AMSAT News Service

April 13, 2025

In this edition:

* Fram2Ham Mission A Success
* ISS SSTV April 11-16 – Humans in Space
* OpenGD77 Handheld Radio Firmware Aids FM Satellite Operating
* Update about HADES-ICM
* A New Breed of Satellite and Space Focused “Makers” is Emerging
* Your Story Is Needed
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Starliner’s Wild Ride
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* 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

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/

Fram2Ham Mission A Success

According to our education partner ARISS, “The Framonauts are back on Earth after a ground breaking mission and ham radio event!” The ARISS STEM contest teams submission deadline for participants to submit their contest entries was April 17, 2025. More than 110 STEM team submissions were received, along with 1,100 general submissions to the gallery.

Once contest submissions are complete, ARISS will share when the gallery images are live. That is then your opportunity to start sharing your personal image SSTV captures on social media.

As with any experiment, there are many lessons learned. ARISS seeks feedback from participants.

A Shortwave Listener (SWL), Ryszard Kowalski, on April 7, 2025 posted a professional-quality framed collection of photos received during the Fram2Ham SSTV Experiment. For details see: https://fram2ham.com/. Kowalski has been a member of AMSAT since January 21, 2020.

The photos, captured during April 1-4, 2025, were posted on the AMSAT Facebook Group. View the collection here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1738703997045169&set=gm.2587259684795960&idorvanity=752128438309103. A Facebook account may be necessary to view the images.

In another attention-worthy AMSAT Facebook Group post, Matúš Nemec, OM25ISS Administrator, on April 6, 2025 posted a set of photos and information regarding a Day in Space event at the University of Prešov, in Slovakia. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167612127668053/user/100034118948580/. A video of the day-long STEM oriented activity can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/live/M3TRp9ykIQo?feature=shared.

[ANS thanks ARIS and David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]

The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Have Just Arrived!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
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/

ISS SSTV April 11-16 – Humans in Space

April 12 is the International Day of Human Spaceflight so, what better theme for the April 11-16 Slow Scan TV transmissions.

Start: Friday, April 11 1700 GMT
End: Wed, April 16 1430 GMT

Frequency: 145.800 MHz FM (+/-3.5 kHz Doppler Shift)
SSTV Mode: PD120 (Transmission cycle 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off)

Amateurs are invited to upload decoded images in the ARISS gallery, area “Series 26 – Humans in space” at: https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/

Once submitted, clicking on the dedicated button enables application for the official ARISS SSTV award.

The ARISS QSL can also be requested by contacting the European QSL bureau: https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/ariss-station/european-qsl-bureau

To support everyone interested in such events, the European Space Agency released tutorials about how to receive pictures transmitted over amateur radio by the International Space Station: you can find them on https://issfanclub.eu/2024/11/08/esa-tips-how-to-get-pictures-from-the-international-space-station-via-amateur-radio-2/

It’s always possible to receive the ISS SSTV signal by using the WebSDR at the Goonhilly Earth Station, the audio can then be fed into your PC or Smartphone SSTV App https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/

Follow @ARISS_intl on X for official updates, since changes can occur.

Reminder, the images are sent on a (roughly) 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off schedule. So if nothing is heard, give it 2 minutes!

Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard.

Predictions for the ISS pass times are available at https://www.amsat.org/track/

Useful information on receiving the pictures and links for Apps to display the pictures can be found here: https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

OpenGD77 Handheld Radio Firmware Aids FM Satellite Operating

An article In ARRL QST magazine, April 2025, pages 35 and 36, provides an overview of an available open source firmware for held-held radios: According to the article, the free firmware can provide some models of analog FM and DMR capable radios with satellite capability including screens showing; polar view graphic, satellite individual predictions, a satellite alarm and the ability to upload Kep’s data into the radio.

