Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for February 14, 2025
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 https://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
The first QSO via amateur satellite took place on March 10, 1965 when HB9RG and DL6EZA successfully completed a QSO via OSCAR III. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of this historic accomplishment, AMSAT-HB is holding a two week long competition.
The goal is to complete DX QSOs via LEO, MEO, or HEO satellites (GEO satellites are not eligible for the competition). The ten furthest QSOs per participant will be factored into the scoring.
AMSAT’s GOLF project is targeting a launch NET (no earlier than) 1Q 2026 for GOLF-TEE, a 3U CubeSat carrying a V/u linear transponder, an X band SDR based downlink, and an active attitude determination and control system. The follow-on GOLF-1 is currently targeted for a launch NET 1Q 2027.
AMSAT’s Fox Plus project is also proceeding towards being ready for a launch of a 1U CubeSat (Fox-Plus-A) with a V/u linear transponder. AMSAT’s Fox-Plus-B is also proceeding with the AMSAT XBT as the core transponder technology. AMSAT’s XBT is intended to break down the barrier between linear and FM transponders using modern signal processing and SDR. It will be capable of providing simultaneous multiple channel operation using multiple modes. All” modes will be simultaneously supported from CW through SSB through narrow band FM through PSK31 (BPSK, QPSK and such) and even SSTV. The signal processing portion of the transponder will be reconfigurable in orbit and the initial design is as a traditional U/v (non-inverting) configuration.
AMSAT’s Fox-Plus-B satellite is also expected to fly AMSAT’s PACSAT payload.
Volunteers are always needed to help bring AMSAT’s Engineering projects to fruition, for more information on how to volunteer, visit https://www.amsat.org/volunteer-for-amsat/
[ANS thanks AMSAT Engineering 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!
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for February 14, 2025
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 Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]
Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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.
Scheduled Contacts
Woodward Mill Elementary School, Lawrenceville, Georgia, direct via K4RGK
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor is K4RGK
Royal Moroccan Air Academy, Marrakech, Morocco, direct via CN8ERA
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: Fri 2025-02-21 11:12:20 UTC 72 deg
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
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.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
Upcoming Satellite Operations
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.
No current operations listed.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]
Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get an 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
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 Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
Scheduled Events
March 2, 2025 Midwinter Madness Hamfest
Buffalo Civic Center
1306 County Rd 134
Buffalo MN 55313 https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/ KØJM, ADØHJ, KEØPBR
April 4 – 5, 2025 Southeastern VHF Conference 2025
Quality Inn
3095 Wilma Rudolph Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37040
W4FCL
terested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]
Satellite Shorts from All Over
+ The RF Board for the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Lite payload on Jovian-1 is now assembled and ready for testing. This has the 435.090 UHF FM receiver, the VHF BPSK modulator for telemetry, + the repeater logic and timer. Back of PCB has CTCSS decoder and 8 channel ADC. (Thanks to David Bowman, G0MRF, via X)
+ The AMSAT-X Meetup Net on DMR BrandMeister Talkgroup #98006, YSF Reflector #11689, and D-STAR Reflector REFSAT takes place weekly on Thursdays at 0300Z (Wednesday evening in North America).
+ With AO-73 back in full time transponder mode, a reminder that the 73 on 73 Award is still available digitally for working 73 unique stations on AO-73. Details at https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/
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,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] arrl.net
ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002
* AMSAT-EA’s HADES-R Successfully Deployed and Transmitting Telemetry
* Blue Origin Simulates Lunar Gravity on Landmark New Shepard Flight
* Interlune Aims to Mine Lunar Helium-3 for Quantum Computing on Earth
* VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings for February 2025
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 7, 2025
* 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 https://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
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2025 Feb 9
AMSAT-EA’s HADES-R Successfully Deployed and Transmitting Telemetry
The HADES-R amateur radio satellite, operated by AMSAT-EA, has been successfully deployed and is functioning as expected. According to AMSAT-EA’s update on January 23rd, the satellite is transmitting telemetry data, and the initial health reports indicate that it is in good condition. The team is actively receiving data and preparing to transition the satellite into repeater mode once all necessary checks are completed. Amateur radio operators worldwide are encouraged to share their telemetry reports to assist in confirming its operational status.
Deployment occurred on January 22nd at 15:42 UTC from the D-Orbit ION-SCV-016 orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) after launching on January 14th aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-12 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission carried 131 payloads, including amateur radio satellites HADES-R and PARUS-T1. Due to the large number of satellites onboard, deployments were staggered over several days. Early signals were reported by amateur operators, but official confirmation from AMSAT-EA followed later. Transmissions began shortly after deployment, though the FM repeater remains inactive as testing and validation processes continue.
HADES-R remains in good condition, with successful telemetry decodes reported worldwide. [Credit: AMSAT-EA]Designed to provide FM voice repeater capabilities, the satellite also supports various digital modes, including FSK telemetry and APRS at up to 1200 bps. It features a downlink frequency of 436.888 MHz, as coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). While FM voice is its primary mission, it will also transmit experimental data and FSK telemetry. The uplink frequency is 145.925 MHz, supporting FM voice and various digital modes, including AX.25 and APRS. The FM repeater will operate without requiring a subtone, activating via squelch level.
