Mark Johns – Page 3

ANS-077 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

March 17, 2024 by Mark Johns

In this edition:

* First SONATE 2 Images Received
* FUNcube Mode Change
* Free On-Line Amateur Radio Operating Class
* Starship Lifts Off On Third Test Flight
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 15
* NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Finishes Mission, Returns to Earth
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-077 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2024 March 17

First SONATE 2 Images Received

First images were received this week from the SONATE 2 satellite. A low-resolution Slow-Scan TV (SSTV) image that had been pre-loaded onto the satellite prior to launch was received on March 8. The first wide field of view earth image from the onboard camera was received on March 11. Both images can be viewed at https://www.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/aerospaceinfo/staff/kayal/research-activities/sonate-2/

[12.03.2024 First wide field of view image from SONATE-2]

SONATE 2 was built by students and faculty in the Aerospace Information Technology program at at Würzburg University in Germany. It was launched on March 4 as part of the SpaceX Transporter 10 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E in Vandenberg SFB, Calif.

Using Doppler measurements, Nico Janssen, PAØDLO, has identified SONATE 2 as object 59112. The telemetry downlink frequency is 437.0254 MHz, just slightly above the published target frequency of 437.025 MHz. Telemetry is in 9k6 G3RUH GMSK AX.25 using a protocol that may be downloaded from https://www.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/fileadmin/1003-ifex/2024/SONATE-2_protocol_definition_for_radio_amateurs.xlsx

The SSTV downlink is at 145.880 MHz FM using the Martin M1 protocol. The satellite also carries an APRS digipeater for 145.825 MHz, but the digipeater is not yet active. A schedule for upcoming SSTV transmissions is published at https://www.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/aerospaceinfo/mitarbeiter/kayal/forschungsprojekte/sonate-2/information-for-radio-amateurs/

[ANS thanks Würzburg University and Nico Janssen, PAØDLO, for the above information.]

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FUNcube Mode Change

The FUNcube team are pleased to announce that FUNcube 1 (aka AO-73) is out of Safe mode back in Eclipse mode as of March 11. “Eclipse mode” means that the transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, i.e. the solar panels are NOT being illuminated.

The nominal transponder frequencies are:

Uplink: 435.150 – 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting)
Downlink: 145.950 – 145.970 MHz USB
Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK

(The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Lower temperatures give higher freqs!)

[ANS thanks David Johnson, G4DPZ, and https://funcube.org.uk/ for the above information.]

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Free On-Line Amateur Radio Operating Class

A free, weekly, 3-hour Amateur Radio Operating Class on Zoom will begin on Thursday April 4 and run through June 20 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern / 5:30 p.m. Central time. The presenters will be various experienced folks in the various subjects.

A detailed syllabus will be published before the classes begin. Attend them all, or any that you like, but you must register for the classes. To receive registration information, contact Rol Anders, K3RA, at [email protected].

Subjects will include:

All About Operating–A general Introduction
Amateur Radio Organizations—Local to International
Ham Radio Awards
DXing-History and Tips from the Experts
QSLing-How to get that needed card for DXCC or WAS
VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work and “Roving”
Image Operating—Slow Scan and Fast Scan TV
Remote Station control over internet
Learning CW in the no-code era
Digital Modes—From RTTY to FT8 and beyond
Contesting—How to get started, tips for the beginner and intermediated contester
Logging Software—What’s available, how to use
Propagation—A general intro to HF Propagation
*Amateur Satellites—How to get started*
Portable (backpacking) operation—Tips from an expert
Setting Up a Modern (or not so modern) HF Station
Lightning Protection and Grounding
Traffic Handling
Public Service, Emergency Communications

[ANS thanks Dan Hausauer, WØCN, and Rol Anders, K3RA, for the above information.]

Starship Lifts Off On Third Test Flight

SpaceX’s Starship vehicle lifted off on its third test flight March 14, making significant progress compared to its first two by achieving most of its planned test milestones.

The Starship/Super Heavy vehicle lifted off from the company’s Starbase site at 9:25 a.m. Eastern. The liftoff was delayed by nearly an hour and a half because of ships in restricted waters offshore. SpaceX reported no technical issues during the countdown.

[Starship lifts off on its third integrated test flight March 14. Credit: SpaceX webcast]

The Super Heavy booster fired all 33 of its Raptor engines for nearly three minutes before executing “hot staging”, with the Starship upper stage’s engines igniting while still attached to Super Heavy before separating.

The booster then performed burns to attempt what SpaceX webcast hosts called a “soft splashdown” in the Gulf of Mexico, where it would not be recovered. However, the landing burn did not appear to go correctly, and the company later said that the booster broke apart 462 meters above the ocean after lighting several Raptor engines for a landing burn.

The Starship upper stage performed its burn, placing the vehicle onto its planned suborbital trajectory. It avoided the fate of the previous Starship launch in November, when the vehicle broke apart late in its burn after catching fire while venting propellant.

While in space on its suborbital trajectory, SpaceX opened a payload bay door that will be used on later Starship vehicles for deploying Starlink satellites. It also performed an in-space propellant transfer demonstration as part of a NASA contract where it would move propellant from one tank within the vehicle to another. SpaceX said it was evaluating the data from both tests.

SpaceX had planned to perform a brief relight of a Raptor engine on Starship about 40 minutes after liftoff, but the company said on the webcast that this test was skipped for reasons not immediately known. The company later said the engine test was called off because of the vehicle’s roll rates.

Several minutes later, the vehicle started reentry. A camera mounted on a flap on Starship provided dramatic images of the reentry, relayed through Starlink satellites. Telemetry was lost about 49 and a half minutes after liftoff when the vehicle was descending through an altitude of 65 kilometers. SpaceX later said on the webcast that it lost contact through both its own Starlink satellites as well as through NASA TDRSS data relay satellites at the same time, speculating that the vehicle may have broken up.

While the mission did not achieve all its test objectives, the company considered the launch a success. “What we achieved on this flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,” it said in a statement.

[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 15

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information.]

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Finishes Mission, Returns to Earth

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov aboard, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov are returning after nearly six-months in space as part of Expedition 70 aboard the International Space Station.

The Crew-7 mission lifted off at 3:27 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2023, on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 30 hours later, Dragon docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port. Crew-7 undocked at 11:20 a.m. Monday, March 11, to begin the trip home.

Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov traveled 84,434,094 miles during their mission, spent 197 days aboard the space station, and completed 3,184 orbits around Earth. The Crew-7 mission was the first spaceflight for Moghbeli and Borisov. Mogensen has logged 209 days in space over his two flights, and Furukawa has logged 366 days in space over his two flights.

[A thermal screenshot showing the successfully deployed four parachutes of the Dragon Capsule as it makes its descent on March 12]
(Image credit: NASA)

Throughout their mission, the Crew-7 members contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations, including a number of ARISS amateur radio contacts. Moghbeli conducted one spacewalk, joined by NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, replacing one of the 12 trundle bearing assemblies on the port solar alpha rotary joint, which allows the arrays to track the Sun and generate electricity to power the station.

The crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, including the first study of human response to different spaceflight durations, and an experiment growing food on the space station.

This was the third flight of the Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance. It also previously supported the Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions. The spacecraft will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX’s refurbishing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where teams will inspect the Dragon, analyze data on its performance, and process it for its next flight.

The Crew-7 flight is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 launch, which docked to the station March 5, beginning another science expedition. That crew consists of Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR, Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ, Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU, and Alexander Grebenkin, RZ3DSE.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Second Chance School of Orestiada, Orestiada, Greece, telebridge via VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM, Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ (Observing)
The Moderator is scheduled to be Will KW4WZ
The ARISS mentor is IKØWGF
Contact is go for: Wed 2024-03-20 17:45:54 UTC 60 deg
Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/@sdeorestiadas9736?si=RPdn0JxEjpbK2Rhx

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Aleksandr Grebyonkin, RZ3DSE
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Mon 2024-03-25 08:40 UTC

Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Aleksandr Grebyonkin, RZ3DSE
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Wed 2024-03-27 14:55 UTC

Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Marina Vasilevskaya
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Fri 2024-03-29 16:20 UTC

The crossband repeater is active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is currently misconfigured (145.825 MHz up & down). The SSTV system is currently stowed.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Jay Stephenson, WA1JAY, pays a visit to Paradise Isl. from March 15 to April 2. QRV as C6A/WA1JAY on HF (SSB, FT4/8) and via FM satellites. QSL via ClubLog OQRS, LoTW.

F4DXV Jérôme (@F4DXV) and EA4NF Philippe (@EA4NF_SAT) announce that they will be actívating Noirmoutier island EU-064 IN86 from April 1 to 4, 2024 with the special callsign TM4J. This International DXpedition is the 1st 100% SAT from this French island:
LEO (FM+SSB)
GEO (QO-100)
MEO (GREENCUBE IO-117)
Updates available on @TM4J_SAT

Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

AMSAT-Francophone Seventh Amateur Radio Space Meeting
Saturday March 16th – Sunday March 17th
Electrolab Hackerspace à Nanterre
52 Rue Paul Lescop
92000 Nanterre, France
https://site.amsat-f.org/

JAMSAT Symposium 2024
Saturday March 23rd – Sunday March 24th
Hotel Binario Saga Arashiyama
3-4 Hiromichicho, Saga Tenryuji, Ukyo Ward
Sagano, Kyoto, Japan
https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2446

Raleigh NC Hamfest
Saturday, 6 April 2024
Jim Graham Building, NC State Fairgrounds
https://www.rarsfest.org/

2024 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
Tuesday April 23rd – Thursday April 25th
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

Dayton Hamvention 2024
Friday May 17th – Sunday May 19th
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information.]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA has terminated its OSAM-1 mission, a multibillion-dollar endeavor aimed at showcasing robotic satellite servicing technology in space, due to ongoing technical, cost, and schedule challenges. Originally intended to demonstrate satellite refueling, the mission expanded to include in-orbit assembly, incorporating a 16-foot robotic arm named SPIDER. Despite significant congressional funding, the project faced continual delays and ballooning costs, reaching $1.5 billion with an estimated additional cost of nearly $1 billion for launch. Changes in the satellite servicing market, with a shift towards alternative technologies like Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle, contributed to the cancellation. Maxar, the prime contractor for OSAM-1, faced criticism for poor performance, leading to delays and cost overruns, although the company cited other factors like the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation impacts approximately 450 workers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, prompting NASA to review strategies to mitigate workforce impacts and consider alternative uses for developed technologies. (ANS thanks Ars Technica, for the above information.)

+ China’s human spaceflight agency, CMSA, is progressing towards its goal of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030. The spacecraft developed for this purpose has been named Mengzhou, translating to “Dream Vessel,” for lunar missions, and Lanyue, meaning “Embracing the Moon,” for orbital travel. These names were selected through a public contest, with Mengzhou having a variant for low Earth orbit (LEO) carrying seven astronauts and a moon version transporting three astronauts into lunar orbit. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is designing and building the spacecraft and lander, along with a new rocket, the Long March 10. The moon landing plan involves two Long March 10 rockets launching Mengzhou and Lanyue, rendezvousing in lunar orbit, with astronauts descending to the lunar surface. A 440-pound crew rover will accompany the lunar lander. Progress on various mission hardware is reportedly on track, including completed development of the primary spacecraft and technical proposals for launch and landing sites. Recently, models of the rocket, spacecraft, and lander were showcased at an exhibition in Shanghai. (ANS thanks Space.com, for the above information.)

+ U.S. regulators have approved ground rules for allowing SpaceX and other satellite operators to use radio waves from terrestrial mobile partners to keep smartphone users connected outside cell tower coverage. The Federal Communications Commission voted March 14 unanimously in favor of its Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) regulatory framework. SCS providers would operate as a secondary service to companies providing Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) with conventional frequencies already approved for use from space. This means an SCS operator would have to immediately cease operations if they interfere with an MSS provider or terrestrial telco with primary rights. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.)

+ A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded seconds after launch on Wednesday, in a spectacular failure for the start-up’s bid to put a satellite into orbit. Tokyo-based Space One’s 18-metre (60-foot) Kairos rocket blasted off in the coastal Wakayama region of western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite. But around five seconds later, the solid-fuel rocket erupted in fire, sending white smoke billowing around the remote mountainous area as orange flames raged on the ground, live footage showed. Space One said it had taken the decision to “abort the flight” and details were being investigated. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information.)

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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.
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* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

ANS-049 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

February 18, 2024February 18, 2024 by Mark Johns

In this edition:

* SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Astronaut Launch to Make Way for Private Moon Mission
* Upcoming Rideshare Launch to Include Amateur Payloads
* Bill Introduced to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio
* Small Launch Companies Seek Niches to Compete With SpaceX Rideshare
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 16
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-049 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2024 Feb 18

SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Astronaut Launch to Make Way for Private Moon Mission

NASA’s next astronaut launch will delay nearly a week to let a moon mission leave Earth first.

NASA’s Crew-8 astronauts, who will launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, will fly to space no earlier than Feb. 28. The delay from Feb. 22 will make room for the expected launch of Intuitive Machines’ moon lander from the same launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Odysseus, a robotic lunar lander built by the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida early in the morning on Thursday, Feb. 15.

If all goes according to plan, Odysseus (designated IM-1) will touch down near the moon’s south pole on Feb. 22, becoming the first-ever private spacecraft to ace a lunar landing. Success would also be a big deal for the United States, which hasn’t been to the lunar surface since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission more than half a century ago.

“NASA and SpaceX will continue to assess Crew-8 readiness and may adjust the Crew-8 launch date following a successful IM-1 launch,” agency officials wrote in a statement on Feb. 13, while announcing the delay. The astronaut mission will serve as relief for Crew-7, which flew to space on Aug. 26 for an International Space Station mission expected to last six or seven months.