Doppler tuning and AOS and LOS information were mentioned in the QST article. View the April 2025 QST issue via this link: https://edition.pagesuite.com/get_image.aspx?w=280&eid=7584fe3f-aae2-4504-82c2-65a4c4f268bf&pnum=first.

ARRL members can access QST supplementary materials which are available via this link: http://www.arrl.org/qst-in-depth. Several YouTube videos about the firmware are live including how to create a code plug for programming a handheld with GD-77 firmware. This unique firmware was introduced several years ago.

The GD77 firmware also includes a number enhancements, including easier DMR related functions. Recent discussion on OpenGD77 was heard via the CSRA Multimode Tech Net from several satisfied users. Information about the net is available on their Facebook Group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1138357396634299/

The firmware is now available for use in some models of Radioddity, Baofeng and TYT model radios and have been successfully used on an Anytone 878UV II plus handheld.. A GD77 user guide is available via this link: https://github.com/LibreDMR/OpenGD77_UserGuide?tab=readme-ov-file#readme
and a forum is here: https://www.opengd77.com/

The developer’s site includes this caution statement, “firmware license forbids any form of commercial use of the firmware binary or the source code. Installing the firmware onto the radio will invalidate all FCC certifications and those of other countries’ licensing bodies. However, it is usually possible to back up and restore the original radio firmware.

[ANS thanks QST and David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]

Need new satellite antennas?

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

Update About HADES-ICM

HADES-ICM was deployed last Monday, March 31, at 7:37 UTC from OTV ION-SCV-017. Telemetry data shows the satellite is in good condition. The satellite has already accepted commands and now it is undergoing a testing phase. The final TLE is not yet available but you can use this one (Source SatNOGS):

HADES-ICM
1 98637U 25052X 25092.34373891 .00000000 00000-0 42496-2 0 03
2 98637 97.4434 347.3229 0004588 342.2991 86.6061 15.18376415 09

The repeater will not be active until we have its final TLE and the satellite has been fully checked. This can take several weeks.

The same software as for HADES-R can be used for demodulating and decoding. (Recommended Andy’s Soundmodem).

[ANS thanks Félix Paez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA Principal Project Manager, for the above information]

A New Breed of Satellite and Space Focused “Makers” is Emerging

Several threads have come together pointing to a new breed of space oriented individuals who may be attracted to Amateur Radio. Exploding interest in inexpensive small board computers (SBC), satellite specific firmware for handhelds, 3-D printed parts for satellite antennas and soda can size “satellites,” and makers using small board computers.

According to Wikipedia, “maker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing ones.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture

Taken as a whole, this points in the direction from which new hams, especially students and young adults, may arise. This article is the first of a series about makers as potential recruits for Amateur Radio clubs. To learn more about makers, simply go to YouTube. YouTube is an abundant source of maker videos with some produced by satellite oriented Radio Amateurs and others.

You may recall that the 3-D printed components and Raspberry Pi (RPi) SBCs have been key components of many recent AMSAT projects. RPi. Is often the SBC of choice, especially in severely volume-restricted cubesats.

For example, the AMSAT CubeSatSim v1.3 hardware including two RPi SBCs and four matching cameras. An excellent overview of AMSAT education with the CubeSat Simulator project sessions were presented by Alan Johnston, KU2Y, the CubeSatSim creator. Another session, Integration of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research, was presented by Rachel Jones, KO4HLC.

Learn more about the CubeSatSim here: https://cubesatsim.com/. Also, members may download any of the 1986 to 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings here: https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings. Non-members who join AMSAT may download the 184 page Proceedings and utilize all other AMSAT information and member services: https://launch.amsat.org/Membership.

To attract young adults Amateur Radio clubs may want to consider acquiring 3-D printers for shared use in member projects. Also, widely publicized activities using SBCs and open source software can attract fresh participants to clubs.

We’ll be covering more topics about makers and means of attracting them to Amateur Radio clubs in following issues the AMSAT News Weekly Bulletin.

