ANS-253 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Voting Ends Friday
* World Radio Conference 2023 Will Impact Amateur Satellite Service
* ARISS USA Team Names Director of Education
* Updated AMSAT Tri-Fold Brochure Now Available
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 8, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-253 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 SEP 10

2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Voting Ends Friday

There is less than a week remaining to participate in the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election. The voting process will conclude on September 15, 2023. To access candidate statements and the online Election Ballot, you can visit AMSAT’s membership portal at https://launch.amsat.org/2023-BoD-Election.

In this year’s election, four seats on the Board of Directors are open for consideration. Once the voting period concludes on September 15th, four of the candidates will take their places on the Board, along with an alternate member. The following individuals have been officially nominated:

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW

Upon clicking the poll link, you will be directed to your ballot or poll question. After selecting your preferred choices, simply click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike typical online polls, the results of previous votes up until your vote will not be visible. Each AMSAT member is entitled to one vote only. If you attempt to access the poll link again after casting your vote, you will receive a message confirming your vote has been submitted.

The outcomes of the Board of Directors Election, including the total number of ballots cast, the vote count for each candidate, and the names of the newly elected Board of Directors members, will be publicly announced a few days following the conclusion of the election.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]

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Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and
Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX
More Information at:
https://tinyurl.com/41st-AMSAT-Symposium

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World Radio Conference 2023 Will Impact Amateur Satellite Service

The World Radio Conference in 2023, WRC-23, will take place on November 20 – December 15 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Some decisions made during the conference will affect Amateur Radio and the Amateur Satellites service.

Representing Amateur Radio at the conference is the IARU, the International Amateur Radio Union, The two most pressing issues affecting the Amateur Satellite Service are:

Additional measures to protect the radionavigation-satellite (space-to-Earth) in the 1240 – 1300 MHz band from amateur interference.  As in most microwave allocations, the Amateur Service is secondary and must avoid interfering with primary services operating in the band, even if they are introduced later.  An ITU Radiocommunication sector Recommendation that contains guidance for administrations is in the final stage of development. If an agreement is reached prior to WRC-232, it should complete work on the item.

Identification of the 10 – 10.5 GHz band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in ITU Region 2, including a primary allocation to the mobile service.  The IARU opposes the introduction of IMT in the band and has some allies among administrators within and outside of Region 2.

[ANS thanks QST for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
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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ARISS USA Team Names Director of Education

Tanya C. Anderson has been selected as Director of Education for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc. (ARISS-USA). Tanya has been a classroom educator for 18 years, the last 16 years teaching middle school science at St. Joan of Arc in Lisle, Illinois. Her science curricula cover earth and space science, life science, and physical science. Her career focus has been curriculum development in various fields of science.

In addition to her responsibilities as a middle school educator, Tanya has shown her passion as a results-oriented leader in a myriad of science, technology engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) initiatives such as NASA HEAT 2022 where she helped develop and test science curriculum for teaching heliophysics and system science. She also has served as a team leader in NASA’s Teaching from Space Microgravity Education Program, working with students to create an experiment that was tested on NASA’s microgravity aircraft.  Tanya is also a NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador and a Space Foundation International Teacher Liaison.  She received the 2015 Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Educator of the Year.

When informed of her selection, Tanya exclaimed, “I am excited to be a part of the ARISS organization and cannot wait to see what the future holds for amateur radio as commercial space stations are built and lunar exploration evolves. I look forward to sharing my passion for STEAM and space education with other educators while we work together to inspire, engage, and educate the next generation.”

Tanya currently holds a Technician Class amateur radio license, with the callsign KD9BQZ, and has attended the ARRL Teacher Institute on Wireless Technology Workshop. In 2014, Ms. Anderson organized and held a successful ARISS contact involving the entire student body at St. Joan of Arc School. For the ARISS contact, she developed an extensive curriculum preparing students for their ham radio connection with Astronaut Alexander Gerst. Her first-ever ham radio contact was with Astronaut Gerst on the ISS. Tanya’s passion for education and ham radio continued outside the classroom as a troop leader for 6 years with the Boy Scouts of America. Tanya used her educational and amateur radio abilities to immerse the scouts in STEAM as well as help facilitate scout participation in Jamboree on the Air and radio merit badge classes.

ARISS-USA Executive Director, Frank Bauer remarked on Tanya’s selection, “Competition for this position was extensive and selection was challenging, given the number of truly outstanding candidates. We are thrilled to welcome Tanya to our ARISS leadership team. Her leadership experience, passion and educational prowess will serve ARISS well, guiding our education volunteers and supporting the implementation of the ARISS 2.0 vision–to develop more comprehensive educational outcomes for youth and life-long learners.”

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]

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

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Updated AMSAT Tri-Fold Brochure Now Available

Originally created by JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, the AMSAT tri-fold brochure has always been a favorite handout for use at hamfests and club presentations. Over the past few years, many things have changed at AMSAT and with the satellites we operate. Unfortunately, we did not update the brochure to keep up with the times.

But, now with the pandemic largely behind us, in-person hamfests and club meetings are in full swing and the need for an update to the brochure was apparent. Happily, the brochure has been updated and available for viewing and downloading. You will find on the AMSAT website under “Get Involved/AMSAT Ambassador Program” from the top menu. You will find the link to the file in the “What resources are provided to AMSAT Ambassadors?” section of that page.