As part of AMSAT-EA’s ongoing efforts to expand amateur radio satellite operations, this spacecraft is the first of two planned replacements for HADES-D (SO-121). The second, HADES-ICM, is expected to launch on the upcoming Transporter-13 mission in March 2025. Both satellites will provide FM and digital communication options, allowing amateur operators to engage in long-distance contacts. Additionally, HADES-ICM will host an experimental payload from the University of Manchester’s Smart IR/Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), testing a low-power active radiator under space conditions. AMSAT-EA has urged the amateur radio community to continue monitoring transmissions and sharing received telemetry data as the satellite progresses towards full operational capability.
Blue Origin Simulates Lunar Gravity on Landmark New Shepard Flight
Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission on February 4th, marking a significant milestone in suborbital research. The mission, which lifted off from the company’s West Texas launch site at 11 a.m. EST (16:00 UTC), was originally scheduled for January 28th but was delayed due to weather and technical issues. This flight was the 29th for the reusable New Shepard vehicle and featured a unique capability: the simulation of lunar gravity in suborbital space.
The NS-29 mission proceeded as planned, with both the booster and the crew capsule executing safe returns to Earth. The booster performed a controlled vertical landing on the designated pad, while the capsule descended under parachutes, touching down in the West Texas desert approximately 10 minutes after launch. However, one of the capsule’s three parachutes did not fully open. Blue Origin officials assured viewers during the live broadcast that the spacecraft is designed to land safely even if not all parachutes fully deploy.
A key feature of this mission was its ability to generate lunar gravity forces—a first for New Shepard. The capsule achieved this by rotating about 11 times per minute for two minutes using its reaction-control thrusters. This capability was developed to support research on lunar-related technologies, benefiting the 30 payloads aboard the spacecraft. Among these, 29 experiments were specifically designed to test innovations applicable to the Moon’s environment.
Blue Origin New Shepard NS-29 mission simulated lunar gravity to support lunar-related research for 30 payloads. [Credit: Blue Origin]Blue Origin categorized these experiments into six focus areas: in-situ resource utilization, dust mitigation, advanced habitation systems, sensors and instrumentation, small spacecraft technologies, and entry, descent, and landing methods. Many of these experiments were backed by NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, underscoring the space agency’s commitment to developing technology for lunar exploration. With the Artemis program aiming for long-term human presence on the Moon, missions like NS-29 provide valuable data to refine critical systems for future lunar operations.
Notable NASA-supported experiments aboard NS-29 included the Electrostatic Dust Lofting project, which examined how lunar dust becomes electrically charged and moves when exposed to ultraviolet light. Another key experiment, the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation, studied fire behavior in lunar gravity compared to Earth’s, helping to enhance safety in future lunar habitats. Other experiments tested propellant management in low gravity, soil analysis tools, and small satellite propulsion systems, all contributing to advancing space exploration technologies.
New Shepard, named after astronaut Alan Shepard, has been operational since its first uncrewed flight in April 2015. The vehicle made history in 2021 by carrying Jeff Bezos and three others on its first crewed flight. While primarily known for space tourism, with nine of its 29 flights carrying passengers, the system continues to play a critical role in scientific research. The successful NS-29 mission not only demonstrated Blue Origin’s ability to simulate lunar gravity but also reinforced its contribution to advancing space technology in support of NASA’s lunar ambitions.
[ANS thanks the Mike Wall, Space.com, 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!
Interlune Aims to Mine Lunar Helium-3 for Quantum Computing on Earth
Interlune, a Seattle-based startup founded by former Blue Origin technologists, is aiming to harvest Helium-3 from the moon to support quantum computing applications on Earth. Helium-3, a rare isotope deposited into the lunar regolith by solar wind, was first identified in samples brought back by NASA’s Apollo missions. While the potential applications of Helium-3 have intrigued scientists for years, recent astrogeological research highlights significant challenges in extracting the isotope. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) suggests that obtaining commercially viable amounts would require processing millions of tons of lunar regolith, a task comparable to large-scale mining operations on Earth.
Despite these hurdles, Interlune CEO Rob Meyerson remains optimistic. The company envisions an extraction system operating like an agricultural setup, with five harvesters each the size of a large SUV. Meyerson acknowledges that it will take years before the company sees a financial return, but he emphasizes the growing demand for Helium-3 in quantum computing. This isotope plays a critical role in cooling superconducting quantum computers to temperatures close to absolute zero. With quantum computing companies recognizing the need for a stable Helium-3 supply, Interlune believes now is the time to act.
Interlune is not the first to consider the commercial potential of lunar Helium-3. Apollo 17 astronaut and Interlune’s executive chairman, Jack Schmitt, has long advocated its use in nuclear fusion reactors. However, investment interest has shifted towards quantum computing applications, which promise quicker returns. Beyond computing, Helium-3 has other potential uses, including medical imaging and radiation detection. Interlune hopes to eventually supply tens of kilograms per year, a goal that Meyerson believes is both realistic and financially sustainable given current market prices of around $20 million per kilogram.
Concept illustration of lunar Helium-3 mining involving harvesters, a solar power plant, rovers and return launchers. [Credit: Interlune]However, some experts remain skeptical about the feasibility of large-scale Helium-3 extraction from the moon. Laszlo Keszthelyi, a research geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, notes that lunar Helium-3 concentrations range from just 2.4 to 26 parts per billion in Apollo samples. Given these figures, obtaining a single kilogram would require processing between 100,000 and 1 million tons of lunar soil. Keszthelyi stops short of dismissing the endeavor outright, stating that the moon does contain resources—it is merely a question of how they can be effectively utilized.
