ANS-324 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 20

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

  • OMOTENASHI is Struggling to Carry Amateur Radio to the Moon
  • Amateur Radio Operators and More Will Track NASA’s Artemis 1
  • New Groundstation Software Available for GreenCube
  • Release Date of CAS-10/XW-4
  • U.S. High School CubeSat to be APRS Relay
  • CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the Moon
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-324 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 NOV 20

OMOTENASHI is Struggling to Carry Amateur Radio to the Moon

OMOTENASHI, a project of the JAXA Ham Radio Club, was a secondary payload aboard NASA’s Artemis 1 mission, launched on November 16. It plans to land on the surface of the moon, and to transmit a beacon in the amateur 70cm band.

Controllers have reported OMOTENASHI is tumbling, making it difficult for the spacecraft to charge its batteries and communicate with the ground. Of the ten cubesats flown as secondary payloads, seven are operation, two have not been heard from, and OMOTENASHI is struggling. Controllers are continuing recovery attempts.

OMOTENASHI is derived from Outstanding MOon exploration TEchnologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor. Omotenashi is also a Japanese word for hospitality.

JAXA Ham Radio Club planned to utilize the flight demonstration opportunity of the OMOTENASHI mission to conduct the following amateur radio missions:
(i) To conduct technological research with respect to receiving ultra-weak UHF signal from a space probe toward the moon
(ii) To conduct an outreach activity providing amateur radio operators all over the world with an opportunity to try to receive signals from moon region.

OMOTENASHI is a 6U-CubeSat with external dimensions of 239 x 366 x 113mm and an approximate mass of 14 kg.

OMOTENASHI consists of three modules: orbiting module, retro motor module, and surface probe. During the moon transfer orbit, these modules are integrated. When OMOTENASHI arrives at the moon, the surface probe will be separated and conduct semi-hard landing.

If control is regained, OMOTENASHI will be actively controlled by ultra-small attitude control system including star tracker, sun sensor, IMU, reaction wheel, and cold gas jet thruster. During the moon transfer orbit, OMOTENASHI may be spin-stabilized due to the strict resources. For further details, please see: https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html

There will be UHF CM/PSK/PM/PSK31 beacons, with 1 watt RF, on both the orbiting module and the surface probe. CisLunar explorer, MIT KitCube and Lunar IceCube are expected to share the same launch.

Orbiting Module DOWNLINK

Frequency: 437.31 MHz
Antenna: SRR antenna
Polarization: Linear
Modulation: beacon, PSK31 Sync Word C1 (ASCII code)
Power: 30dBm

Surface Probe DOWNLINK

Frequency: 437.41 MHz
Antenna: invert-F antennax4
Polarization: LHCP(, RHCP)
Modulation: FM, PSK31, PCM-PSK/PM Sync Word C1 (ASCII code)
Power: 30dBm

JAXA Ham Radio Club had announced prior to launch that amateurs can constantly access the newest TLE from https://bit.ly/3wyopTr  This file is to be overwritten when the next TLEs are calculated. However, the site appears to still display pre-launch keps at this time.

The JAXA Club posts updates at https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html

[ANS thanks JAXA Ham Radio Club and parabolicarc.com for the above information]

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There’s still time to join the 2022 AMSAT President’s Club!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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Amateur Radio Operators and More Will Track NASA’s Artemis 1

Amateur radio operators will join a powerful international network tracking NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

NASA officials announced that a network of 18 volunteers, organizations and space agencies will assist with tracking Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to orbit around the moon after blasting off from Earth atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Launch occurred on Nov. 16.

The selected volunteers, including two individuals in the amateur radio community, will “demonstrate whether they can receive Orion’s signal, and use their respective ground antennas to passively track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion,” NASA officials said in a statement Oct. 31.

NASA collected the proposals in a Request for Information released in August. Data the participants pick up will be sent to the agency’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. The goal is to improve tracking information for future deep-space missions, NASA officials stated. NASA, of course, will also gather its own tracking data on Orion.

Selected volunteers from the amateur radio community include:
Non-profit: CAMRAS, Netherlands
Academic institutions: Space Systems Design Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, U.S.
Private citizens: Scott Chapman, K4KDR (U.S.) and Scott Tilley, VE7TIL (Canada)

[ANS thanks space.com for the above information]


New Groundstation Software Available for GreenCube

As of Nov. 18, a total of 135 stations digipeated via the Italian GreenCube satellite. These stations represent 31 DXCC entities. Stations now report using various combinations of software to operated through the satellite. One constant is using SatPC32ISS for antenna tracking and doppler correction.

The S5Lab GreenCube team software is a bit more complicated and at the beginning that was all that was available. It used three programs, including GNURadio, GreenCubeTNC and GreenCubeDigi.