Looking for more information to share? The electronic brochure “This is AMSAT” is also available for download at https://tinyurl.com/This-is-AMSAT. “This is AMSAT is 18 pages jam-packed with information about our youth and education programs, engineering activities and member services. It’s only 1 Mb big so its easy to share with your friends by email, and its mostly jargon-free so everyone can understand what they’re reading!

[ANS thanks AMSAT 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 for September 8, 2023

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

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

AAUSAT 4  NORAD Cat ID 41460  Decayed from orbit 06 September 2023

[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.

+ ESPRIT: Private Higher School of Engineering and Technology, Little Ariana, Tunisia, telebridge via K6DUE.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI.
Contact is go for Tuesday, September 12, 2023-09-12 at 09:01 UTC.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations reported.

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.

+ 2023 AMSAT SA Space Symposium (online only)
Saturday, 23 September 2023
Registration at https://bit.ly/45SynOJ

+ 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention
October 14-15, 2023
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom

+ ARRL Minnesota State Convention
Saturday, October 14
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
http://mnconvention.org

+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
More information at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188

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.

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ S5Lab, the owner of the Greencube IO-117 satellite have posted a user survey. More information and link to the survey are on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/S5Lab/status/1699039391467901219

[ANS thanks the S5LAB Greencube Team for the above information.]

+ Ironic: Clearspace-1, an ESA mission developed by a Swiss startup firm, is planned to demonstrate a system for deorbiting space junk. Its target is VESPA, a payload adapter left over from a 2013 Vega launch. But before Clearspace-1 could launch and reach its target, VESPA was hit by… you guessed it — a piece of space junk. Clearspace-1 will still attempt to reach and deorbit the largest remaining chunk of VESPA. But perhaps a better plan than after-the-fact debris removal is to equip satellites and rocket stages with technology to deorbit themselves after mission completion? [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.]

+ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on Sept. 3, marking an historic 62nd orbital launch this calendar year. The mission broke the company’s own orbital launch record that it set in 2022 when it launched 61 orbital missions for the full year. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]

+ After two weather delays in previous weeks, Japan launched its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission and the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite on September 6 at 7:42:11 PM EDT (23:42:11 UTC). SLIM will test precision landing on the Moon and deploy a lunar rover and lunar hopper. XRISM will look into deep space to study the formation of the universe and search for dark matter. [ANS thanks the Parabolic Arc 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,

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

ANS-246 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* Astronaut Hams Complete ISS Crew Transition
* AMSAT SA Space Symposium to be Held Online
* All South African Grids Roved on Satellite
* VUCC Satellite Standings — September 2023
* Japan Scrubs Launch of X-Ray Telescope and Moon Lander
* India’s Luner Lander Sparks Interest in the Moon
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-246 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 Sep 03

Astronaut Hams Complete ISS Crew Transition

The eleven orbital residents aboard the International Space Station (ISS) spent this week gearing up for a crew split as the four newest members continue to settle into their daily routines in weightlessness and four other Expedition 69 crew members prepare for their ride home to Earth.

Two crews are in the process of swapping places as NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg, KB3HTZ, and Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev, spent most of their time handing over responsibilities, including training new crew members on station procedures and the use of station exercise equipment.

Sunday, August 27 saw the arrival of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov to the station as the SpaceX Dragon Endurance Spacecraft docked to the Harmony module. The international quartet is quickly adjusting to orbital tasks and spent some of Thursday on the firsts of many science and maintenance activities they’ll perform in microgravity during their six-month stay.

The four Crew-6 members — Hoburg, Bowen, Alneyadi and Fedyaev — are nearing the end of their six-month research mission and spent the afternoon prepping and packing SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for departure no earlier than Sept. 2. This will bring the space station’s population down to seven before further crew swaps take place in September.

[As always, amateur radio operations on the ISS are suspended during docking and undocking maneuvers, as well as during spacewalks (EVAs). Amateurs on earth should expect interruptions of the ARISS FM repeater and ARISS digipeater this weekend.]

Astronaught Frank Rubio, and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin will soon reach a year in space after arriving to the station on Sept. 21, 2022, and are gearing up for their trek home in late September. The three long-time station residents continued to help with crew handover activities on Thursday and completed some station maintenance tasks of their own.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!


To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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AMSAT SA Space Symposium to be Held Online

AMSAT South Africa has announced that the 2023 AMSAT SA Space Symposium will be held on Saturday, 23 September 2023.

It will be a virtual event opening participation to people anywhere in the world. The event will be hosted on the Bluejeans platform from 09:00 – 15:00 SAST (07:00 – 13:00 UTC). Those registered will receive an email with logon details.

The aim of the AMSAT SA Space symposium is to take amateur radio into space, encourage more amateur satellite operation, development, and research.

Registration is required and will be free but a donation to the AMSAT SA managed SARL Next Generation Beacon fund would be appreciated. Registration opened 24 August at bit.ly/45SynOJ

Call for papers

Proposals for papers are invited. Send a summary of the proposed paper in MS word to [email protected]. The closing date for paper proposals is 4 September 2023. The final programme will be published on on 6 September 2023.

[ANS thanks AMSAT SA for the above information]


All South African Grids Roved on Satellite

Tom Ambrose, ZS1TA, has done one of those difficult roves that took several years to complete. He has worked All South African Grids which has never been done before on any band or mode let alone satellite.