To address these concerns, Interlune is planning a resource development mission in 2027 to analyze Helium-3 concentrations at a potential mining site. This mission will be followed by a pilot plant in 2029 to demonstrate extraction and processing on the lunar surface. The company’s initial lunar mission will launch through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Interlune is actively securing funding, having already raised $18 million, with plans for another round of fundraising in the near future.
While profitability remains uncertain, experts acknowledge that Interlune’s success will depend on the efficiency of its extraction methods. Chris Dreyer from the Colorado School of Mines notes that certain minerals trap more Helium-3 than others, potentially increasing yield in select locations. However, large-scale excavation will be necessary, posing technical challenges, particularly with lunar dust. Despite these obstacles, Dreyer believes that iterative development—designing, testing, and improving equipment—could make Interlune’s ambitions feasible. As advances in space exploration continue, the prospect of mining Helium-3 on the moon is becoming an increasingly tangible reality.
[ANS thanks the Leonard David, SpaceNews, for the above information]
VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings for February 2025
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2025 to February 01, 2025
Callsign
01/01/2025
02/01/2025
K8DP
1629
1737
WA4NVM
1653
1676
WC7V
1451
1611
DF2ET
1102
1602
DL5GAC
New
1576
DL2GRC
1166
1501
AA5PK
1426
1500
N8RO
1401
1490
W5CBF
1224
1326
N0JE
1075
1225
MI6GTY
970
1201
F4BKV
1000
1200
KF7R
1075
1175
N9EAT
1029
1127
AC9O
1001
1126
XE1AO
1000
1111
WI7P
882
1104
N3GS
986
1103
OZ9AAR
900
1100
JK2XXK
503
1086
K9UO
950
1030
KE8RJU
950
1030
EA2AA
875
1026
W2GDJ
705
1022
JN2QCV
726
1016
VE6WQ
814
1007
K6FW
951
1005
K7TAB
814
1003
YO2CMI
820
1003
PR8KW
200
1001
KQ4DO
827
952
N8JCM
New
952
FG8OJ
737
935
HB9AOF
725
907
KN2K
808
907
JL1SAM
601
905
VU2LBW
603
902
KG0D
801
900
W8LR
825
897
N0GVK
701
867
JS1LQI
500
808
K0JM
702
801
IK3ITB
500
800
KK4YEL
674
799
N5BO
650
786
JG6CDH
553
777
N8MR
658
755
KS1G
703
754
KC4CJ
602
751
WD9EWK (DM43)
734
737
KB1HY
648
727
WA4HFN
676
727
N3CAL
480
686
AC9DX
525
682
A65BR
554
676
LY4AA
New
670
N7ZO
350
669
AF5CC
646
651
IK7FMQ
500
651
N6UTC
551
651
VE7PTN
301
635
XE1UYS
505
634
LA6OP
New
632
JN1BPM
426
630
N5EKO
500
622
SA0UNX
362
617
F6GLJ
400
609
EA3TA
503
607
RA3DNC
305
599
XE2YWH
235
595
JA1GZK
435
575
WB7VUF
555
572
VE4MM
536
561
HB9GWJ
476
553
DL6KBG
331
550
WB7QXU
500
550
W9FF
New
545
KH6WI
300
530
KP3V
402
526
KO9A
434
524
AD2DD
356
517
SV8CS
New
511
VA3VGR
352
509
HP2VX
496
508
KF2T
111
505
E70A
New
504
AL7ID
320
502
N9ZTS
400
501
I3BUI
New
500
IK0USO
118
500
JR0GAS
360
500
KA9CFD
New
500
PA7RA
300
495
N6PAZ
350
479
AB1OC
407
476
W3TI
103
465
N7UJJ
308
462
DL8GAM
375
450
N8URE (FM19)
430
450
AG4W
161
438
WO3T
New
437
DJ7NT
234
432
JI5USJ
236
425
K4RGK
362
421
F6EQD
311
420
HC2FG
350
413
JE3HCZ
103
410
W3VHF
250
406
ZS2BK
305
405
NJ2DX
100
404
SP5ULN
156
404
JO4JKL
135
401
KF0QS
301
400
ON4CCN
208
400
K6VHF
276
376
W6AER
302
376
HB9RYZ
248
365
KB3IAI
254
358
KE8AKW
329
358
HB9BIN
New
356
K3HPA
300
350
LA9KY
New
347
N8HRZ
New
337
AG1A
New
335
JH8RZJ
New
328
W0PR
New
327
N4QWF
115
325
JH0BBE
322
324
N9XG
252
310
KG4ERR
New
301
IK8YTA
162
300
K7OGW
New
300
K9JKM
201
300
W6CZ
New
300
XE1BMG
120
300
KG0I
New
297
JE2UFF
185
280
JF3MKC
200
280
KB9DAK
171
278
W6IA
100
278
AA0MZ
276
277
WA3YDZ
New
271
IN3EQZ
New
268
DL5KUA
128
266
W0BZ
New
256
K5WO
New
255
AA0K
New
253
SP7JS
New
253
KH6WI/W9 (EN54)
New
250
I1FQH
173
249
BX1AD
New
237
WA8ZID
226
230
KB4DSL
127
226
N7GR
205
226
DF5SF
New
217
KB2MFS
New
215
IK0WRB
123
213
PU5DDC
200
213
KR7LD
New
211
RA0FF
New
211
PY2YJ
150
210
N4UFO
New
206
K0JQZ
New
205
N2WLS
104
205
WD5GRW
New
205
9A2GA
New
202
EK/RX3DPK
New
200
WD9EWK (DM22)
198
200
WD9EWK (DM31)
187
200
W2HRO
New
192
OK1IN
New
190
WD9EWK (DM42)
183
189
AI9IN
150
175
RA3LAS
New
172
WD9EWK (DM45)
165
170
NK0S
167
169
7J1ADJ
New
164
W4DFU
151
163
JK4JMO
New
161
DH0GSU
152
156
AE5AU
New
153
KJ7SXR
New
151
EA4DEI
100
150
G4BWP
New
150
K2MJP
125
150
KD8RTT
101
150
VE3JO
117
149
IC8TEM
New
147
VE3AAZ
118
147
SV8CKM
New
140
WD9EWK (DM25)
120
138
W0SX
New
134
BD8CBU
New
132
BI8FFH
New
132
DH9DX
New
131
PU8MRS
127
129
XE2/CO6LAR
New
129
N6UTC (DM05)
101
128
ER1KW
New
127
XE2YWH (DL82 – D
114
119
XE2YWH (DL82)
114
119
WK7G
New
118
YC1RIK
New
114
NC0Q
New
108
XE1RCU
New
108
K7AXA
New
104
XE1YD
New
104
BG6HXD
New
103
KK7OVF
New
103
N6NU
New
103
YO6OEV
New
103
4A2MAX
New
102
BI1QGX
New
102
DL3NGN
New
102
N2YZH
New
101
SV2DSJ
New
101
BA7LVG
New
100
K9DOG
New
100
KD2YIB
New
100
LZ3SV
New
100
N5YIZ
New
100
VK5DG
New
100
W4BB
New
100
W4XP
New
100
YB1RQX/P
New
100
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2025 to February 01, 2025
Callsign
01/01/2025
02/01/2025
OE9DGV
212
213
YO3APJ
162
165
EA2AA
157
158
HB9RYZ
152
153
IK4DRY
122
144
RA3DNC
131
143
IK7FMQ
120
128
SM2OAN
109
117
G4BWP
100
105
R5DT
New
102
WI7P
New
102
I4MKN
New
101
LY4AA
New
100
N0GVK
New
100
N0GVK is first DXCC Satellite holder from EN00. Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders!
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 7, 2025
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 US 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.
