. Our board of directors holds an in-person meeting before each AMSAT Symposium, and this year is no exception. While the agenda has not been finalized yet, our directors will meet all day Thursday and the first half of Friday to elect officers for the coming year, receive reports from AMSAT Officers, be brought up-to-date on the various programs and projects our volunteers are working on, and discuss new proposals as we continue to create new pathways for amateur radio in space. The Board of Directors Meeting is open to all AMSAT members, so if you arrive early, you are welcome to join us. I am excited about this year’s AMSAT Space Symposium and look forward to meeting with all of our members. Please attend if you have the opportunity. Until next time, keep reaching for the stars as we continue our path Onward and Upward! [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hungary Lil' Buckaroo? Make Your Reservation for the Symposium Banquet Today! It's a Belt Bustin' Texas Style Barbecue with Smoked BBQ Sliced Brisket and Roasted BBQ Chicken BBQ Baked Beans, Southern Style Potato Salad, Roasted Corn Salad Greens, Corn Bread, Pecan Pie and all the fixin's! More Info At: https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT2023 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Twigggs/Pugh Planning 30 ThinSat Launch for Schools Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, and Nick Pugh, K5QXJ will be partnering with the University of Louisiana and other organizations to apply for a NASA grant to fly a 3 U satellite with approximately 30 small thin sats. This program is designed so high schools and universities with minimal satellite experience can have an opportunity to place satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). This program anticipates schools with budgets of less than $500 to get to space. Bob and Nick will be presenting this initiative at the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting to be held at the Sheraton DFW Hotel on October 20-21, 2023. See https://amsat.org for more information on the Symposium. If anyone knows of a school who would like to be part of this program, please contact Nick directly at rjtwiggs [at] gmail [dot]com. They are asking for anyone of this list who has experience in obtaining a FCC license for sub 1U satellites. [ANS thanks Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Window for Educational/ARISS Contact Proposals Now Open The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 10, 2023. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 5 2023 at 7 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to education(a)ariss-usa.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SSTV Event Scheduled for ARISS on October 3, 2023 R4UAB reports that from October 3, 2023 to October 5, 2023 images will be transmitted from the International Space Station via the SSTV protocol as part of the “About Gagarin from Space” experiment. The topic of the program is the first artificial Earth satellite, amateur radio satellites, school satellites. SSTV images will be transmitted on 145.800 MHz using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver. They are expected to use the PD-120 SSTV format. The scheduled start of transmission is October 03, 2023 at approximately 14:40 UTC. The end of transmission is scheduled at October 05, 2023 at approximately 18:15 UTC. The date and time may change. The “Russia ISS SSTV” diploma is awarded to radio amateurs (observers) for receiving SSTV (slow-scan television) broadcasts from aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the space experiment (SE) “About Gagarin from Space.” To receive the “Russia ISS SSTV” Diploma, one must receive and decode three images transmitted over a radio channel from on board the ISS using the SSTV protocol only on the days of the SE . Each image must be at least 90% complete and of acceptable quality. Information on earning the certificate is available at https://r4uab.ru/diplom-iss-sstv/. AMSAT Argentina is also offering a diploma for reception of ISS SSTV images. Learn more at http://amsat.org.ar/?f=9. [ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina and R4UAB for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Completed Contacts + Southwest State University (SWSU), Kursk, Russia, direct via UB3WCL. The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The crewmember was Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on September 21, 2023. + Escuela Preparatoria La Salle, Torreon Coah, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL. The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD. Contact was successful on September 22, 2023. (This was the first ARISS contact with Mexico.) + Colegio Educación del Talento, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember was Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, or Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL. The ARISS mentor was VE6JBJ. Contact was successful on September 25, 2023. + MAEI "School No. 16 of Blagoveshchensk, Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ. The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The crewmember was Oleg Kononenko. The ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on September 28, 2023. Upcoming Contacts + 149 Secondary School, Baku, Azerbaijan, direct via 4K6EH. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ. The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE. Contact is go for Friday, October 6, 2023- at 08:31:05 UTC. + Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, direct via EI1ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL. The ARISS mentor is EI8BP. Contact is go for Friday, October 6, 2023 at 13:13:17 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.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + ARRL Minnesota State Convention October 14, 2023 Hennepin Technical College 9000 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota More information at http://mnconvention.org. + 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention October 14-15, 2023 Kents Hill Park Conference Centre Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom More information at https://amsat-uk.org/. + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 More information at https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, will present the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator in his presentation entitled: "Adopt a Satellite: Using SatNOGS in the Classroom" at the SmallSat Education Conference, Kennedy Space Center, 28-39 October 2023. More information at www.smallsateducation.org. [ANS thanks Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, for the above information.] + WSJT-X has released a beta version with full duplex, ideal for use on RS-44, AO-109, and other linear satellites. It also includes many other useful satellite operating features. Download at https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improv [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

1 0

ANS-267 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 23 Sep '23

23 Sep '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-267 In this edition: * 2023 AMSAT Symposium Keynote Speakers Announced * 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium Call for Papers * Russian Soyuz MS-24 Launches Crew to International Space Station * Imperial College Develops Miniature Rocket Thruster for CubeSats * GOES-U Successfully Completes Environmental Testing for 2024 Launch * Sentinel-1 Satellite Reveals Shifts from Morocco Earthquake * Satellite Top 100 Rovers September 2023 Rankings * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 21, 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-267 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 September 24 2023 AMSAT Symposium Keynote Speakers Announced Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, considered to be the “father” of the CubeSat form factor, will be a keynote speaker at the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting banquet. Bob is a retired professor of Astronautics and Space Science at Morehead State University. He is responsible, along with Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic State University, for co-inventing the CubeSat reference design for miniaturized satellites which became an industry standard for design and deployment of the satellites. Twiggs earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Idaho in 1961 and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in microwave devices from Stanford University in 1964. From 1985 to 1994, Twiggs was the director of the Weber State University Center for Aerospace Technology. He served as a consulting professor in the Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 1994 to 2008. At Stanford, he established the Space Systems Development Laboratory. Bob Twiggs became a professor at Morehead State University in 2009 in an effort to push the PocketQube standard leveraging the university's large aperture (21m) space tracking system, and to help develop a space economy in the state of Kentucky. In 2019, Twiggs designed and proposed another smaller, simpler satellite form factor called ThinSat which could enable high school students to design and build satellites. Joining Bob in the presentation will be Nick Pugh, K5QXJ. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Nick is credited with establishing the first microwave loop in the Gulf of Mexico just two years after his graduation from University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). His pioneering leadership with telecommunications technology in and around the Gulf of Mexico over the years has spurred regional economic development. Nick is also a longtime community volunteer. He directed University of Louisiana Lafayette’s successful effort to become the first college team in Louisiana to build and launch satellites. He also advised the David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy’s high school student team, which placed a biological experiment on the International Space Station. Nick is also a member of the Acadiana Area Radio Association and the Lafayette Computer Club, and a founding member of Acadiana Open Channel. Nick has served as chair of Habitat for Humanity Lafayette. He was a member of Leadership Lafayette Class XXVII and is a 1998 graduate of Harvard’s Owner/President Management program. He is also the founder of the Pugh Family Foundation, a philanthropic venture focused on helping to create a world-class