Although there is no award, he has roved from 83 different ZS grids. Tom roved from the mountains to the sea and coast to coast. He used various antennas in including small Yagi’s and dual band verticals. The satellites PRIMARILY used were AO-91 and AO-92, with occasional contacts on SO-50, using FM to encourage new satellite operators.

FO-29 and AO-07 also featured in the mix. There are not that many satellite operators in ZS however, when he started
operating many old and new hams got on to make a contact and follow him on his trips.

Now comes the more difficult part. In order to receive VUCC/r, Tom has to go to another country to do some roves. Tom is
looking at going through Namibia for that.

Congratulations to Tom for this feat and looking forward to processing his VUCC/r which will be a first for a ZS station.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Board Member and Director Contests and Awards, 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 Standings — September 2023

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for August 01, 2023 to September 01, 2023.
————————————————————

Aug.Sept.
K8DP15001555
WC7V13831400
N8RO13231342
KF7R10001027
DL2GRC8421004
N0JE9751000
DF2ET862950
K9UO875926
KE8RJU825905
AA8CH855876
YO2CMI502820
EA2AA778800
W8LR751783
W2GDJ465705
KG0D600700
OZ9AAR600700
FG8OJ635639
VU2LBW513603
KJ7DZ500600
JN2QCV428507
JH8FIH214505
N5EKO349500
JG6CDH401468
IK7FMQ426453
KO9A321423
N8URE (FM19)389409
EA3TA350400
F6GLJ312400
IK3ITB300400
N3CAL270352
JA1GZK300350
JH0BBE321322
JS1LQI259318
N9ZTS231302
K3HPA275300
W7YED254300
HC2FG239276
N6PAZ247262
KC9ELU251254
OE7BJT200250
ZS4TXNew241
XE1YDK100217
JE1LFXNew216
ZS2BK186213
ON4CCNNew208
XE2YWH/1New207
JA6SZV110205
DL1BM100202
JI5USJ152200
PU5DDC181200
N8URE (EL95)163179
AD2DD150175
KP4MV100175
NK0S164167
KH6WI102155
ZS1TANew152
JA9OJM100128
N8URE (EN61)102121
XE1BMGNew120
N7GRNew113
N2UONew108
JF3MKCNew103
KE1IUNew102
DJ7NTNew100
HB9HZCNew100

————————————————————

Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
ON4CCN is first VUCC Satellite holder from Belgium
ZS1TA is first VUCC Satellite holder from JF95
DJ7NT is first VUCC Satellite holder from JO30
JF3MKC is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM74
ZS4TX is first VUCC Satellite holder from KG30

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]


Japan Scrubs Launch of X-Ray Telescope and Moon Lander

JAXA, the Japanese space agency, is attempting to launch two very different space missions from one rocket: a new X-ray telescope that will look at some of the hottest spots in our universe, and a small experimental robotic moon lander. But the missions have had difficulty getting off the ground.

The telescope is called X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, or XRISM for short (pronounced like the word “chrism”). The lunar mission is called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM. XRISM and SLIM were expected to launch from an H-IIA rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on Monday, August 28 at 00:26 UTC.

But less than 30 minutes before the scheduled launch, JAXA announced that the launch had been canceled for the day “due to inclement weather.” While JAXA had moments before said the weather appeared “calm,” winds at higher altitudes above the launch site were too severe for a safe launch according to a social media post by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which built and operates the rocket that is being used for the flight.

Poor weather had also led to an earlier postponement of the flight on Saturday. The Japanese space agency has not yet announced when the next launch attempt would occur. But it has a reserved launch period through Sept. 15.

XRISM is a telescope about the size of a bus. JAXA is collaborating with NASA on the mission, with additional participation from the European Space Agency. XRISM will study cosmic X-rays, which unlike other wavelengths of light can only be detected from above Earth’s atmosphere, which shields us from the harmful radiation.

SLIM is a compact robotic moon lander that weighs more than 1,500 pounds at launch. The lander’s mission is not primarily scientific. Rather, it is to demonstrate a pinpoint navigation system, aiming to set down within about the length of a football field of a targeted landing site. Developing better landing technology would enable future spacecraft to land closer to rugged terrain that is of scientific interest.

The space telescope will be placed in an orbit approximately 350 miles above Earth. Once there, researchers will spend the next few months turning the instruments on and running tests of their performance. Science operations will begin in January, and initial results from this data are expected in about a year.

SLIM is headed toward the Shioli crater on the moon’s near side. The spacecraft will be taking a long, roundabout journey of at least four months that requires less propellant. SLIM will take several months to reach lunar orbit, then spend a month circling the moon before attempting to set down on the surface.

[ANS thanks The New York Times 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 for Sept. 1

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

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

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


India’s Lunar Lander Sparks Interest in the Moon

Chandrayaan-3’s lander and rover are safely on the Moon and their scientific work has begun. On August 23, the Vikram lander completed a successful autonomous descent and landing to touch down near the Moon’s south pole, only about 350 meters away from its target. On August 26, the Pragyan successfully rolled onto the lunar surface and navigated its first small crater.

With this success, India became the fourth nation (after the U.S., Soviet Russia, and China) to soft-land on the Moon. Not only is this mission a success for India, but is humanity’s closest landing to the lunar south pole — an area of great interest to science, as there is speculation that water ice may be found in this area of the moon.