The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution: HyperView 1G (RS66S) NORAD Cat ID 61772 Downlink 436.540 MHz OBJECT BA (ZIMSAT 2) NORAD Cat ID 71783 Downlink 437.050 MHz
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.
+ Recently Completed
Aznakaevo Schools, Aznakaevo, Aznakaevsky District, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P
The ISS callsign was RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember was Ivan Vagner
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR
Contact was successful: Sat 2025-02-01 11:15 UTC
Congratulations to the Aznakaevo School students, Ivan, mentor RV3DR, and ground station RC4P!
Public Primary School, La Laupie, France, direct via F5KLF
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Don Pettit KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor was F6ICS
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-02-07 14:27:07 UTC
Congratulations to the La Laupie Public Primary School students, mentor F6ICS, and ground station F5KLF!
+ Upcoming Contacts
Kant, Kaliningrad, Russia
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Tue 2025-02-11 09:35 UTC
City of Clifton Arts Center & Sculpture Park, Clifton, NJ, direct via W2NPT
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor is AA6TB
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-02-12 18:14:13 UTC
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
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.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
Upcoming Satellite Operations
None currently posted.
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 Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
Yuma Hamfest and Southwestern Division Convention – February 14th thru 15th, 2025
Yuma County Fairgrounds
2520 East 32nd Street
Yuma, AZ 85365 https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW
Midwinter Madness Hamfest – March 22nd, 2025
Buffalo Civic Center
1306 County Road 134
Buffalo MN 55313 https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/
KØJM, ADØHJ, KEØPBR
+ AO-73 was switched back to full-time transponder mode on February 3rd, 2025. The U/V linear transponder is now operating 24/7 after a month-long period of telemetry collection on the satellite’s electrical power system. While some signs of reduced battery capacity are present, the two Lithium-Ion cells continue to perform well, supporting full transponder operation throughout the orbit. AO-73 features an inverting SSB/CW transponder with an uplink passband from 435.150 to 435.130 MHz (LSB) and a downlink passband from 145.950 to 145.970 MHz (USB). With the transponder active, the satellite also transmits BPSK telemetry on 145.935 MHz at 40mW. The collected telemetry data helps assess the long-term health of the 11-year-old satellite. (ANS thanks David Bowman, G0MRF for the above information)
+ NASA has confirmed the crew for Axiom Mission 4, set to launch no earlier than spring 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center. The mission will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot and ESA’s Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu as mission specialists. Once docked at the International Space Station, the crew will spend up to 14 days conducting science, outreach, and commercial activities. This mission includes the first ISRO astronaut aboard the station and the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay there. NASA sees private astronaut missions as a way to expand access to space and support commercial activity in low Earth orbit. As the agency shifts focus to deep space exploration through Artemis missions, partnerships with private companies help maintain a human presence in space and support research in microgravity. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) NVS-02 navigation satellite, launched on January 28th aboard a Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark 2 rocket, was intended to replace the IRNSS-1E satellite in geostationary orbit as part of India’s NavIC navigation system. However, ISRO confirmed on February 2nd that the satellite’s onboard propulsion system failed due to oxidizer valves not opening, preventing it from reaching its intended orbit. As a result, NVS-02 remains stuck in an elliptical transfer orbit with a perigee of 165 kilometers (103 miles) and an apogee of 37,582 kilometers (23,354 miles), making it vulnerable to reentry due to atmospheric drag. While the spacecraft’s solar panels and other systems are functioning normally, ISRO is exploring alternative mission strategies to utilize it in its current orbit. The 2,250-kilogram (4,960-pound) satellite was the second of five planned NavIC satellites aimed at enhancing regional navigation services. Its failure raises concerns about the future deployment of the NavIC system, and it remains unclear if any backup propulsion systems could adjust its orbit to prevent early reentry. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)