public education system in the Acadiana region. [ANS thanks AMSAT and Wikipedia for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium Call for Papers Papers are now being accepted 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.org. [ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Russian Soyuz MS-24 Launches Crew to International Space Station Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-24, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut, successfully blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, September 15th, with live TV footage capturing the launch. This mission marked the 85th launch of the Soyuz 2.1a in 2023 and the 6th launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the same year, contributing to the 149th orbital launch attempt of 2023. The Soyuz MS-24 mission, also known as Expedition 70/71, had initially been scheduled for March 16, 2023. However, due to technical issues with the docked Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, the crewed mission was reassigned to Soyuz MS-24. The spacecraft, designated Soyuz MS-24, carried American astronaut Loral O'Hara along with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. The mission launched under the auspices of the Russian space agency, ROSCOSMOS, utilizing the Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle. The lift-off took place from Launch Complex 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft's destination was the International Space Station (ISS), situated in a low Earth orbit approximately 400 kilometers above Earth's surface at a 51.66° inclination. The crew of Soyuz MS-24, upon reaching the ISS, would join the existing station crew members, which included NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, Sergei Prokopyev, as well as Denmark's Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, and Japan's Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW. The Soyuz MS-24 crew was composed of Commander Oleg Kononenko, Flight Engineer 1 Nikolai Chub from ROSCOSMOS, and Flight Engineer 2 Loral O'Hara from NASA. Commander Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, had previously completed four spaceflights and accumulated 916 days in space, exceeding the previous record of 878 days held by Gennady Padalka. Nikolai Chub, on the other hand, was embarking on his first journey to space as Flight Engineer 1, having been selected as a Roscosmos cosmonaut in 2012. Loral O'Hara, KI5TOM, Flight Engineer 2, was an astronaut candidate with NASA's 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class, making Soyuz MS-24 her maiden spaceflight. Soyuz, introduced in 1966, has long served as the multi-use medium-lift launch vehicle for the Soviet/Russian space program. Its versatile capabilities encompass launching civilian and military satellites, cargo, and crewed missions to the ISS. The Soyuz-2 rocket stands approximately 46.3 meters tall, with a diameter of 2.95 meters, and a total lift-off mass of about 312,000 kilograms. Its payload capacity to low-Earth orbit ranges from 6,600 to 7,400 kilograms. The Soyuz MS spacecraft, in this case, Soyuz MS-24, is the latest iteration of Russia's renowned three-person spacecraft. Although its external appearance has remained relatively consistent since its first flight in the 1960s, internal systems and capabilities have been modernized over time. The spacecraft consists of three sections: the orbital module, the descent module, and the service module. The orbital module is where the crew primarily resides while in orbit and docks with the ISS. The descent module is the section that returns to Earth intact, carrying the crew during launch and reentry. The service module houses the main engine for orbital maneuvers, thrusters for docking, and life support systems. The Soyuz MS-24 mission docked with the ISS approximately three hours and 15 minutes after liftoff, adding to the station's international crew and enabling further scientific research in the unique environment of space. [ANS thanks Mariia Kiseleva, writing for Everyday Astronaut for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Reserve Your Symposium Hotel Room Now! Symposium Guaranteed Room Rates End Tuesday, September 26th Make Your Reservations While our Special Group Rate is in Effect! More Info At: https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Imperial College Develops Miniature Rocket Thruster for CubeSats Researchers at Imperial College have designed a miniature rocket thruster so small that it can only be fabricated using techniques originally intended for creating silicon microchips. Named the "Iridium Catalysed Electrolysis CubeSat Thruster" or ICE-Cube Thruster, this innovation holds the promise of revolutionizing the propulsion systems for small satellites, particularly CubeSats, by offering a compact, efficient, and eco-friendly solution. Satellites weighing under 10 kilograms, constituting approximately 90% of today's satellite launches, present a unique set of challenges when it comes to developing components for them. Among the most critical challenges is designing rocket thrusters tailored to the limitations of CubeSats. These thrusters must not only be diminutive in size but also uncomplicated, unpressurized, low-power, and devoid of toxic materials. Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), the ICE-Cube Thruster meets these stringent criteria, with its primary attribute being its diminutive size. The entire thruster chip, comparable in length to a human fingernail, features a combustion chamber and nozzle measuring a mere 1 millimeter. It demands a mere 20 watts of electric current to operate. A test campaign achieved 1.25 millinewtons of thrust at a specific impulse of 185 seconds. To provide a sense of scale, this thrust output is roughly half a billion times less powerful than the engines used on the Space Shuttle. However, the true innovation of the ICE-Cube Thruster lies in its propellant choice, ordinary water. Water, known for its non-explosive and non-flammable properties, is utilized as the propellant of choice. An onboard electric current induces electrolysis within the thruster, breaking down the water into hydrogen and oxygen. These gases are then fed into the combustion chamber, where they ignite, producing the necessary thrust to maneuver the CubeSat. This utilization of water as propellant not only aligns with sustainability goals but also reduces overall payload requirements. The absence of the need for pressurization in storing the propellant streamlines storage and handling systems, making them lighter and more straightforward. However, the challenge lay in fabricating the combustion chamber and nozzle for the thruster, a task that required adopting a technique akin to microelectronics. The researchers utilized Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) techniques, typically used for machining silicon wafers for processors to sub-micrometer tolerances. The successful testing of the ICE-Cube Thruster was conducted through an ESA General Support Technology Programme De-Risk activity, validating its feasibility in a controlled laboratory environment. The data acquired during this testing phase will serve as a vital guide in the development of a flight-representative "Engineering Model" of the propulsion system, including the electrolyser. This development is slated to be led by URA Thrusters in collaboration with Imperial College. [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- GOES-U Successfully Completes Environmental Testing for 2024 Launch NOAA's upcoming satellite, GOES-U, the final addition to the GOES-R Series of advanced geostationary satellites, has completed a rigorous battery of tests to ensure its readiness for the challenges of launch and its mission in space. The year-long testing process concluded with GOES-U proving its resilience to the harsh conditions of space, situated 22,236 miles above Earth. The testing regimen, which commenced in November 2022, involved subjecting GOES-U to extreme temperatures ranging from a scorching 188 degrees Fahrenheit (87 degrees Celsius) to a bone-chilling minus 67 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 55 degrees Celsius). This thermal vacuum testing aimed to simulate the harsh temperature fluctuations during both launch and its mission in the space environment. Following this, in February 2023, the satellite underwent vibration testing to ensure its structural integrity during the stresses of launch. It then faced the intense sounds of 138.4 decibels during acoustic testing, replicating the noise levels experienced during launch. March 2023 witnessed the successful completion of shock testing, confirming GOES-U's ability to withstand the separation from the launch vehicle and the deployment of its solar panels. Subsequently, in August 2023, electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI/EMC) testing ensured that the satellite's operations would remain unaffected by various forms of electromagnetic radiation. Notably, GOES-U's large five-panel solar array, initially folded during launch, was verified to deploy correctly upon reaching geostationary orbit. These solar panels will serve as the primary source of power, converting sunlight into electricity to operate the satellite's instruments, computers, data processors, sensors, and telecommunications equipment. The exhaustive testing program was conducted at Lockheed Martin's facility in Littleton, Colorado, where GOES-U was built. Simultaneously, as the satellite was being prepared for the rigors of launch and space, the GOES-U mission operations team engaged in critical rehearsals to test launch procedures and communication systems between the satellite and ground facilities. These rehearsals encompassed a wide range of scenarios, including normal operations and contingency procedures in case of unexpected events. The team also conducted tests for compatibility with the Compact Coronagraph-1 (CCOR-1) instrument, which will monitor the sun's corona as part of NOAA's Space Weather Follow-On mission. GOES-U remains on schedule for its planned April 2024 launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, utilizing a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. Following its successful journey to geostationary orbit, it will be renamed GOES-19 and undergo a series of on-orbit instrument and systems checkouts, followed by the validation of its data products. The GOES-R Series is hailed as the Western Hemisphere's most advanced weather and environmental monitoring