AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-156
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
In this edition:
* ISS SSTV June 8-9 145.800 MHz FM * AO-73/FUNcube-1 Fitter Message for The Queen’s 70th Jubilee * Call for Nominations – 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election * JAMSAT Symposium 2022 June 25 * ESA Mission Plans to De-Orbit Space Junk * June GEO Newsletter Available For Free Download * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 2 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-156 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2022 June 05
ISS SSTV June 8-9 145.800 MHz FM
Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are planning to transmit Slow Scan TV (SSTV) images on 145.800 MHz FM probably using the SSTV mode PD-120.
The transmissions are part of the Moscow Aviation Institute SSTV experiment (MAI-75) and will be made from the amateur radio station RS0ISS in the Russian ISS Service module (Zvezda). This will be the first time the experiment will use the recently installed Kenwood D710GA.
• June 8 Setup and activation 09:45-10:15 GMT, stop about 15:00 GMT • June 9 start about 08:35 GMT, stop about 16:15 GMT
*Dates and times may be subject to change.
The signal should be receivable on a handheld with a 1/4 wave whip. If your rig has selectable FM filters try the wider filter for 25 kHz channel spacing.
You can get predictions for the ISS pass times at https://www.amsat.org/track/
ARISS SSTV Blog https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/
Useful SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AO-73/FUNcube-1 Fitter Message for The Queen’s 70th Jubilee
In June 2022, Her Majesty The Queen becomes the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service.
AMSAT-UK has decided to send a special Platinum Jubilee greetings message via FUNcube-1 (AO-73). Anyone who receives this message and uploads it to the Data Warehouse using the Dashboard can generate a certificate to remember this historic event.
AO-73/FUNcube-1 is transmitting the Jubilee Fitter message on the BPSK Telemetry beacon which has a nominal frequency of 145.935 MHz +/ Doppler.
The AO-73/FUNcube-1 Dashboard App can be downloaded from https://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/
Data Warehouse http://data.amsat-uk.org/missions
Online tracking of AO-73 https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=39444
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Call for Nominations – 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following three incumbent Directors expire in 2022 and will be filled by this year’s election:
Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms.
A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee’s name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators’ names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the Acting AMSAT Secretary:
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 201 I St SW Apt V336 Washington, DC 20024 USA
E-mail nominations may be sent to pstoetzer at amsat.org.
The AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary. The Acting Secretary has elected to accept written nomination materials via mail or in electronic form, including e-mail or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted.
No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Acting Secretary no later than June 15th. The Acting Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President and Acting Secretary for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAMSAT Symposium 2022 June 25
The AMSAT organization of Japan, JAMSAT, will hold its annual Symposium 2022 on Saturday, June 25 from 9:50~17:15 JST (UTC +9 hours). Anyone can participate.
Registration starts at 9:40 JST (00:40 UTC or 20:00 EDT). Venue: Held on Zoom If you would like to participate, please contact by e-mail (ja3nas at mark gmail.com) to be informed of the opening URL. Please include the following in your email: ・E-mail address ・Name ・Call sign * For conventional web meeting participants, we have already provided information on the holding URL. * Those who have already been informed of the holding URL do not need to apply.
In addition, a social gathering is scheduled from 17:30~19:30 JST. Please join us. Please prepare your own drinks. (A toast will be made at the opening)
In addition, JS1YAQ is scheduled to be operated during this time. It is a station with a particularly high point. It is also related to the points of the award, so please join us.
The JAMSAT Symposium 2022 Program may be found at https://www.jamsat.or.jp
[ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ESA Mission Plans to De-Orbit Space Junk
The world’s first mission to remove several small telecommunications satellites from orbit once they reach the end of their operational service is about to start building and testing its prototype spacecraft.
British-based in-orbit servicing company Astroscale – working in an ESA Partnership Project with satellite operator OneWeb – will begin manufacturing the first commercial “servicer” prototype designed to capture multiple satellites in low Earth orbit under the ESA Sunrise Programme.
Companies such as OneWeb are launching constellations comprised of hundreds of communications satellites to connect people in the hardest-to-reach locations through global satellite internet broadband services.
OneWeb currently has 428 satellites orbiting approximately 1200 km above the Earth; its completed constellation will number almost 650 satellites.
Removing these telecommunications satellites from their orbits once they are at the end of their lives is essential to ensure that today’s interconnected digital world is not compromised by collisions that damage active satellites in space – and to protect the low Earth orbit environment as a natural and shared resource.
There are currently two options for removing end-of-life OneWeb satellites from their orbits at the end of their predicted five to six years of service.
Each has been allocated enough fuel to be able to actively deorbit at the end of its useful lifetime. But, in case of failure, each has also been built with either a magnetic or a grappling fixture, so that a servicer spacecraft could collect and actively deorbit the satellite.