Landing a bit after sunrise on a lunar day, the Vikram lander with its four science payloads, and its onboard six-wheeled Pragyan rover with an additional two 2 payloads, have 14 Earth days to do some serious science together. All payloads have now been switched on, including ChaSTE onboard the lander, which measures the change in temperature with depth — from ~50° C at the surface to -10° C over a depth of 8 cm in an initial test.

India’s successful landing took place just days after Luna 25, Russia’s first post-Soviet lunar lander, suffered an anomaly during an orbit-lowering maneuver and crashed into the Moon. That leaves scientist eager for data from the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

[ANS thanks The Orbital Index 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.

COMPLETED CONTACTS
Augusta Preparatory Day School, Augusta, GA, direct via K4RGK
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN
Contact was successful: Thu 2023-08-31 13:51:28 UTC 64 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the Augusta Preparatory Day School students, Steve, K4RGK, and mentor AA4KN!

UPCOMING CONTACTS
Egemen Yildiz Secondary School, İzmir, Turkey, telebridge via K6DUE
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL
The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-09-06 10:35:27 UTC 73 degrees maximum elevation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Upcoming Satellite Operations

No rovers have reported any upcoming operations.

To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for the latest roving information to become available at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/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.

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


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ AMSAT-DL Festive Conference & Symposium (50 Years)
September 15-17, 2023
Bochum Observatory
Blankensteiner Str. 200A, 44797 Bochum, Germany

+ 2023 AMSAT SA Space Symposium (online only)
Saturday, 23 September 2023
Registration at https://bit.ly/45SynOJ

+ 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention
October 14-15, 2023
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom

+ ARRL Minnesota State Convention
Saturday, October 14
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
http://mnconvention.org

+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063

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.

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Congratulations to Jérôme Lecuyer, F4DXV in JN04JR35PD, and Bill Attwood, VE6WK in DO20WV58DO, on setting the new FO-29 distance record on August 26, eclipsing the prior record set by KE9AJ and EB1AO by 46 km! See https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ for the complete list of current satellite distance records. (ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive VP and Records Manager, for the above information)

+ Since satellite operators all have VHF and UHF equipment and antennas of some sort, you might try aiming at the horizon for a while on the weekend of September 9-11, and seeing what contacts can be made without a bird overhead. The ARRL Septmeber VHF Contest begins at 1800z on Saturday and ends at 0259z on Monday (actually, Sunday night in North America). There is even a category for FM only. For details, see https://www.arrl.org/september-vhf?_zs=s8mxl&_zl=lcFg2 (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)

+ Curbing methane release is crucial to slowing climate change and requires detecting methane leaks via space and air-based sensors, and holding emitters accountable. This week, Orbital Sidekick utilized its hyperspectral satellite constellation GHOSt to detect methane plumes from oil well pads. And, data from JPL’s EMIT sensor on the ISS spotted 22 methane plumes released during an extreme heat wave in Texas. There are more methane sleuthing satellites on the horizon: GHGSat is adding 4 more satellites to their constellation that monitor facility leaks with ~25m spatial resolution today, and MethaneSat, set to launch in early 2024, is planning to observe state-sized areas to identify specific sources of methane from anywhere in the world, and will also freely release the data, where it can be post-processed by AI. (ANS thank The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ Virgin Galactic’s announced on August 28 that it is targeting Friday, Sept. 8 for the launch of Galactic 03, its third commercial spaceflight and eighth space mission overall. Galactic 03 will take three paying customers to and from suborbital space from Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin Galactic hasn’t identified those passengers yet, but we know they’ve been ticket-holders for a long time. They’ll fly with Colin Bennett, one of Virgin Galactic’s astronaut instructors. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)

+ NASA officials sounded an alarm Tuesday, August 29, about the agency’s Deep Space Network, a collection of antennas in California, Spain, and Australia used to maintain contact with missions scattered across the Solar System. Everything from NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon to the Voyager probes in interstellar space rely on the Deep Space Network (DSN) to receive commands and transmit data back to Earth. There are currently around 40 missions that rely on the DSN’s antennas to stay in communication with controllers and scientists back on Earth. Another 40-plus missions will join the roster over the next decade or so, and many of the 40 missions currently using time on the network will likely still be operating over that time. “We have reached a really critical point on the DSN’s aging infrastructure,” said Sandra Cauffman, deputy director of NASA’s astrophysics division. (ANS thanks ARS Technica for the above informaton)

 


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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

ANS-239 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* Cast Your Vote: 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ending Soon
* Registration Now Open for Upcoming International AMSAT Conferences
* Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Soft Landing on Moon’s South Pole
* SpaceX Launches Crew-7 Mission aboard Crew Dragon Endurance
* Teams Hack U.S. Air Force Satellite in Space Cybersecurity Contest
* Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2023 Rankings
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 25, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-239 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 Aug 27

Cast Your Vote: 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ending Soon

There is less than a three-week window remaining to participate in the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election. The voting process will conclude on September 15, 2023. To access candidate statements and the online Election Ballot, you can visit AMSAT’s Wild Apricot membership portal at https://launch.amsat.org/2023-BoD-Election.

In this year’s election, four seats on the Board of Directors are open for consideration. Once the voting period concludes on September 15th, four of the candidates will take their places on the Board, along with an alternate member. The following individuals have been officially nominated:

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW

Upon clicking the poll link, you will be directed to your ballot or poll question. After selecting your preferred choices, simply click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike typical online polls, the results of previous votes up until your vote will not be visible. Each AMSAT member is entitled to one vote only. If you attempt to access the poll link again after casting your vote, you will receive a message confirming your vote has been submitted.