However, UZ7HO quickly created the digi app and custom soundmodem after the S5Lab release, most everyone has migrated to UZ7HO now. Note: UZ7HO has updated the program from time to time, so download it again once in a while to get the updates. It is available at: https://uz7.ho.ua/greentnc.zip (There are both FM and SSB soundmodems included in the package, but the FM one can ignored, as all are using USB-D for both uplink and downlink.) Note matching the rig bandpass filter with the Soundmodem one (900-2100 Hz) helps to have a better S/N particularly if you have local QRM.

The radio will interface with soundmodem via a soundcard or virtual audio cable. Soundmodem.exe is located in the \greentnc\usb directory, and is a separate program. This program needs to be configured to connect with your radio’s audio interface. The digipeater software is in the client directory, called GreenCubeDigi.exe. GreenCubeDigi automatically connects to soundmodem via TCP. So you should have two programs running, one the TNC and the other the digi “terminal.”

Ops may add GetKISS+ software, by Mike Rupprecht, DK3WN, in order to upload received packets to SatNOGS. This isn’t necessary, but it does help add coverage for telemetry. This software is a bit tricky to get working, but once you have one of Mike’s programs running other programs will work without any issues. Mike’s software can be found here: https://www.satblog.info/software/

Doug Papay, K8DP, recommends installing GetKISS+ v1.4.1 (he could not get v1.4.2 to work). It requires VB6 runtime, which should already be installed, and the ActiveX OCX controls need to be registered. See: https://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/decoding/tlm-decoding-software/dk3wn/ for instructions on how to do this. Make sure to run the command prompt as Administrator when performing the regsrv32.exe commands. Also, do not delete or move the OCX files after registering them. (The OCX files should be placed in C:\Libraries\OCX folder)

Mike also has a GreenCube Telemetry Decoder that you can download—it is a nice program that graphically displays the telemetry. He has also added a digipeater message display and list of unique callsigns heard—a nice feature.

The config.ini files will need to be updated to reflect your station details. These files are located in the folder where you keep GetKISS+ and GreenCube Telemetry Decoder.

GetKISS+ and GreenCube Telemetry Decoder connect via TCP to the soundmodem all using the same IP (localhost) and port number.

Some have been confused by the lack of an ACK message after transmitting a packet to the satellite. It is sent only if the Tx delay is used. However, it is better to use Tx delay 0 for real-time QSOs to avoid unnecessary transmission by the bird (saving on-board power). With Tx delay 0 you will receive your own message as an acknowledgement.

[ANS thanks Doup Papay, K8DP, and Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, for the above information]

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

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Release Date of CAS-10/XW-4

AMSAT-China, or CAMSAT, http://www.camsat.cn, has announced December 18 as the release date for CAS-10/XW-4. Photos of this satellite may be seen at:
https://twitter.com/bd5rv/status/1592978613204586496 and
https://twitter.com/bd5rv/status/1593693879798497285

As previously reported by ANS, CAMSAT’s CAS-10/XW-4 satellite was launched on November 12, 2022, carried on the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft to the Chinese Space Station. The satellite will be active immediately upon deployment into its own 400 km orbit with an inclination of 42.9 degrees. CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for GMSK telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated.

[ANS thanks Michael Chen, BD5RV/4, for the above information]


U.S. High School CubeSat to be APRS Relay

TJREVERB, a 2U CubeSat built by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, has been frequency coordinated to operate as an APRS relay on 145.825 MHz. It is scheduled for launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft set to deliver additional science, crew supplies, and hardware to the International Space Station next week. The satellite will be released from ISS at a later time.

The first U.S. high school to send a CubeSat to space back in 2013, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s Research and Education Vehicle for Evaluating Radio Broadcasts satellite aims to study the use of iridium as a primary radio communication method. Additionally, the satellite will demonstrate using a passive magnet onboard and the Earth’s magnetic field for stabilization rather than using an attitude determination and control system for pointing accuracy and stabilization for iridium. What makes this satellite even more notable is that it was a system’s engineering project. The students selected space-grade parts, wired the electronics for the satellite, wrote the drivers to control the different systems, and coded the flight software.

“What’s special about TJREVERB isn’t necessarily the mission, it’s what we did. These kids literally built a satellite the way the industry would build a satellite; we selected parts from vendors and got those parts to work together,” said Kristen Kucko, robotics lab director and the school’s space faculty advisor. “This is an engineering feat.”

[ANS thanks NASA Blogs and IARU for the above information]


CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the Moon

The CAPSTONE mission operations team confirmed that NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft arrived at its orbit at the Moon Sunday evening. The CubeSat completed an initial orbit insertion maneuver, firing its thrusters to put the spacecraft into orbit, at 12:39 UTC on Nov. 13.