[ANS thanks David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]

Your Story Is Needed

The AMSAT News Service weekly Bulletins and the bi-monthly AMSAT Journal editors are always seeking fresh Amateur Satellite news and information. We need your input including news tips. Send them to: [email protected].

AMSAT volunteer editors sometimes lack important news about domestic and international Amateur Satellite events and activities, club presentations, Amateur Satellite related projects, etc. Send info or an article about it to the above address.

Have you taken part in or conducted an interesting Amateur Satellite oriented activity. Do you present talks and presentations about Amateur Satellites and closely related topics? Do you participate in Amateur Satellite oriented nets? Would you like others to know about it? If so, tell us about it via: [email protected].

Are you experienced as a writer, presenter or have other space or satellite related skills you’d like to share with AMSAT members and others worldwide? If so, reach out to us via the email address above and let us know what you’d like to write about.

There are no paid staff personnel employed by AMSAT publications. The organization relies on volunteers and financial donations from people worldwide who support AMSAT in many different ways. If you are reading this note you are interested in keeping Amateur Radio in space and space-oriented education for students, young people as well as adults.

Thank you for reading this note and we hope to hear from you soon.

AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution

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/.

The following satellites have been removed from this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:

DRAGON Fram2 NORAD Cat ID 63427 Splashdown 16:19 04 April 2025
Fram2Ham Provisional Cat ID 90000 Experiment terminated 08:42:50 O4 April 2025

The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:

TEVEL2-1 NORAD Cat ID 63217
TEVEL2-2 NORAD Cat ID 63218
TEVEL2-3 NORAD Cat ID 63219
TEVEL2-4 NORAD Cat ID 63213
TEVEL2-5 NORAD Cat ID 63214
TEVEL2-6 NORAD Cat ID 63215
TEVEL2-7 NORAD Cat ID 63239
TEVEL2-8 NORAD Cat ID 63237
TEVEL2-9 NORAD Cat ID 63238

Please note that Two/Three Line Element (TLE or 3LE) sets for spacecraft launched in the near future will not be available, and new formats will be used instead. The essence of the problem is that the US Space Force is running out of numbers to catalog new satellites, see https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php for details. AMSAT will continue to disseminate TLE for satellites currently in orbit indefinitely as we do now, but we seek comments regarding the best way to support the amateur satellites of the future. For example, is there any need to augment the weekly e-mail with a new list in one or more of the new formats or is on line access via www.celestrak.org or www.amsat.org sufficient? Please send your comments using the form at https://www.amsat.org/webmaster-contact/ on the AMSAT web site.

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

Starliner’s Wild Ride

For the first time since they returned to Earth on a Crew Dragon vehicle several weeks ago, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, participated in a news conference on Monday, March 31, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Afterward, they spent hours conducting short, 10-minute interviews with reporters from around the world, describing their mission to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on the vehicle’s first crewed, which launched on June 5, 2024 for a planned 10 days.

After Starliner separated from the Atlas V rocket, Williams and Wilmore performed several maneuvering tests and put the vehicle through its paces. Starliner performed exceptionally well during these initial tests on day one.

More so even than launch or landing, the most challenging part of this mission, which would stress Starliner’s handling capabilities as well as its navigation system, would come as it approached the orbiting laboratory. That’s when trouble started, as several thrusters began to fail. Wilmore had to take manual control of the vehicle, but even more thruster failures ensued.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station. One of the four thruster packs is visible on the service module. Credit: NASA

Essentially, Wilmore could not fully control Starliner any longer. But simply abandoning the docking attempt was not a palatable solution. Just as the thrusters were needed to control the vehicle during the docking process, they were also necessary to position Starliner for its deorbit burn and reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. So Wilmore had to contemplate whether it was riskier to approach the space station or try to fly back to Earth. Williams was worrying about the same thing.

Wilmore said, “We knew that they [Mission Control] were working really hard to be able to keep communication with us, and then be able to send commands. We were both thinking, what if we lose communication with the ground?