system. Comprising four satellites, the program includes GOES-R (GOES-16), GOES-S (GOES-17), GOES-T (GOES-18), and GOES-U. These satellites play a pivotal role in providing crucial data for weather forecasts, environmental hazard detection, and monitoring solar activity and space weather. The GOES-R Series is set to operate into the 2030s. In parallel, NOAA and NASA are collaboratively working on the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) mission, ushering in the next generation of geostationary satellites to address future environmental challenges for U.S. weather, ocean, and climate operations. This collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA continues to advance environmental monitoring and scientific research from space. [ANS thanks NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hungary Lil' Buckaroo? Make Your Reservation for the Symposium Banquet Today! It's a Belt Bustin' Texas Style Barbecue with Smoked BBQ Sliced Brisket and Roasted BBQ Chicken BBQ Baked Beans, Southern Style Potato Salad, Roasted Corn Salad Greens, Corn Bread, Pecan Pie and all the fixin's! More Info At: https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT2023 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Sentinel-1 Satellite Reveals Shifts from Morocco Earthquake In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on September 8th, satellite data is proving to be a vital asset for emergency response teams. The International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters,' which offers rapid support during major crises, quickly deployed Earth observation assets to assist rescue efforts. Additionally, radar measurements from Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite mission are being utilized to assess ground shifts caused by the earthquake. This information not only aids in planning reconstruction efforts but also advances scientific research. The powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Atlas Mountains, about 75 kilometers from Marrakesh, Morocco in an area rarely affected by such seismic events. Tragically, the earthquake resulted in significant loss of life, building collapses, and infrastructure damage. The impact was felt as far as the country's northern coast. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, along with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, invoked the International Charter Space & Major Disasters. This initiative allows for the swift provision of satellite imagery to define the extent of the disaster, enhancing rescue operations. Satellites play a crucial role in rapid damage assessment and disaster management. Recognizing this, the European Space Agency (ESA) and France's CNES space agency established the International Charter Space and Major Disasters in 1999 to foster international collaboration in disaster response. In alignment with this collaboration, the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service was activated to share satellite data in response to the Moroccan earthquake. High-resolution images from France's Pléiades satellites were used to create detailed damage maps, aiding rescue teams in their operations. These maps assist in identifying safe routes and bridges, ensuring the safety of responders. Philippe Bally, ESA representative of the International Charter, emphasized the urgency of delivering satellite data promptly to support relief efforts. While the response to Morocco's disaster continues, scientists are using measurements from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission to assess ground changes using a technique called 'interferometry.' This helps to understand the earthquake's impact and potential future hazards. The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission's radar capabilities allow scientists to observe and analyze the precise effects of earthquakes on the land surface. This information is crucial for post-disaster restoration efforts. As Morocco works toward recovery, international space agencies and initiatives like the International Charter, alongside satellite missions such as Sentinel-1, are playing a crucial role in easing the burden on emergency responders and advancing our understanding of seismic events. These efforts contribute significantly to global disaster mitigation. [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Top 100 Rovers September 2023 Rankings The September 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data. Updated: 2023-09-08 1 ND9M 26 KE4AL 51 OE3SEU 76 DF2ET 2 NJ7H 27 LU5ILA 52 KE9AJ 77 N0TEL 3 N5UC 28 VE3HLS 53 VE1CWJ 78 KB2YSI 4 JA9KRO 29 KI7UNJ 54 JL3RNZ 79 KJ7NDY 5 DL6AP 30 KB5FHK 55 KM4LAO 80 CU2ZG 6 HA3FOK 31 LA9XGA 56 N4UFO 81 VE6WK 7 N9IP 32 N7AGF 57 VA7LM 82 VK5DG 8 WY7AA 33 XE3DX 58 N8RO 83 VE7PTN 9 WI7P 34 N6DNM 59 SM3NRY 84 AF5CC 10 N6UA 35 F4BKV 60 FG8OJ 85 YU0W 11 AD0DX 36 DL2GRC 61 PT2AP 86 W1AW 12 W5PFG 37 KE0PBR 62 AA8CH 87 PT9ST 13 DP0POL 38 K7TAB 63 AM1SAT 88 DK9JC 14 K5ZM 39 KE0WPA 64 F5VMJ 89 VO2AC 15 AD0HJ 40 W7WGC 65 KI7QEK 90 W8LR 16 AK8CW 41 JO2ASQ 66 VE1VOX 91 DL4EA 17 WD9EWK 42 EA4NF 67 M1DDD 92 KG4AKV 18 ON4AUC 43 AC0RA 68 VA3VGR 93 LW2DAF 19 KX9X 44 PR8KW 69 LU4JVE 94 HB9GWJ 20 KG5CCI 45 AA5PK 70 KI7UXT 95 KC7JPC 21 N5BO 46 JK2XXK 71 N4DCW 96 XE1ET 22 DJ8MS 47 EB1AO 72 PT9BM 