CAPSTONE is now in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. This particular NRHO is the same orbit that will be used by Gateway, the Moon-orbiting space station that will support NASA’s Artemis missions. CAPSTONE is the first spacecraft to fly an NRHO, and the first CubeSat to operate at the Moon.

In the next five days, CAPSTONE will perform two additional clean-up maneuvers to refine its orbit. After these maneuvers, the team will review data to confirm that CAPSTONE remains on track in the NRHO.

CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – is a precursor to the Gateway project to establish a crewed space station in orbit around the moon. AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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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 Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

No changes for this week.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]


ARISS NEWS

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

Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-21 15:20 UTC

St. Joseph´s Convent Secondary School, Castries, St Lucia, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Tue 2022-11-22 17:40:36 UTC 42 degrees maximum elevation. Watch for Livestream at: https://www.ariotti.com/

Five Bridges Junior High School, Stillwater Lake, NS, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Wed 2022-11-23 16:52:06 UTC 58 degrees. Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/c/ARISSlive and https://nslive.tv/five-bridges-ariss and https://www.ariotti.com/

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-28 08:20 UTC

School TBD, Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wed 2022-11-30 14:25 UTC.

School TBD, Kaliningrad, Russia, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wed 2022-11-30 16:00 UTC

School TBD, Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2022-12-01 08:20 UTC.

School TBD, Vologda, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2022-12-01 08:20 UTC

The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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 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]

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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

KX9X Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the @arrl Phone Sweeptakes. He’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but he will hand out the grid.

KC1MEB: Rove trip vacation style. FN53 Nov. 18 into 19, FN56 Nov. 19 into 20, FN57 Nov. 20 through 22.

W7WGC Snow-bird rove from 11-02-2022 thru 11-22-2022-ish. In travel order:
Oregon grids: CN82 and DN02
Nevada grids: DN01, DN10, DN21, DN20, DM29 & 19, DM28 & 18, DM27, DM26.
Arizona grids: DM36, DM46, DM45, DM35, DM44, DM34, DM33, DM32.
Email (QRZ) with desired grid in subject line for updates. Wayne – W7WGC

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

None currently scheduled.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast features details from avid satellite operator Sean Kutzko, KX9X, about how to get started on the amateur satellites — an activity that’s available to hams of all license classes. Sean’s article, “Ham Radio Satellites: Reliable, Accessible, and Enjoyable” is also the cover piece of the November/December issue of ARRL’s “On the Air” magazine. (ANS thanks ARRL Letter for the above information)

+ A cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Nov. 9, despite making its two-day trek through space with only one functioning solar panel. The Cygnus spacecraft, which was carrying 8,200 pounds of science experiments and supplies for the astronauts on board the ISS, lifted off from NASA’s launch site in Wallops Island, Virginia, atop an Antares rocket on Nov. 7. A few hours after Cygnus reached orbit, one of the spacecraft’s two solar arrays failed to deploy, NASA announced. NASA and Northrop Grumman, which designed and built the Cygnus capsule, opted to abandon efforts to open the array in order to focus on carrying out a safe rendezvous with the ISS, noting that the spacecraft already had sufficient power to finish its journey. (ANS thanks CNN Space & Science for the above information)

+ SpaceX launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket boosters for the last time Saturday on a rare expendable mission for Intelsat, devoting all of the launcher’s propellant toward placing a pair of television broadcasting satellites into orbit. Intelsat says it paid SpaceX an additional fee for the expendable mission. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:06 a.m. EST (1606 GMT) Saturday after a four-day delay caused by Hurricane Nicole. The booster debuted March 2, 2019, with the first unpiloted test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. The booster was not fitted with SpaceX’s recovery hardware, such as titanium grid fins or landing legs. And SpaceX did not deploy one of its drone ships for the expendable mission. (ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information)

+ AROW, the Artemis Real-Time Orbit Website, is a fun, interactive display of the Orion capsule and the Artemis 1 mission is provided by NASA at: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/trackartemis/ (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

 


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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-317 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 12

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-317

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

  •  CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station
  • Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA
  • Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-317 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Nov 13

CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station

CAMSAT’s CAS-10 (XW-4) satellite was launched on November 12, 2022, carried on the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft to the Chinese Space Station. Deployment from the Chinese Space Station is expected on or about December 15th. The satellite will be active immediately upon deployment into its own 400 km orbit with an inclination of 42.9 degrees.

CAS 10 is an 8U CubeSat approx 228x455x100mm with 12kg Mass. A follow on mission from CAS-9 and also known as Hope-4 (XW-4) Carrying a V/U Mode Linear Transponder, a UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon, a UHF – AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK Telemetry downlink and a space camera.

CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. This transponder will work all day during the life cycle of the satellite, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can use it for two-way radio relay communications.

CAS-10 carries a camera, and the pictures it takes are stored in the flash memory on the satellite, we have designed a simple remote control system based on DTMF, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can send DTMF commands to download the camera photos.