The servicer spacecraft that Astroscale will build and test is called “ELSA-M” and is planned for launch in 2024. The servicer spacecraft will be the first “space sweeper” capable of removing multiple defunct satellites from their orbits in a single mission.
Following this demonstration, Astroscale will offer a commercial service for clients that operate satellite constellations in low Earth orbit, providing the technology and capability to make in-orbit servicing part of routine satellite operations by 2030.
ESA fosters innovation in the European space industry through its Partnership Projects, which seek to de-risk the investments of its industrial partners to meet market needs.
UK Science Minister George Freeman said: “With thousands of satellites already in orbit and thousands more being launched every year, addressing the issue of space debris and finding new ways to remove defunct spacecraft and other types of space junk is of ever-increasing importance – to both reduce the cost of debris damage for satellite operators and ensure space is safe and sustainable.
“That is why the UK government has made space sustainability a key theme of our National Space Strategy and it is fantastic to see leading roles for UK companies Astroscale and OneWeb in this ESA project, helping us continue to show UK technology leadership in this important area.”
Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “Space debris threatens the satellites we depend on every day for vital services, such as navigation, banking and communications.
“That’s why the UK is taking action, by funding new commercial technologies to remove debris from space and working with international partners to lead efforts to promote sustainability. This latest phase of the Sunrise programme partnership between Astroscale and OneWeb will deliver an innovative spacecraft servicer to remove multiple defunct satellites, putting the UK at the forefront of efforts to clear up space.”
Massimiliano Ladovaz, Chief Technology Officer at OneWeb, said: “Responsible space is central to our mission at OneWeb and we are committed to sustainable practices in all the environments in which we operate. The development of the ELSA-M servicer prototype is another significant milestone towards a responsible approach to space, ensuring that our satellites can be de-orbited and that the low Earth orbit environment is protected as a natural and shared resource.”
John Auburn, Managing Director of Astroscale, said: “Phase 3 of the Sunrise programme is a major step forward for ELSA-M towards an in-orbit demonstration and the start of a commercial debris removal service, capable of removing multiple defunct satellites in a single mission. The ELSA-M in-orbit demonstration, planned for late 2024, will build on lessons learned from the ELSA-d mission and demonstrate our innovative rendezvous, capture and de-orbit capabilities with a full-size constellation client.”
Elodie Viau, Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA, said: “It is vital to ensure the responsible use of space to protect today’s interconnected world, because our digital economy and society rely on the ability to communicate. I am proud of ESA’s track record in fostering innovation in the space industry in Europe, bringing to fruition new ways of ensuring the sustainable use of space, and of the role that ESA’s Partnership Projects play as a trusted partner for investors, operators and industry.”
The ESA Sunrise programme is supported by the UK Space Agency and involves not only OneWeb and Astroscale, but also British start-up companies SatixFy and Celestia UK, as well as the University of Surrey.
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency (ESA) for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
June GEO Newsletter Available For Free Download
The June PDF of the GEO Newsletter weather satellite publication produced by the Group for Earth Observation is now available for free download
The Group for Earth Observation's aim is to enable amateur reception of weather and earth imaging satellites that are in orbit or planned for launch in the near future.
Membership of GEO is free.
This edition includes: • Floodwaters Reach Australia’s Channel Country • Record Low for Great Salt Lake • Ice Shelf Collapse in East Antarctica • Currently Active Weather Satellites and Frequencies
Download the GEO Newsletter from http://leshamilton.co.uk/GEO/newsletter.htm
Previous newsletters are at http://leshamilton.co.uk/GEO/archive.htm
Group for Earth Observation https://groups.io/g/GEO-Subscribers https://www.facebook.com/groupforearthobservation
[ANS thanks Southgate ARC 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 June 2
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
Foresail-1 - NORAD Cat ID 52766 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for the identification).
[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, unless otherwise noted.
Completed contacts:
Moscow Autonomous Educational Institution "Lyceum - Engineering Center", Kazan, Russia, direct via R4UAB. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Korsakov. Contact was successful at Thu 2022-06-02 13:30 UTC. Congratulations to the "Lyceum - Engineering Center" students and Sergey!
Istituto Comprensivo “Losapio–S.F. Neri”, Gioia del Colle, Puglia, Italy, direct via IZ7RTN. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF. Contact was scheduled for: Sat 2022-06-04 11:43:46 UTC 64 deg
Matinecock District, Suffolk County NY Boy Scouts, Medford, NY, telebridge via AB1OC. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS. Contact was scheduled for: Sat 2022-06-04 17:56:25 UTC 53 deg
Upcoming contacts:
Scuola media S.Pietro, Nuoro, Sardegna, Italy, direct via IKØWGF. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 437.525 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF. Contact is go for: Mon 2022-06-06 11:43:49 UTC 40 deg. Watch for Livestream at: https://youtube.com/channel/UCVmGUvZkLAMhErRQQ6AkVMA
Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia, direct via RM3A. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Denis Matveev. Contact is go for Mon 2022-06-06 11:48 UTC.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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
WL7T: EL84, June 24-27
KJ7DZ: CN74 rove trip on June 11. Hope for good weather. Will log all contacts with KJ7DZ/R.