The outcomes of the Board of Directors Election, including the total number of ballots cast, the vote count for each candidate, and the names of the newly elected Board of Directors members, will be publicly announced a few days following the conclusion of the election.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]


Registration Now Open for Upcoming International AMSAT Conferences

+ AMSAT-DL was founded in 1973, so this year we can look back on 50 years of space exploration. We have taken this as an opportunity to put this year’s symposium in a special setting. Ticket sales are now available at https://shop.amsat-dl.org. The Festive Conference and Symposium will be held Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17, 2023.

With a view to the 50-year history of AMSAT-Germany and its mission of promoting amateur radio via satellites, the celebratory conference “From OSCAR 10 to OSCAR 100: 50 years of AMSAT-DL in service to science, research and education” will take place at the Bochum Observatory radome. Accommodations are limited, and the booking of the overnight stays is only possible via the AMSAT-DL store. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/ticket-sales-festive-conference-50-years-amsat-dl for more information.

+ AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce that the 2023 Colloquium will take place alongside the RSGB Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes on the weekend of 14/15th October 2023.

Full details of the Colloquium will be made available nearer the time on the AMSAT-UK website at https://amsat-uk.org. As in previous years, the AMSAT-UK Colloquium will run as a separate stream within the RSGB Convention and will include presentations on a variety of satellite and space related topics.

Entrance to the RSGB Convention is managed by the RSGB and you will be required to purchase Day Tickets for the Saturday and/or Sunday to attend the AMSAT-UK Colloquium. These can be booked via the RSGB website at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention. Early bird discounts are being offered by the RSGB via their website.

+ AMSAT will hold their 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. The schedule will encompass an array of activities, including an AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, AMSAT Space Symposium, AMSAT Annual General Meeting, AMSAT Banquet and Reception, AMSAT Member Breakfast, as well as the Friday Night Social and Auction.

You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188. Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18, with check-out on Sunday, October 22. The Standard room with a single King bed is currently SOLD OUT; act quickly to secure your reservations. Alternatively, the Standard room with two Queen beds is priced at $137.00* (excluding state and local taxes of 15%). To make phone reservations, call 972-929-8400 and request the RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE rate. For online reservations, visit https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1689956666782&key=GRP&app=resvlink.

[ANS thanks AMSAT, AMSAT-UK, and AMSAT-DL for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
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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Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Soft Landing on Moon’s South Pole

In a momentous achievement, the Chandrayaan-3 mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully executed a lunar landing, establishing India as the fourth nation to accomplish this feat.

Amid palpable tension followed by jubilant cheers at the ISRO mission control center, the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s robotic lander, known as Vikram, made a triumphant touchdown on the moon’s surface near its southern pole at 12:33 P.M. UTC on August 23. The mission, launched on July 14, marked ISRO’s determined return to lunar landing endeavors after the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s unfortunate crash in 2019. With the safe landing of the spacecraft, India joins the ranks of the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China as countries that have successfully executed soft landings on the moon.

A critical aspect of Chandrayaan-3’s landing was its complete autonomy during lunar descent. Due to the three-second signal delay between the lander and Earth, Earth-bound engineers couldn’t guide the landing in real-time. Vikram was tasked with reducing its orbital velocity to virtually zero, aligning with the intended trajectory for a secure landing. This required precise coordination of its engines based on continuous measurements of distance, velocity, and orientation.

Learning from the lessons of Chandrayaan-2, ISRO incorporated increased redundancies and safeguards into Chandrayaan-3. The mission carried extra fuel and an improved guidance, navigation, and control system, capable of correcting significant deviations from the intended path. In-depth ground tests using helicopters and cranes further validated the changes made to 21 subsystems.

The success of Chandrayaan-3 is particularly significant given the recent history of lunar landing attempts. Out of the past six attempts in the last five years, only four were successful. Notably, Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on August 19, joining the ranks of unsuccessful landers from Israel, India, and Japan. Chandrayaan-3’s achievement aligns with the accomplishments of China’s Chang’e 4 and Chang’e 5 landers, which have also found success in recent times.

Sankaran Muthusamy, director of the U. R. Rao Satellite Center, ISRO’s center responsible for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, stressed the responsibility to inspire both India and the world through this historic landing.

Chandrayaan-3’s intricate lunar descent involved four primary phases. The “rough braking” phase initiated when the craft was 30 kilometers above the lunar surface. It fired its four main engines for approximately 12 minutes, reducing its horizontal velocity by about 80 percent. A critical “attitude hold” phase followed, wherein smaller thrusters stabilized the lander to ensure accurate sensor readings. Chandrayaan-3 relied on redundant altimeters, one using lasers and another using microwaves, to determine its height. Microwave altimeters, with their wider coverage, enhanced the mission’s accuracy.

The successful mission is expected to propel India’s lunar ambitions further. By signing the Artemis Accords, a framework for collaborative lunar exploration led by the United States, India has opened avenues for enhanced partnerships with other signatory countries. The success of Chandrayaan-3 also paves the way for India’s potential collaboration with Japan in its upcoming LUPEX rover mission. This partnership aims to study water ice on the moon’s south pole, contributing valuable data to future endeavors, including NASA’s Artemis program.

