ANS-012 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* India Launches SpaDeX Satellites with Amateur Radio Experiment
* Parker Solar Probe Achieves Closest-Ever Approach to the Sun
* 3D-Printed Helicone Antenna Tested for L-Band Weather Satellites
* Cold War Mystery: Why Did Jimmy Carter Save the Space Shuttle?
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 10, 2025
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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-012 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2025 Jan 12


India Launches SpaDeX Satellites with Amateur Radio Experiment

India has launched the SpaDeX mission, designed to perform the country’s first autonomous docking experiment in space. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) carried two SpaDeX satellites into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on December 30, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 UTC). The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sees this mission as a step toward supporting future Moon missions and building a space station.

The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) consists of two 220-kilogram (485 pound) satellites, the Target and Chaser, which will test rendezvous and docking procedures. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath confirmed the satellites were placed in the correct orbit after launch. The first docking attempt is expected to occur in the next several days. The mission will assess the transfer of power between the docked spacecraft and evaluate dual-spacecraft control capabilities.

The SpaDeX mission will be India’s first attempt at rendezvous and autonomously docking two spacecraft. [Credit: ISRO]
In addition to the docking experiment, the mission includes the POEM-4 (PS4-Orbital Experimental Module), which carries 24 payloads. These include a robotic arm demonstration and a debris capture manipulator. The robotic arm will test mobility for tasks in orbit, while the debris capture manipulator will attempt to retrieve tethered objects in an effort to address space debris.

One of the payloads aboard POEM-4 is the BGS ARPIT, an amateur radio project developed by the SJC Institute of Technology, the Upagrah Amateur Radio Club (VU2URC), and AMSAT-India to support educational activities and celebrate India’s 75th year of independence. This payload can transmit images via Slow Scan Television (SSTV), audio messages, and telemetry data on 145.870 MHz, and it also functions as an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. Approved for IARU frequency coordination on December 22, 2024, BGS ARPIT completed its first SSTV transmission period on January 10th, with more trial periods sure to come soon.

Watch for BGS ARPIT SSTV announcements from @nitin_vu2jek on X. [Credit: SJC Institute of Technology]
The autonomous docking technology tested in SpaDeX is crucial for ISRO’s planned Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission, which aims to return samples from the Moon’s south pole. Docking capabilities will enable the transfer of samples to a return capsule in lunar orbit. This technology is also essential for the assembly and operation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, India’s planned space station.

The SpaDeX mission includes payloads developed by ISRO and collaborators from universities and startups. The experiments focus on areas like satellite servicing, space debris management, and educational outreach. The mission serves as a platform to advance technologies needed for India’s space exploration goals.

[ANS thanks the Tariq Malik, Space.com, and AMSAT-India, for the above information]


Parker Solar Probe Achieves Closest-Ever Approach to the Sun

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe reached a significant milestone on December 24, 2024, by coming within 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface—the closest a human-made object has ever traveled toward a star. The spacecraft confirmed its survival through a signal received at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) on December 26. This marks another step forward in the mission’s effort to study the sun and its influence on the solar system. The probe, traveling at 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kilometers per hour), continues to push the limits of solar exploration.

The mission allows the spacecraft to gather data from regions of the sun that were previously out of reach. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said, “By studying the sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe.” This close approach opens the door for new measurements that could refine knowledge about solar wind, coronal heating, and other fundamental processes.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe during pre-launch testing at Astrotech located in Titusville, Florida. [Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL]
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe used seven Venus flybys to adjust its orbit and approach the sun. Its current orbit brings it near the sun every three months. A carbon foam heat shield, designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,600°F (1430°C), protects the spacecraft’s instruments, which remain at a stable temperature. During its latest encounter, the shield endured temperatures of 1,800°F (980°C), demonstrating the durability of its design and construction.

The spacecraft has already provided valuable data about solar phenomena. It has observed magnetic field structures called switchbacks, which help explain plasma heating and acceleration. Adam Szabo, mission scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noted, “This close approach will give us more data to understand how the solar wind is accelerated closer in.” Measurements from within the solar corona offer new perspectives on how energy and particles move through this region.

Johns Hopkins APL confirmed that the Parker Solar Probe survived its close approach to the sun. [Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL]
The Parker Solar Probe has also contributed to studies of Venus, detecting thermal emissions from its surface and capturing images of its orbital dust ring. These observations highlight the spacecraft’s ability to gather insights beyond its primary mission. Data from the recent solar pass will soon be transmitted to Earth, providing additional information for researchers.

