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ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly News Bulletin

by Frank Karnauskas

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-017 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, 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://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. In this edition: * RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021 * November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online * UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch * Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth's Magnetic Field for Propulsion * CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders * International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23 * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-017.01 ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 017.01 From AMSAT HQ Washington, DC January 17, 2021 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-017.01 RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021 Virgin Orbit announced a new launch date of No Earlier Than (NET) Sunday, January 17, 2021 with additional windows in January if needed. The specific window is 10:00 to 14:00 PST (1800 to 2200 UTC). Virgin Orbit seems to be using its Twitter account to make their public announcements, so that may be worth watching at https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit. AMSAT does not have preliminary TLE for the upcoming launch. If you are hoping to snag the first contact, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP - Engineering suggests checking the nasabare.text TLE just prior to launch, maybe thirty-minutes after launch or until they are posted. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online AMSAT members can read the November/December 2020 edition of the AMSAT Journal online. This edition includes: - Apogee View - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Engineering Update - Jerry Buxton, N0JY - Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - Development Update - Frank Karnauskas, N1UW - For Beginners - Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VIII - Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF - Working FalconSat-3 Packet BBS with the Kenwood TH-D72A - Brian Wilkins, KO4AQF - Testing a More Fade-resistant BPSK Demodulator for Fox Linear - Transponder Spacecraft - Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ - The Success Story of SMOG-P, the World's Smallest Satellite - Gabor Geczy - Starting My Adventure With Amateur Radio Satellites - James Johnson, VE7HJ The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Join AMSAT today to start receiving your bi-monthly issue of The AMSAT Journal. Members can access the latest issue of The AMSAT Journal as well as archived editions at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal/. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE - a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch The launch of UVSQsat is scheduled for January 21, 2021 by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. UVSQ-SAT is a nanosatellite designed by LATMOS (Atmospheres Spatial Observation Laboratory) and developed at the Observatory of Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines. Its scientific and technological goals are observing essential climate variables, namely shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere and UV solar spectral irradiance. In addition to experimental and educational missions, it will provide the Amateur Radio community with a new FM transponder. AMSAT-Francophone and the radio club F6KRK have been involved throughout the project. AMSAT-Francophone offers software to interpret the data and send it to the AMSAT-F & Satnogs database. The software is in beta mode and available for testing and giving feedback for improvement. The software runs on both Windows and Linux platforms. Information for downloading is available at: https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/21-ecr-uvsqsat/ApplicationUVS… Two audio files are available for testing the software: - 1200 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_143925Z_437017790Hz_IQ---Beacon_1200.wav - 9600 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_144839Z_437011810Hz_IQ---Beacon_9600.wav The satellite will transmit on the frequency: 437.020 MHz. More information on the satellite frequencies: http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0UVSQsat.html More information on the project: http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/index.php [ANS thanks AMSAT-F for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process January 7, 2021 - Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2021 contact window. A total of seven of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the seven US host organizations during the July through December 2021 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA. The seven schools advancing in the selection process are: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Tarwater Elementary, Chandler, AZ Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse, NY SpaceKids Global and Girl Scouts of Citrus, Winter Park, FL Civil Air Patrol - Illinois Wing, St Charles, IL Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth's Magnetic Field for Propulsion Although not an Amateur Radio satellite, a student-built CubeSat is of interest to the Amateur Radio Satellite Service. Built at the University of Michigan, it will investigate whether small satellites can be maintained in low Earth orbit without thrusters or propellant. Scheduled to launch from the Mojave Air and Space Port on Virgin Orbit's Launch Demo 2 on January 10, 2020, the Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment-1 (MiTEE-1) will test the concept of using the Earth's magnetic field to generate thrust. The usual way to overcome this is to use thrusters to boost the satellite into a higher orbit, but for smaller spacecraft, and especially CubeSats, this isn't currently an option - although efforts like the ThermaSat design are looking to bring lightweight propulsion systems to CubeSats. The result is that many perfectly good pieces of hardware are destroyed prematurely, deorbiting in a matter of months or even days. The MiTEE project will test the feasibility of using electromagnetism to provide propulsion by stringing a wire tether 33 to 100 feet (10 to 30 m) long between two CubeSats. The idea is that solar panels would provide electricity, which would run through the wire. As the satellite orbits the Earth, the ionosphere completes the circuit and, because a force is exerted on a wire when it conducts a current in a magnetic field, the tether generates thrust that can be used to boost the spacecraft into a higher orbit. As the force isn't very great, such an approach wouldn't be feasible for larger satellites, but the hope is it will be enough to allow small satellites to compensate for the drag of the atmosphere. The result of two and half years of work, MiTEE-1 won't actually produce any thrust. Instead, it will consist of a satellite about the size of a loaf of breadbox and another about the size of a smartphone that deploys on a one-meter (33-in) rigid boom. This will measure how much current can be drawn from the ionosphere under various conditions. The data from the mission will be used for planning and building the next MiTEE satellite, which will demonstrate the electric propulsion system concept in operation. More information is available at: https://newatlas.com/space/cubesat-earth-magnetic-field-boost-orbit/. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis and newatlas.com for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders In 2020, a project between AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NL and Swiss universities started with the aim of equipping two Swiss satellites with a linear transponder for Amateur Radio. With a linear transponder, several QSOs can take place simultaneously. The satellites can be operated in CW/SSB with the simplest equipment. The satellites also include features for classroom demonstrations and experiments. In numerous teleconference discussions, the technical possibilities could be sounded out and the realization prepared. The CHESS [Constellation of High Energy Swiss Satellites] project includes two satellites, which will be built simultaneously and later launched as a constellation. Both will provide a linear transponder for amateur radio use. The first satellite will have a nearly circular orbit at an altitude of 400 km. The second will have an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 350×1000 km. The satellites themselves are a project of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with support from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU – Institute of Electrical Engineering IET), the University of Bern, the Valais University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HES-SO), the Haute École Neuchâtel and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich. The amateur radio payload is a project of AMSAT-UK/-NL. On 18 December 2020, the successful system requirements review took place. The project coordination between CHESS and AMSAT lies with the Amateur Radio Association of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Technology & Architecture, Horw. The Swiss AMSAT Operators provide information about the CHESS project at https://www.amsat-hb.org/funcube-chess/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23 Preparations are under way by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to represent the interests of the amateur and amateur-satellite services at World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) sponsors WRCs, typically every 4 years, to consider revisions to the international Radio Regulations that define frequency allocations for various radio services. The next WRC is expected to be held in 2023. Potentially affected bands are 50 - 54 MHz (a new service has been proposed in an adjacent band); 1240 - 1300 MHz; 3300 - 3400 MHz; 10.0 - 10.5 GHz, and 241 - 250 GHz. In addition, studies are being conducted to identify protection requirements for space weather sensors that operate in frequency bands from 13 kHz to at least 15 GHz. Read the complete story at: http://www.arrl.org/news/international-amateur-radio-union-preparing-for-wr…. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo; March 13,14 2021 The second QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held on March 13-14, 2021. There is an Amateur Radio speaker track and AMSAT will have a virtual booth during the event. Advance tickets are now on sale. More information at: https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/ [ANS thanks Virtual QSO Virtual Ham Expo for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations EL86; January 17-18, 2021 @KK4YEL: is heading out to EL86 for two days starting this Sunday evening. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News + Upcoming Contacts Hisagi Junior High School, Zushi, Japan Direct via 8N1ZH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Contact is go for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 08:17:59 UTC. (70 deg) Maine Regional School Unit #21, Kennebunk, ME Multi-point 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 astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG. Contact is go for Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 18:27:40 UTC. (52 deg) + Completed Contacts Shigagakuen Junior & Senior High School, Higashioumi, Japan, Direct via 8N3SG The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz. The astronaut was Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Contact was successful on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 10:38:29 UTC. A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shorts from All Over + New Keplerian Element Set orb21007.2l.amsat Available Updated Keplerian elements were released on January 7, 2021 and are available at: https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information.] + 31st Anniversary of LO-19 Members of AMSAT Argentina will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the LUSAT (LO-19) satellite with the callsign LU7AA January 16-24, 2021. Stations will be QRV on HF on SSB, FT8, and CW. An award is also available. QSL via LU7AA direct or by eQSL. More information is available at http://lu4aao.org/lu7aa/cert_31_aniv_lusat_2021.htm. [ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Application forms are available from the AMSAT office. 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 six post-secondary years in this status. Contact info at amsat dot org for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