[ANS thanks Jatan Mehta, writing for ScientificAmerican.com for the above information]


SpaceX Launches Crew-7 Mission aboard Crew Dragon Endurance

SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-7 mission on August 26, 2023. Lift-off occurred precisely at 07:27 UTC (3:27 a.m. EDT) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission, also known as United States Crew Vehicle mission 7 (USCV-7), was orchestrated by SpaceX, the launch provider, for their customer, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With this launch, SpaceX demonstrated its prowess in space technology, deploying its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and Booster B1081-1 for the mission.

This launch was no ordinary event. It marked the 250th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, accompanied by the 220th successful booster landing. Notably, it extended SpaceX’s record for consecutive booster landings to an impressive 146. Moreover, Crew-7 marked SpaceX’s 11th crewed mission, solidifying the company’s position as a frontrunner in human spaceflight endeavors. The total number of humans launched by SpaceX totals 42 – the answer to everything!

The Crew-7 mission aimed to bridge the gap between nations and space agencies. The spacecraft, aptly named “Endurance,” carried a diverse crew from four different countries and space organizations:

Commander Jasmin Moghbeli (KI5WSL): Raised in Baldwin, New York, by Iranian parents who emigrated in 1979, she holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT. Commissioned as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, Moghbeli served as an AH-1 Super Cobra pilot, completing 150 combat missions. She earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and became a helicopter test pilot at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Chosen for NASA Astronaut Group 22 in 2017, Moghbeli’s journey led her to become the Commander of Crew-7 in 2022.

Pilot Andreas Enevold Mogensen (KG5GCZ): ESA astronaut with a diverse background. He earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in 1999. Mogensen’s professional journey saw him working as an engineer in various global locations, including offshore oil rigs in Africa and wind turbine control systems in Denmark. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 while contributing to spacecraft guidance and navigation research. Mogensen’s space journey began with Soyuz TMA-18M in 2015, making him the first Danish citizen in space.

Mission Specialist Satoshi Furukawa (KE5DAW): Distinguished astronaut with a medical background. Graduating from the University of Tokyo with a Doctor of Medicine in 1989 and a PhD in Medical Science in 2000, Furukawa practiced as an anesthetist and surgeon before his selection as an astronaut candidate in 1999. His medical expertise took him on his first space journey aboard Soyuz TMA-02M in 2011. As a veteran, he returns to space as a Mission Specialist for Crew-7 in 2023, contributing his medical insights to the international team.

Mission Specialist Konstantin Sergeyevich Borisov: Cosmonaut with a diverse educational journey. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Russian Academy of Economics in 2005 and pursued a master’s degree in Operations Research and Systems Analysis at Warwick University, UK. Borisov’s passion for aviation led him to complete a master’s program in Life Support Systems for Aircraft at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, Borisov’s dedication culminated in his assignment as a Mission Specialist for Crew-7 in 2023.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, “Endurance,” embarked on a journey to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) in an orbit approximately 400 km above Earth. This mission further solidified SpaceX’s commitment to reusability, with the booster for Crew-7, Booster B1081-1, being a new addition to the roster, demonstrating the company’s capability to successfully launch humans using an unused booster for the fifth time.

[ANS thanks Florian Kordina and Trevor Sesnic, writing for EverydayAstronaut.com 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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Teams Hack U.S. Air Force Satellite in Space Cybersecurity Contest

The United States Air Force has successfully concluded its pioneering Hack-A-Sat competition, with three teams claiming victory and substantial cash prizes. The competition, which took place as part of the annual DEF CON hacking convention in Las Vegas from August 11 to August 14, centered on the task of hacking into an active satellite in orbit. This was a new level of challenge compared to previous editions that relied on simulated ground-based satellites.

The spotlight shone on the small CubeSat christened “Moonlighter,” collaboratively developed by the Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. This formidable space contender was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 5, 2023, concurrently with cargo bound for the International Space Station.

Five determined teams squared off in the Hack-A-Sat contest, each striving to outsmart the defenses of Moonlighter and reap both prestige and monetary rewards. Emerging triumphant was the Italian consortium “mHACKeroni,” a fusion of five Italian cyber research teams, whose accomplishment netted them the coveted first-place position and a princely sum of $50,000. Following closely in second place was the “Poland Can Into Space” squad hailing from Poland, pocketing $30,000 for their impressive performance. The third spot on the podium was clinched by the collaborative British-American force known as “jmp fs:[rcx],” whose strategic prowess earned them $20,000 in cash winnings.

The essence of the competition was the penetration of Moonlighter’s protective layers, enabling participants to override the satellite’s predetermined scope of observation targets. Successful teams then wielded the power to direct the satellite’s lens towards desired focal points on the Earth’s surface, capturing images that were subsequently relayed back to ground stations.

The significance of such competitions resonates in their contribution to fortifying the security of satellite systems. Col. Neal Roach, representing the Space Systems Command of the U.S. Air Force, emphasized the broader impact of the Hack-A-Sat initiative. “Hack-A-Sat has raised public awareness on the importance of space cybersecurity and has helped to strengthen the industry, security, and government partnership that we need to build more resilient space systems that will keep our nation and our world secure,” he stated.

The urgency surrounding satellite cybersecurity has grown in recent years, exacerbated by real-world incidents. In a troubling revelation, Elon Musk disclosed that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites faced repeated cyberattacks, coinciding with Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The history of cyber intrusions into satellite systems traces back to 2011 when two U.S. government satellites reportedly fell victim to suspected Chinese military hacking endeavors.