“Thankfully, these folks are heroes. And please print this. What do heroes look like? Well, heroes put their tank on and they run into a fiery building and pull people out of it. That’s a hero. Heroes also sit in their cubicle for decades studying their systems, and knowing their systems front and back. And when there is no time to assess a situation and go and talk to people and ask, ‘What do you think?’ they know their system so well they come up with a plan on the fly. That is a hero. And there are several of them in Mission Control.”

For the full article, see http://bit.ly/3XX0cnA

[ANS thanks Eric Berger writing for Ars Technica 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.

Magnet Innovation Center, Inlet Beach, Florida, telebridge via AB1OC
The scheduled crewmember is Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN
Contact is go for: Thu 2025-04-17 15:52:03 UTC 56 deg

Pan-African Citizen Science e-lab, Africa, telebridge via IK1SLD
The scheduled crewmember is Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI
The ARISS mentor is IN3GHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-04-18 10:26:16 UTC 76 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. UPCOMING: Powering off for Soyuz undocking on Apr 19 OFF about 12:15 UTC. ON Apr 20 about 14:30 UTC.

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

April 30: VYØSAT on SO-50 from EP28. Tentative if flight/wx cooperates. POTA CA4585.

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]

AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

Denton County Amateur Radio Association (DCARA) – Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m. CDT
Denton Count Administrative Courthouse
1 Courthouse Drive
3rd floor, Room 2020
Denton, TX 76208
Also online. See https://dcara.net/club-calendar/ for link
AMSAT Ambassador Tom Schuessler, N5HYP

Dayton Hamvention – May 16th thru 18th, 2025
Greene County Fair and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+The Cover Story for the May 2025 issue of QST magazine is an article (beginning on page 55) about “NASA on the Air” (NOTA), a collaboration among 12 amateur radio clubs at NASA facilities across the country, from California to Florida. Club stations, operated primarily by NASA staff member who happen to be licensed amateurs, commemorate special events in space history with special operations on the ham bands. See the QST article or https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/ for more information. (ANS thanks QST magazine for the above information.)

+ Three new crew members arrived at the International Space Station on April 8, 2025, beginning an eight-month space research mission. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubrisky launched earlier the same day aboard the Soyuz MS-25. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information.)

+ CatSat now ready for microwave testing and QSOs. CatSat successfully demonstrated the capability to act as a linear transponder satellite for the first time on the morning of April 11! In this mode of operation, the satellite receives signals sent from the ground at 5.663 GHz and re-transmits them back to the ground at 10.47 GHz. During the pass, team members tracked the satellite and confirmed the presence of the re-transmitted signal at 10.47 GHz. (ANS thanks Walter Rahmer, KK7IOV, CatSat Command System Lead, for the above information.)

+ The Indonesian APRS satellite IO-86 has been returned to service after a hiatus of several days during the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The operating schedule may be found on X @pr_teksat. (ANS thanks Yono Adisoemarta, YDØNXX, for the above information.)

+ The Yuri Gagarin Cup International HF and VHF Contest, held in memory of Konstantin Khachaturov, RT3A (SK), is held April, 12 2025, 12.00 UTC until April, 13 2025, 11.59 UTC on HF and satellites. Awards are offered in various categories, including for SWLs. For details, see https://gccontest.ru/en/rules-gc-2025/ (ANS thanks Ham Radio World for the above information.)

+ SpaceX static fired Super Heavy Booster 14 (that had previously flown and returned on Flight 7) ahead of Starship Flight 9 with 29 of its 33 engines being flight proven—this will be the first reuse for the Starship system. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editors, Mark Johns, KØJM and David Vine, WA1EAW
mjohns [at] amsat.org

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002

March 23, 2025

In this edition:

* January/February 2025 Issue of The AMSAT Journal is Now Available
* Fram2Ham SSTV Transmissions Planned
* Alba Orbital Assists AMSAT-EA With HADES-ICM Project
* Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander Photographs Eclipse From The Moon
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* 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

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/

January/February 2025 Issue of The AMSAT Journal is Now Available

The January/February 2025 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal.