+ AstroForge, a U.S.-based asteroid mining company, has identified asteroid 2022 OB5 as the target for its upcoming Mission 2, Odin, set to launch in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Odin will serve as a scouting spacecraft, flying as a secondary payload alongside Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 lunar lander, and will separate after the rocket’s upper stage fires for the moon. The spacecraft is expected to take about 300 days to reach the asteroid, where it will conduct a flyby to gather crucial imagery and assess the rock’s mining potential. This mission paves the way for AstroForge’s next endeavor, Vestri, which aims to land on the asteroid and initiate resource extraction, potentially launching in late 2025 as part of another rideshare mission. AstroForge, founded in January 2022, seeks to develop sustainable methods for mining precious metals from asteroids, although its first mission, Brokkr-1, launched in April 2023, failed to activate its onboard refinery technology. The company has also secured a contract with Stoke Space for future launches aboard the Nova rocket to support its ambitious mining goals. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)
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, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org
GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers February 2025 Rankings
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 31, 2025
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 https://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
Mark Hammond, N8MH AMSAT Director presented a Commissioning Update at the October 2024 AMSAT Symposium. His presentation spoke about the launch of the UMaine MESAT-1 and provided operational details.
MESAT1 is now designated MESAT1-OSCAR 122 (MO-122). He explained, “Maine’s first small satellite, a 3U CubeSat, was successfully launched on July 4, 2024 from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
It was NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission 43 and included eight CubeSats flying on Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket.” Wikipedia provides an extensive list of ELaNa missions on its Educational Launch of Nanosatellites page.
Hammond continued, “MO-122 was designed and built at the University of Maine to use low-cost and low-power CMOS cameras to analyze water turbidity, identify urban heat islands, and predict harmful algal blooms from low Earth orbit (LEO). An AMSAT LTM-1 Module provides command/control, telemetry, and a V/u linear transponder.”
Dr. Ali Abedi, PhD, an extra class amateur KB1VJV and an active VEC, led the UMaine-Orono WiSe-Net Lab project. The UMaine student team included: Joseph Patton, Ph.D Candidate (Project Manager/Power System); Travis Russell, M.Sc Student, (Radio Engineer) and Steele Muchmore-Allen, 4+1 Graduate Student, (Flight Engineer). Scientific papers about the MESAT1 project were published including Travis Russell’s thesis.
MESAT1 has a multi-spectral (four bands in the 550-1100nm range) remote sensing instrument based on low-cost consumer-grade cameras, a custom electrical power supply, an onboard computer based on the Raspberry Pi compute module, a custom, low-cost deployable spacecraft antenna system, and a ground station with automated tracking.
Current MO-122 reception reports indicate the AMSAT / UMaine project is performing well on orbit. Here is information needed for monitoring or using MO-122:
V/u inverting linear transponder 30 kHz wide
Transponder uplink 145.910-145.940 MHz LSB
Transponder downlink 435.810-435.840 MHz USB
Telemetry downlink (Foxtelem)
435.800 MHz 1200 BPSK
Total power out 1 W
Two Line Elements (TLEs or Keplerian elements) bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. The latest data for tracking MO-122 and other satellites may be found here. Also see AMSAT Telemetry Data and SatNOGs Observations and Map.
Hammond related information about his Command Station equipment. He said, “Telemetry can be routinely copied with a M2 LEO-Pack using a mast mounted low noise preamp and my Icom 9700,” suggesting that antenna orientation is very important.
Teachers, Professors and Science students may experiment with telemetry data using a low-cost receiving system consisting of a homemade J-pole antenna, Fox-In-A-Box RPi and Funcube Dongle Pro other good quality software defined radio (SDR) or device.
More details about the project are available via MaineSat.org and UMaine WiSe-Net Lab. A YouTube video by M0YKS demonstrates the Amateur Radio capabilities. Follow NASA’s Small Satellite blog for other launch updates.
In his symposium presentation Hammond acknowledged the work of the commissioning team which included; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Chris Thompson, VE2TCP/G0KLA; Burns Fisher, WB1FJ; and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. He also thanked Eric Skoog, K1TVV for his work on the AMSAT Linear Transponder.
In addition to operating the AMSAT MO-122 Command Station, N8MH has nearly a quarter century of experience which includes operating command stations for several other AMSAT projects. A complete list of his extensively equipped Command Station can be found on his QRZ.com page.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
SO-120 (URESAT-1) Antennas Deployed
Over a year and a half after launch, SO-120 (URESAT-1) has finally deployed its antennas! Jan, PE0SAT, discovered the signal of SO-120 on January 28th and telemetry confirmed that the satellite was showing that the antennas were deployed. SO-120 was launched on June 12, 2023.