CW beacon uses Morse code to send satellite telemetry data, which is also a feature that is widely welcomed by amateur radio enthusiasts.

Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated.

[ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

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Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA

NASA astronaut and former U.S. Air Force Col. Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, is retiring from NASA after 22 years of service. His last day with the agency was Friday, Nov. 11.

Behnken’s career highlights included 93 days in space on two space shuttle Endeavour flights and the first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Behnken was pilot and joint operations commander for the first crewed flight test of the SpaceX Dragon. Known as Demo-2, that flight launched Behnken and former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley to the International Space Station May 30, 2020, and safely returned them to Earth Aug. 2, 2020.

Behnken joined NASA at Johnson in July 2000 as an astronaut candidate. On his first spaceflight, in 2008, Behnken was a space shuttle Endeavour mission specialist for the STS-123 delivery of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency’s Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre) to the space station. Behnken performed three spacewalks, and operated station’s robotic arm both with and without Dextre attached. He flew again in 2010, as a mission specialist for STS‐130, which delivered the station’s Tranquility module and its cupola, the station’s seven-window Earth-facing observation post. He served as the mission’s lead spacewalker, performing three additional spacewalks to install the newly arrived module. Behnken completed 10 spacewalks across his three missions, spending more than 61 hours working in the vacuum of space.

Behnken grew up in St. Ann, Missouri, and graduated from Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1993, and a Doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1997.

Behnken was commissioned via the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Before retiring from active military service in February 2022, Behnken had achieved the rank of colonel and flown more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 25 different types of aircraft.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022

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

Due to the impending installation and activation of amateur radio equipment aboard the Chinese Space Station, as well as the deployment of CAS-10, the Chinese Space Station (NORAD ID 48274) has been added to the AMSAT TLE distribution as “CSS”

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

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

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ARISS News

Scheduled ARISS Contacts

Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev
Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-21 15:20 UTC

ARISS Radio Status

Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode set for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).

* Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Misconfigured. Default mode set for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)​

* Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.

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]

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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

KX9X: Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the ARRL Phone Sweeptakes. I’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but will hand out the grid.

VE1CWJ/VP9: Planning “holiday style” LEO sats as VE1CWJ/VP9 from Nov 11-13. No set schedule, but evening RS-44 & FO-29 passes are most likely. QSL via LOTW.

KC1MEB: Rove trip vacation style. FN53 Nov 18th into 19th, FN56 19th into 20th, FN57 20th through 22nd

DK9JC: Passes on RS-44 for NA, Nov 18 Friday, 1841-1854Z 13min common FP #JN39EL pse no dupes and no EU weather depending, winter here

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, reports: “Had a magnificent time last night speaking with the RAGS – Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (NY). Great turnout … Zoom handled the show. They have been supporting their region very well since the mid-1050s.

One aspect of AMSAT Ambassadors’ lives is talking to clubs and conventions. I have given my presentation more than 150 times now … Well, actually, that’s really 150+ unique presentations – NEVER have I given the same exact show twice. There’s about 25 “slides” that get customized to each audience – and they appreciate the fact that mine is not a “canned” presentation:

“- I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.”

Think a 75-90-minute presentation on “Working the Easy Satellites” would be appropriate for YOUR club or convention? Let me know!

Shows are scheduled for the PAPA System in Southern California, a group in Vancouver BC, and another East Coast club before Christmas.”

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Curious about satellite operating? Check out Sean Kutzko, KX9X’s interview with Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, for the ARRL On The Air Podcast, as they talk about satellite operating basics! https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/91256162/operating-amateur-satellites/

+ The Greencube digipeater has proven popular for long range QSOs given its MEO orbit at approximately 5,800 km. The digipeater will be reactivated at 00:01 UTC on November 16th.

+ FO-99’s operation schedule for November is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2012

+ An Atlas 5 successfully launched a polar-orbiting weather satellite and a reentry technology demonstrator on Nov. 10. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 2 satellite, deployed 28 minutes after liftoff, placing it into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 800 kilometers. The spacecraft made contact with controllers shortly after deployment. However, NASA reported nearly three hours after liftoff that they had yet to receive telemetry that the solar array deployed as planned. JPSS-2 is the second of four planned polar-orbiting weather satellites in the JPSS program to provide weather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A secondary payload on the launch was the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), a technology demonstration of an inflatable heat shield. NASA is interested in using that technology, scaled up, for landing future Mars missions. LOFTID separated from the Centaur 75 minutes after liftoff, after the upper stage performed two burns to place it on a reentry trajectory. The vehicle appeared to perform as expected through reentry, deploying a parachute and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii 2 hours and 13 minutes after liftoff. A recovery vessel picked up the spacecraft, as well as a separate data recorder ejected from LOFTID before splashdown. The launch was the 100th mission for NASA’s Launch Services Program, which coordinates launches for NASA science missions. It is also the final Atlas 5 launch for the program and the final Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg. ULA will convert the launch pad for use by Vulcan. (ANS thanks SpaceNews 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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

ANS-310 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 6

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

  • The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge
  • Falconsat-3 Status is altered due to battery issues
  • GreenCube Digipeater Successes Grow
  • VUCC Satellite Standing November 1, 2022
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2022
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-310 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 November 6

The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge

AMSAT-UK and the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) announced a new amateur radio satellite service challenge, The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge, during the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Milton Keynes, U.K. on October 8, 2022.