97 AB5SS 23 ND0C 48 F4DXV 73 WA9JBQ 98 A41ZZ 24 K8BL 49 SP5XSD 74 VE3GOP 99 K4DCA 25 UT1FG 50 AD7DB 75 K0FFY 100 WN9Q [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 21, 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 AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts Colegio Educación del Talento, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ or Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is for: Mon 2023-09-25 15:08:45 UTC Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Kononenko The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is for: Thu 2023-09-28 08:45 UTC ARISS planned radio outage next week. In support of the Soyuz undocking planned for Wed. 9/27 the Voice Repeater & Digipeater will be off for the event. Current Schedule: Radios off: Tue. Sep. 26 about 12:20 UTC | 8:20 AM ET Radios on: Thu. Sep. 28 about 07:45 UTC | 3:45 AM ET 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 K5Z will be active on IO-117 from DL88 on September 25-27. See the updated pass schedule at https://www.qrz.com/db/KI0KB/P. Doug, VA7LM will be active on IO-117 for the final time this year from CO44 on 24th September at 0102z. 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. + ARRL Minnesota State Convention October 14, 2023 Hennepin Technical College 9000 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota http://mnconvention.org + 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention October 14-15, 2023 Kents Hill Park Conference Centre Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Virgin Galactic successfully completed its third commercial suborbital spaceflight, known as "Galactic 03," on September 8, carrying three private astronauts. The VSS Unity spaceplane, attached to the VMS Eve mothership, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico and reached an altitude of 88.6 kilometers before landing back at the spaceport. Unlike previous flights, the company kept the identities of the private astronauts secret until after the landing, revealing them as Ken Baxter, Timothy Nash, and Adrian Reynard. Virgin Galactic did not provide a webcast of the mission but updated the public via social media. The company plans to continue its monthly cadence of missions with "Galactic 04" in early October. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.] + The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced an end of critical phases for two of its recently launched space missions. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has concluded its critical operation phase, demonstrating the normal functionality of its equipment through telemetry data. SLIM will now transition to an Earth orbit phase, where it will further test its onboard systems before embarking on its lunar journey. Simultaneously, the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) also completed its critical phase, with normal operations in power generation, communication, and attitude control. XRISM is now entering a commissioning period to verify its onboard equipment's functions. These missions, launched on September 6, 2023, mark Japan's ambitious foray into lunar exploration with SLIM and its deep space investigations with XRISM, advancing our understanding of both the Moon and the universe. [ANS thanks the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for the above information.] + ESTCube-2 is set to launch aboard Vega C flight VV23 in the coming weeks, marking Europe's final launch of 2023. This 3U CubeSat is a joint project between the Estonian Student Satellite Foundation and UT Tartu Observatory. It will test Coulomb drag propulsion, specifically E-sails, by using a positively charged wire to deflect solar wind protons and generate thrust. Additionally, it will experiment with a plasma brake to accelerate satellite deorbiting. ESTCube-2 will also conduct tests in low Earth orbit (LEO) on an electron emitter to prepare for future deep space missions. The mission includes Earth observation (EO) payloads and materials testing for LEO's atomic oxygen environment. The team is planning a lunar mission for actual E-sailing. The Vega C launch will carry a Thai EO satellite, a Taiwanese weather satellite, and various smallsats for diverse missions such as water monitoring, tech demonstrations, IoT, and more. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.] + NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is gearing up for a historic moment on September 24, 2023, when it will return valuable samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth, with the landing scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT (1400Z) in Utah. Launched in 2016, the mission faced unexpected challenges as Bennu's surface differed from predictions, requiring reprogramming for a successful sample collection in 2020. Inside the descent capsule is a trove of precious asteroid material. As the spacecraft enters Earth's atmosphere at high speed, it will deploy parachutes to ensure a controlled landing. This event marks the culmination of OSIRIS-REx's 7-year mission, promising crucial insights into the solar system's history and composition. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half-time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ ad0hj [at] amsat.org

1 0