1 year, 4 months

ANS-0103 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jan. 10, 2021

by kd4iz＠frawg.org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-010 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(a)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: * Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 is go for launch * Cargo Dragon to Return to Earth from ISS * Portable QO-100 station activated on Antarctic cruise * AMSAT-SM releases a satellite memory set for the ICOM IC-705 * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * AMSAT - Changes in Orbital Elements * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-010.01 ANS-010 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 010.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE YYY To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-010.01 Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne is go for launch with RadFXSat-2/Fox-1E cubesat LauncherOne is scheduled for launch on Sunday, January 10th at 13:00 EST. The LauncherOne vehicle will carry 11 satellites including the AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2 cubesat. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies: Telemetry Downlink – 435.750 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink – 145.860 MHz – 145.890 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink – 435.760 MHz – 435.790 MHz See https://bit.ly/2XboF8H and https://bit.ly/3hLlDl3 for more information [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM AMSAT News Editor, the AMSAT-UK editorial team, and SpaceLaunchNow for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Cargo Dragon to Return to Earth from ISS The SpaceX Dragon that arrived at the International Space Station on the company's 21st resupply services mission for NASA is scheduled to depart on Monday, Jan. 11, loaded with 5,200 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo. NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast its departure live beginning at 9 a.m. EST (1400z). The upgraded Dragon spacecraft will execute the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the International Docking Adapter at 9:25 a.m. (1425z), with NASA astronaut Victor Glover, KI5BKC, monitoring aboard the station. Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the station's space-facing port of the Harmony module, then initiate a deorbit burn to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth's atmosphere. Dragon is expected to make its parachute-assisted splashdown around 9 p.m. (0200z on Jan. 12) the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean. The deorbit burn and splashdown will not air on NASA TV. Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation of the science aboard the capsule to the agency's Kennedy Space Center Space Station Processing Facility, and back into the hands of the researchers. This shorter transportation time frame allows researchers to collect data with minimal loss of microgravity effects. For splashdowns in the Pacific Ocean, quick-return science cargo is processed at SpaceX's facility in McGregor, Texas, and delivered to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Dragon launched Dec. 6 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at the station just over 24 hours later and achieving the first autonomous docking of a U.S. commercial cargo resupply spacecraft. Previous arriving cargo Dragon spacecraft were captured and attached to the space station by astronauts operating the station's robotic Canadarm2. The spacecraft delivered more than 6,400 pounds of hardware, research investigations and crew supplies. The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Portable QO-100 station activated on Antarctic cruise A portable satellite station for the QO-100 geostationary satellite (Es’hail-2) was commissioned on the icebreaker FS “Polarstern” at 14:23 UTC on December 27, 2020, with an initial QSO between DP0POL/mm and DK3ZL. A very special experiment, originated from an idea of Felix DL5XL and Charly DK3ZL. AMSAT-DL spontaneously supported this project by providing a complete 6 Watt transverter radio station, as well as a 75 cm dish on a tripod. Charly DK3ZL first tested this system extensively via QO-100 at his home for a few days before he personally brought it to Felix DL5XL in Bremerhaven for handover on December 6, 2020. On the same day, all the equipment was loaded onto the research vessel Polarstern, while the entire crew remained in quarantine for almost 2 weeks. On 20 December 2020, the Polarstern then set sail from Bremerhaven and embarked on the long voyage to Antarctica, non-stop. In agreement with the responsible board engineer of Polarstern, Jörg DJ0HO, who is responsible for the callsign DP0POL on Polarstern, the station could be set up in front of a container on the upper deck, depending on the weather situation (see cover picture). Theresa DC1TH and Felix DL5XL are thus able to make radio calls in their spare time during the several-week trip to Antarctica. After the premiere there was an impressive “pile-up” of up to 40 kHz on the NB transponder on the following days. Additional information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3bjx1Um [ANS thanks Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, President AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-SM releases a satellite memory set for the ICOM IC-705 Lars Thunberg, Webmaster for AMSAT-SM has posted a satellite memory set for the new IC-705 QRP radio from ICOM. Lars has provided two .CSV files which may be merged into your existing memory groups as a dedicated group. You will need to use the CS-705 software from ICOM to perform the merge. Please carefully read the instructions that Lars gives at: https://bit.ly/3obNm0R The .CSV files in the EU/Swedish format and the North American/US format are posted at the above URL. Note from Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ. "I found the CS-705 format difficult to import into the RT Systems IC-705 Programmer. The easiest path would be to use Icom's CS-705 software to merge the memories into a new group, then to save the settings back into the RT Systems Programmer software. I have provided an import template for the RT Systems software to Lars. It will require some testing by others. Please contact me with your results or questions (kd4iz at arrl dot org). Lars has posted this file at the above link. Lars also has also provided a nice tutorial for users of the PstRotator Satellites Tracking Sofware at: https://bit.ly/2LewbNt Lars plans to update his memory settings file to add additional satellites in the future. [ANS thanks Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU, Webmaster AMSAT-SM and Jack Spitznagel, Editor AMSAT News for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassador and registered ARRL instructor Clint Bradford K6LCS has a couple of Zoom presentations lined up to begin 2021.In the first week of February, a private group “abbreviated” presentation will be given to a Southern CA ARES group. Clint will make a full presentation to The Villages Amateur Radio Club, The Villages, Florida on January 21, 2021 - 3PM Pacific, 6PM Eastern, via Zoom. The Villages Radio Club website may be found at: https://www.k4vrc.com/ Clint wishes to add some additional presentations to his schedule and he adds: "There are up-to-five spots available for you to attend! Just send me an email message (email address below) for details. Would a 90-minute informative, personalized-to-your-club, FUN presentation on working the “easy” satellites would be appropriate for your club? Send me an email message, and let’s book a date!" [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS (k6lcs at ham-satdot info) for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 7, 2020 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: UBAKUSAT - NORAD Cat ID 43467 (Decayed on December 27, 2020 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Shigagakuen Junior & Senior High School, Higashioumi, Japan, direct via 8N3SG The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB (***)Contact is go for: Wed 2021-01-13 10:38:29 UTC 26 deg (***) Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2021 contact window. A total of 7 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 7 US host organizations during the July through December 2021 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA. The following have been listed by Organization and Location: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Tarwater Elementary, Chandler, AZ Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse , NY SpaceKids Global and Girl Scouts of Citrus, Winter Park, FL Civil Air Patrol – Illinois Wing, St Charles, IL Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N and Dave Jordan, AA4KN of ARISS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: +Thursday 1/14/21 KF6JOQ "Planning to rove DM16 and maybe 16/15 line,Thursday 1/14/21. Will be FM and linear." +Watch for additional rove tweets from WL7T: @WL7T Is headed to Colorado for 3 weeks in January. "Will be in DM69 most of the time but might be able to be persuaded to go as far south as DM66. I am heading to Denver on Thursday (1/7) morning. I’ll be in DM79 for a few hours starting at 20z and will try working whatever I can as time permits. Will get to DM69 by Thursday evening and will get on the later passes as soon as I arrive." [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] 1/10/2021, from 1300Z-1700Z, N4DCW will be working satellite passes from West Virginia in EM88. Passes are listed at: https://t.co/YbgeMyu3Vv?amp=1 Michael asks: "Please, no blind calling (calling me before I have AOS). I will have *at least* 5-10 degree horizons in all directions. (It’s West Virginia!) Rest assured, when I can hear the satellite, I will let you know. :)" Rove updates can be found on his Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MWimages [ANS thanks Michael Whitman, N4DCW posting to AMSAT-BB for the above information] Major Roves: There are no major roves scheduled as of 1/6/2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events None on the immediate schedule. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Reminders from Drew Glasbrenner about AO-92 and AO-91 - AMSAT-BB 1/6/2021: "Today I turned AO-92's transmitter off after resetting the min-max readings. We've been watching the battery minimum voltage decline steadily over the last few days, and needed to give it a rest for a bit. Immediately afterwards, there was an AO-91 pass. I turned on the transmitter, and a few moments later reset the min-max readings. The command team will monitor telemetry and determine if we can leave it on for a while. Please remember to not transmit to either satellite while it is in eclipse. If you do not use software that indicates eclipse state, just avoid the evening passes. We are in the endgame for both satellites, and your cooperation will give us more operational time over the coming months." (ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations for the above information) + Alba Orbital, the space broker that manages the launch of AMSAT-EA (AMSAT Spain) EASAT-2 and Hades satellites, has informed us of a delay in the scheduled one for January 14, 2021 with SpaceX. "This delay has nothing to do with our satellites, or with Alba Orbital itself. It is attributable to Momentus, which acts as an integrator with SpaceX." "The delay means the next try would probably go to March, coinciding with the Starlink mission and being located in an estimated orbit between 450 and 550 km with an inclination of 53 degrees." "As for the satellites themselves, this should not be a major setback. AMSAT-EA does does not expect a significant drain on the batteries." (ANS thanks Felix Paez, EA4GQS of AMSAT EA for the above information) + Roy Dean, K3RLD commented on LilacSat-2 operations: "Just a reminder for those who may not know, LilacSat-2 frequently turns on with a downlink about 12 kHz higher than it's published value. It seems to "jump around" sometimes between the two frequencies. Here is a good illustration of the the recently completed 21:55z pass:" https://network.satnogs.org/observations/3416149/ Roy continues: "It was just me and KC1OCA on this pass, but I don't think Michael could hear me. The downlink was very strong, so I suspect he was using a radio with no waterfall - which would make it difficult to know that you are getting in. If anybody knows KC1OCA - please let him know that I have a recording of the pass if he would like (no email on qrz.com). Thanks!" (ANS thanks Roy Dean, K3RLD for the above information) + Rocket Lab announces "Another One Leaves The Crust" launch window: The mission will launch a single communication microsatellite for OHB Group that will enable specific frequencies to support future services from orbit. The launch will be Rocket Lab’s 18th Electron mission and was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group's satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden, and Czech Republic. The mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula (ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC of RocketLab for the above information) + A Japanese company and Kyoto University have joined forces to develop what they hope will be the world's first satellites made out of wood by 2023. Sumitomo Forestry said it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space. The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth. Space junk is becoming an increasing problem as more satellites are launched into the atmosphere. Wooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth. (ANS thanks BBC News for the above information) + Want to add a bit of space to your Google Calendar? CNET has launched the SPACE CALENDAR (all caps for dramatic cosmic effect), covering all the big rocket launches, mesmerizing meteor showers, epic eclipses and even an assortment of scientific milestones. The Google Calendar is constantly updating, and can be added to your existing Google app at https://bit.ly/38lfWHC For other calendars, such as Outlook, a static computer file of dates as they are presently scheduled can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/3hQm6T2 (ANS thanks CNET.com 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. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Store. 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. Contact AMSAT for additional student membership information at info at amsat dot org. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at frawg dot org