[ANS thanks Brett Tingley, Editor for Space.com for the above information]


Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2023 Rankings

The August 2023 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (All Satellites) 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.

Updated: 2023-08-05

1N5UC26KE4AL51JK2XXK76AC0RA
2ND9M27N7AGF52DL2GRC77PT9BM
3NJ7H28ON4AUC53M1DDD78A41ZZ
4JA9KRO29KG5CCI54AD7DB79HB9GWJ
5DP0POL30K8BL55VE1VOX80PT9ST
6N6UA31N6DNM56AA8CH815H3SE
7DL6AP32KE0PBR57LU4JVE82KB2YSI
8AD0HJ33WI7P58KM4LAO839J2SEU
9WY7AA34JO2ASQ59VE3GOP84DL4EA
10HA3FOK35XE3DX60AM1SAT85DK9JC
11K5ZM36EA4NF61KD8RTT86K4DCA
12AK8CW37OE3SEU62FG8OJ87AB5SS
13AD0DX38SP5XSD63N4UFO88PA3GAN
14N5BO39VE1CWJ64N4DCW89K0FFY
15N9IP40PR8KW65PT2AP90EC3TZ
16WD9EWK41W7WGC66KJ7NDY91KF6JOQ
17W5PFG42EB1AO67AF5CC92VE6WK
18ND0C43F4DXV68N0TEL93CU2ZG
19LU5ILA44JL3RNZ69VO2AC94KG4AKV
20KX9X45KE0WPA70KI7UXT95KC7JPC
21KB5FHK46K7TAB71KI7QEK96VE7PTN
22LA9XGA47VA7LM72W8LR97YU0W
23VE3HLS48AA5PK73XE1ET98VA3VGR
24KI7UNJ49KE9AJ74WA9JBQ99WN9Q
25DJ8MS50F5VMJ75VK5DG100V55QO

[ANS thanks @GridMasterMap 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 for August 25, 2023

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

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

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page 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.

+ Upcoming Contacts

Bowman Middle School, Bakersville, NC, direct via W4GUZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ
The ARISS mentor is AA6TB
Contact is go for: Mon 2023-08-28 14:38:46 UTC

Augusta Preparatory Day School, Augusta, GA, direct via K4RGK
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN
Contact is go for: Thu 2023-08-31 13:51:28 UTC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Upcoming Satellite Operations

TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th).

From Nina: We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th. Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition. Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC. Stay tuned!

To include your satellite roving plans in the AMSAT News Service Weekly bulletins, send them to Ian, K5ZM at k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net at least a couple of weeks in advance. Upcoming satellite operations are updated weekly on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page but may expire before the next AMSAT News Service bulletin is released. You can watch for the latest roving information to become available at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/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.

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


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ AMSAT-DL Festive Conference & Symposium (50 Years)
September 15-17, 2023
Bochum Observatory
Blankensteiner Str. 200A, 44797 Bochum, Germany

+ 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention
October 14-15, 2023
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom

+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063

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.

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Russia’s Luna-25 mission, launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome on August 10, has encountered failure as its spacecraft crashed into the Moon’s surface during an attempt to land at the lunar south pole. This marks Russia’s first lunar mission since 1976. The intended target was the Boguslawsky Crater near the south pole, and the spacecraft was equipped with instruments, including a robotic arm, to search for water ice up to 50 centimeters below the surface. The failure occurred after a command was sent to lower the craft’s orbit, resulting in a loss of communication on August 19. Roscosmos confirmed the craft’s collision with the lunar surface on August 20. Roscosmos plans to follow Luna-25 with a lunar orbiter, called Luna-26, and then two more landing missions: Luna-27, which will send a drilling rig to the lunar surface; and Luna-28, a sample-collection mission that aims to return material from the moon’s polar regions to Earth. [ANS thanks Elizabeth Howell, Staff Writer for Spaceflight.com, for the above information]

+ On August 23, 2023, the Progress MS-24 cargo ship launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying 2.5 tons of cargo for the International Space Station (ISS). This mission marked the third out of four Progress cargo ships planned for 2023. The cargo ship, designated as Progress MS-24, was launched using a Soyuz-2-1a rocket from Launch Pad 6 at Site 31 in Baikonur. It followed a sequence of stages, with successful booster separations, fairing jettisoning, and third-stage ignition, ultimately inserting the cargo ship into an initial parking orbit. Progress MS-24 arrived at the International Space Station’s aft port of the Zvezda service module at 11:45 p.m. EDT on August 24. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. [ANS thanks RussianSpaceWeb.com for the above information]

+ Brown University students successfully demonstrated a low-cost solution to address space debris by reentering their cube satellite, SBUDNIC, into Earth’s atmosphere. The satellite, developed by an academically diverse team, including undergraduates led by alumni Marco Cross and faculty member Rick Fleeter, deployed a plastic drag sail made from Kapton polyimide. This sail, acting like an umbrella, aided the satellite’s descent and contributed to its early reentry. SBUDNIC was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 5 mission and reentered the atmosphere after just 445 days, about five years earlier than planned. The project’s success highlights the potential for cost-effective measures to combat space junk and reduce the risk it poses to space vehicles. [ANS thanks Brown University for the above information]

+ NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft (STEREO-A), launched in October 2006, far outlived its mission life span of two years. Its orbital trajectory around the sun meant that it had a chance to do what very few other NASA spacecraft could: eventually make its way back toward home. This month, when STEREO-A passes between the sun and the Earth for the first time since its launch, it will be used to perform new research on the sun, aided by newer NASA satellites that have been developed more recently. When STEREO-A was launched, it viewed the sun during a solar minimum. That limited the number of coronal mass ejections and other phenomena that the spacecraft initially observed. This year, STEREO-A’s return has coincided with a period of intense solar activity. Earthbound instruments can only ever observe one Earth-facing slice of the sun at a time, while the rest of the rapidly changing solar surface remains obscured. The STEREO spacecraft, from its offset position, allowed scientists to capture a 360-degree view of the sun for the first time, research that is ongoing as long as this old bird continues to perform. (ANS thanks the Washington Post 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, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
ad0hj [at] amsat.org

ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 20

In this edition:
* Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
* 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers
* Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 August 20

Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting

The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include:
– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20
– 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21
– AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22
Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year:
– Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75
– Saturday Evening Banquet $55
– Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15
EVENT REGISTRATION
You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188.
HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS
The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22.
– Standard room with single King bed is **SOLD OUT** ACT FAST! GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!
– Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Hotel Reservations:
Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com.
We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
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 The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! 
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch 
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features 
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. 
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help 
Keep Amateur Radio in Space! 
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2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers

Papers are now being acceptedfor the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]
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        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.
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Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft

The headlines are sensational, although a bit exaggerated: “Ham Radio ‘hacks’ NASA Satellite”. While the phrase is eye-catching for social media, the truth is just as exciting. Amateur radio astronomer Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has made contact with NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft, which passed Earth for the first time in 17 years.
The STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft was launched on October 25, 2006, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with its twin sister ship, STEREO-B. Both spacecraft were on a mission to circle behind the and send images back to Earth so scientists could make 3D models of solar activity. In 2014, STEREO-B failed and was not heard from again.
“I’m having fun with STEREO-A,” Tilley reported to Spaceweather.com. “The spacecraft is close to Earth this summer, and I can now receive its signal using a small 26-inch dish in my backyard.”
Scott Tilley’s, VE7TIL, dish antenna for receiving NASA STEREO-A spacecraft.
Tilley began hearing rumors that other radio operators were picking up signals from STEREO-A on 8443.580 MHz. He decided to check it out. “The central carrier is very loud, almost 30 dB above the noise,” he said. “I also noticed data sidebands, which are unusual to see on such a distant object for my small antenna.”
Tilley was able to decode and demodulate STEREO-A’s signal using a special program written by Alan Antonie, F4LAU, known as SatDump, and now, he is monitoring almost all of STEREO-A’s science instruments, including its Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI), two coronagraphs (COR1 and COR2), the heliospheric imager (HI), and a solar radio burst receiver (S/WAVES).
STEREO-A’s closest approach to Earth was scheduled to occur on August 17, 2023.
Amateur radio operators who would like to monitor STEREO-A can check out Tilley’s technical blog for more information.
[Thanks to Spaceweather.com and NASA for updated information in this story]]
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
            Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
                    from our Zazzle store!
        25% of the purchase price of each product goes
            towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. 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/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly 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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
STEMforGIRLS, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, telebridge via K6DUE (***)
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-08-23 15:24:59 UTC 47 deg (***)
Australian Air League – South Australia Group,  Salisbury, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2023-08-25 09:11:46 UTC 51 deg
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
* SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* 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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th).
From Nina:
We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th.  Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition.
Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC.
Stay tuned!
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ will be at the Northern Plains Regional Radio Council (NPRRC) Hamfest in Brewster, Minnesota on Saturday, August 26, 2023. You can expect to find him engaging in discussions about amateur radio satellite operations at the AMSAT table or presenting live satellite demonstrations just across the street at Brewster City Park. Targeted demonstration passes will be on linear satellite RS-44 at 1434Z (fixed uplink 145.945 MHz) and the TEVEL FM satellites between 1630Z and 1700Z. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPRRC for additional information about the NPRRC Hamfest.
+ Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
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.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ RS-44 has returned to service after a multi-day outage this past week. There is no definitive word on the cause of the outage.
+ Woody Hoburg, KB3HTZ, was active as NA1SS from the ISS, utilizing the FM repeater, on Monday, August 14th around 1900 UTC and Wednesday, August 16th around 2100 UTC (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)
+ NASA released its updated Software Catalog for 2023-2024, containing more than 1,000 programs for mission analysis, disaster response, spacecraft testing, data analytics, and more. Access restrictions apply to some software that may be limited to use by U.S. citizens or for U.S. government purposes only. Review the catalog online at: http://software.nasa.gov (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and NASA for the above information)
+ NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The unpiloted spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 01:08 UTC on Wednesday, Aug. 23 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress spacecraft will be placed into a two-day, 34-orbit journey to the station, leading to an automatic docking to the Zvezda module at 03:50 UTC Friday, Aug. 25. As always, amateur radio operation aboard the ISS is suspended during docking maneuvers. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ India’s Chandrayan-3 moon lander completed another lunar-orbit reduction burn and entered a 100 km circular polar lunar orbit ahead of a landing attempt next week. It is projected that the Indian craft will land two days after Russia’s Luna-25 lander. (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, 
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org