The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge will recognize the first amateur radio station to successfully achieve a two-way QSO via QO-100 narrow band transponder while operating from North America, the first amateur radio station to achieve 100 QSOs via QO-100 narrow band transponder while operating from North America, and the first amateur radio station to achieve a successful two-way DATV QSO via QO-100 wide band transponder while operating from North America. In addition, subsequent operations from North America will also be eligible to apply for a special certificate.

The likely operating location from North America would be from St. Johns, Newfoundland, maidenhead grid square GN37qm (Lat/Long 47. 5204, -52.6262), which has a calculated viewing angle of -0.9 degrees elevation. Being below the horizon, it is expected that tropospheric ducting will be required for the first few miles, as demonstrated by Farid Farhan, YC1HVZ/P, during a recent QO-100 expedition in Indonesia, where he successfully operated through the QO-100 narrow band transponder from OI42de at -1.2 degrees elevation.

Detail of test being planned, general questions, and claims for trophies and certificates should be submitted to [email protected].
Es’hail-2 / AMSAT Phase 4-A / Qatar-OSCAR 100, a joint project by the Qatar Satellite Company (Es’hailSat), the Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) and AMSAT Deutschland (AMSAT-DL), is the first geostationary amateur radio transponder and links radio amateurs from Brazil to Thailand.

Es’hail-2/QO-100 carries two “Phase 4” amateur radio transponders operating in the 2400 MHz and 10450 MHz bands. A 500 kHz bandwidth linear transponder intended for conventional analogue operations and an 8 MHz bandwidth transponder for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB amateur television.

Graham has set up a webpage on the AMSAT-UK website: https://bit.ly/3DR4qTU

There is also a Youtube video on the AMSAT-UK channel: Direct link is https://bit.ly/3TUpXkv

[ANS thanks Graham Shirville, G3VZV and Robert Bankston, KE4AL AMSAT President for the above information]


Falconsat-3 Status is Altered Due to Battery Issues

Mark Hammond writes: “Telemetry suggests that one cell is very weak, therefore continuous 24/7/365 operations are no longer possible. In support of users around the world and the AMSAT PACSAT team (which is currently planning a PACSAT cubesat!), I will plan to try to run Falconsat-3 for about 24 hours each weekend, with specifics dependent upon the time of day it’s overhead, work, and recreation! The orbit precesses about 30 mins every day, so the time of day for usable passes cycles. But basically a 24 hour uptime every weekend. There’s a pass around 1222UTC today 29 Oct 202, and I’ll turn it ON with battery management OFF, hoping for about 24 hours of operations. This will continue as long as we reasonably can. Reentry is estimated to be in April 2022.

My best advice is to follow me on Twitter! It’s easy to post when I turn it ON/OFF, so lately that’s been my preferred method of sharing the information.

Also, please update your keps at least once per week, maybe more often. It appears to change enough to warrant this for people using tracking/high gain directional antennas. Here is the TLE source I’m using now: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/daily.all

Hope this schedule works for users and the PACSAT team! Scheduled operations seem lke the most beneficial plan for now.”

[ANS thanks Mark L. Hammond [N8MH], AMSAT Director and Assistant VP – Operations for the above information.]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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GreenCube Digipeater Successes Grow

Doug Papay, K8DP, and Scott Chapman, K4KDR were the first to make a complete contact through the GreenCube digipeater. Doug has be journalling the growing list of stations that have sucessfully digipeated a packet through the Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance Laboratory (S5Lab)/AMSAT-IT 3U research satellite.

Doug posts on Twitter that Steve Greene, KS1G, has also completed a contact. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Yoshihisa Hattori, JO1LVZ, Juan Antonio Fernandez Montana, EA4CYQ, Nader Omer, ST2NH, Jose Elias Diaz Rodriguez, EB1AO, Davis Romero, EA4SG, and Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU (added by editor) all were successfully digipeated by the MEO satellite. Congratulations to all and all that follow! More completed contacts will no doubt be reported soon.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Doug Papay, K8DP for the above information.]

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

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VUCC Satellite Standing November 01, 2022

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 02, 2022 to November 01, 2022.