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.

Inside the Current Issue:

• Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
• Engineering Update – AMSAT News Service
• Mitigating and Monitory Space Traffic and Debris – Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK
• Transceivers for Satellite Operation – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
• New England Sci-Tech Updates AMSAT TLE Bulletins – RJ Fitzgerald, N1BGA, et al.
• Determination of Spacecraft Orbital Elements from In-flight GNSS Measurements – Joseph DiVerdi, Ph.D., MBA, K0NMR
• SpaceX Launches Hamsats on Rideshare Mission – AMSAT News Service

AMSAT members may access the issue, and a library of back issues, by logging into their member account at https://launch.amsat.org/Sys/Login. Non-members may join AMSAT at https://launch.amsat.org/Membership in order to access The AMSAT Journal and to receive a variety of other member benefits.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Have Just Arrived!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
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/

Fram2Ham SSTV Transmissions Planned

Astronaut and radio amateur, Rabea Rogge LB9NJ / KD3AID, will be transmitting amateur radio Slow Scan TV images from space during the SpaceX Fram2 mission, planned for launch on March 31.

The Fram2 mission is set to become the first human space flight in polar orbit – flying over the North and South poles. Named after the famous polar exploration ship Fram, which completed voyages to both the Arctic and Antarctica. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch four astronauts from Europe and Australia into orbit for 3-5 days.

Rabea Rogge LB9NJ / KD3AID [Photo credit: DLR]

During the Fram2 mission Rabea Rogge, LB9NJ (Norway) and KD3AID (USA), will be operating the onboard amateur (ham) radio system sending SSTV images as part of a high school and university student competition. These SSTV images will also be available to be received by the general public during the mission.

The International Space Station simulated the Fram2 SSTV mode PD-120 transmissions from February 13-17 on 437.550 MHz FM to enable people to gain proficiency in receiving the signals before the mission.

Fram2Ham is an experimental radio competition open to high school and university ages. Rogge will send pictures of three geographical locations via an onboard ham radio, but here’s the twist: they’ll be cut into pieces and mixed up! Participants will receive only fragments of the locations and need to guess where on Earth they are and what their role in polar history was. While anyone can receive the pictures, forming an international team may help you solve the puzzle!

There are several challenges like low transmit power, variations of antenna orientation, and a short, 3-day mission duration, with only a limited time assigned for the SSTV operation. These challenges require operating proficiency and the use of the best attainable radio station and this simulation shall give the possibility to exercise this.

For more information on the Fram2 mission and for youth organizations interested in participating in the Fram2Ham SSTV competition, see https://fram2ham.com/

First human Spaceflight to Earth’s polar regions https://f2.com/

Fram2Ham on Discord https://discord.com/invite/GYQzmSh5sp

Competition details https://fram2ham.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/amapay_user_manual-ver-2-7-2025.pdf

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and FRAM2 Ham for the above information]

Need new satellite antennas?

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

Alba Orbital Assists AMSAT-EA With HADES-ICM Project

Alba Orbital (UK, USA, Germany) is the world’s leading PocketQube company that has delivered 53 pico-satellites on-orbit to date. These include five PocketQube satellites from three different countries recently flown on-board SpaceX’s Transporter-13 Rideshare mission.

Alba Orbital’s AlbaPod [Photo: Alba Orbital]

The satellites were integrated into Alba Orbital’s PocketQube Deployer, AlbaPod, at their new facilities in Hillington Industrial Estate, Glasgow, the world’s first PocketQube factory. After integration, the cluster of pocket-sized satellites were shipped out to SpaceX and then hitched their ride to LEO.