Future solar passes are scheduled for March 22 and June 19, 2025. Ralph Semmel, John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Director, emphasized the team’s efforts, stating, “Their incredible technological breakthroughs enabled this amazing mission, and they have delivered critical new insights that are revolutionizing our understanding of heliophysics and space weather.” As part of NASA’s Living With a Star program, the Parker Solar Probe continues to investigate the relationship between the sun and the Earth, providing valuable knowledge for science and society.

[ANS thanks the Michael Buckley and Mara Johnson-Groh, Johns Hopkins University for the above information]


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

Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!


3D-Printed Helicone Antenna Tested for L-Band Weather Satellites

Gabe Emerson, KL1FI, the creator behind the YouTube channel saveitforparts has unveiled a new video highlighting a 3D-printable helical antenna for receiving weather data from polar-orbiting L-band satellites such as NOAA and Meteor. Designed by a user named t0nito, the 1.7 GHz HRPT Helicone Antenna design is freely available on Thingiverse. Its compact size, straightforward assembly, and effective performance have the potential to make it a hit among amateur radio and satellite enthusiasts. The manual, instructions, and 3D printer files can be accessed at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6436342.

The video begins with the challenges encountered during the printing process. Early attempts at creating the antenna’s helical scaffold were plagued by warping issues in the support legs, resulting in several failed prints. To address this, the original 3D model was modified to include additional center supports, ensuring a stable print. Once the printing phase was complete, the assembly process involved wrapping wire around a two-inch pipe, crafting a reflector from metal window screen, and piecing everything together.

Gabe gives build suggestions for the 1.7 GHz Helicone antenna after completing the initial antenna assembly. [Credit: saveitforparts]
Testing the completed antenna proved its effectiveness. Using an RTL-SDR receiver and the SatDump software, Gabe successfully received data from the NOAA-18 HRPT satellite. By manually tracking the satellite, clear and detailed weather images, including nighttime thermal and infrared captures, were obtained, showcasing the antenna’s capability for high-quality data reception.

Designed with simplicity in mind, the Helicone antenna features a Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) configuration. Instead of relying on screws, the assembly process used hot glue and materials such as copper wire and sheet metal were sourced from everyday household items. These choices highlight its accessibility and affordability for hobbyists of all experience levels.

The Helicone antenna provided similar results when compared with a larger L-band dish antenna. [Credit: saveitforparts]
A performance comparison with an existing motorized tracking antenna revealed that the Helicone delivered comparable signal strength and image quality. While hand-tracking limited its functionality, its portability and ease of use were standout features. The lightweight design and straightforward assembly make it an ideal choice for amateur satellite enthusiasts looking for a practical and cost-effective solution.

Gabe concludes with praise for the antenna’s design and a call to action for viewers to try building one themselves. Future enhancements, such as integrating the Helicone with a motorized tracking system, are already being considered. For now, this detailed guide offers an excellent starting point for satellite hobbyists eager to explore affordable and efficient ways to receive weather data from orbiting satellites. The video titled “This 3D-Printed Satellite Antenna Is Fantastic!” can be found on the saveitforparts YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/PFQ6UKulxSo.

[ANS thanks Gabe Emerson, KL1FI, and RTL-SDR.com, for the above information]


Cold War Mystery: Why Did Jimmy Carter Save the Space Shuttle?

The Space Shuttle program, an enduring symbol of American ingenuity, came perilously close to cancellation in the late 1970s. With the recent passing of Jimmy Carter at age 100, a fascinating story has resurfaced: how the 39th president, despite his well-known skepticism toward manned spaceflight, played a critical role in rescuing the program. This surprising twist in Cold War history highlights Carter’s pragmatism and the complex interplay between space exploration and geopolitics during his presidency.

This story first emerged during an interview with Chris Kraft, the former NASA Johnson Space Center director and a key architect of the Apollo program. Kraft recounted a critical 1978 meeting at NASA’s Houston headquarters, where dire financial constraints threatened the shuttle’s future. By then, the program was years behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. Faced with insufficient funding, NASA leaders considered two bleak options: securing a massive funding boost or relegating the shuttle to a mere research vehicle, incapable of fulfilling its ambitious mission to deliver payloads into orbit.