1 year, 4 months

ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jan. 3

by Mark Johns, K0JM

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-003 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(a)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: * 2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space * Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution * New AMSAT Contact Information * FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021 * AMSAT Awards Update * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021 * New Mail System Archives Changes * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 31, 2020 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-003.01 ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 003.01 From AMSAT HQ, WASHINGTON, DC DATE 2021 January 3 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-003.01 2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space 2021 is looking to be at least as big a space year as 2020. To name just a few highlights: * Three missions (and a helicopter!) arrive at Mars (Tianwen-1, Hope Probe, Perseverance), * The James Webb Space Telescope launches in October (it just completed final sunshield testing), * NASA’s DART, Lucy, and CLPS landers start launching, the Vera Rubin Observatory should see first light, Starliner OPT-2 will hopefully go smoothly, and China’s space station starts assembly. * We also expect to see a number of firsts throughout the industry: + first orbital flights for Astra, Virgin Orbit (carrying 11 CubeSats scheduled to be deployed on this launch, including RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E), Firefly, and maaaaybe Starship, New Glenn, and Artemis I; + first orbital booster reuse from a non-SpaceX commercial space company (Rocket Lab); + the first fully private crewed mission to the ISS, launched by SpaceX and Axiom; * And, the first two movies filmed in space, both to begin shooting on the ISS in the fall. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution Due in part to the e-mail system upgrades and ongoing changes in technology more generally, distribution of the AMSAT New Service (ANS) bulletins (the bulletins you are reading right now) have changed slightly in the new year. Beginning with this release, ANS bulletins will no longer be sent with hard returns (CR/LF) inserted at 72 characters or fewer. Line length has traditionally been delineated for transmission on packet networks. However, few such networks remain operational, and most users receive the bulletins via a computer or mobile device. For the time being, ANS bulletins will continue to be sent in plain text, and most users will notice no change. A few may have to turn on or adjust the "word wrap" feature in their email client, but for the vast majority, bulletins will display on their devices as they always have. The only difference most might notice is fewer hyphens breaking words in the various news stories. This is a first step toward moving to an HTML format that will eventually allow bulletins to be sent with color and photo illustrations, much as bulletins from ARRL and other sources have been for some time. AMSAT News Service is moving slowly toward this change, so users may expect the plain text distribution to continue for some months yet. [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New AMSAT Contact Information AMSAT's long-serving office manager, Martha Saragovitz, has retired! Martha’s last official day was December 31st. Because Martha is literally irreplaceable, AMSAT will be transitioning to a virtual office. The best way to communicate AMSAT will be via email. If you have a question about AMSAT membership, please use the Contact Form on our Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, or email us directly at members(a)amsat.org. If you have a general question for AMSAT, please use the contact form on our main website, amsat.org, or email us directly at info(a)amsat.org. It is important that you include your name and call sign. You would be surprised how many inquiries we receive with just an email addressed that cannot be easily traced back to a member. If you need to mail something to AMSAT during the month of January, please send it to AMSAT, PO Box 27, Washington DC 20044-0027. This is our permanent mailing address, and it requires a volunteer to travel. As such, we will only retrieve this mail once a week. We will open a virtual office at some point in January. Our virtual office will include a telephone answering service and the ability to receive and electronically process mail. We will post our new, virtual telephone number and mailing address on the Member Portal and main website contact pages, as soon as this service is available. We are excited about the opportunities these new communication challenges bring and understand there will be some hiccups along the way, but, ultimately, we are committed to providing you with an open and effective communications system. Thank you for your patience and understanding. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021 Time in UTC Jan. 2021 1st 01:40- 03:25- 3rd 01:35- 03:20- 9th 01:20- 03:05- 10th 02:10- 03:55- 11th 01:15- 03:00- 30th 01:20- 03:05- 31st 02:10- 03:55- Feb. 2021 7th 02:45- 11th 02:35- 21st 02:10- 23rd 02:05- 27th 01:55- 03:40- 28th 02:45- For more information, see https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-201907.htm [ANS thanks Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)has just finished processing the last awards for 2020. Here are those that have earned awards recently. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Stephen Small, KC1NBI Michael Pelaez, K4KMP Kevin Addison, KM4RYN Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA Timothy Stinson, AI5BE Lowell Davis, WA2ZQX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #630 Robert Sours, K9UO, #631 Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #632 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award Robert Sours, K9UO, #189 ------ AMSAT Century Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #56 ------ AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #US233 Robert Sours, K9UO, #US234 Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #US235 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000) Greg Phillips, WI4T, #115 Bernd Scholer, DL6IAN, #116 Michael Mark, VE4MM, #117 Gerry Krebs, N0JE upgraded to 4000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #36 Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, #37 Robert Sours, K9UO, #38 ------ AMSAT Rover Award Rover Call ===== ======== None this time ------ GridMaster Award GridMaster Call ========== ======== #14 N0JE #15 N8HM #16 AA8CH #17 KE4AL #18 N3GS #19 WC7V #20 N9EAT #21 KK4YEL #22 K9UO #23 K7TAB #24 KE0PBR #25 KI7UNJ #26 WI4T To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org and click on Services then Awards. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period December 1, 2020 through January 1, 2021. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! There is a huge list this month. Perhaps due to the end of a Covid year. CALL Dec Jan WA4NVM 1544 1557 WC7V 1229 1232 N8RO 1075 1080 N9EAT 706 784 WA5KBH 766 775 AA8CH 718 750 W5RKN 732 739 K9UO 600 631 WD9EWK (DM43)625 630 KI7UNJ 576 602 KK4YEL 504 589 AA4QE 408 508 N7EGY 457 502 KE8FZT 475 500 N5BO 401 500 KJ4EU *404 471 WA6DNR New 457 AC9E 401 451 N4DCW 425 450 HP2VX 377 406 VE6WK 355 404 WB7VUF 370 404 WA9JBQ 375 400 AK7DD 326 376 KS1G 325 360 KB9STR 229 353 KF6JOQ 303 353 N3CRT 303 351 K5TA 202 302 KX9X 219 302 W8LR 225 300 EA3CAZ New 293 AB1OC 261 264 KX9X (EN50) 175 250 VU2LBW 200 246 VE4MM New 227 N8URE (FM19) New 186 WD9EWK (DM22)150 177 NA1ME 150 175 VE1VOX 157 170 WD9EWK (DM31)127 156 EA2AA 148 153 N4QX 149 152 WD9EWK (DM54)101 125 N2ZN 103 120 AA0MZ 112 116 N8URE (EL95) New 113 DL6KBG 101 111 K7RQN New 109 DL7NX New 103 K4KMP New 102 W4ALF New 102 KP4MV New 100 For some reason KJ4EU *404 was not on the 01 Dec ARRL list If you find errors or omissions. please contact W5RKN off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mail System Archives Changes AMSAT's new mail system was introduced several weeks ago, but a number of users remain confused about its operation. If you are not receiving email from AMSAT-BB or other lists from which you have received posts in the past, you probably need to register your email address at https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ Please contact postmaster [at] amsat.org with any questions or concerns regarding this upgrade. Likewise, if you are searching for archives of recent posts to AMSAT-BB, ANS (AMSAT News Service), the Keplerian Elements Mailing List (KEPS), you will now find those archives at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/ Archives of message posts that date from prior to the first week of December 2020 are still maintained at https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/ for your continued reference. However, no new mail posts are archived at that location. Any messages from December 7, 2020 and onward are on the new "HyperKitty" archive. Messages prior to that date remain in the old "PiperMail" archive. [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, 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 December 31, 2020 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: EQUISat - NORAD Cat ID 43552 (Decayed on December 26, 2020 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. John Sygo in Paardekraal, South Africa will use call sign ZS6JON to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. English is the language that will be used for this contact. The Radio Club Argentino will assist the students with the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 6, 2021 at 11:19 a.m. GALT (Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island), which is 17:19 UTC. The contact will be live streamed and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/3XmNxHTtR6Q. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.**** @WL7T: Is headed to Colorado for 3 weeks in January. Will be in DM69 most of the time but might be able to be persuaded to go as far south as DM66. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, no events are currently scheduled. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + A great article about ARISS and ISS was recently published on the website, PHYS.ORG https://phys.org/news/2020-12-earthlings-astronauts-chat-ham-radio.html (ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, for the above information) + ON THIS DATE in 2004, the Mars rover Spirit made its landing on the Red Planet. In 1962, NASA publicly announced the Gemini program. And in 1920, biochemist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov was born. (ANS thanks The Year in Space for the above information) + Of all the estimated 2700 CubeSats and other “nanosatellites” that have been created to date, less than 10% have had their own means of propulsion. This leaves them at the mercy of gravity and atmospheric drag, which can cause them to deorbit while they are still functional. In addition, they are unable to maneuver and adjust their orbit and get out of the way of other satellites and space debris. Thanks to Howe Industries and a breakthrough engine design (known as the ThermaSat) that utilizes steam to generate propulsion, all of that could change very soon. ThermaSat differs from conventional steam engines by relying on plain water and solar-electric power, and avoiding toxic, highly pressurized or even explosive liquids, such as hydrazine. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + The UK and EU announced a broad agreement Dec. 24 governing the UK’s relationship with the EU once the country formally withdraws from the European Union, a process known as Brexit. The agreement will allow the UK to remain in the Copernicus Earth observation program after it formally exits the EU. The situation is different with Galileo, the EU satellite navigation program, which is not covered by the Brexit deal. Those programs are “100% financed” by the EU. A third EU space program, is the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking program for space situational awareness. The UK government and private satellite operators based there will continue to have access to those services under the deal. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station on Wednesday, Jan. 6, more than three months after delivering nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbiting outpost. Live coverage of the cargo spacecraft’s departure will begin at 1445z on NASA Television and the agency’s website, with release of Cygnus scheduled for 1510z. (ANS thanks NASA and Southgate ARC for the above information) + Effective on June 29, 2021, amateur radio licensees and candidates must provide the FCC with an email address on all applications. If no email address is included, the FCC may dismiss the application as “defective.” The FCC has already begun strongly encouraging applicants to provide an email address. Once an email address is provided, the FCC will email a link to an official electronic copy of the license grant. Licensees can log into the ULS License Manager System with their FRN and password at any time and update anything in their FCC license record, including adding an email address. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct email address. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + Today’s moment of Zen: your motions on this planet during your lifetime have shifted the center of masses of both our planet and our solar system by minuscule amounts, and this, in turn, has gravitationally altered the motions of every star within the distance that light traveled during your life. While undetectable, your life and choices shape the motion of the stars. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index 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. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Store. 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. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

1 year, 4 months

ANS-362 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-362 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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 Commemorating 20 Years of Operations Continues Through 12-31 * AMSAT CW Activity Day - January 1st * FoxTelem v 1.09n5 Released * Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Window Now Likely Mid-January * AO-7's Full Sun Season Ends * ARISS News * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-362.01 ANS-362 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 362.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 27, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-362.01 ARISS SSTV Event Commemorating 20 Years of Operations Continues Through 12-31 An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a special SSTV event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ARISS on board the International Space Station. The event is scheduled to begin on December 24 at 16:40 UTC and continue through December 31 ending at 18:15 UTC. Dates are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post images they receive at the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and following directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day 2021 You are cordially invited to participate in CW Activity Day 2021, sponsored by AMSAT for amateurs around the world. Operate CW through any amateur satellite on 1 January 2021 UTC. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged but not required. You need not send in a log, but are encouraged to post a brief report of your activity on the amsat-bb Protect your satellites! Please remember to use the minimum power needed to complete your QSOs. CU on the birds! [ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FoxTelem v 1.09n5 Released I have a slightly updated version of FoxTelem. This is not a mandatory upgrade and you won't get a reminder message. This includes just a couple of fixes: * Allow both Mode and Freq to be switched automatically in Find Signal mode, assuming Auto Start is on. This might be important to you if you use Find SIgnal and you want to track Fox-1E and the existing Fox spacecraft * Support a 12kHz IF for BPSK as requested by SatNogs. This will allow the IF from the SatNogs receiver to be decoded, including any recordings that are made by SatNogs ground stations. * Display correct error messages on WOD tab when T0 or keps not available If those are important to you then feel free to upgrade. The release is available here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/FoxTelem_1.09n5_windows.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/FoxTelem_1.09n5_linux.tar.gz http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.09n5_mac.tar.gz If you are upgrading from 1.09n3 then you only need to replace the jar file. If you know how to do that, then the jar file is here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/test/FoxTelem.jar If you have questions then feel free to send me an email. [ANS thanks Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, AMSAT FoxTelem Developer, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Window Now Likely Mid-January Via @Virgin_Orbit on Twitter: Update from Mojave: as our teammates cleared their preventative quarantines, we got back into our pre-launch operations. Sunday and Monday, we completed our final wet dress rehearsal — the last big test we had planned prior to our launch. Our policies around social distancing were strict before, but we’ve since implemented even more extreme measures to ensure the health and safety of our team. A full 2/3rds of the small crew who were on-site for our previous WDR supported this latest rehearsal remotely. Our hardware is basically ready to go, as is our team. We are working with our partners in government and with our customers to identify our new candidate launch windows. We’ll publish new dates as soon as they are final, but currently, the window is likely to be mid-January. Finally: to all of our friends, neighbors, and families, we wish you a joyous, safe, socially distanced, disinfected holiday season. As 2020 winds down and we all prepare to enter a new chapter, please take care of yourselves and your loved ones — and wear a mask! [ANS thanks Virgin Orbit for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AO-7's Full-Sun Season Ends On December 26th, AO-7 began entering eclipse each orbit after two months of continuous sunlight. This means that the 24 hour timer will no longer switch the satellite between Mode A and Mode B each day as the satellite normally powers up in Mode B after exiting eclipse. Joe Werth, KE9AJ, was a strong advocate for Mode A operation this season, making 18 QSOs, including 4 transatlantic QSOs, using a 10m moxon for the downlink. On October 19th, operating portable in EN50, he worked Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, in JN15, a distance of 7,088 km. Although longer distance QSOs have certainly been made on AO-7 Mode A, this represents the longest distance QSO claimed for AMSAT records. The next full sun period is estimated to begin on September 10, 2021 and last until April 7, 2022. [ANS thanks AMSAT Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Twenty years of ARISS! On December 21, 2000 at 20:29 UTC, Luther Burbank School in Burbank, IL had ARISS contact number 1. I was privileged to be the control operator and ARISS mentor for that first contact. We failed two days earlier, but we figured out what had gone wrong and on the second day, we had a highly successful contact with Bill Shepherd KD5GSL who operated NA1SS. Since that first contact, ARISS has had 1411 total events; all of them an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. I am sure the crewmembers have enjoyed the contacts just as much as the schools. I thank my ham crew who worked in putting together contact number 1 (try putting antennas up with minus 30 degrees windchill factors), the students who went into the great unknown (someone has to be first), the school staff who knew they had the right students to make it happen, and the parents who pushed their student to participate. Now ARISS embarks on the next 20 years of space exploration. In the not-too-distant future, a school may be talking to a crewmember who is orbiting the moon. So, stay tuned where ARISS goes next. Please check for additional 20th year anniversary messages at https://www.ariss.org/. 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, ARISS Operations, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. No upcoming presentations listed [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.**** N4DCW: EM66 12/27 W9TWJ: Either next Tuesday 12/29 or Wednesday 12/30, AB5SS and I will be loading up and activating EL28 (maybe a few other surrounding) – FM and linear. Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + AO-92 was returned to service on Christmas Day. Due to the condition of the satellite's batteries, please do not use the satellite when it is in eclipse (when the satellite is not in sun). It is unknown how long it will continue to operate. AO-91 is also experiencing battery issues. Please do not use AO-91 in eclipse. + Want to try ham radio satellite operating but don’t think you have the gear you need? Check out Sean Kutzko. KX9X's latest video for DX Engineering & see how you can work satellites using gear you may already have in your shack! https://youtu.be/tKZ_qCfGn5A + The Los Angeles Times published an article about ham radio aboard the ISS entitled "Living in space can get lonely. What helps? Talking to random people over ham radio" on December 23rd. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-362-LATimes + Phys.org also published an article on ARISS: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-362-Phys + AMSAT Secretary Jeff Davis, KE9V, reports on his blog that the Twin Cities DX Association included a member profile of Senior AMSAT News Service Editor Mark Johns, K0JM, in the December 2020 edition of the Gray Line Report. https://ke9v.net/2020/12/24/amsat-volunteers.html + Astronomers have encountered a mystery surprisingly close to Earth. Using the Parkes telescope in Australia, scientists discovered a strange radio signal coming from Proxima Centauri, the star system closest to the Sun. The signal occupies an oddly narrow 982MHz band that’s unused by human-made spacecraft, yet not possible through known natural processes. The frequency shifts up, too, rather than down like you’d expect for a planet. Even though the cause is likely something other than extraterrestrial life, the eventual answer could be very useful. (ANS thanks Engadget.com for the above information) + Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear + All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ + The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 addi- tional 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 stu- dent 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 Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