SpaceX Crew-8 crew. From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR, and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.

Crew-8 includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR (commander), Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ (pilot), and Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU (mission specialist), along with Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin.

Both the ISS crew and the IM-1 launch are using a pad SpaceX leases at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The moon mission has a fairly narrow launch window as the IM-1 lander needs specific landing conditions to land at the lunar south pole, which is part of why the launch date for Crew-8 may be adjusted.

Crew-8, as the name implies, is the eighth crewed operational mission by SpaceX that sends commercial crews to the ISS on NASA’s behalf. Starliner, the second vendor, may fly its first test crew in mid-April 2024.

[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
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Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
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Upcoming Rideshare Launch to Include Amateur Payloads

The SpaceX F9 Transporter-10 Rideshare mission has been scheduled for launch on 1 March 2024. In addition to a half dozen commercial payloads, two amateur satellites are on the launch manifest: SONATE-2 from Germany and CroCube from Croatia.

SONATE-2

SONATE-2 is a 6U+ CubeSat designed and built by the University of Wuerzburg in Germany. As for many university satellites, the mission objectives of the SONATE-2 satellite can be divided into three different parts:
– The operation of an amateur radio payload
– The development and operation of the satellite for the education of students.
– The operation of a novel payload as a technology demonstration in space.

The amateur payload of SONATE-2 consists of a VHF transceiver that was already built for the predecessor mission SONATE over the course of several student theses. For SONATE-2 additional student theses extended the transceiver functionalities. It will provide regular SSTV downlinks with images from the optical sensors included in the AI payload as well as an APRS digipeater and CW beacon.

On the education side, the mission will serve as a foundation for different aspects of the university aerospace and computer science engineering program. In the context of practical courses, theses or as student assistants, students can participate in the development of all subsystems of the space and ground segment, including the amateur radio payload and the technology demonstration payload. In the context of mandatory lectures and exercises on space operations every student will also be included in the operations of the satellite. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) offers a School Lab for high school students at the location of our external ground station in Neustrelitz, Germany.

Besides experiments on space and satellites, the School Lab includes amateur radio contacts to the ISS under the supervision of licensed local radio amateurs, which they wish to extend to other satellites like in this cooperation with the SONATE-2 mission.

In addition to the amateur and educational mission parts, the SONATE-2 mission also has a research objective for the demonstration of novel artificial intelligence technology in the space environments. While the AI payload is mainly operated using a separate up/downlink in the space operation service in S-band, the satellite bus and the amateur payloads are operated in the amateur service. Housekeeping telemetry in the amateur service also contains status information of the non-amateur payload.

Proposing CW, SSTV using Martin M1 and APRS downlinks on VHF and a 9k6 G3RUH AX25 telemetry downlink on UHF. Planning a launch into a 550 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). More info at https://go.uniwue.de/hk. Downlinks on 437.025 MHz, 145.825 MHz, 145.840 MHz and 145.880 MHz have been coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

CroCube

CroCube is a 1U CubeSat mission to support the Croatian, but also worldwide amateur radio community with many HAM services and activities. The mission’s goal is also to facilitate the technological development of Croatia, create an advanced society focused on prosperity and innovation, and increase participation in the global space sector. Also, drive Croatia into the space era, increase interest in astronomy and space projects, and develop STEM and tech entrepreneurship, create a platform for founding a space center in Croatia, increase investments and employment in robotics, technology and ICT and finally reduce unemployment and prevent brain drain.

The CroCube satellite is designed for HAM radio activities. The main purpose is to provide services for radio amateurs in Croatia and worldwide, and also for students of technical universities to get hands-on experience with satellite communication and get radioamateur licences. One of the project goals is to popularize HAM activities across the common population, students and children in Croatia.

CroCube will provide these HAM services:
– AX.25 telemetry
– CW beacon
– Digipeater
– Anniversary/special occasions AX.25 & CW messages for community engagement
– Experimental SSDV transmissions
– SATNOGS integration, decoder, dashboard

Proposing a UHF downlink using 9k6 G3RUH GFSK with AX25 telemetry. Planning an Exolaunch deployment into a 510 km SSO. More info at https://drustvo-evo.hr . A downlink on 436.775 MHz has been coordinated by IARU.

[ANS thanks Libre Space, Jan van Gils, PE0SAT, and IARU for the above information]

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Bill Introduced to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (MS) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) introduced S.3690 on January 30, 2024, the Senate companion bill to H.R.4006, introduced last June. Both bills reflect the Congressional campaign efforts by ARRL to eliminate homeowner association land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of an Amateur Radio Operator to install and operate amateur station antennas on residential properties they own.

Amateur Radio Operators repeatedly are relied upon to provide essential communications when disaster strikes, but their ability to do so is being impaired by the exponential growth of residential private land use restrictions that hinder their ability to establish stations in their homes with which to train and provide emergency communications when called upon.

In announcing the introduction of S.3690, Senator Wicker said: “Because communication during natural disasters is often hindered, we should be making every attempt to give folks more options. Reliable access can make the difference between life and death in an emergency. Our legislation removes roadblocks for amateur radio operators looking to help their friends, families, and neighbors.”

In a similar announcement, Senator Blumenthal stated: “Our measure will help clarify the rules so ham radio enthusiasts can successfully continue their communications.

In the face of emergency or crisis, they help provide vital, life-saving information that allow listeners to properly and safely respond, but prohibitive home association rules and confusing approval processes for installing antennas have been an unnecessary impediment. The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act resolves these bottlenecks and ensures that radio operators can function successfully.”

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, Chair of the ARRL’s Government Affairs Committee, both extended on behalf of ARRL, its Members, and the Amateur Radio community their thanks and appreciation for the leadership of Senator Wicker and Senator Blumenthal in their continuing efforts to support and protect the rights of all Amateur Radio Operators.

[ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information]

Small Launch Companies Seek Niches to Compete With SpaceX Rideshare

Small launch vehicle developers are working to carve out niches in a market for smallsat launches that is increasingly dominated by SpaceX’s Transporter rideshare missions.

The Transporter missions, which fill a Falcon 9 often with more than 100 smallsats, offer per-kilogram prices significantly below dedicated small launch vehicles. SpaceX has seen high demand for those missions and announced plans last year for a related line of missions called Bandwagon that will go to mid-inclination orbits.

“The Transporter program was created a few years ago with, in my opinion, the sole purpose of trying to kill new entrants like us,” said Sandy Tirtey, director of global commercial launch services at Rocket Lab, during a panel at the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, Calif. on Feb. 7. “Yet, we are still flying because we offer something unique.”

That uniqueness, he argued, is the ability to fly missions to specific orbits not served by Transporter rideshare missions. An example is Rocket Lab’s next Electron launch, which will place into orbit the ADRAS-J inspector satellite for Astroscale. That mission requires a specific, precise orbit so that ADRAS-J can rendezvous with a derelict Japanese upper stage.