[table “84” not found /]

Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
OZ9AAR is first VUCC Satellite holder from Denmark and 1st from JO45

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, AMSAT VUCC Manager for the above information.]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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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.

Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for Sun 2022-11-20 TBD UTC

The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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 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 and NASA News for the above information]

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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

KX9X Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the @arrl Phone Sweeptakes. I’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but will hand out the grid.

Major Roves:

Snow-bird rove from 11-02-2022 thru 11-22-2022-ish. Check Twitter for updates.

In travel order: OR grids: CN82 and DN02

NV grids: DN01, DN10, DN21, DN20, DM29 & 19, DM28 & 18, DM27, DM26.

AZ grids: DM36, DM46, DM45, DM35, DM44, DM34, DM33, DM32.

Email (QRZ) with desired grid in subj. line for updates. Wayne – W7WGC

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager and AMSAT for the above information]


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2022

None announced this week.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

None presently scheduled.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA’s MOXIE experiment on Perseverance has now generated ISRU oxygen successfully during many different times of the Martian day and year (paper), producing about 6g of oxygen per hour (similar to the production rate of a medium-sized tree). NASA life support design requirements specify 35 g of oxygen per hour for astronauts. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.]

+ Under layers of dust, NASA’s Mars InSight lander is fading, but the first and only seismometer on Mars had one parting gift for humanity: on May 4th, a magnitude 4.7 marsquake, one of the largest detected on the red planet. Related: In Issue 189 we talked about InSight’s detection of meteor impacts on Mars—now we have another one, a magnitude 4 marsquake last December turns out to have been due to a significant impact, now spotted by MRO, which “excavated boulder-size chunks of ice buried closer to the Martian equator than ever found before.” [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 Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at arrl dot org

ANS-303 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Oct. 30

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

  • MESAT-1 to Carry AMSAT Linear Transponder Module
  • FoxTelem Version 1.12 Released
  • AMSAT President’s Club Announces 2022 Members
  • GreenCube in Digipeater Mode
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
  • ISS Partners Weigh Options for Using Commercial Space Stations
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-303 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Oct 30

MESAT-1 to Carry AMSAT Linear Transponder Module

An AMSAT-constructed linear transponder module is included in the MESAT 3U satellite to be deployed as part of NASA’s upcoming ELaNa 43 mission.

MESAT-1 is a stack of three tech-stuffed 4-inch cubes assembled at the University of Maine and destined for space in 2022. The first satellite of its kind ever built in Maine, MESAT-1 carries three imaging experiments proposed by Maine schools and a 2-way radio for use by ground control and amateur radio enthusiasts.

MESAT-1 was originally projected to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in June 2022, but has been delayed. The satellite will be carried by a Firefly Aerospace “Alpha” rocket and released into a Sun-synchronous orbit about 555 kilometers (350 miles) above Earth. It will fly nearly over the poles traveling at about 7.8 kilometers per second (17,000 mph), making a full orbit in roughly 100 minutes. Any given location on Earth will experience 4 to 6 passes per day, with each pass lasting less than 15 minutes. MESAT-1 is expected to remain in space for well over a decade.

A statewide competition in 2019 drew payload proposals from schools across Maine. Three projects were selected for the MESAT-1 mission: ALBEDO, IMAGER, and HAB.

ALBEDO: Saco Middle School will study reflected light (albedo) and local temperature in urban and rural areas, with the idea that urban heat islands could be mitigated through architectural designs that reflect more light.

IMAGER: Fryeburg Academy will photograph shallow coastal waters as part of an effort to distinguish turbidity and phytoplankton concentration from space. The academy is collaborating with the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

HAB: Falmouth High School will work on early detection of harmful algal blooms by measuring atmospheric temperature and water vapor levels around bloom areas. They will watch blooms develop, move, and disperse.

The main radio aboard MESAT-1 is a linear transponder module (LTM-1) built by the nonprofit Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), a partner in the project. The ground station operator will command the satellite through LTM-1 and the module will transmit telemetry back to Earth. LTM-1 will also be made available to amateur radio operators for 2-way communication.

UMaine applied to the International Amateur Radio Union to coordinate its planned frequency use for MESAT-1. The IARU approved this plan on 22 November 2021:

Telemetry beacon downlink: 435.800 MHz 1200 baud BPSK
Transponder uplink: 145.910-145.940 MHz
Transponder downlink: 435.810-435.840 MHz

MESAT-1 carries a second radio, an EyeStar transmitter, originally intended to interface with the satellite’s built-in GPS and the GlobalStar network to provide the ground team with accurate, hourly position information. This aspect of the mission was altered during MESAT-1 construction. The EyeStar unit will serve only a minimal function on MESAT-1.
Background on Maine’s First CubeSat

MESAT-1 exists thanks to NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and the Maine Space Grant Consortium. Through CSLI, NASA has selected more than 200 CubeSat missions for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. More than 130 ELaNA satellites have been launched at NASA’s expense since 2011.