1 year, 4 months

AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletin ANS-348

by kd4iz＠frawg.org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-348 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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(a)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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT-BB has migrated email server * Launch Window for AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th * Robots Dominate Space News This Week * SpaceX's Starship SN8 soars on test launch with explosive landing * The Great Conjunction is Coming on December 21, 2020 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December ##, 2020 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Tips for the New Operator - Mobile Apps 2 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.01 ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 348.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 December 13 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-348.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT-BB has migrated email server software AMSAT’s IT team has been working to upgrade the Mailman software that supports mailing lists (aka reflectors, listserv, BB, etc). This upgrade became necessary for several reasons, one of which was the release of a new major revision of the Mailman software itself. The new version of Mailman has many improvements, including: an updated web UI, management of all list memberships with a single account, and a web UI for searching and browsing archives. The upgrade requires existing mail list users to sign up for a “new” account, which will be used to manage their existing list subscriptions and preferences. This will also require everyone to validate their preferences, aliases (if any), etc. Most existing preferences from the previous version of Mailman did not migrate. Please see the procedures below. Please contact postmaster(a)amsat.org with any questions or concerns regarding this upgrade. Procedures to to sign up for the new Mailman service were sent to all AMSAT-BB subscribers. Please read the PDF attached to the email. Matt, KM4EXS adds this reminder in a follow up email: Please use the "Sign Up" option, using the email address that you use for your subscriptions. That process will link the "new" account to all your existing subscriptions. You can then set your digest preferences as you like. [ANS thanks Matt Alberti / KM4EXS / AMSAT-IT Volunteer for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Launch Window for AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th December 2, 2020 Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19th. This launch will carry AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E to orbit. RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat / Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET technology. RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are re- versed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink features a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later. FoxTelem is available at: https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/. Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks for successful startup and indications of the general health and function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space. AMSAT will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first station capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2. Uplink LSB 145.860 MHz through 145.890 MHz Downlink USB 435.760 MHz through 435.790 MHz 1.2kbps BPSK telemetry 435.750 MHz Launches on ELaNa XX – Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Demo 2. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, Contributing Editor ANS News Service for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Robots Dominate Space News This Week +Two groundbreaking robotic sample return missions dominated much of the space news this week. A capsule holding grains of rock and dust sampled from asteroid Ryugu hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 11.6 km/s and safely parachuted into the Australian outback. Hayabusa2 launched on Dec. 3, 2014, took four years to reach Ryugu, then did a bunch of science (in- cluding shooting it with a tantalum bullet and dropping numerous de- ployables on the body—here’s a detailed PDF about the mission), before returning with ~100 mg of samples, having covered a total of 5.24 bil- lion kilometers. The mission isn’t over for Hayabusa2 though—it’s now headed toward asteroid 1998KY26 for humanity’s first rendezvous with a fast rotating asteroid in 2031 and a flyby of 2001CC21 along the way. +After 19 hours of drilling and scooping samples, Chang’e 5’s ascent vehicle spring-launched and then blasted off, returning to lunar orbit carrying ~2 kg of regolith. It successfully rendezvoused with the re- turn vehicle, transferred the sample, and the return vehicle has em- barked on its multi-day return trip. These will be the first lunar samples returned since the 70s and the first sample return mission for China. The rendezvous of the ascent vehicle and the return segment used microwave radar that was accurate down to 0.1° and able to lock on to a circle with a 3.33 cm radius. +The cost to train deep neural networks is decreasing at 50x Moore’s Law, leading many to believe that machine learning, while very much in its infancy, will see many more space applications in the near future. Cut- ting edge applications, such as making autonomous decisions because throughput or speed-of-light delay prevent humans from doing so, have already been demonstrated, and more are on the horizon. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype soars on epic test launch, with explosive landing SpaceX's Starship spaceflight system just took a big step on its path to Mars. The latest Starship prototype, a shiny silver vehicle known as SN8, launched on an epic high-altitude test flight today (Dec. 9), taking off at 5:45 p.m. EST (2245 GMT) from SpaceX's facility near the South Texas village of Boca Chica. The goal was to soar about 7.8 miles (12.5 kilometers) into the sky, perform some complex aerial maneuvers — including a "belly flop" like the one the final Starship will perform when coming back to Earth on operational flights — and then land safely near the launch stand. The 165-foot-tall (50 meters) SN8 appeared to notch all of these big milestones, except for the final one: The vehicle hit its landing mark but came in too fast, exploding in a dramatic fireball 6 minutes and 42 seconds after liftoff. Additional information and video available at: https://bit.ly/3n7KLV1 [ANS thanks Mike Wall of Space.com for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Great Conjunction is Coming on December 21, 2020 In their closest encounter since 1623, Jupiter and Saturn appear as a single star in the evening sky next month. All through the summer and into the fall, the two gas giants of the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, have been calling attention to themselves in the southern evening sky. Jupiter of course, always appears brilliant and is usually one of the brightest nighttime objects, but in recent months it has stood out even more than usual because of the presence of bright Saturn trailing just off to its left (east). Appearing about one-twelfth as bright, Saturn has, in a way, served as Jupiter's "lieutenant" in this year of 2020. This will be the first time since 1623 that this event will be seen. Additional information is at: https://bit.ly/3m4ot5j [ANS thanks Joe Rao of Space.com for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 11, 2020 None. Please refer to the TLE/Keplerian Element Resources at: https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS for the week of 9 December, 2020 ARISS has posted a special anniversary message and a video celebrating our 20th Anniversary on the ARISS Web Page: <http://www.ariss.org>. An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for late December. This will be a special SSTV event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ARISS. The event is scheduled to begin on December 24 and continue through December 31. Dates are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. 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 Upcoming Contacts: Oregon Charter Academy, Mill City, OR, telebridge via VK4KHZ (Shannon Walker KD5DXB) Tue 2020-12-15 19:00:49 UTC 32 deg -------------------------------------------------------------------- The following schools have now been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: RO-SAT One, Piatra-Neamț, Romania, direct via YRØISS 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. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-12-08 16:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N and David Jordan AA4KN, of the ARISS operation team mentor group for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Upcoming Roves: Note from KE0PBR ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves hap- pening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.**** @N4DCW will be working passes from EM87 Dec 10-13. Click link to check for details: https://bit.ly/36V2SYM @KL7TN: DM67/68: If my plans still hold up, Dec 12-13 for DM67/68 is on my radar. @AD7DB: DM22 : Dec 17-20 Maybe DM13,23,32 Holiday Style on FM sats. No Major Roves are listed. Please submit any additions or corrections to KE0PBR (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events <No update listed this week> [ANS thanks AMSAT.org for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over --------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy birthday to OSCAR 1 -- Age 59! + The first amateur satellite, simply named OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio), was launched on December 12, 1961, barely four years after the launch of the world's first satellite of any kind, Sputnik I. The satellite had to be built in a very specific shape and weight, so it could be used in place of one of the weights necessary for balancing the payload in the rocket stage. OSCAR 1 was the first satellite to be ejected as a secondary payload (the primary payload was Discoverer 36) and to subsequently enter a separate orbit. Its orbit decayed quickly, yet despite orbiting for only 22 days, OSCAR 1 was an immediate success. More than 570 amateur radio opera- tors in 28 countries forwarded observations to Project OSCAR (prede- cessor organization to AMSAT). (ANS thanks The Year in Space for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + SpaceX won $885.5 million in broadband subsidies the FCC awarded pro- viders Dec. 7 under its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase 1 auction. SpaceX’s share of the funding is one of the largest among the 180 winning bidders. The FCC will distribute the $9.2 billion in RDOF funding over the next 10 years to help the winning providers bring broadband service to some 5.2 million unserved homes and busi- nesses in rural parts of the United States. (ANS thanks SpaceNews.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + SpaceX launched its upgraded Cargo Dragon spacecraft on Dec. 6. Based on Crew Dragon (basically stripped of seats, life support equipment, abort motors, and navigation interfaces), this was their 21st commer- cial ISS resupply mission. This version of Cargo Dragon is certified for five flights compared to its predecessor’s three, and it conducts automated docking instead of Canadarm-captured berthing. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + There may still be time to participate in the last part of the 2020 Open Source CubeSat Workshop. The workshop provides a forum for Cube- Sat developers and CubeSat mission operators to meet and join forces on open source projects. The focus of this year’s workshop is on sharing of ideas and open collaboration, even when confined at home. The target audience is academia, research institutes, companies, and individuals. The event takes place 12 and 13 December, 13:00 - 17:00 UTC each day: https://events.libre.space/event/4/ (ANS thanks Libre Space Community for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Surprisingly clear videos of the Arecibo Observatory collapse are now available, one from a drone that was actively inspecting a cable dur- ing the event and the other from a camera in the control room. A de- tailed frame-by-frame analysis is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59WQIRvezzI (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + GEOMAGNETIC STORM December 10, 2020 A coronal mass ejection (CME) occurred heading for Earth early in the week., and geomagnetic storms were forecast to occur when it arrived on December 9th and 10th. NOAA forecasters downgraded their possible G3 warning. Unfortunately for Skywatchers, auroras that were could originally thought possible as far south as Illinois and Oregon were not seen farther south than the northern tier. On the other hand satellite surface charging issues and HF propagation have remained unaffected without the blackouts typical of these dis- turbances. An interesting discussion of the reasons for this "non- event" is on Dr. Tamitha Skov's YouTube/Patreon channel at: https://bit.ly/38113ce (ANS thanks Spaceweather.com and Dr. Skov for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Next Rocket Lab launch delayed due to weather Due to weather over the range this week at LC-1 RocketLab are now tar- geting no earlier than Monday, 14 December UTC for #TheOwlsNightBegins mission. Terry ads in a follow up note: "There is a solar eclipse on Monday that may affect the mission so the launch is delayed until Tuesday." See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1337329320876904450 Target lift-off: UTC | 09:00 - 10:59 (ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Samples of asteroid Ryugu arrive in Japan after successful Hayabusa2 capsule landing on Dec. 5 Japanese scientists are thrilled to finally have asteroid samples arrive Monday (Dec. 7) after a long flight from Australia — and a much longer journey through the solar system. An aerial shot of the Hayabusa2 return capsule and parachute after its landing on a bush in the Woomera Prohibited Area, Australia. Those rocks originate on a near-Earth asteroid called Ryugu; the Hayabusa2 spacecraft snagged them in 2019 before a yearlong journey to deliver them to Earth in a small sample-return capsule. The capsule landed on Dec. 5 in the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia, creating a stunning fireball in the pre-dawn skies. Japanese scientists on site successfully tracked down the capsule and collected the precious cosmic delivery to begin the final leg of its journey. See additional information and photos at: https://bit.ly/379wPnV (ANS thanks Meghan Bartels and Space.com 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 addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at amsat dot org