K4DCA: plans to be in CN74 on June 24-29, too. Hopefully we can raise the number on the heat map.
Wl7T: I locked EL58 in for June 29, 30, and July 1. I plan to work 6 meters for the majority of the time with sat passes as requested. I am going to operate from a boat from around ~9 AM – 5 PM each day.
W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for Jul 30- Aug 6th will be on FM passes vacation style. I will be close to DM41 so might be able to work a gridline. Will post more updates closer to that week!
N8MR: EN 57,67,56 8/6 through 8/13. More to come as date gets closer.
AD0HJ Eastern Iowa Rove: Time for Mitch to activate several new satellite grid squares and green up some more #GridMaster maps. Next trip is planned for grids EN30/31/32/33/40/41/42/43 between June 2nd and June 5th. More information soon
KX9X & N9NCY Wild West Rove: Sean and Nancy will be on the road from July 1-25 while hiking in National Parks. They will travel through twelve states and over 50 grids, planning activation on FM and linear satellites. Extensive operation in Montana and North Dakota along the northern border (all the “8” grids). There will also be 6 meter and occasional HF POTA activity as well. Complete info on their trip can be found on their website https://www.wildwestrove.com/
[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.
Upcoming “How to Work the “Easy” Satellites” talks are scheduled … Puget Sound Repeater Group – this weekend Orange County ARA CA – May 20 Cal Poly Pomona – TBD WARA – Orange County CA – June 11 And it “feels” like lives are improving here in So California, as that meeting for WARA in June will be (hopefully) an IN-PERSON show! (Have to tune up my projector and dust off the DaLite projection screen!) Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are solicited and welcome. Send an email or call! Clint Bradford, K6LCS.
2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention Friday, October 7th, 2022 to Sunday, October 9th, 2022 Event Center at Archer 3921 Archer Pkwy Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007 https://wyhamcon.org/site
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ A QO-100 user meeting is being planned during the HAM RADIO 2022 event in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The meeting will take place on Saturday, June 25, 2022 starting at 7 p.m. CEST at a restaurant about a 12 minute walk or 5 minute drive from the event site. Participants are asked to register with callsign and name at: https://nuudel.digitalcourage.de/gRajeEEUKrJLvXK9 (ANS thanks AMSTA-DL for the above information)
+ NASA awarded contracts to Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to provide spacesuits for International Space Station spacewalks and Artemis moonwalks. NASA announced June 1 it selected the two companies for Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services, or xEVAS, contracts to support the development of new spacesuits as well as purchasing spacesuit services. The companies will own the suits they develop and will effectively rent them to NASA for space station and Artemis missions, while also being able to offer the suits to other customers. (ANS thanks SpaceNews.com for the above information)
+ NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission returned to normal science and relay operations on May 28, 2022, after recovering from an extended safe mode event. The spacecraft encountered problems in February with its Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The mission team successfully diagnosed the issue with these navigation instruments and developed a system for the spacecraft to navigate by the stars, which should allow for continued MAVEN mission operations through the next decade. MAVEN launched in November 2013 and entered orbit around Mars in September 2014. The mission's goal is to explore the planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind to explore the loss of the Martian atmosphere to space. (ANS thanks MarsDaily.com for the above information)
+ Platinum Jubilee special event station GB70U is active on the amateur radio QO-100 geostationary satellite transponders. (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information)
+ Spain's amateur satellite organisation AMSAT-EA has released the English language PDF version of their newsletter for May 2022 for free download in PDF at: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13181031/AMSAT-EA-Newsletter_05-2022.p... (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information)
+ The NEXUS (FO-99) operation schedule for June 2022 may be found at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1883. FO-29 is in eclipse until late July and will generally not be available until that time. (ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information)
+ Amateur radio, and portable operating in particular, will receive some high-profile coverage on national television in the UK on Sunday, June 5. Countryfile, the long-running BBC One program that reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom, will air at 6 p.m. BST (17:00 UTC) on the main BBC One channel. This episode will be based out of the Welsh island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, which was the site of Guglielmo Marconi's first radio transmissions overseas. Countryfile presenters Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker will join Summits on the Air (SOTA) operator Ben Lloyd, GW4BML, as he sets up a portable station on the island to contact SOTA activators on summits around the United Kingdom. (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org