On January 31st, AMSAT-EA managed to activate the FM repeater of URESAT-1 (SO-120) but in its secondary uplink frequency of 145.925 MHz. No subtone required. Downlink working well on 436.888 MHz.
VHF antenna seems not fully deployed as it can be seen in the SSTV images received are showing just a yellow color, which is the VHF antenna over the camera lens. SSTV images are transmitted in Robot36.
As the VHF antenna is not fully deployed, the FM repeater requires a strong uplink signal to break the squelch.
The satellite also can play chess. AMSAT-EA will send chess moves suggested via @AmsatSpain on X. Help is requested receiving the chess telemetry.
[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA for the above information]
Fram2Ham SSTV Simulation on ISS
Fram2 is a pioneering private astronaut mission, the first to fly astronauts over the North and South poles. Fram2 will give the four on-board astronauts unprecedented first views of the polar regions from space. While astronauts on the ISS can see a large portion of the Earth, it is not possible to see these upper regions of Earth from the ISS. Fram2 is planned to be launched no earlier than March 1, 2025 and is planning a 3 day mission with an optional 2 day extension.
The amateur radio experimental payload on Fram2, called Fram2Ham, is also pioneering in nature. It represents the first use of human spaceflight amateur (ham) radio in polar orbit and the first amateur radio transmissions from a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Fram2Ham operations are being performed by private astronaut Rabea Rogge, amateur radio callsigns LB9NJ (Norway) and KD3AID (USA).
Fram2Ham will transmit Slow Scan Television (SSTV) picture images from space to radio receivers on the ground as part of a high school and university student competition. These SSTV images can also be received by radio enthusiasts (hams, educators, and youth) worldwide and posted to the ARISS SSTV Gallery—but with a twist. Images posted will not be shown until after the Fram2 mission. These operations support the youth SSTV competition, where they are to acquire several SSTV “Puzzle Pieces,” assemble the puzzle, determine the polar location, and answer questions related to that location.
For more information on the Fram2 mission and for youth organizations interested in participating in the Fram2Ham SSTV competition, see: f2.com and Fram2Ham.com. ARISS also has a Fram2 tab on its website www.ariss.org.
The ARISS international team is planning an SSTV event to help all participating to be as proficient as possible in acquiring images from Fram2Ham and submitting them in the SSTV gallery. Like previous SSTV events, ARISS will provide special commemorative certificates for those who upload images to the gallery. Certificates will be delivered after the completion of both the Fram2 simulation event and the Fram2 mission.
SSTV Simulation details:
Hardware: ARISS radio transmitter set to low power (5 watts vs. 25 watts for previous SSTV events). This is to simulate the challenges and unknowns of a new radio system on a Dragon capsule that might be in an unfavorable attitude in some parts of the mission flight path.
Operations Frequency: 437.550 MHz. Using the SSTV (public downlink) planned for Fram2Ham, ground users can practice the more challenging 70 cm Doppler correction.
SSTV Mode: PD120. The longer image capture for this simulation (120 seconds, vs. 36 seconds for Fram2Ham’s Robot 36 SSTV mode) will allow ground users to hone their signal polarization switching skills (manually and electronically) as well as precise antenna pointing.
Operations Duration: February 13 (World Radio Day) to February 17, 2025. This long duration, over a weekend, will allow users multiple passes to practice, learn lessons, make corrections, and try again. S
Summary: 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. Are you up for the challenge?
[ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, for the above information]
GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers February 2025 Rankings
The February 2025 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data.
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!
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 31, 2025
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 Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]
Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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.
Scheduled Contacts
Public Primary School, La Laupie, France, direct via F5KLF
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Don Pettit KD5MDT
The ARISS mentor is F6ICS
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-02-07 14:27:07 UTC 72 deg
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
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.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
Upcoming Satellite Operations
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.
8R, GUYANA:
Watch out for Aldir, PY1SAD, signing 8R1TM from Georgetown between
Jan. 1 and Feb. 8. QRV on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via
satellites. QSL direct via homecall, LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, and DXNL 2439 – January 1, 2025 DX Newsletter, for the above information]
Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get an 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
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 Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
Scheduled Events
Friday, Saturday, Sunday February 7-9, 2025 Hamcation 2025 and ARRL Southeastern Division Convention
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 W. Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/
KE4AL
February 14-15, 2025 Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention
Yuma County Fairgrounds
Yuma, AZ https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW
March 2, 2025 Midwinter Madness Hamfest
Buffalo Civic Center
1306 County Rd 134
Buffalo MN 55313 https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/ KØJM, ADØHJ, KEØPBR
April 4 – 5, 2025 Southeastern VHF Conference 2025
Quality Inn
3095 Wilma Rudolph Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37040
W4FCL
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]
Satellite Shorts from All Over
+ Mike Herr, WA6ARA, submitted a report about his activity during the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day, held on January 1st: “After fussing with a new tracking computer, I made one (1) CW contact, right at the end of the window. I worked WA0CTZ, Dave, at 2357 on AO-7. Fitting way to end the year and start a new one. It has rekindled my desire to operate satellites.” (ANS thanks WA6ARA for the information)
+ FO-29’s analog linear transponder will be activated at the following times in February:
February 1, 00:49～
February 2,01:38～
February 8, 01:22～
February 9, 02:12～
February 15, 01:56～
February 16, 01:00～
February 22, 00:44～
February 23, 01:34～
February 24, 00:39～
Due to FO-29’s battery status, the satellite will remain on after activation until the satellite’s undervoltage control (UVC) automatically shuts off the transponder. (ANS thanks JARL for the information)
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,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] arrl.net
ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002
* SpaceX Launches Hamsats on Rideshare Mission
* Two Private Moon Landers Have Launched at Once
* Blue Origin New Glenn Reaches Orbit on Its First Launch
* SpaceX Success & Failure in Starship Flight 7
* Three U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
* New ARISS Proposal Window is Now Open
* 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
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 131 different payloads lifted off on the company’s Transporter 12 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on January 14 at 19:09z. Included among the payloads were the amateur radio satellites HADES-R, operated by AMSAT-EA in Spain, and PARUS-T1, constructed by National Formosa University of Taiwan, among others.