1 year, 5 months

ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th

by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-337 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, 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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-337 ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 337.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 2, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-337.01 Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19th. This launch will carry AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E to orbit. RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat / Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET technology. RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink features a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later. FoxTelem is available at https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/. Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks for successful startup and indications of the general health and function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space. AMSAT will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first station capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies: Telemetry Downlink - 435.750 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink - 145.860 MHz - 145.890 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink - 435.760 MHz - 435.790 MHz [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 addi- tional 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 stu- dent 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 year, 5 months

ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-334 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1) * Neutron-1 Signals Received * GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued * Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th * ARISS News * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-334.01 ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 334.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 29, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-334.01 Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1) AO-73 celebrated its 7th birthday in orbit last weekend. Launched on November 21, 2013 at 07:10 UTC on a Dnepr rocket, FUNcube-1 was launched along with 31 other satellites, 19 of which carried amateur radio payloads. With just a few resets over 7 years, the satellite continues in operation today. Paul Stoetzer N8HM is sponsoring an award for contacts made via the satellite. The award aims to promote activity on AO-73. https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Neutron-1 Signals Received Following deployment from the ISS on November 5th, no signals were intially received from Neutron-1. Thanks to SatNOGS and the efforts of the amateur radio community, several beacons were eventually received and decoded. The HSFL team has concluded that the satellite is in a normally charging deep sleep mode. The Neutron-1 sends a huge thank you to JA0CAW, VK2DWT, and all the other ham radio operators listening for the beacon! The team is working to decode the .wav files sent over. Thanks to the beacon receptions, Neutron-1 has been identified as NORAD object 46923 and is now included in AMSAT's TLE distribution. More information about the Neutron-1 mission can be found at https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/ [ANS thanks the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued Recent roves have generated a number of applications for AMSAT's GridMaster Award, including four applications on November 23rd. 20 Martin A. Schuette N9EAT November 1, 2020 21 Kevin Zari KK4YEL November 19, 2020 22 Robert Sours K9UO November 23, 2020 23 Chris Tabor K7TAB November 23, 2020 24 Paul Overn KE0PBR November 23, 2020 25 Casey Tucker KI7UNJ November 23, 2020 The GridMaster Award is AMSAT's most prestigious operating award. This award was first introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014. AMSAT thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, for not only sponsoring this award since its inception, but, also, entrusting AMSAT with the honor of carrying on this important award for the benefit of the entire AMSAT community. The GridMaster award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit proof with written confirmation of contacts with each of the 488 maidenhead grids located within the contiguous United States of America. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th The following satellites have been and added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: BY70-3 - NORAD Cat ID 46839 - BY70-3 is not transmitting on its coordinated frequency of 437.443 MHz. BY70-3 is transmitting on an uncoordinated frequency of 437.600 MHZ. Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for verifying the NORAD Cat ID's and transmitting frequencies for the above satellite. Neutron-1 - NORAD Cat ID 46923. The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: UiTMSat 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43589 (Decayed on November 20, 2020 per Space-Track). Maya 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43590 (Decayed on November 19, 2020 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5GQD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov Contact is go for Thu 2020-12-03 08:45 UTC Scuola Secondaria di I grado “Anna Frank”, Pistoia, Italy, 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 astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 12:25:22 UTC 50 deg Tecumseh High School Electronics and Amateur Radio, Tecumseh, OK, direct via K5THS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 18:33:30 UTC 78 deg Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is looking for Luther Burbank School alumni who participated in the ham radio contact on Dec. 21 2000, in relation to our 20th year Anniversary celebration. Please contact Charlie Sufana AJ9N at aj9n at aol.com for more info. 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, ARISS Operations, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. No upcoming presentations listed [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations No upcoming roves listed Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has released his latest video on amateur satellite operation for DX Engineering. Follow along as he walks you through an entire linear satellite pass, complete with notes and annotations: https://youtu.be/cwtmP1sDL9g + A photo of AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E while it awaits integration is prominently featured in Virgin Orbit's new blog post regarding the upcoming launch of LauncherOne: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-334-VO + The Wireless Institute of Australia is working on a plan to coordinate building Australian amateur radio satellites and has a draft policy out for member review and comment: https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2020/20201121-1/index.php + Take a Trip to the Moon — and an Artemis Launch — with the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest! Take remote learning a little further — as in 250,000 miles further. NASA collaborated with Future Engineers to create the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. The contest, open to U.S. students in grades K-12, launches on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 17, 2020, challenging participants to imagine leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole. Just imagine: You and a crew of astronauts will explore the lunar surface, making discoveries to assist future explorers. Describe your team — the number of astronauts in your crew, the skills they possess, their personality traits, and the attributes you would want in crewmates. Next, what machine, piece of technology, or robot would you leave behind on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon? To enter the contest, students must submit their essays by Dec 17. The essays will be divided into three groups, for judging by grade level – K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Make sure to check out the full list of contest details, including that your essay should be no more than 100 words (grades K-4), 200 words (grades 5-8), or 300 words (grades 9-12). Students can sign up individually at the contest site or teachers can register their entire class. Every student who submits an essay will receive an official certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an astronaut! Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis flight test, watching the most- powerful rocket in the world launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/stem/artemis-essay-contest/ (NASA press release) + Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear + AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/ + All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ + The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 addi- tional 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 stu- dent 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 Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