A Rocket Lab Electron launched four smallsats for NorthStar Earth and Space Jan. 31. Credit: Rocket Lab

“Electron is really the only vehicle capable of delivering such a complex mission on an expedited timeline,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a Feb. 7 statement about the launch, scheduled for Feb. 19 (New Zealand time). Rocket Lab said the specific launch time will be determined just a day before launch, with a near-instantaneous launch window.

“Most of the missions that we fly are enabled by the fact that we offer dedicated services,” Tirtey said, citing the upcoming ADRAS-J launch. “There is no way you could do this on a rideshare.”

Other panelists said they are targeting customers with specific requirements or needs that make them less price-sensitive than those who opt for the less expensive Transporter launches. That includes dedicated orbits and high reliability, said Pablo Gallego, senior vice president of sales and customers at Spanish launch company PLD Space. “We are offering a premium service for the ones that are willing to pay.”

That argument, though, is in danger of being undercut by the combination of rideshare launches and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), which can take satellites to their desired orbit after being deployed from a Transporter or similar launch. Several companies are offering such vehicles and using them on Transporter launches.

While that combination may still be less expensive than dedicated launches, it still doesn’t offer sufficient flexibility, launch providers argued. “We are excited to partner with a lot of OTV providers in providing that service to our customers, but it comes down to performance and how quickly you can get there,” said Robert Sproles, chief technology officer of launch services company Exolaunch. “If it takes you multiple months on orbit to get to that final destination, there’s a strong argument to be made to going dedicated.”

Tirtey said that maneuvers that require plane changes can take months to complete, adding that current OTV providers have yet to demonstrate the ability to perform such complex maneuvers. “It could be useful, but you can’t expect a revolution because of physics.”

However, on another panel at the conference Feb. 6, industry officials said they see challenges for small launch vehicles coming from SpaceX’s Starship, which promises much greater performance at significantly lower prices. “If you’re a smallsat company, your business model should be looking forward to the model of the Starship rideshare,” a scaled-up version of Falcon 9 rideshare, said Abhishek Tripathi, director of mission operations at the University of California Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab and who previously worked at SpaceX.

He said that the introduction of Starship could change how spacecraft are designed, allowing the use of heavier but cheaper materials and components. “You can throw mass and power and volume at your problem and thereby scale up your satellite bus and still be cheap.”

[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 February 16

Lume-1 NORAD Cat ID 43908 Decayed from orbit on or about 13 February 2024
FEES NORAD Cat ID 48082 Decayed from orbit on or about 12 February 2024

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]

ARISS NEWS

COMPLETED CONTACTS
School TBD, Naro-Fominsk, Russia, direct via UB3AYC
The ISS callsign was RSØISS
The crewmember was Nikolay Chub
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR
Contact was successful for Thu 2024-02-15 08:22 UTC
Congratulations to the Naro-Fominsk students, Nikolay, and mentor RV3DR!

B. Russell High School, Rome, Italy, direct via IKØUSO
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL
The ARISS mentor was IKØUSO
Contact was successful: Thu 2024-02-15 11:32:10 UTC 54 deg
Congratulations to the B. Russell High School students, Jasmin, and mentor IKØUSO!
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0YEgMvzbn8

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia, direct via R2FDB
The ISS callsign was to be RSØISS
The crewmember was Konstantin Borisov
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR
Contact was successful for: Fri 2024-02-16 09:10 UTC
Congratulations to the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University students, Konstantin, and mentor RV3DR!

SCHEDULED CONTACTS
Girl Scout Troop 1089, Sacramento, CA, direct via N6NA
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN
Contact is go for: Thu 2024-02-22 18:26:02 UTC 89 deg

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Jonathan Eernisse, N4AKV has been QRV from FM05/FM06 and FM15/FM16 this week. Both LEO and IO-117. Details available on hams.at

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

+ 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Thursday February 22nd through Saturday February 24th, 2024
Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Kennedy Space Center, M6-306 405 State Road, FL 32899
https://www.ariss.org/overview.html

+ Dayton Hamvention 2024
Friday May 17th through Sunday May 19th, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The JAMSAT Annual General Meeting and Symposium 2024 will be held in Sagano, Kyoto on 23-24 March 2024. To join the Symposium by ZOOM, please send e-mail to Ueda-san, [email protected], with your Callsign and Name by 16 March. He will send you invitation email including Zoom URL. If you are adept at reading Japanese (or have a good translation program) the latest edition of the JAMSAT Newsletter is packed with excellent articles, including a full report of satellite operations by the JAMSAT VK9QO DXpedition to Cocos (Keeling) Island, amateur transmissions from the moon by the SLIM LEV-1/LEV-2 landers, and a how-to on restoring a Yaesu G-5500 rotator. Visit the JAMSAT website at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/ to learn more. (ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP, JAMSAT Newsletter Editor, for the above information.)

+ An unspecified defect in early model Starlink satellites has prompted SpaceX to preemptively deorbit the units before they potentially fail and become hazards in low Earth orbit. The company has already initiated the disposal of 406 units from the nearly 6,000 satellites launched to date. Among these, 17 are currently non-maneuverable but are expected to naturally decay and eventually burn up in Earth’s atmosphere in the coming years. However, the decision to deorbit a large batch of approximately 100 satellites within a brief amount of time is certainly out of the ordinary. (ANS thanks Gismodo for the above information.)

+ The European Space Agency’s Cluster mission, which has spent 24 years revealing the secrets of Earth’s magnetic environment, is coming to an end. The first of the four satellites in the Cluster quartet, named ‘Salsa’, will reenter Earth’s atmosphere in September 2024. This month, spacecraft operators carried out a series of manoeuvres to ensure this reentry will take place over a sparsely populated region in the South Pacific. The end of the Cluster mission offers a rare chance to study the safe atmospheric reentry of four identical satellites under different conditions. (ANS thanks The European Space Agency for the above information.)

+ Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme, has confirmed that January 2024 was the warmest January on record. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said: “2024 starts with another record-breaking month – not only is it the warmest January on record but we have also just experienced a 12-month period [with a mean global average temperature] more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial reference period. Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures increasing.” (ANS thanks https://climate.copernicus.eu for the above information.)

+ Voyager 1, humanity’s most distant scientific outpost, is currently careening away from Earth at 17 kilometers every second and unable to transmit useful scientific or engineering data back to us across nearly a light-day of space. The problem with the 46-year-old spacecraft cropped up back in November, when Voyager started sending gibberish back to Earth. Flight controllers have determined that the problem lies within the one remaining flight data system (FDS) computer on board, most likely thanks to a single bit of corrupted memory. The team has tried rebooting the FDS, to no avail. With most of the engineers who originally built the spacecraft long gone now, the team is treading very carefully. (ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information.)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

ANS-021 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

January 21, 2024 by Mark Johns

In this edition:

* Microwave Ambitions for GOLF Satellites
* All-Ham Axiom Crew Launched for Commercial Visit to ISS
* AMSAT Argentina Celebrates 34 Years of LUSAT
* AMSAT Volunteers Needed For the Upcoming 2024 Orlando Hamcation
* IO-117 Project Group Presents the IO-117 Code of Conduct
* NASA Program Empowers Students for EZIE-Mag CubeSat Mission
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Jan. 18
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-021 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2024 JAN 21

Microwave Ambitions for GOLF Satellites

Recently AMSAT News Service had the opportunity to interview Zach Metzinger, NØZGO, AMSAT Director and Volunteer Engineer, about the work that is being done to add microwave communication bands to the GOLF satellites.