With so many payloads aboard, not all of the satellites will be released at once. Rather, releases will be spaced over a period of time. At this writing, there is no word yet on the successful deployment of HADES-R. Further, the satellite will undergo several weeks of commissioning before the FM repeater is opened for use.
HADES-R has a downlink frequency, coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) of 436.888 MHz. While FM voice is the primary mission, the downlink may sometimes include FSK data up to 1200 bps, APRS up to 1200 bps, FSK telemetry and experimental data up to 1600 bps or CW. The uplink will be 145.925 MHz, Modes: FM voice (without subtone) and FSK 200 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200 / 2400 bps.
Also launched on Transporter 12 was PARUS-T1, a 3U CubeSat dedicated to receiving APRS signals on three major global frequencies: 144.640 MHz, 144.390 MHz, and 144.800 MHz. The satellite will record the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) data for each received APRS packet and utilize a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to determine the CubeSat’s orbit location during each signal reception. The received APRS data, RSSI values, and corresponding location data will be stored in the On-Board Computer (OBC) memory for transmission to ground stations.
PARUS-T1 satellite [Illustration from Taiwan Space Agency via Taipei Times]
Students will also be extensively involved in mission data analysis and will gain hands-on experience in understanding ionospheric propagation and its impact on terrestrial and satellite radio communications. The beacon packets shall not be encrypted and made public to the community via websites. Community participation will be encouraged through online leaderboards for example SatNOGS network. Data format of PARUS-T1 health telemetry and payload raw data will also be published and welcome all amateurs to receive 436.850MHz for packet data of AX.25 protocol on 1200bps.
PARUS-T1 also has an APRS digipeater to provide global amateur activities at the same frequency of ISS APRS channel 145.825 MHz.
A list of amateur radio payloads launched on the rideshare appears below:
[Libre Space graphic]
Thirty-seven of the 131 payloads going up today belong to San Francisco company Planet, which operates three constellations of Earth-observing satellites. Thirty-six of the 37 Planet craft are “SuperDove” cubesats, shoebox-sized craft that collect images with a resolution of about 10 feet (3 meters) per pixel. The other one is Pelican-2, whose resolution is about 7.5 times sharper than that.
SpaceX has launched a total of 13 rideshare missions to date — the 11 Transporter flights and two in a different program known as Bandwagon. Together, these missions have lofted about 1,100 payloads for more than 130 different customers, according to the Transporter 12 description.
[ANS thanks Space.com, AMSAT-EA, and IARU 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.
A space twofer took place early Wednesday morning — two lunar missions for the price of one rocket launch.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:11 a.m. Eastern time, carrying the Blue Ghost lander built by Firefly Aerospace of Austin, Texas, and the Resilience lander from Ispace of Japan.
Why did two moon landers share one rocket? That was the result of fortuitous scheduling by SpaceX and not something that was planned by Firefly or Ispace.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander (Illustration credit: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly had purchased a Falcon 9 launch to send its Blue Ghost lander to the moon. At the same time, Ispace, to save on the costs for the mission, had asked SpaceX for a rideshare, that is, hitching a ride as a secondary payload on a rocket launch that was going roughly in the right direction to get its Resilience lander to the moon. That turned out to be Blue Ghost’s trip.
“It was a no-brainer to put them together,” Julianna Scheiman, the director for NASA science missions at SpaceX, said during a news conference on Tuesday.
After the Falcon 9 rocket reached orbit, the second stage fired again for a minute so it could deploy Blue Ghost in an elliptical orbit around Earth, about an hour after launch. The rocket stage fired once more, for just a second, to adjust the orbit for the deployment of Resilience, about 1.5 hours after launch.
On Wednesday morning, Firefly and Ispace announced that their spacecraft successfully turned on, established communications with ground stations on Earth and were operating as expected.
According to AMSAT-DL, the German amateur satellite organization, the Firefly_Space Blue Ghost Mission includes the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) with the goal of demonstrating GNSS-based positioning, navigation, and timing at the Moon. LuGRE will build on the legacy of prior missions in the Space Service Volume (SSV) including the initial experiments by AMSAT on OSCAR-40 (P3-D) satellite and others.
Blue Origin New Glenn Reaches Orbit on Its First Launch
Blue Origin entered into the history books in the predawn hours of Thursday, January 16. The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, became the first to successfully reach orbit on their first launch with a new orbital-class rocket in the new era of commercial spaceflight that dawned in the last two decades.