1 year, 5 months

ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 22

by Mark Johns, K0JM

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-327 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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(a)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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * SpaceX Dragon Capsule Ferries Four Radio Amateurs to the ISS * September/October Issue Of The AMSAT Journal Is Now Available * New Launch Date for EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites * Arecibo Observatory Faces Demolition After Cable Failures * DX Portable Operation Planned From Thailand Grid NK99 * Human Error Blamed For Vega Launch Failure * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 19 * Moscow Aviation Institute Plans SSTV Event from ISS * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-327.01 ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 327.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 November 22 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-327.01 SpaceX Dragon Capsule Ferries Four Radio Amateurs to the ISS A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying four radio amateurs autonomously docked on November 17 at 0401 UTC with the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher carrying the precious payload went into space on Sunday, November 15, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. They comprise the ISS Expedition 64/65 crew. "Well, the ISS is loaded with hams now," Amateur Radio on the Inter- national Space Station (ARISS) US Delegate for ARRL Rosalie White, K1STO, said on Tuesday. "These four arrived very early this morning Eastern Time: NASA astronauts Victor Glover, KI5BKC; Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, as well as Japan Aerospace Explora- tion Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP." This marks Glover's first time in space. The others all are ISS veterans. Earlier this year, NASA ISS Ham Project Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, held amateur radio licensing study sessions for Glover, who passed the Technician-class exam on August 20. The four will remain on station until next spring. They joined Expedi- tion 64 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Sergey Kud- Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, on the ISS. White said all but Noguchi likely will take part in ARISS contacts with schools. White said the first school contact is tentatively scheduled for December 4 with Tecumseh High School in Oklahoma, home of the Tecumseh High School Amateur Radio Club, K5THS. She said the students have earned their ham licenses, and the club has built an antenna and is learning about satellites and circuits. Members of the South Cana- dian Amateur Radio Society of Norman, Oklahoma, are providing support and mentoring assistance. The Sunday launch from Kennedy Space Center marked only the second crewed-flight for the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which became the first commer- cial vehicle to put humans into orbit when astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, launched in May, and NASA gave SpaceX the go for future such launches. "The return of human spaceflight to the United States with one of the safest, most advanced systems ever built is a turning point for Amer- ica's future space exploration," SpaceX claimed, "and it lays the groundwork for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond." (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ September/October Issue Of The AMSAT Journal Is Now Available The September/October 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal (https://launch.amsat.org/) The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Inside the Current Issue: - Apogee View - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton, N0JY - Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - A Guide to the AMSAT CubeSatSim - Alan Johnston, KU2Y; Pat Kilroy, N8PK; Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM; David White, WD6DRI - User Services Update – Robert Bankston, KE4AL - For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VII – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF - A 3D-Printed Parasitic Lindenblad Antenna for 70 cm - Times Two! - Curt Laumann, K7ZOO; Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO - In Search of the Ultimate DX - Scott Tilley, VE7TIL [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive VP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Launch Date for EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites AMSAT-EA President Felix Paez, EA4GQS, has announced the scheduled launch date for AMSAT-EA satellites EASAT-2 and HADES. Flying with SpaceX, the two nanosats are scheduled for launch on January 14, 2021. They have been already delivered and integrated on the Alba Orbital deployer. The satellites have been configured to act as FM voice and FSK data repeaters and not as linear transponders as was the initial plan. In any case, they are believed to be the smallest satellites ever given such a function, as their size is only 7.5 x 5 x 5 cm. Hades also flies a SSTV camera that will take and send pictures each 15 minutes. The camera module design is based on the one used in the PSAT2 satellite, adapted for AMSAT-EA by the Brno University of Technology. Hades – FM voice repeater, callsign AM6SAT uplink 145.925 MHz (no tone), downlink 436.888 MHz EASAT-2 – FM voice repeater, callsign AM5SAT uplink 145.875 MHz (no tone), downlink 436.666 MHz Both satellites have also digitized FM voice beacons and FSK data re- peaters. These are the first satellites built by AMSAT-EA, with the project leaders being all Spanish radio amateurs and almost all the engineering made by radio amateurs with help of students of two universities. While AMSAT-EA doesn't have the flight heritage of other AMSAT organizations, this is an important step for the organization as it moves to improve skills in order to build better satellites for the radio amateur satel- lite service in the future. More information and photos of these and other upcoming AMSAT-EA pro- jects is available at https://bit.ly/3lNjTJq [ANS thanks AMSAT-EA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Arecibo Observatory Faces Demolition After Cable Failures After withstanding hurricanes and earthquakes, playing central roles in movies like “GoldenEye” and “Contact,” Puerto Rico’s famed Arecibo Observatory, once the largest radio telescope in the world, will be demolished because of cable failures that left its huge detector plat- form too unstable to attempt repairs. “After reviewing the engineering assessment, we have found no path for- ward that would allow us to do so safely,” said Sean Jones, assistant director for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the National Science Foundation. “We know that a delay in decision making leaves the entire facility at risk of an uncontrolled collapse, unnecessarily jeopardizing people and also the additional facilities.” Operated by the NSF through the University of Central Florida, the iconic observatory is made up of a fixed 1,000-foot-wide dish antenna built into a bowl-like depression that reflects radio waves or radar beams to a 900-ton instrument platform suspended 450 feet above by cables stretching from three support towers. For 57 years, the observatory has played a leading role observing deep space targets, bodies in the solar system and, using powerful lasers, the composition and behavior of Earth’s upper atmosphere. But the beginning of the end came on Aug. 10 when an auxiliary cable installed in the 1990s pulled free of its socket on one support tower and crashed onto the dish below, ripping a 100-foot-long gash. Engineers were developing repair plans when one of the main 3-inch-wide cables attached to the same tower unexpectedly snapped on Nov. 6, causing the instrument platform to tilt and putting additional stress on the remaining cables. An analysis showed the cable failed in calm weather at about 60 percent of of its minimum breaking strength. Inspections of other cables showed fresh wire breaks and slippage in several auxiliary cable sockets that were added to the structure in the 1990s. An engineering firm hired by the University of Central Florida to assess the structure concluded it would be unsafe to proceed with repairs. Even stress tests to determine the strength of the remaining cables could trigger a catastrophic collapse. Instead, engineers recommended a controlled demolition, bringing down the suspended instrument platform in a way that will prevent damage to other structures at the periphery of the dish by making sure the towers themselves don’t collapse and by ensuring no cables whip into those structures. “The telescope is at serious risk of an unexpected, uncontrolled col- lapse,” said Ralph Gaume, director of NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences. “According to engineering assessment, even attempted stabil- ization, or testing the table could result in accelerating the catas- trophic failure. “Engineers cannot tell us the safety margin of the structure, but they have advised NSF that the structure will collapse in the near future on its own.” Plans for bringing down the instrument platform have not yet been fin- alized and it’s not yet known whether explosives will be used in a controlled demolition or whether it might be possible to somehow lower the platform to the dish below. However it plays out, the 1,000-foot-wide telescope will essentially be destroyed. While the laser facility and visitor’s center will hope- fully be preserved, the radio telescope itself will be no more. [ANS thanks SpaceflightNow 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ DX Portable Operation Planned From Thailand Grid NK99 The Thailand’s Amateur Radio Satellite group (AMSAT-HS) has requested permission to establish a temporary station (DX portable) with the northern office of the NBTC, Thailand’s regulator, in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son (grid NK99) provinces in the north of Thailand during the period from November 26-28, 2020 to communicate via All LEO and MEO amateur radio satellites (including QO-100 NB) that pass over Thailand using the callsign HS0AJ/P of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King. Hence we would like to notify all radio amateurs who would interested in contacting stations in Thailand on its northern border of this ac- tivity. Even if the angle is as low as 0 degrees please try to contact us. We hope to meet you on all satellites frequency then. Operator by: E21EJC KoB and HS1JAN NaN [ANS thanks Tanan Rangseeprom, HS1JAN, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Human Error Blamed For Vega Launch Failure Arianespace executives said Nov. 17 that the failure of a Vega launch the previous day was caused when the rocket’s upper stage tumbled out of control due to incorrectly installed cables in a control system. In a call with reporters, Roland Lagier, chief technical officer of Arianespace, said the first three stages of the Vega rocket performed normally after liftoff from Kourou, French Guiana, at 8:52 p.m. Eastern Nov. 16. The Avum upper stage then separated and ignited its engine. However, “straightaway after ignition” of the upper stage, he said, the vehicle started to tumble out of control. “This loss of control was permanent, inducing significant tumbling behavior, and then the trajec- tory started to deviate rapidly from the nominal one, leading to the loss of the mission.” Analysis of the telemetry from the mission, along with data from the production of the vehicle, led them to conclude that cables to two thrust vector control actuators were inverted. Commands intended to go to one actuator went instead to the other, triggering the loss of con- trol. “This was clearly a production and quality issue, a series of human errors, and not a design one,” Lagier said. The failure caused the loss of two spacecraft, the SEOSAT-Ingenio Earth observation satellite for Spain and the TARANIS satellite for France to study electromagnetic phenomena in the upper atmosphere. [No amateur satellites were involved -- Ed.] [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 19 The following satellites have been and added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: SALSAT - NORAD Cat ID 46495. Bobcat-1 - NORAD Cat ID 46921. SPOC - NORAD Cat ID 46922. Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for verfying the NORAD Cat ID's for the above satellites. The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: BHUTAN 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43591 (Decayed on November 18, 2020 per Space- Track) [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow Aviation Institute Plans SSTV Event from ISS Rodolfo Parisio, IW2BSF, reports that a Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) transmission event from the International Space Station is currently scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1 starting at 12:30 UTC, ending at 18:25 UTC, and again on Wednesday, Dec. 2 starting at 11:50 UTC and ending at 18:25 UTC. Listen for SSTV signals to be downlinked at 145.800 MHz +/- Doppler shift. The mode of transmission is expected to be PD 120. These times will allow for one pass over the Eastern USA near the end of the sched- uled times. Received images of reasonable quality can be posted at the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/ Future updates on this event will be posted @ARISS_status on Twitter. [ANS thanks Rodolfo Parisio, IW2BSF, 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. A school contact has been scheduled with Amur State University, Blago- veshchensk, Russia, direct via a ground station to be determined. This contact will be heard over Russian and other parts of Europe on 145.800 MHz on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 08:45 UTC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS and the scheduled cosmonaut is Sergey Ryzhikov. Welcome aboard to SpaceX-Crew 1 now on orbit! Victor Glover, KI5BKC, Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, have joined Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, and the two cosmonauts, Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men- tors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Upcoming Roves: Quick Hits: Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them. FM26/27/28, @N5BO With 6 days off coming up I’m trying to finalize some plans, but as of now I’m looking to head out late next week for the FM26/27/28 area, with a couple grid stops on the way up. I’m also looking at a possible detour on the way back home through the EM97 area. More to come… KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21. Major Roves: AD0HJ’s #CoronaReliefThanksgivingMegaRoveBlowout: Not seeing any major roves scheduled for the dates 11/21 – 11/27 so he will be heading south to green up some Kansas style grids starting Saturday evening. More details to come over the next few days: EN00,10: EM18/19 : EM08/DM99 : DM97/EM07 : DM96/EM06 : EM17/EM18 : EM29/EM39. A list of passes here: https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1328883186139590656 Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs. TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn. These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us. Clint is conducting “working the easy satellites” sessions via Zoom on November 19, 2020 at 7pm Pacific. If you are interested in attending, please send him a private email for exact times and Zoom meeting number! [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Happy 7th birthday to AO-73, FUNcube-1, which was launched on Novem- ber 21,2013. Congratulations to AMSAT-UK on the ongoing success of this project. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + South Dublin Radio Club has uploaded its latest video to the club's YouTube channel. The video was created for Science Week in collabor- ation with Dublin Maker & Science Foundation Ireland and is called "Signals from Outerspace! Make your own antenna to get images from Weather Satellites." It is designed as a beginner's radio project and instructs viewers on how to construct a very simple V-dipole for 137 MHz, demonstrating how it can be utilised along with a basic SDR and computer in order to decode images from NOAA Weather satellites. It's available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8doUGhNKzdY (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information) + Sean Kutzko, KX9X, is creating a series of YouTube videos for the DX Engineering channel beginning with "How and Why to Get Started in Op- erating Amateur Radio Satellites." Later episodes build on the con- cepts in the first. See the first episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7h4ikthDQ (ANS thanks Sean Kutzko, KX9X, for the above information) + APSS-1, a 1U CubeSat mission with deployable solar panels, built by The University of Auckland (New Zealand), Faculty of Engineering, was launched on November 20. The satellite is intended for monitoring of ionosphere activity and transmission of processed data to ground stations using a 9k6 GMSK AX 25 downlink on 435.100 MHz. APSS-1 will start transmitting 45 minutes after deployment, and will only beacon every 5 minutes initially. (ANS thanks Mark Jessop, VK5QI, for the above information) + The Rocket Lab flight that took APSS-1 to orbit (see immediately above) was notable because Rocket Lab says the first stage of its Electron launcher splashed down under parachute in the Pacific Ocean off New Zealand after firing into space with 30 small satellites, be- coming only the second private company to return an orbital-class booster to Earth intact. The privately-developed Electron rocket has flown 16 times, including Thursday’s mission, but this was the first time an Electron rocket flew with parachutes to attempt a full series of descent maneuvers. (ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information) + NASA "Scan" on Facebook has published a note about ARISS and its 20 years. Look for their post dated on November 16 at: https://www.facebook.com/NASASCaN and add a comment to let them know that we amateur radio ops are here and that it was great they had dedicated a post to ARISS and to all hams! (ANS thanks Fernando Casanova, EC1AME, for the above information) + Talks from the DEF CON event are available on YouTube, they include a number of amateur radio talks from the conference's Ham Radio Vil* lage. Among the amateur radio talks is "Talking to Satellites" by Eric Escobar, KJ6OHH. See the playlist at: https://bit.ly/3fpuwzO (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information) + Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) has updated TLEs for Neutron-1. HSFL appreciates the amateur community who have been listening for Neutron-1’s beacon, and wish to be notified of amateurs still listen- ing for the beacon at n1-info(a)hsfl.hawaii.edu. The new TLEs and other bulletins may be found at https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/ (ANS thanks HSFL and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information) + Open Research Institute has announced AmbaSat Inspired Sensors as a formal ORI project. To read the proposal document, visit: https://bit.ly/2KrpcQZ The first work session expected December 2020 to May 2021 centered at Villanova University. The Principal Investi- gator is Dr. Alan Johnston. (ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, AMSAT Board Member, for the above information) + Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, gave an online satellite talk to the Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club on Nov. 10. The video is now available for every- one to watch on YouTube. The talk covered the many amateur satellites in Low Earth Orbit that operate in the 145 MHz and 435 MHz satellite bands as well as the QO-100 geostationary satellite which uses the 2.4 GHz and 10 GHz bands. Also covered were the new Inter-Operable Radio System which has recently been installed in the ISS Columbus module and Gateway Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx). Watch it at: https://bit.ly/3pNKSXJ (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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 addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

