This week the following satellites have been renamed: - PSAT is now NO-84 - BRICKSAT-P is now NO-83 These satellites have been renamed by AMSAT OSCAR Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO.
On another issue, Cal Poly posts a set of KEPs in TLE (Two Line Elements) format for the 10 cubesat objects launched on 5-20-2015 from a military ATLAS 5 rocket. They are listed as ULTRASat-1 through ULTRASat-10. ULTRASat-7, on this list, is commonly accepted as the correct set of KEP for LightSail-A. The NORAD ID number for the ULTRASat-7 TLEs can be inferred by order of it's number (7th object) as 40658. But the satellite name "LightSail" is listed on the SpaceTrack website as 40661 which is ULTRASat-10 whose TLEs are commonly used for BRICSat-P. So there is a bit of confusion as to the correct NORAD ID # to be used. Welcome to the world of launches with multiple cubesats!
Let me clarify some background points: 1. When a satellite is launched from a rocket with a military primary payload (the military is paying for the launch) SpaceTrack will only release the TLEs to the owner or administrator of the non-miltary satellite. 2. The owner or administrator has to then redistribute the KEPs to the amateur radio community if they want amateurs to use their satellite. This is essentially the same process that AMSAT uses to bring the KEPs to you. Each year AMSAT has to request permission to distribute the KEPs in TLE format to you. For LightSail-A Cal Poly is distributing the TLEs for the 5-20-2015 launch. 3. The withholding of the KEPs for military launches is an old law or regulation (re-enforced by the 911 event) that SpaceTrack must follow. 4. SpaceTrack thru Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC)and other intities supply and manage the KEPs in TLE format and JSpOC is responsible for assigning all NORAD ID # specifically to each object. 5. The owner or administrator is responsible for informing JSpOC which object is their satellite. Many times it is the amateur radio community that assists in the identification process, but it is JSpOC that assigns the NORAD ID #.
What this means is that we may need to change the ID # for Lightsail-A and/or BRICSat-P. Since LightSail will de-orbit soon, its NORAD ID # may soon be a moot point. But, the de-orbit of LightSail-A will further help us resolve this issue. BRICSAT-P will be with us for some time and we may need to change it's NORAD ID#. At any rate, AMSAT will continue to use SpaceTrack as the reference for naming and determining the NORAD ID #.
To conclude, please be assured that the TLEs associated with LightSat-A and BRICSat-P are the correct in the AMSAT KEPs Distribution. There is consensus from several groups on the TLEs. It is the NORAD ID # that may change. So point your antennas with confidence and have fun!
Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for technical and information support.