After dealing with an unplanned hold to chill its engines and a wayward boat entering the keep out zone, the New Glenn rocket, standing as tall as a 32-story building, lumbered off the pad under the power of 3.9 million pounds of thrust.
The seven BE-4 engines on the first stage booster roared to life at 2:03 a.m. EST (07:03 UTC) shining a brilliant orange that turned to blue as the liquified natural gas (LNG) fueled rocket began its journey from pad 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off the pad for the first time at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. [Image: Pete Carstens/MaxQ Productions for Spaceflight Now]
Blue Origin dealt with multiple weather-related delays to get to launch day and even during the countdown, faced uncertain skies that threatened to potentially delay the mission yet again.
It also ran into technical issues on its way to launch. Blue Origin said an issue that prevented Monday’s launch was “ice forming in a purge line on an auxiliary power unit that powers some of [New Glenn’s] hydraulic systems.” Teams worked to clear that issue during the three-hour window, but weren’t able to do so in time.
One of the goals of the NG-1 mission was to attempt to land the first stage booster, named ‘So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,’ on Blue Origin’s landing vessel, named ‘Jacklyn,’ which was positioned out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ultimately, it was determined that the touchdown on the 380-foot-long (116 m) landing vessel, named ‘Jacklyn,’ was unsuccessful. That said, going into the launch, Blue Origin said repeatedly that landing the booster was an aspirational goal and not their main objective.
[ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information]
SpaceX Success & Failure in Starship Flight 7
SpaceX’s seventh flight of its Starship rocket was a combination of great success and catastrophic loss, with a catch of its Super Heavy booster at the launch tower and the failure of the Starship upper stage as it climbed to space.
Beginning around seven minutes and 40 seconds into the flight, SpaceX’s on-screen telemetry data began to show one Raptor engine after another turn off on the Ship until the telemetry froze at eight minutes and 27 seconds.
A still image taken from video of what is reportedly the remnants of SpaceX’s Starship upper stage as seen from the vantage point of the Turks and Caicos Islands. [Image: Alex Davenport and Spaceflight Now.]
The launch began nominally, with the more than 400-foot-tall rocket lumbering off of the pad at 22:37 UTC on Thursday, Jan. 16. The mission featured the first flight of the Block 2 variant of the upper stage.
The 33 Raptor engines on the booster powered it down range as expected and beginning about two minutes and 30 seconds into the mission, most of them cut off and the six Raptor engines on the Ship sprang to life to begin carrying it towards space.
The booster performed a flip maneuver and another burn to put it on a course towards the launch tower. The Super Heavy booster, B14, performed a final landing burn about 6 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff and before seven minutes were up, it was caught by the tower.
[ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]
Three U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the U.S. schools/host organizations newly selected for 2025 ARISS contacts. A total of three of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.
The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 3 US host organizations during the July – December 2025 time period. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also 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.
The schools and host organizations are:
Paterson P-Tech High School, Paterson, NJ
Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, GA
Terre Haute Children’s Museum, Terre Haute, IN
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
New ARISS Proposal Window is Now Open
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 28, 2025. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on January 22 at 8 p.m. EST. The Zoom link to sign up is: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kznKuyHCRyKi8_j00JBd_g
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Canada, Japan, Europe and Russia present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.
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 Jan. 17
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 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.
RECENTLY COMPLETED
Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) and Vermont School, Mexico City, Mexico,
telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Nick Hague, KG5TMV
The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-01-17 17:00:18 UTC 77 deg
UPCOMING
University of Prešov, Prešov, Slovakia, direct via OM25ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB
The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE
Contact is go for: Sat 2025-01-25 15:21:17 UTC 52 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).
Ham TV digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz down) is currently STOWED.
As always, if there is an EVA (“spacewalk”), a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Currently scheduled for powering off for U.S. EVA on Jan 23: OFF Jan 22 about 17:30 UTC. ON Jan 24 about 10:15 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.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
Upcoming Satellite Operations
+ NR1Z plans to be on RS-44 from EM93 on January 25, CW only, uplink on 145.965 MHz.
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.
January 17-18, 2025 Cowtown Hamfest and 2025 ARRL North Texas Section Convention
Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center
6901 Wichita St.
Forest Hill, TX (Fort Worth) https://www.cowtownhamfest.com/–home–.html
N5HYP
Saturday February 1, 2025 (rescheduled from) January 11, 2025 Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society – TechFest
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
Expo Center Building
2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy.
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ NASA astronaut Suni Williams, KD5PLB, one of the two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station by the Boeing Starliner failure, ventured outside for a spacewalk on Thursday, Jan. 16, for the first time since arriving on board seven months ago. Williams – an experienced astronaut who has conducted many spacewalks during previous stays aboard the ISS – teamed up with astronaut Nick Hague, KG5TMV, on Thursday to perform maintenance on the craft. (ANS thanks BBC.com for the above information.)
+ SpaceX maintained its rapid pace of launching an orbital mission on average every two days with its Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday, Jan. 10. The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, tail number B1067 in the SpaceX fleet, made a record-setting 25th launch and landing. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.)
+ After some delay due to drift issues, the two spacecraft from the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO — India’s national space agency) SpaDex mission successfully docked with one another. On Thursday morning, Jan. 16, the space agency announced that it had made history by becoming only the fourth country in the world with such technology after United States, Russia and China. The booster for those satellites, still in orbit, carries the BGS ARPIT amateur radio experiment (see ANS 012 from last week.) (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and BBC.com for the above information.)
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
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