PocketQubes are highly miniaturized satellites, typically 5 cm cubed per unit (‘P’), that can be launched to orbit for as little as 25K euros via Alba Orbital’s rideshare services. PocketQubes are cost-effective, quicker to build, and provide versatile options for a variety of missions that range from educational projects to advanced technological demonstrations.

Payloads aboard this mission include HADES-ICM – HYDRA SPACE / IC MERCURY / SMART IR [Photo: Alba Orbital]

HADES-ICM, a 1.5p PocketQube, this smallsat is carrying an open voice transponder for the radio amateur community. It will be operated by the non-proft organization AMSAT-EA. The PocketQube includes the UK based Smart IR’s technology experiment that will be conducted on-orbit as well as an icMercury experiment. Inspiring space sustainability text messages that will be broadcasted periodically by HADES-ICM.

[ANS thanks Alba Orbital for the above information]

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander Photographs Eclipse From The Moon

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander snapped a gorgeous photo of a solar eclipse from the Moon in which Earth covers up most of the Sun, leaving only the so-called diamond ring effect.

[Photo: Firefly Aerospace]

The lander snapped the photo at around 05:30z on Friday March 14, as the Earth slowly blocked a view of the Sun. The solar eclipse on the Moon occurred at the same time as a total lunar eclipse here on Earth. Terrestrial viewers saw the lunar surface turn a red hue.

[Photo: Firefly Aerospace]

The eclipse lasted for around five hours at the lunar landing site in Mare Crisium. Firefly released another image from the earlier part of the eclipse that shows the lander’s solar panel as the Sun starts to hide behind Earth’s shadow.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander was launched on January 15 and successfully touched down on the Moon on Sunday, March 2 at around 07:30z. It landed upright, with no issues, unlike the Intuitive Machines lander which toppled over on landing on March 6.

This is Firefly’s first mission to the Moon, so Blue Ghost is packed with ten NASA instruments designed to probe the lunar surface and gather data to (hopefully) support upcoming human missions to the natural satellite. This is all part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

Not long after sunset at the end of the lunar day on March 16, 2025, the Lander’s batteries were depleted, communications were lost and the spacecraft’s mission was officially declared ended at 23:25z.

[ANS thanks Engadget for the above information]

AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!

Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite
Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only)
Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 21

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/.

NOTICE: In an effort to minimize confusion between sources of two line element sets, AMSAT is adopting the convention of listing the USSF/NORAD Satellite Catalog name first, followed by any secondary name or names in parentheses. For example, “POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT)” was added recently where “POEM 4” is the name that appears in the U.S. Space Force Satellite Catalog, and “BGS ARPIT” is the name best known within the amateur satellite community. Expect name changes for affected satellites in the coming weeks as this change is fully implemented.

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

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

ARISS NEWS

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

Canadian Elementary School Maple Bear, Sofia, Bulgaria, direct via LZ1KRN
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor is IN3GHZ
Contact is go for: Mon 2025-03-24 14:23:27 UTC 42 deg

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2025-03-27 09:00 UTC

Yonezawa 5th Junior High School, Yonezawa, Japan, direct via 8N7Y5JH
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit, KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-03-28 09:56:00 UTC 30 deg

Aznakaevsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Fri 2025-03-28 12:50 UTC

City of St. Petersburg School, St. Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for 2025-04-03 12:45 UTC

Ufa City School, Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for 2025-04-04 10:25 UTC

Congratulations and welcome home to Sunita Williams, KD5PLB!  She has done 92 events/78 contacts.  She has the lead at the moment!

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).

Ham TV – (2395.00 MHz down) 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

None listed at this time.