In 2018, Maine Space Grant kicked off a pilot Maine CubeSat Launch Initiative to involve students and teachers from across the state in designing CubeSat missions. Through a competitive process, the consortium selected three experiments to propose for NASA’s 2019 ELaNa opportunity.

The MESAT-1 proposal was accepted by NASA early in 2020. The satellite was paired with launch provider Firefly Aerospace for ELaNa mission 43.

Dr. Ali Abedi, director of the WiSe-Net Lab at UMaine Orono, assigned three UMaine graduate students the task of producing the satellite. With the support of the Maine Space Grant Consortium, they completed MESAT-1 in time for a 2022 launch.

[ANS thanks mainesat.org for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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FoxTelem Version 1.12 Released

A new version of FoxTelem has been released ahead of the launch of MESAT-1. The new version will be required in order to decode MESAT-1 telemetry. MESAT-1 has an AMSAT Linear Transponder Module (LTM) and will transmit health data and images at 1200bps using BPSK. FoxTelem will decode and display the images from the University of Maine multi-spectral camera, as well as other data about the spacecraft.

This version of FoxTelem will still support all previous spacecraft and the CubeSat Simulator.

You can download it from these locations:
https://www.g0kla.com/foxtelem
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/

In addition to support for MESAT-1 this version also includes several bug fixes and enhancements. Questions or comments (other than “when is the launch”, because I don’t know) may be directed to chrisethompson [at] gmail.com or to g0kla [at] arrl.net. Issues or bugs can be logged on github at: https://github.com/ac2cz/FoxTelem/issues

[ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, for the above information]


AMSAT President’s Club Announces 2022 Members

The following members of the AMSAT 2022 President’s Club have been added as of October 31, 2022. We thank them for their generous support and helping to keep Amateur Radio in Space!

The 2022 Year is rapidly coming to a close. If you have not yet joined, you can still earn your membership with distinctive five-color gold-finish coin, iron-on AMSAT logo patches and full-color certificate. Go to https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ for more information.

Titanium ($4,800+)
Barry A. Baines WD4ASW
Alan P. Biddle WA4SCA
John D. Botti KC8OKB
William G. Brown K9LF

Platinum ($2,400+)
Ronald G. Parsons W5RKN

Gold ($1,200+)
Douglas Besemer K0VPL
Burns Fisher WB1FJ
Joseph Lynch N6CL
John R. Kludt K7SYS
Glenn Miller AA5PK
Douglas B. Tabor N6UA

Silver($600+)
John Boehme K4PRK
Warren Fugate W3WE
Mark Johns K0JM
Bruce Paige KK5DO
David A. Vine WA1EAW
Chuck Weaver W3VAR

Bronze($300+)
Allen Kenney KK4AK
Bruce Perens K6BP
Donald Pettigrew K9ECT
Scott Shaheen WB8OOJ
Thomas Talley K0CFI
Dave Taylor W8AAS
Ricky N. Walker K4TD

Core ($120+)
Oscar Alonso N6PAZ
Dwight Aussieker W9QJ
Steve Bachhuber K9SJB
Robert Brennan KC3CKV
Burlington Amateur Radio Club
George Carr WA5KBH
Michael Caughey N2BT
Jim Clary ND9M
Richard Dittmer KB7SAT
George Gallis AL7BX
David Grebe WA4LM
David Hartrum WA3YDZ
Stephen Howard AB0XE
Nels E. Knutzen W0PEC
Gailen Marshall N5GDM
Brendan McNeil ZL3BAM
Juan Munoz TG9AJR
Andrew Northam KE8FZT
Art Payne VE3GNF
Maxwell Rathbone W3POI
Jay Schwartz WB8SBI
Jason Schwarz N4JJS
Alton Simpson WA5TJB
Carl Starnes W4EAT
Paul Stoetzer N8HM
Christopher Wachs WA2KDL
Stefan Wagener VE4SW
Jeremy Wyatt KA2PFD

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP-Development, for the above information]

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

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GreenCube in Digipeater Mode

The S5Lab research team of the University “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy, the Italian Space Agency and AMSAT Italia are happy to inform the ham radio community that the GreenCube satellite will be switched in digipeater mode between 29-Oct-2022 00:01 UTC and 30-Oct-2022 23:59 UTC. Information on the setup required to access the satellite can be found on the team’s web site https://www.s5lab.space/index.php/digipeater/

The S5lab team of Sapienza provides the software needed to communicate with the satellite along with a technical guide of the setup and the GUI features. The archive contains:

The user manual
The Graphical User Interface (GUI)
The Terminal Node Controller (TNC) software
The GNURadio script to receive and transmit

The software kit can be downloaded from the same web page. The satellite digipeater implements a store-and-forward message service and works at 435.310 Mhz (U/L and D/L).