ANS: “Zach, I understand that AMSAT will add microwave capability to the new GOLF CubeSat satellites, currently in design and evaluation. Is this correct?”

ZM: “Yes, that is correct! AMSAT had microwave capabilities in earlier satellites such as AO-10 and AO-40 and only a 1.2GHz downshifter on the newer CubeSats, that is the Fox series of satellites.
The GOLF (Greater Orbit Larger Footprint) satellites are currently under development.
GOLF-TEE is the first of these satellites and is the technology demonstrator for the GOLF series, which is in turn the successor to the FOX satellites. GOLF-TEE will have more capability as we increase the capability and functionality of our satellites, including adding microwave bands. “

ANS: “What is driving this increased functionality of the GOLF series?”

ZM: “Due to new orbital debris regulations, the FCC will require us to be able to be able to move as well as deorbit satellites, so we are adding the ability to orient and steer the satellite. While this adds complexity, it will also help us to improve the functionality of the satellite. For example: We will now be able to have the satellite maintain direction and orientation which will allow us to point the antenna for improved gain. This increased functionality is causing the increase in size. The GOLF satellites are a 3U size satellite, that is 30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. (The predecessor FOX satellites are 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.) With the increase in size, we can also add other functionality, in this case the microwave capability we are discussing here today.”

ANS: “Can you tell us a little about how this is implemented?”

ZM: “While GOLF-TEE will have the usual 2m uplink and 70 cm downlink bands, it will also have an X-band (10 GHz) downlink transmitter. The 10 GHz SSPA board has already been demonstrated and works well. The 10 GHz SSPA has a peak power of 1 watt.

“We will also use a Software Defined Radio (SDR) which we will purchase. (For the development and demonstration, we have been using the Ettus E310 radio.) This will enable many simultaneous uplink bands, for example 1.2 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.7 GHz, etc. The whole system is very flexible. For example, the microwave antenna will support frequencies from 1 GHz to 26 GHz.”

ANS: “It is very exciting to hear about these improved capabilities. What are the next steps?”

ZM: “We continue to test the system and tweak the hardware. We will be ready to be on GOLF-TEE, which is estimated to launch in the second quarter of 2025. If it works well, it could be turned on for general use, but of course we will have to see. We definitely plan to have the microwave bands operational on succeeding GOLF satellites.

One more tidbit of information that folks may find interesting: The orbit for GOLF-TEE will be LEO. The next satellite, GOLF-1, could be LEO or perhaps MEO or HEO.

ANS: “This is an exciting development. How can we learn more?”

ZM: “I gave a 20-minute presentation on this at the AMSAT Annual Space Symposium, which you can see on YouTube.”

ANS: Thank you for your time, Zach!

Link to Zach Metzinger’s presentation is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO4-h7bbxs&t=2270s

[ANS thanks Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, AMSAT Director and Volunteer Engineer, and Mark Blackwood, KI5AXK, AMSAT Staff Writer, for the above information.]

All-Ham Axiom Crew Launched for Commercial Visit to ISS

With retired NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, KE5GTK, and Italian co-pilot Walter Villadei, IUØRWB, at the controls, flanked by Turkish mission specialists Alper Gezeravci, KJ5DIY, and Marcus Wandt of Sweden, KJ5COO, a SpaceX Falcon 9 thundered to life at 21:49 UTC Thursday and climbed away from historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center atop a brilliant jet of flaming exhaust.

A Falcon 9 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center carrying an international crew on a commercial mission to the space station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.

Rocketing away along a trajectory paralleling the East Coast of the United States, the 12-minute climb to space got off to a picture-perfect start, thrilling area residents and tourists with a late-afternoon sky show despite low clouds that limited the view.

Adding to the spectacle, the booster’s first stage, heralded by twin sonic booms, flew itself back to a rocket-powered landing at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, chalking up SpaceX’s 43rd landing in Florida and its 265th overall.

A few minutes later, the Crew Dragon capsule was released to fly on its own. SpaceX Chief Engineer Bill Gerstenmaier radioed congratulations to the crew “on a great ride to orbit. I think you’re demonstrating the ultimate in reuse — a reused commander, reused Dragon and a reused Falcon.”

If all goes well, López-Alegría and Villadei will monitor an automated approach to the space station, catching up from behind and below to set up a docking at the lab’s forward port early Saturday.

They’ll be welcomed aboard by the station’s current seven-member crew: Soyuz MS-24/70S commander Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and his two crewmates, Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM, along with NASA Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, Japanese flier Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

At least two ARISS school contacts are scheduled with Axiom crewmembers, and participants in previous Axiom missions have activated the ARISS equipment on board the Space Station for casual contacts in the past.

Once their experiments are complete, López-Alegría and his crewmates will strap back into their Crew Dragon and undock from the space station on Feb. 3 for a fiery plunge back to Earth and splashdown off the coast of Florida.

The Axiom flights are sanctioned by NASA, which is trying to encourage private-sector development in low-Earth orbit. The company is using the “private astronaut missions,” or PAMs, to gain experience with orbital operations before launching its own space station modules later this decade.

[ANS thanks spaceflightnow.com for the above information]

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The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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AMSAT Argentina Celebrates 34 Years of LUSAT

On Jan-22, 34 years ago was launched LO-19, LUSAT, 1st Argentine Satellite, till now emitting on 437.125 KHz.

During ‘LUSAT Week’, from Saturday-20 to Sunday-28 January 2024, AMSAT-LU, several Radio Clubs and collaborators will deliver a QSL commemorative of the 34rd anniversary of LUSAT, see: lusat33qsl.jpg, and the 34rd anniversary silver certificate with 5 (five) contacts or gold with 15 (fifteen) contacts, it will not be mandatory to communicate with LU7AA.

This Certificate complies with all the requirements of Argentine Resolution 3635-E/2017, articles 4.5.4 and 4.6.4, and therefore having LU7AA in force Legal Status and being recognized by ENACOM is valid for category promotions.

It will be operated by radio means of the radio amateur service only, in multiband/multimode, terrestrial HF/VHF/UHF and via active amateur satellites. More information at LU7AA at qrz.com. Collaborators will be calling: ‘LUxxx collaborating station of AMSAT Argentina, grants Commemorative QSL for the 34rd Anniversary of LUSAT’.

Do not miss this Certificate or QSL like the previous ones, it will be a pride to have it and for AMSAT your participation. Radio clubs and radio amateurs were invited to operate as a collaborating station.