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]

AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

AMSAT Ambassador Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ, speaks with an interested attendee at the Midwinter Madness Hamfest in Buffalo, Minn. on Saturday, March 22. Ambassadors Paul Overn, KEØPBR, and Mark Johns, KØJM, were also kept busy at the table during the event. [Photo: KØJM]

March 27, 2025
AMSAT Update and Info
West Fork Amateur Radio Club
Paradise Fire Dept.
303 Main St.
Paradise, TX 76073
https://wfarc.org/
W5ITR

April 4 – 5, 2025
Southeastern VHF Conference 2025
Quality Inn
3095 Wilma Rudolph Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37040
W4FCL

April 5, 2025
RARSfest
Jim Graham Building
NC State Fairgrounds
Youth Center Drive, Gate 5
Raleigh NC
https://www.rarsfest.org/index.php
K4EB, N4AEW, W1DCM, KK4HG, N4HF

May 16-18, 2025
Dayton Hamvention
Greene County Fair and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road, Xenia, OH
https://hamvention.org/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The four members of the Crew-9 mission — Nick Hague, KG5TMV; Sunita Williams, KD5PLB; Barry “Butch” Wilmore; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov — splashed down in the Gulf near Tallahassee, Florida shortly before 2200 UTC on Tuesday, March 18. Hague and Gorbunov launched to the ISS onboard the Dragon Freedom spacecraft in September 2024 and returned to Earth after logging 171 total days in space. Their colleagues, Williams and Wilmore, returned to Earth with 286 days in space after originally arriving at the space station onboard the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5, 2024. Prior to the departure of Starliner, two extra seats were created inside Dragon Endeavour (which brought up Crew-8) so that in the case of an emergency, Williams and Wilmore would have a way to return home. Thus, they were never actually “stranded” in space, as some media have reported. (ANS thanks SpaceFlight Now for the above information.)

+ The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) annual conference will be held October 21-23, 2025. NRO brings together the best in academia and the private sector to keep America at the forefront of space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technology. NRO is soliciting abstracts for paper presentations at the conference. Previous topics included: Quantum Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Manufacturing, Remote Sensing, Microelectronics, RF Technologies, Space Situational Awareness, & Other Enabling Technologies. Abstract deadline is April 18, 2025. See https://www.nro.gov/SRL/ for details. (ANS thanks David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information.)

+ Researchers have broken a distance record in quantum communication by sending a secret encryption key nearly 13,000 km from China to South Africa, using a cheap, lightweight ‘microsatellite’. The satellite was able to send pulses of laser light, put into special quantum states, from a rooftop in Beijing to another at Stellenbosch University near Cape Town. The pulses formed a quantum key that was used to encrypt two images — one of China’s Great Wall and one showing part of Stellenbosch’s campus. The feat, a kind of encryption known as quantum key distribution (QKD), is a step towards being able to send ultra-secure messages between any two locations, however distant. (ANS thanks Nature.com for the above information.)

+ The increasing threat from space debris calls for both higher maneuverability in orbit and a reduction of the amount of junk. British startup Magdrive claims it can help with both, via a new propulsion system for spacecraft that will launch into space for the first time later this year and will be fueled by solid metal. The first incarnation of the Magdrive system — called Warlock — is set to launch into orbit in June 2025. It works by creating power using onboard solar panels to ionize metal. Once detonated, the metal is turned into extremely hot and dense plasma, or electrically charged gas. For now, the system is not refuelable. In the more distant future, however, the system could obtain its fuel from existing space junk, by harvesting dead satellites for metal to use as propellant. (ANS thanks CNN Science for the above information.)

+ In the next few months, from its perch atop a mountain in Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will begin surveying the cosmos with the largest camera ever built. But the rising number of satellites in orbit can be a problem for scientists because the satellites interfere with ground-based astronomical observations, by creating bright streaks on images and electromagnetic interference with radio telescopes. Until recently, astronomers had no centralized reference for tracking satellites. Now, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has a virtual Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS), which serves as an information hub. One of the centre’s tools, called SatChecker, draws on a public database of satellite orbits, fed by information from observers and companies that track objects in space. Astronomers can use SatChecker to confirm what satellite is passing overhead during their observations. (ANS thanks Nature.com for the above information.)

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002