The 3U cubesat was launched on the Vega-C maiden flight on 13-Jul-2022 in a MEO orbit. The GreenCube project is being carried out through a collaboration agreement between the Italian Space Agency and Sapienza University of Rome, with the participation of ENEA and University Federico II of Naples. As for the radio frequency communications, a strong and effective cooperation with AMSAT Italia has been established, whereby AMSAT Italia endorsed the frequency coordination request.

The team can be reached via their website at the URL https://www.s5lab.space/index.php/contact-us/

[ANS thanks Fabrizio Carrai, IU5GEZ, of AMSAT Italia for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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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 Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

No changes to the satellite list this week.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]


ISS Partners Weigh Options for Using Commercial Space Stations

Partner agencies on the International Space Station program say they are in discussions about how they will use, and pay for, commercial space stations that will replace it.

Representatives of several countries currently involved in the ISS said during a panel at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ ASCEND conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 25 that they are looking at options for how to continue work they currently do on the ISS on the commercial space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO) NASA is helping develop to replace it at the end of the decade.

“With the commercialization of LEO, it is really necessary to revisit our principles of doing cooperation,” said Peter Gräf, director of applications and science at the German space agency DLR. Germany is the biggest contributor to ESA’s share of the ISS and actively uses the station for fundamental and applied research.

He said discussions among agencies and companies had started on how those arrangements would change with a commercial station. “We need to find ways to work together, certainly in other ways than we did before,” he said. “There are a lot of options available and the main players are in heavy discussions on that.”

The ISS today relies extensively on barter arrangements among participating agencies, providing services to cover their share of operations of the station. Such arrangements are unlikely to work for commercial stations, however.

“We need to find a new way of cooperating,” said Nicolas Maubert, space counselor at the French Embassy in the U.S. and representative of the French space agency CNES in the U.S., citing the challenges of extending current barter arrangements to commercial stations. “We need to put on the table every option.”

“The bottom line for all is that there is a strong demand for capabilities in low Earth orbit,” Gräf said. “It’s quite clear there will be a human outpost in LEO, no matter what the future will bring.”

[ANS thanks SpaceNews.com 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.

POSTPONED: Five Bridges Junior High School, Stillwater Lake, NS, Canada, telebridge via VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crew member is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH
Contact is no longer go for: Wed 2022-10-26 13:42:09 UTC 66 deg due to crew timeline changes. It has been postponed to the week of Nov. 14, exact date and time TBD.
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/c/ARISSlive and https://nslive.tv/five-bridges-ariss

Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crew member is Anna Kikina
Contact is go for Sun 2022-10-30 18:45 UTC

Harel Educational Campus, Holon, Israel, telebridge via VK4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crew member is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH
Contact is go for: Fri 2022-11-04 09:43:51 UTC 50 deg

The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crew member 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 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]

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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Roving season is drawing to a close in many parts of North America, but a few brave souls are out there providing rare grids:

W8LR: EN90 EM99 10/28-30. Passes are holiday style. Will post passes to Twitter and http://hams.at Will be on Linear and FM. EU I will be trying some RS-44 and AO-07 (in mode b) if I can. Lots of hills will make it hard for lower passes but my fingers are crossed. LOG W8LR/R

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

None presently scheduled.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ CORRECTION: Last week’s ANS 296 reported that AMSAT Engineering expressed appreciation to AMSAT-DL for capturing AO-109 telemetry. While AMSAT has great appreciation for AMSAT-DL for its ongoing partnership, the telemetry mentioned was provided by the PI9CAM team at the CAMRAS 25m diameter dish at Dwingeloo in the Netherlands. AMSAT Engineering expressed appreciation to the Dwingeloo team. (ANS regrets the error and thanks Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for calling it to our attention.)

+ AmazonSmile has made a charitable donation to the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, in the amount of $342.72 as a result of qualifying purchases made by customers between April 1st – June 30th. Thanks to customers shopping at smile.amazon.com or using the Amazon app with AmazonSmile turned ON, everyday purchases make an impact. So far, AmazonSmile has donated:
$9,030.13 to Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
Over $377 million to US charities
Over $422 million to charities worldwide

+ Draft minutes of the 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting are now available at https://www.amsat.org/minutes-of-the-board-of-directors/ (ANS thanks AMSAT for this information)

+ AMSAT’s 2021 Financial Review and 2021 IRS Form 990 are now available at https://www.amsat.org/audit-and-other-financial-reports/ (ANS thanks AMSAT for this information)

+ The Proceedings of the 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium are now available to AMSAT members on the AMSAT Member Portal at https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings (ANS thanks AMSAT for this information)

+ Videos of the talks given at the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium are now available on YouTube. Playlist is at https://bit.ly/3sAcYIx (ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA, for the above information)


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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org