To sign up as a Collaborating station see: https://forms.gle/iyEYE5F3gskmRdkQ8

Bases:

To obtain the QSL you must contact a collaborating station, or as a short wave listener receive a QSO between stations related to the 34rd anniversary event of LUSAT.

To obtain the Certificate, it will be necessary to contact (Radio amateurs) or listen (Short Wave Listeners) by radio at least 5 collaborating stations (silver), or 15 stations (gold) in any band and mode.

Finalized contacts or listening and after January 29:

For radio amateurs, go to https://forms.gle/c2RJE5LyBqz5erh7A and inform your contacts, it is not necessary to send QSLs or images.

For Short Wave Listeners, go to https://forms.gle/pkHNsQuWRo4MB21DA and report your listen stations, it is not necessary to send QSLs or images.

Issuance of the Certificate:

The LUSAT 34rd Anniversary Certificate will be issued free of charge, digitally to the email of each applicant. The Certificate can be printed by the recipient if desired.

More information and images: http://amsat.org.ar?f=34

Celebrating its permanence in space, our LUSAT continues to emit a strong carrier after 34 years, receivable at 437.125 KHz. +/- Doppler.

See pass schedules at http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=LUSAT

Details: http://amsat.org.ar?f=34 http://qrz.com/db/LU7AA https://www.qrzcq.com/call/LU7AA (also in English)

Collaborating stations registration open at https://forms.gle/iyEYE5F3gskmRdkQ8

LUSAT could be tracked/seen thru http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=lusat

Deeply appreciation to AMSAT-NA than in the eighties develop AO-16 & LO-19 novel pacsat protocol and lead on design and launch.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina, LU7AA, for the above information]

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Need new satellite antennas?

Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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AMSAT Volunteers Needed For the Upcoming 2024 Orlando Hamcation

The new year is now upon us and that means the 2024 HamCation in Orlando, Florida (Feb. 9 – 11) is just around the corner. The hamfest began in 1946 and in 2024 celebrates its 78th year having achieved the designation as being the 2nd largest gathering of ham operators in the world annually.

Along with a myriad of popular amateur radio vendors and enormous tailgate area to peruse through, AMSAT will also be on hand and we could sure use your help. If last year’s 21,800 attendees are any indication of what’s ahead, we would greatly appreciate you sharing at least 2 to 4 hours of your time at the AMSAT booth sometime during the three-day event, introducing fellow hams to what amateur satellites are all about, helping those who maybe having problems getting on the air and best of all, connecting face to face with hams you’ve talked to on the satellites.

So if you would like to join us at the AMSAT booth or have any questions about helping out, please contact David Jordan, AA4KN at [email protected].

BTW, the average temp. for Orlando in February is a high 75 deg. and low 54 deg.
… hard to beat that!!

For more details on 2024 HamCation, visit https://www.hamcation.org

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, AMSAT Ambassador in Central Florida for the above information]

IO-117 Project Group Presents the IO-117 Code of Conduct

A group of amateurs who regularly work the IO-117 satellite has worked to develop a code of conduct for using this popular digipeating resource.

The purpose of the IO-117 Code of Conduct document is to provide suggested operational guidelines that will hopefully optimize everyone’s access to the limited resource single channel digipeater aboard IO-117. If better messaging discipline can be adopted as well as a better understanding of what operating techniques improve or diminish the success of a station’s transmission being digipeated by IO-117, then the entire group of operators on an individual pass will benefit from implementing these standards.

Those involved in this project, in alphabetical order, are: 2MØSQL, DF2ET, FG8OJ, IK3ITB, JH8FIH, JK2XXK, KF7R, KGØD, KH6WI, KIØKB, OZ9AAR, and W8LR.

IO-117 CODE OF CONDUCT

1. LISTEN MORE TRANSMIT LESS – Consider giving the station you are calling several minutes to return Your call before you call again. The use of Greencube Terminal program by OZ9AAR (GC-T) with its “yoU Heard Me” feature (UHM — available in the latest GC-T version, 1.0.0.85) turned on may aid in this process. The software is available for free download at: https://www.moonbounce.dk/hamradio/greencube-terminal-program.html

2. STATIONS SHOULD USE THE MINIMAL POWER NECESSARY TO ACCESS THE SATELLITE.

3. AVOID CALLING CQ MORE THAN ONCE EVERY 5 MINUTES.

4. AVOID DUPE QSOs – Other than occasional contacts with friends and for testing purposes we should discourage repeat contacts with stations already confirmed in your log, particularly for uncommon or rare DX stations.

5. AVOID 2X – 3X IDENTICAL TRANSMISSIONS IN BACK TO BACK TO BACK DIGIPEATS BY ANY MEANS. The
Use of GC-T/UHM ABSOLUTLEY helps you avoid this problem.

6. WHEN CALLING A STATION, TIME YOUR TX TO WHEN THEY WILL MOST LIKELY BE LISTENING FOR NEW CALLS. AFTER THEY SEND A CQ OR SEND ANOTHER STATION THEIR R73 TX.

7. KEEP MESSAGES AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE – Every millisecond saved does make a difference. Four character grids only, not six characters.

8. AVOID SENDING SUPERFLUOUS DATA – 599 is irrelevant on a digipeater. Avoid sending operator names. Use 2-Letter ID for states; don’t include city or regional quantifiers (ie: “SoCal”, just send “CA”). You can shorten “UR 599, DN84fj, Sturgis South Dakota, LoTW, QSL?” to “DN84 SD” with no loss of relevant information for the QSO.

9. CALLING FOR A SPECIFIC STATE IS UNNECESSARY AND UNPRODUCTIVE – That info is available on GC-T and the Greencube Reporter: https://oscarwatch.org/greencube/.

10. WHEN A STATION DECLARES “SKED” IN THE TX MESSAGE DO NOT CALL THAT STATION UNTIL THEY HAVE FINISHED THEIR SCHEDULED CONTACT – Both stations should use SKED GRID in message & use COSI (Callsign of Special Interest).

11. WHEN WORKING A RARE CALL/GRID STATION THAT IS USING THE GC-T MULTICALL FEATURE THEIR “R73” TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE ADEQUATE TO FINISH THE QSO: GC F/H Mode: similar to FT8 F/H mode.

12. FOR ROVERS, PUTTING YOUR ROVING GRID IN THE “R73” TRANMISSION IS ACCEPTABLE, AS WELL AS BEING HELPFUL, TO ALL STATIONS COMING INTO THE FOOTPRINT.

13. SUGGESTED MESSAGE FORMAT: FT8 Format (GC F/H Mode) and GRID Format: 4 Characters only NOT 6
Calling Message:
P5ABC CQ PM39
P5ABC 3Y0ABC PM39.
P5ABC 3Y0ABC/R/P PM39
Response 73 Message: 3Y0ABC P5ABC R73 or RR73
3Y0ABC/R/P P5ABC R73 JD15

14. AS A FORM OF COURTESY, THE R73 EXCHANGE IS USUALLY BILATERAL BUT ONE MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE SATELLITE, SO THE LAST R73 MAY BE WELCOMED BUT NOT MANDATORY – The use of GC-T/UHM may aid you in this decision process.