1 year, 5 months

ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by Mark Johns, K0JM

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-320 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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(a)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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Australian Space Communications Station To Feature Optical Data Transfer * WB4APR Seeking high power VHF stations for Leonids Meteor Shower * AMSAT Italia and Italian Space Agency ISS STEAM agreement * ORI sponsors the M17 VOCODER and hardware development * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November ##, 2020 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Tips for the New Operator - Mobile Apps SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.01 ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 320.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 November 15 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Australian Space Communications Station Will Feature Optical Data Transfer The University of Western Australia (UWA) is set to install an optical communications station capable of receiving high-speed data transmis- sions from space. The communications station will be able to receive data from spacecraft from anywhere between low-Earth orbit (between 100 miles and 620 miles above Earth's surface) to as far away as the surface of the moon -- some 240,000 miles away. Astrophotonics Group Leader Dr. Sascha Schediwy at UWA and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy (ICRAR) said optical communications are an emerging alterna- tive to radio waves and are expected to drastically improve data trans- fer capabilities from space. "Most current space communications rely on radio waves -- it's the same technology that brought us the voice of Neil Armstrong when the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon in 1969," Schediwy said. "Free-space op- tical laser communications has several advantages over radio, including significantly faster data rates and hack-proof data transfer. It's the next generation of space communications, and it's likely to be how we'll see high-definition footage of the first woman to walk on the moon." The $535,000 ground station will use a 0.7-meter observatory-grade op- tical telescope donated to ICRAR, which will be fitted with atmospheric noise suppression technology developed at the university. The Western Australian ground station will be a joint venture between the UWA Astrophotonics Group, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quan- tum Systems (EQUS), and UK industry partner Goonhilly Earth Station, which handles data traffic and supports secure communications links for major satellite operators including Intelsat, Eutelsat, and SES Satel- lites. Data from the station will be fed to Goonhilly's supercomputer data center in Cornwall, England by high-speed fiber. It will form part of a larger Australasian network of optical stations, led by the Austral- ian National University and supported by partners in South Australia and New Zealand. EQUS Director Andrew White said the Western Australian ground station could be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere and have ad- ditional applications in research in different fields. Goonhilly Chief Executive Ian Jones said the initiative is driving sat- ellite communications into the next generations of systems and techno- logies needed to support the "enormous" data volumes produced by space missions. "This data arises from science and other missions and, in the future, will come from lunar and Mars missions that involve remote op- erations, robotics, and AI," Jones said. The ground station is expected to be operational from early 2021 and open for business later that year. [ANS thanks Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, Editor of The ARRL Letter for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ WB4APR Seeking high power VHF stations for Leonids Meteor Shower Bob Bruninga, WB4APR is seeking a several AMSAT operators with beams and high power transmitters to join in a Meteor Shower experiment. Bob writes: With the Leonids Meteor shower coming up after Midnight next Monday (Tues AM), maybe its time to have some fun with APRS again! Last time we did this was 1998 and over 48 MS packets were seen over 500 to 600 miles on the APRS channel.. Here is the report: http://aprs.org/APRS-docs/LEONIDS.TXT This year I propose not a free-for-all but just a few HIGH power sta- tions transmitting and everyone else in the country checks the next morning to see what they copied. Best TX stations are those with sev- eral hundred watts and a beam. Even one such station would be a great test, because on 144.39 we would have maybe 10,000 full time normal APRS stations as receivers. In retirement, I don't have the power nor the beam. Up to 15 TX stations with power capability > 100W and beams would par- ticipate. Beams would be pointed toward distant population centers. The 15 transmitting stations will be distributed in various parts of the country would TX a continuous keydown string of short packets for 15 seconds every minute. Special software and APRS ID's will be used. Xmission will be on the 144.39 national APRS channel to maximize the number of people that might copy one. Transmissions begin at midnight local time and runs to 6 AM only to minimize any interference to other operators. This will result in local reception within about 20 miles of the TX station, but since the pac- kets have no path, they can only be heard in simplex range of a trans- mitter or via meteor scatter. If a meteor happens, someone within about 400 to 600 miles is likely capture it. Because the APRS channel load in most areas is only a packet every 3 or 4 seconds and that gives everyone a receive window of 75% of the total slots available. Even if the TX stations are not synchronized, it doesnt matter because a given meteor path only exists for a fraction of a second between two fixed 100 mile or so areas for that instant. The 15 high power TX stations will send is about 30 copies of the APRS grid format in a single burst every minute. This burst would look like: >GG##gg<CR> >GG##gg<CR> >GG##gg<CR> >GG##gg<CR> ... >GG##gg<CR> >GG##gg<CR> The TNC will concatenate probably seven to ten of these at a timel into dense packets with only a single TX delay, not 30 delays. The TNC has UNPROTO set to simply "APRS" no path! And set to CONVErSE.. Adjust the number (30?) till the TX burst lasts 15 seconds each minute. The result is a complete grid in only 200 milliseconds each. Hopefully short enough so that occasionally one will get bounced somewhere by the extremely short meteor path bursts at VHF. Point beam toward an area with a dense ham population that is at least 600 miles away. Vertical or Horizontal polarization will work. The PARS IS will be from the range METEOR-1 through METEOR-15 RX stations will not need to do anything special. Any APRS software should capture and decode and plot a grid report if received overnight. For those who are interested, here is the 1998 experiment page: http://aprs.org/meteors.html Look about 75% down the page for the map of the 1998 2m experiment. [ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Italia and Italian Space Agency ISS STEAM agreement AMSAT Italia and ASI, the Italian Space Agency, have subscribed a three-year framework program for joint initiatives in the area of the scientific culture development with particular interest in the aero- space field. The agreement also aims to develop interest of new genera- tions in the STEAM disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. In this framework AMSAT Italia will propose the Agency project with particular technical relevance and high dissemination value for a joint technical feasibility and, as national reference for the ARISS project, the association will involve ASI in the school con- tacts with the astronauts on board the ISS. On the other hand ASI will make available the resources at its operation centers for verification activities or test of devices developed for educational purposes. The 2020-2023 framework program subscription confirms the collaboration between the Agency and our Association already started in 2011. More on the event on the AMSAT Italia web site <http://www.amsat.it> (in Italian). [ANS thanks Fabrizio Carrai, IU5GEZ of AMSAT Italia for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ORI sponsors the M17 VOCODER and hardware development. Open Research Institute is proud to formally sponsor M17, an open source digital radio protocol, code, voice codec, and hardware project. The designs and technology are highly useful for digital radio uplinks or a wide variety of amateur satellite projects. The project is dyna- mic, international, accessible, modern, and welcoming. Open Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to open source research and develop- ment for the amateur radio satellite service and beyond. Find out more at https://openresearch.institute Learn about M17 and get involved at https://m17project.org/ [ANS thanks <Michelle Thompson W5NYV, Member AMSAT Board of Directors, CEO Open Research Institute> for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 12, 2020 The Neutron-1 cubesat was deployed from the ISS on 11-5-2020 at 10:40 UTC, but its NORAD Catalog number has not yet been identified. Neu- tron-1 is a 3U cubeSat built by the Hawaii Space Flight Lab at the Uni- versity of Hawaii. The Hawaii Space Flight Lab has asked the world wide amateur to help collect beacon data as a part of this project. The IARU coordinated beacon frequency is 435.300 MHZ,1200bps BPSK every 60 seconds. AMSAT News Service Bulletin 306.01 has further information on this pro- ject at the following url. https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2020/001212.html Editor's Note: Also see comment in the Satellite Shorts section. A post launch TLE set (updated 11-9-2020) is available at the following URL. https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/ Sources: AMSAT News Service and Hawaii Space Flight Lab A Chinese student/radio amateur satellite BY70-3 was launched 11-6-2020 with a CZ 6 rocket. The IARU coordinated downlink frequency is 437.443 MHz, 8000 bps BPSK. So far no signals have been recieved. Source: Nico Janssen, PA0DLO. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS for the week of 8 November, 2020 ARISS has posted a special anniversary message and a video celebrating our 20th Anniversary on the ARISS Web Page: <http://www.ariss.org>. 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 A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancella- tions or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements at https://www.ariss.org/ The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools 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. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-11-10 16:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) 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, 2021 and December 30, 2021. 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 in- tegrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal in- formation and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Intro- ductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approxi- mately 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 satel- lite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of sched- uling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexi- bility 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 educa- tional organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to en- able communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Informa- tion Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an applica- tion from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appro- priate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your ques- tion to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your ques- tion to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ã˜ MHz unless otherwise noted. ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKÃ˜WGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 Gaston ON4WF with 123 The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are ad- ditional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1403. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1336. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPÃ˜ISS, IRÃ˜ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSÃ˜ISS Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://bit.ly/3kVbNNL Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 Exp. 63 now on orbit Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Sergey Ryzhikov Sergey Kud-Sverchkov About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a coopera- tive venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engin- eering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men- tors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: Note: Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can't keep this page updated with all of them. DM89, 11/14 @N6UA Saturday might just be a good day to rove. Thinking of DM89 east of Denver â€“ either around Last Chance or Agate, CO. KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21. BRAZIL BAHIA. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV on the QO-100 satellite (some opportunities AO-07, FO-29 or RS-44) using CW and SSB as ZX6BA from Prado (HH02) 13 to 15 November 2020. The activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, por- table Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW. BRAZIL, ESPIRITO SANTO. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV on Satellite QO-100 (maybe AO-07, FO-29, RS-44) using CW and SSB as PR1S from Nova Almeida (GG99) from 16 to 18 November 2020. A activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, portable Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW. Major Roves: Maine!!!!!! @KL7TN will be in FN53/54/55/56/57/64/65/66/67 Nov 13-18. Details to follow. Editor's Note: Don't forget to check out Paul Overn's GridMasterHeatMap on Twitter: https://bit.ly/35kUqB3 and Blog at: https://bit.ly/3eOpYT4 Please submit any additions or corrections to KE0PBR (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his "Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment" presentation for the clubs. TBD â€“ Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD â€“ A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn- sylvania These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application â€“ by directly visiting Zoom.us. Clint will be conducting â€œworking the easy satellitesâ€ sessions via Zoom on November 19, 2020 at 7pm Pacific. If you are interested in attending, please send him a private email for exact times and Zoom meeting number! [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Tausat, a 3U CubeSat created by university students at Herzliya Sci ence Center in Israel, received frequency coordination approval from the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on November 12. It will carry a U/V FM amateur radio transponder, as well as a 9k6 BPSK AX25 telemetry downlink. The builders are planning a JAXA deployment from the ISS in February, 2021. (ANS thanks IARU for the above information) + NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch the agency's SpaceX Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket following certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The launch is targeted for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dra- gon is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:20 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Launch, prelaunch activities, and docking will air live on NASA Television and the agencyâ€™s website. https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive Additional Information is available at: https://go.nasa.gov/38Aii5J (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Rocket Lab launch delayed to November 19 UTC. See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1327691418970644481 Previous announcement: The next Rocket Lab launch window is scheduled for November 15 UTC at 01:44 to 04:34. It's is called "Return to Sender". They are going to try to recover the first stage by captur- ing it by helicopter as it is descending. See: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/ The payload is 30 cubesats, one of which (APSS-1) is a 1U student satellite from Auckland University. This one has a 9600 GMSK downlink in the 70CM band. The format and details are due to be published here in the next few days. https://apss.space.auckland.ac.nz/. To balance the payloads, a 3D printer version of "Gnome Chompski" has been attached to the kick stage. See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1323335303008903170 Gabe Newell who made the Gnome is going to donate $1 to Starship Children's Hospital for every person watching the launch live. For information about Starship Children's Hospital, see: https://www.starship.org.nz Editors Note: at time of 11/11/2020 draft, a group message from Mark Jessop, VK5QI indicated that APSS-1's IARU frequency coordination re- quest has not been completed: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=669 (ANS thanks Terry Osborne ZL2BAC for passing along the above informa- tion) + NROL-101 Mission Targeting Nov. 13 due to Hurricane Eta (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Nov. 11, 2020) -- Due to impending weather and escalation of Hurricane Eta, ULA is now target- ing Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:13 p.m. EST (2213 UTC) for the launch of the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. See https://bit.ly/35kiIeA for additional information. (ANS thanks the ULA editors for the above information) + NASA has extended the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System mission (CYGNSS) through 2023 with plans to revisit and possibly extend the mission through 2026. The constellation of microsatel- lites designed, built and operated by Southwest Research Institute with the University of Michigan, has made history over the last three- plus years, penetrating thick clouds and heavy rains to accurately assess wind speeds and better understand hurricane intensification. The NASA senior review panel rated the mission extension proposal as excellent, based on the current health of the constellation of instru- ments, particularly considering the low-cost nature of the sensors. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information) + SpaceX fired up the three rocket engines of its Starship SN8 proto- type for the second time last night at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. The event was a powerful blast of orange smoke â€” and flying sparks, as captured by onlookers on video. The video and addi- tional information is available at https://bit.ly/3lmcSPD (ANS thanks futurism.com for the above information) + Two Russian cosmonauts are scheduled to go outside the International Space Station on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to conduct a spacewalk that will initiate preparations for the arrival of a new Russian research module. Expedition 64 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, both of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, will relocate an antenna from the Pirs docking compartment, to the Poisk module, the first in a series of tasks over the course of sev- eral spacewalks that will prepare Pirs for decommissioning, undocking, and disposal. The Earth-facing Pirs will be replaced by the new Rus- sian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, named "Nauka," Russian for "sci- ence," which is being prepared for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacewalk is expected to last up to six hours. Live coverage of the Russian spacewalk will begin at 13:30z on NASA Television and the agency's website. The spacewalk is expected to be- gin about 14:30Z. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Saturday, Nov. 7 with India's EOS 1 radar imaging satellite and nine rideshare payloads for customers based in the United States, Luxembourg, and Lithuania. The successful mission was Indiaâ€™s first launch in nearly a year due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Also on Saturday, a new four-stage rocket operated by the Chinese launch company Galactic Energy succeeded on its inaugural flight, delivering a data relay microsatellite to an orbit 300 miles above Earth. (ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information) + After its release from the ISS, many satellite enthusiasts have lis- tened for a signal from the Hawaii Spaceflight Lab's Neutron-1 cube- sat. Reports have not come flooding in. Shane Pule, KC3PPM shared an email with the UH-SFL with me that outlines a possible explanation: Aloha Shane, Thank you for this information, we appreciate you lis- tening for Neutron-1. We haven't been successful at contacting Neu- tron-1 yet. We have noticed a signal at 435.275MHz while tracking Neutron-1, and we are investigating this in the event that our signal is shifted by 25kHz. We are not sure what could have caused this, but there may be an issue with the SDR tuning onboard the spacecraft. 73, Amber Imai-Hong (ANS thanks < Shane Pule, KC3PPM > for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for the New Satellite Operator - Mobile Apps This is the second of a what I hope to be a monthly New Satellite Opera- tors Corner. I will offer AMSAT New Operator tips and links to AMSAT resources for new operators and posts from various interest groups where useful info is published. This weeks tip comes from Rick, WA6NDR via TH-D74A(a)groups.io. I hope you find this as useful as I have. Jack, KD4IZ, Editor, AMSAT News Service. There are many websites, cell phone, and desktop apps available for tracking satellites and learning about launches. For the beginner, the choices are bewildering and everyone seems to have a favorite. There are many choices available for all operating systems to choose from. Scott Harvey, KA7FVV, has a very comprehensive website with links to a tremendous amount of great information. He does an excellent job of distilling the basics and presenting them along with some great "how to" information. See: https://bit.ly/3nwx6H9 Scott suggested a number of the rocket launch apps to me recently and I have been exploring them. He also suggested several tracking apps. I don't have an opinion or a recommendation for any of them yet, but I would encourage you to join me in looking these over. Of the launch apps I am looking over, the primary are Launchcraft, Spacelaunch, and Supercluster. All appear to be available for both iOS and Android devices and can be found on the respective "store" sites for each OS. They are news aggregation apps that focus on upcoming space launches as well as offering timetable and post-launch reports. By the my next monthly report, I should be able to address them, but for those who are interested, have at it and tell me what you think. Please let me know if you find an app that is particularly useful. (ANS thanks AMSAT Member Scott Harvey, KA7FVV for sharing this informa- tion and his website) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at amsat dot org