15. ROVERS SHOULD ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE STATION, TO INCLUDE THE USE OF THE GC-T/UHM FEATURE WHEN INTERNET ACCESS IS AVAILABLE, IN ORDER TO MAKE AN IO-117 ACTIVATION PRODUCTIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR ALL STATIONS INVOLVED.

[ANS thanks Jeff Schwartz, KI0KB, and the IO-117 Project Group for the above information.]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!

25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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NASA Program Empowers Students for EZIE-Mag CubeSat Mission

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) team at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is extending an invitation to citizen scientists, schools, and researchers to actively participate in NASA’s CubeSat mission set to capture the magnetic signatures of Earth’s upper atmosphere. The project, known as EZIE-Mag, is distributing 700 Raspberry Pi-powered experimentation kits, providing an unprecedented opportunity for enthusiasts to contribute valuable ground-based readings to the mission.

Dr. Nelli Mosavi-Hoyer, project manager for EZIE at Johns Hopkins APL, emphasizes the importance of citizen scientists’ involvement, stating, “EZIE-Mag provides the mission with a unique opportunity to engage citizen scientists in this important research. Measurements made by these kits will be complementary to data collected by the three EZIE spacecraft.”

The core of NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer program consists of three CubeSats, scheduled for launch in the late stages of 2024. These CubeSats will play a pivotal role in recording the magnetic fingerprints of Earth’s auroral electrojets – electrical currents flowing between the outer limits of the atmosphere and surrounding space. While the CubeSats map these currents, the EZIE-MAG initiative aims to enhance the mission with additional ground-based data.

Adebayo Eisape, second from left, an electrical engineering doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, watches as high school students with the Lab’s ASPIRE program assemble the EZIE-Mag kit. (Image credit: Ed Whitman/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

Dr. Jesper Gjerloev, EZIE project scientist, stresses the inclusive nature of involving citizen scientists in the project, highlighting that it was previously considered unfeasible due to the high costs of custom equipment, ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. The innovative solution involved creating a low-cost sensor connected to a Raspberry Pi Zero single-board computer.

EZIE ground systems engineer Rob Barnes, inspired by a science fair project with his niece and nephew, developed prototypes for the EZIE-Mag kits. These kits, priced at just $200, include a low-cost magnetometer sensor paired with GPS for accurate time and location data, connected to a Raspberry Pi Zero. The cost reduction allows the team to distribute the kits to schools free of charge.

Barnes explains, “When we distribute EZIE-Mags, the data that’s going to come in from all these schools and places is actually going to be included as part of the mission database. We’re going to do real science with it. You get all the parts and they just snap together, and you’re done.”

The EZIE team will make and freely distribute approximately 700 EZIE-Mag kits to teachers and students across the United States, with a specific focus on Indigenous schools. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Ed Whitman)

The EZIE-Mag program has also formed partnerships with the Indigenous Education Institute and Little Singer Community School, establishing five Indigenous-based collaborative workspaces equipped with EZIE-Mag kits. In total, up to 700 kits will be distributed to schools in underserved communities.

Dr. Gjerloev applauds the active participation of schools, stating, “They’re actively participating, providing data that is used in our solutions. As a middle schooler or high schooler, you can say, ‘I’m actually providing data and making measurements that are important and being used for a NASA mission.’ That’s the way it should be. It’s much more exciting than sending out a flyer.”

For those interested in joining the EZIE-Mag project, further information and an application form for the kit are available on the project website: https://ezie.jhuapl.edu/outreach/ezie-mag.

[ANS thanks Gareth Halfacree, hackster.io, for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Jan. 18

This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]

ARISS NEWS

IC Statale Villa Guardia, Villa Guardia, Italy, telebridge via ZS6JON
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Walter Villadei, IUØRWB
The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ
Contact is go for: Mon 2024-01-22 09:35:49 UTC 44 degrees elevation
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMQUWMww9yE

Istituto Comprensivo “Anna Rita Sidoti”, Gioiosa Marea, Italy, direct via IT9DBI
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Walter Villadei, IUØRWB
The ARISS mentor is IKØWGF
Contact is go for: Wed 2024-01-24 14:37:22 UTC 40 degrees elevation

Youth Group, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Konstantin Borisov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2024-01-25 15:30 UTC

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system Temporarily stowed. (145.825 MHz up & down). SSTV Status is OFF.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

None scheduled at this time.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

+ Orlando HamCation 2024
Friday February 9th through Sunday February 11th, 2024
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808
https://www.hamcation.com

+ Dayton Hamvention 2024
Friday May 17th through Sunday May 19th, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Congratulations to Lyle Hood, WB7VUF, for being awarded GridMaster Award #63! This prestigious award, introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014 and sponsored by Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, is now entrusted to AMSAT for the benefit of the entire AMSAT community. The GridMaster Award recognizes amateurs worldwide who establish two-way communication via amateur satellite with operators in all 488 Maidenhead grids in the contiguous United States of America. More information about this award can be found on the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster. Well done on this remarkable achievement Lyle! (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)

+ Kudos to Tom Kenny, NJ2DX, on achieving AMSAT Century Award #60! This distinguished recognition entails confirming satellite contacts with a mix of one hundred USA states, Canadian provinces, or DXCC entities. Tom met the requirements for the AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award and AMSAT Sexagesimal Award by respectively establishing satellite contacts with twenty and sixty distinct entities from within a 40-kilometer radius of the same location, paving the way for eligibility for this distinguished honor. For more information about this award, please visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/awards. Once again, congratulations to Tom on this exceptional accomplishment! (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)

+ Astrobotic’s Peregrine moon lander was launched on January 8 under an experimental new partnership between NASA and private industry intended to reduce costs for American taxpayers and seed a lunar economy. But it experienced an explosion shortly after separating from its rocket and had been leaking fuel, making it impossible to reach its destination. Astrobotic announced that it had lost contact with its spacecraft shortly before 2100 GMT Thursday, January 18, indicating a “controlled re-entry over open water” as it had predicted. Engineers had executed a series of small engine burns to position the golf cart-sized robot over the South Pacific to “minimize the risk of debris reaching land.” (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)

+ After a leisurely, fuel-efficient trip to the Moon, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) SLIM lander (aka “Moon Sniper”) attempted a pinpoint landing at 15:20 UTC on Jan. 19. Pinpoint in this context means shooting for a landing area ellipse of 100 x 100 meters after a 20-minute autonomous descent process. That’s a smaller target area than ever attempted by a lunar lander, though China’s Chang’e 3 lander managed to land 89 meters from the center of its 6,000 x 6,000 meter target in 2013. While the soft landing was a success, JAXA is still analyzing data to determine the precision of the landing. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and JAXA for the above information)

+ The Chinese Academy of Sciences, ESA, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany collaborated on the Einstein Probe, an X-ray telescope that launched last week on a Long March 2C. The telescope will observe X-ray bursts from energetic sources such as neutron star mergers and black holes and will monitor how these change over time. It will orbit Earth at 600 km and carry two instruments. The Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) uses hundreds of thousands of square fibers “inspired by the eyes of lobsters” which can collectively image almost a tenth of the celestial sphere at a time. Once sources are identified, they can be imaged in more detail with the narrower but more sensitive, two-module Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT). (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

ANS-365 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

December 31, 2023 by Mark Johns

In this edition:

* W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st
* Amateur Satellites to be Featured at Ham Radio University
* Six US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
* Only Two Days Left to Get 2023 AMSAT President’s Club Coins
* Student-Led ARISS Contact a Success
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 29, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org.

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-365 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2023 DEC 31

W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st

In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT’s CW Activity Day – previously AMSAT Straight Key Night – held in conjunction with the ARRL’s event on New Year’s Day. In recognition of Ray’s long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT’s CW Activity Day is now known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day.

The rules are simple – operate CW through any amateur satellite between 0000 UTC and 2359 UTC on January 1, 2024. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged, but not required. Logs are not required, but operators are encouraged to submit a report of their activity to the AMSAT-BB. Photos and video clips of activity are also encouraged – post them on X or other social media networks and tag @AMSAT or #amsat.

Remember to use the minimum power required for communication as constant carrier modes, including CW, can disrupt transponder operation for other users.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

Amateur Satellites to be Featured at Ham Radio University

AMSAT Member Peter Portanova, W2JV, will present an Amateur Radio Satellite forum- “Orbiting the Earth” – A beginners guide to operating the FM Satellites at the upcoming Ham Radio University. The Ham Radio University (HRU) educational conference will be a live event only with over 20 forums, held on Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST at the Hillwood Commons Student Center on the campus of LIU Post college, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, NY 11548. Now in its 25th consecutive year, Ham Radio University is free to attend and no preregistration is necessary. Complete information on HRU can be found at https://hamradiouniversity.org/.

[ANS thanks Peter Portanova, W2JV, for the above information.]

Six US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announced the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2024 window. A total of 6 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 schools and host organizations are:

– Coastal Community School
Satellite Beach, FL

– Computer Museum of America
Roswell, GA

– Kopernik Observatory
Vestal, NY

– Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Wayne, NJ

– Magnet Innovation Center
Inlet Beach, FL

– Midlands STEM Charter School
Winnsboro, SC

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 6 US host organizations during the July-December 2024 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 ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR for the above information.]

Only Two Days Left to Get 2023 AMSAT President’s Club Coins

Thanks to the generosity of AMSAT members, the 2023 President’s Club has raised over $49,000 to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! And there are still two days to go! Membership levels begin at $120. All 2023 contributors receive a full-color certificate, AMSAT logo cork beverage coasters and, of course, the stunning membership coin. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Complete information on the AMSAT President’s Club can be found at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/.

But, hurry – there is only a handful of 2023 coins left and they will no longer be available once the new year begins. Become at member today at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/shop/.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the
AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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Student-Led ARISS Contact a Success

A student-led contact with astronauts through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program was a great success that earned significant media attention. On Monday, December 11, students at Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, used amateur radio to talk with Astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.

The students are part of the Advanced Technologies Group, KC3SGV, an after-school club at Harbor Creek. Fifteen of the students are licensed radio amateurs. As ARRL News reported last week, their faculty advisor, Assistant Principal Drew Mortensen, AC3DS, is a graduate of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. He utilized what he learned in the program and brought it back to the school. The ARISS contact is just one of the many successes the program has had.

ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, was on hand for the contact, and he was impressed by the skills demonstrated by the students.

Goodgame recalled, “From antenna assembly and installation to the actual control operator function of the radio during the contact itself, students were at the helm. Every student who asked a question of Commander Mogensen was a licensed amateur radio operator. When I asked what they had planned next, the response was, ‘Well, the logical step would be to build and get a CubeSat launched.’ This is exactly the type of program we hope to help create as an outcome of the Teachers Institute,” said Goodgame.

Local, regional, and national media took note of the students’ success. Local television newscasts (see Amateur Radio in the News below) featured the event, and NBC Journalist Harry Smith and a crew from NBC’s TODAY were at the event to tell the story about the young hams.

This type of exposure for amateur radio is key to growing the hobby, according to ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX. “The passion of these teenage operators led to this success story. Who doesn’t love the story of young minds doing extraordinary things in STEM through amateur radio?” she exclaimed. ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, mentioned that the media coverage demonstrates the impact that the donors who have funded the Teachers Institute have on the future of amateur radio. Beal said, “The reach goes far beyond the one-week training institute and ripples out farther than we can see.”

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is funded by the ARRL Education and Technology Fund. If you are interested in supporting STEM education through the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, visit https://www.arrl.org/GiveToSTEM.

[ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information.]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 29, 2023

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

HADES-D has been renamed Spain-OSCAR 121

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Upcoming Contacts

No contacts have been scheduled from December 21, 2023 to January 14, 2024.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No scheduled operations are listed at this time.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information.]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

Ham Radio University
January 6, 2024
LIU-POST
Hillwood Commons Student Center
720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, NY 11548
https://hamradiouniversity.org/

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Send email an to Clint at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com. Already booking dates for 2024! From a club recently: “Thank you for the well-done presentation this evening. After the Zoom session had ended, my members would not go home: They just wanted to keep talking about your presentation. Again, well done and thank you.” – Phil N2EDX, VP Daytona Beach ARA [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador for the above information.]

+ The presentations from the 50th Anniversary AMSAT-DL. Anniversary Satellite Meeting on September 16, 2023 in Bochum are available on the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3RYfqWP. Subtitles are available and can be enabled in YouTube, with automatic translation into other languages. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.]

+ The 2024 CubeSat Developers Workshop, an annual conference hosted by the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory, will be held April 23–25, 2024. The event will be held at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center in-person as it has in years past. The conference draws more than 500 industry professionals, small satellite developers and students who will take part in three days of live presentations, Q&A panels, exhibit booths, and more. This conference is particularly useful to new members of the CubeSat community with invaluable opportunities to meet and talk to industry veterans. If you are interested in hearing more about this year’s conference, click the link below! For more information go to https://www.cubesat.org/. [ANS thanks cubesat.org for the above information.]

+A piece of America’s space history is now on the ocean’s floor. During its return voyage to Port Canaveral in Central Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster toppled over and broke in half. This particular booster, tail number B1058, was coming back from its record-breaking 19th mission when it had its fatal fall. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 23 carrying 23 Starlink satellites. The booster made a successful landing eight and a half minutes after launch on the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ which was stationed east of the Bahamas. SpaceX said in a statement on social media that it succumbed to “high winds and waves.” [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org