1 year, 6 months

ANS-306 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-306 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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 commun- icating 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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Neutron-1 Scheduled for Deployment on November 5th * Upcoming Amateur Satellite Launches * EO-88 Distance Record Set * ARISS News * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-306.01 ANS-306 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 306.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 1, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-306.01 Neutron-1 Scheduled for Deployment on November 5th The Neutron-1 3U CubeSat is currently scheduled to be deployed from the ISS on November 5, 2020 at 10:40 UTC. For the first month and during the spacecraft commissioning phase, the beacon will transmit 1200bps BPSK every 60 seconds on the IARU coordinated frequency of 435.300MHz. We welcome the worldwide Amateur community to collect the beacons and forward them to n1-info at hsfl.hawaii.edu. The beacon format is now public and published at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-306-Neutron. After the initial commissioning phase, Amateurs will be able to use the V/U FM repeater during available times and according to the available power budget. Stay tuned for more mission updates on our Twitter account @HSFLNeutron1 and our website https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/missions/neutron-1/. [ANS thanks the Hawaii Space Flight Lab at the University of Hawaii for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Amateur Satellite Launches A number of amateur satellites are expected to launch in the next few months. AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is expected to launch by the end of this year on the ELaNa XX mission on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne vehicle. RadFxSat-2 carries a 30 kHz wide V/u linear transponder. The Tevel Mission is a series of 8 Israeli 1U CubeSats carrying FM transponders expected to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December. Also from Herzliya Science Center is a 3U CubeSat called Tausat. This is scheduled to launch on a JAXA resupply mission to the ISS for deployment in February. Tausat carries an FM transponder. Finally, AMSAT-EA reports that their PocketQubes EASAT-2 and HADES have been integrated for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December, while GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N have been integrated into their dispenser for launch on Firefly's Alpha rocket. More information can be found at https://www.amsat-ea.org/ [ANS thanks AMSAT, AMSAT-EA, AMSAT-UK, and the IARU for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ EO-88 Distance Record Set Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, set yet another record this past week, this time via EO-88. On October 28, 2020 at 19:27 UTC, Jérôme worked R9LR at a distance of 4,560 km. F4DXV is now one of the QSO partners for distance records on 10 LEO satellites. RS-44, AO-7(B), FO-29, AO-91, AO-27, SO-50, AO-92 (U/v), LilacSat-2 (FM), EO-88, TO-108. R9LR is one of the QSO partners for records on 4 LEO satellites: PO-101, LilacSat-2 (FM), EO-88, and TO-108. For a list of currently claimed distance records via amateur satellites, past and present, visit https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News No ARISS contacts or events are currently scheduled. 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 The deadline for United States organizations to submit an ARISS contact proposal is November 24, 2020. For more information, visit http://www.ariss.org/. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Operations, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Rick Tejera K7TEJ from the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club (TBARC) will be giving a presentation and demonstration of Satellite operations to the Northwest Christian School in Glendale, AZ on Nov. 11th 2020. The demo will be on SO-50 at 2323UT. I will be using our Club call WB7TBC and the church is in Grid DM33wp. I may try to get a student on the air. Please keep an ear out for us and respond to our call, the kids will appreciate it. I’ll send outa reminder as the date gets closer. Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs. TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Upcoming Roves: Quick Hits: KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21. BRAZIL BAHIA. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV on the QO-100 satellite (some opportunities AO-07, FO-29 or RS-44) using CW and SSB as ZX6BA from Prado (HH02) 13 to 15 November 2020. The activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, portable Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW. BRAZIL, ESPIRITO SANTO. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV on Satellite QO-100 (maybe AO-07, FO-29, RS-44) using CW and SSB as PR1S from Nova Almeida (GG99) from 16 to 18 November 2020. A activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, portable Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW. Major Roves: Maine!!!!!! @KL7TN will be in FN53/54/55/56/57/64/65/66/67 Nov 13-18. Details to follow. Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Hackaday featured an article on tracking amateur satellites using a Commodore PET at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-305-Hackaday + If the Hackaday article inspired you to try some retro computer satellite tracking, AMSAT has disk images of QUIKTRAK for both the Commodore 64 and Apple II available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-306-QUIKTRAK + Virgin Orbit has published an October update regarding Launch Demo 2 at https://virginorbit.com/the-latest/launch-demo-2-october-update/ + Minutes of the AMSAT Board of Directors Meetings of March 17th and March 31st are now available at https://www.amsat.org/minutes-of-the-board-of-directors/ + Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear + AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/ + All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ + The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 addi- tional 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 stu- dent 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 Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

1 year, 6 months

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