NASA launched the first space shuttle, Columbia, on April 12, 1981 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [Credit: NASA]
NASA Administrator Robert Frosch took the crisis to Washington, presenting President Carter with a stark ultimatum. Carter, known for his ambivalence toward manned spaceflight, surprised everyone by asking, “How much do you need?” According to Kraft, Carter’s decision was influenced by recent discussions with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev during Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Carter reportedly highlighted the shuttle’s capability to verify Soviet compliance with arms agreements, a claim that underscored its national security value. While some details of this account remain disputed, Carter’s administration approved supplemental funding in 1979 and 1980, effectively saving the shuttle program.

Carter’s support for the shuttle is striking given his prior skepticism about its purpose. Early in his presidency, Carter dismissed the shuttle as a “contrivance to keep NASA alive.” His vice president, Walter Mondale, had also labeled the program a “senseless extravaganza.” Yet, by the late 1970s, escalating Cold War tensions reframed the shuttle’s significance. A key memo from the National Security Council emphasized the shuttle’s strategic value, arguing that canceling the program would undermine national pride and technological leadership.

Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, and Amy Carter touring Kennedy Space Center on October 1, 1978. [Credit: NASA]
While some NASA officials, including Shuttle Program Manager Robert Thompson, downplayed the risk of cancellation, the financial reality was grim. Development of critical components, such as the shuttle’s main engines and thermal protection tiles, was years behind schedule. Without Carter’s intervention, the shuttle might never have achieved its iconic role, flying 135 missions over three decades and laying the groundwork for the International Space Station.

In later reflections, Carter acknowledged his lack of enthusiasm for human space exploration but defended his decision to fund the shuttle. “I didn’t want to waste the money already invested,” he explained, noting that he discussed the shuttle’s peaceful intentions with Brezhnev during SALT II negotiations. While Carter’s motivations may have been rooted in pragmatism and diplomacy, his actions ensured the shuttle’s place in history. Despite his mixed legacy on space policy, Carter’s pivotal role in salvaging the shuttle underscores his capacity to recognize the broader implications of technological leadership during a turbulent era.

[ANS thanks Eric Berger, Ars Technica, for the above information]


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


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 10, 2024

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:

POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT) NORAD Cat ID 46495

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

PRISM (HITOMI) NORAD Cat ID 33493 Likely defunct
YUBELEINY 2 (RS-40) NORAD Cat ID 33735 Likely defunct
CHUBUSAT-2 NORAD Cat ID 41338 Likely defunct
CHUBUSAT-3 NORAD Cat ID 41339 Likely defunct
PRATHAM NORAD Cat ID 41783 Likely defunct
D-SAT NORAD Cat ID 42794 Likely defunct
RANGE-B NORAD Cat ID 43772 Likely defunct
CySat-1 NORAD Cat ID 61501 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 January 2025
MRC-100 NORAD Cat ID 56993 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 January 2025

[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

Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) and Vermont School, Mexico City, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague KG5TMV
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-01-17 17:00:18 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

8R, GUYANA:
Watch out for Aldir, PY1SAD, signing 8R1TM from Georgetown between
Jan. 1 and Feb. 8. QRV on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via
satellites. QSL direct via Home Call, LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com.

NA-057; HR, BAHIA ISLANDS: Alex, K6VHF, returns to Roatan Isl. and
operates as K6VHF/HR9 between the 5th and 12th. QRV on 160-6m and
via RS-44 satellite. QSL via K6VHF (d/B), ClubLog OQRS,
LoTW, eQSL.

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

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


AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Cowtown Hamfest / 2025 ARRL North Texas Section Convention – January 17th thru 18th, 2025
Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center
6901 Wichita Street
Forest Hill, TX (Fort Worth)
https://www.cowtownhamfest.com/
N5HYP

Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society TechFest – February 1st, 2025
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
Expo Center Building
2405 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
http://www.techfest.info/
K4RGK

HamCation 2025 / ARRL Southeastern Division Convention – February 7th thru February 9th, 2025
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32808
https://www.hamcation.com/
KE4AL

Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention – February 20th thru 22nd, 2025
Yuma County Fairgrounds
2520 East 32nd Street
Yuma, AZ 85365
https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW

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


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

Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Eutelsat’s OneWeb internet constellation experienced a 48-hour outage starting on December 31, 2024, due to a software glitch likely caused by failing to account for the leap year. The issue disrupted internet services but was resolved once the root cause, a ground segment software problem, was identified and addressed. Eutelsat operates over 630 satellites and has been building the OneWeb constellation since 2020 to provide global high-speed internet, targeting business clients rather than direct consumers. The company faced challenges in launching its satellites due to strained relations with Roscosmos following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forcing it to rely on SpaceX and India for launches. Despite completing its constellation in 2023, regulatory delays in countries like India and Turkey have prevented global broadband coverage, leaving services available only in limited regions. Eutelsat is now planning to update its constellation with 100 new satellites by Airbus, aiming for improved reliability and full global service rollout by spring 2025. (ANS thanks Gizmodo for the above information)

+ Florida’s Space Coast set a record with 93 launches in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s 74, thanks to innovations from Space Launch Delta 45 and private sector collaboration. Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen credited advancements like automation, modernized infrastructure, and streamlined processes for the milestone. SpaceX dominated with 88 launches from Florida and completed 134 missions globally, including government, commercial, and test flights. The Space Force introduced initiatives like the “One Falcon” program to support SpaceX’s rapid launch cadence, unifying personnel across ranges to enhance efficiency. Although only four launches directly supported national security, innovations in commercial space strengthen resilience and responsiveness for military missions, exemplified by the Rapid Response Trailblazer mission. With Blue Origin’s New Glenn and ULA’s Vulcan Centaur preparing for national security roles, competition is poised to grow, diversifying capabilities and bolstering launch options. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ SpaceX’s next-generation Starship, Version 2 or Block 2, is set to launch on its seventh test flight from Starbase, Texas, as early as Monday, January 13, 2025, with the launch window opening at 5:00 p.m. EST (4:00 p.m. CST; 2200 UTC). This iteration, taller and more advanced than its predecessors, introduces numerous upgrades, including smaller, repositioned flaps for better heat protection, an enhanced propulsion system, and improved avionics for extended missions. For the first time, SpaceX will test Starship’s payload deployment mechanism, releasing mock Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory and conducting reentry experiments to refine the vehicle’s heat shield and reuse capabilities. The Super Heavy booster, equipped with additional protections and sensor enhancements, aims to achieve another tower catch, a feat last accomplished in October. The mission also marks progress toward full reusability, with one of the booster’s engines recovered and reused from a previous flight. These advancements, combined with a focus on orbital refueling and vehicle endurance, lay the groundwork for Starship’s future goals, including lunar landings under NASA’s Artemis program and beyond. (ANS thanks Ars Technica for the above information)

+ Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, named “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” is set to launch in mid-January aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking the company’s first lunar mission. The lander, recently integrated at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, will carry 10 NASA payloads and technology demonstrations as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. These payloads will test conditions between Earth and the moon, investigate lunar geology, and demonstrate innovative technologies like radiation-resistant hardware and lunar GPS. The 60-day mission includes 25 days in Earth orbit, a four-day translunar injection, 16 days in lunar orbit, and two weeks of operations on the moon’s surface. During its time on the moon, Blue Ghost will collect critical data and images, including capturing a solar eclipse and documenting the phenomenon of lunar dust levitation, last observed during Apollo 17. The mission will provide valuable insights to support NASA’s goal of a sustainable human presence on the moon through Artemis while also showcasing the technical capabilities of private industry. Firefly CEO Jason Kim emphasized the mission as a tribute to Apollo’s legacy and a pivotal step forward in advancing lunar exploration. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)


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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org

ANS-005 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service

ANS-005
January 5, 2025

In this edition:

  • AMSAT Student Members Win QCWA Scholarships
  • Fort Worth Cowtown Hamfest Asking for Volunteers for AMSAT
  • VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings January 2025
  • Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 3, 2025
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • AMSAT Ambassador Activities
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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/


AMSAT Student Members Win QCWA Scholarships

The Quarter Century Wireless Association has announced AMSAT student members Ruth Willet, KM4LAO and Grace Papay, K8LG as two of its 2024-25 Scholarship winners.

Ruth Willet, KM4LAO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruth was first licensed in 2015 and passed her Extra in May 2016. She was the first Carole Perry Young Professional Award winner in 2023 and named the ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award recipient in 2018.

Ruth is heavily involved in the Youth On The Air initiative in the Americas. She is Assistant Director, Satellite workshop leader, and a member of the “Youth Planning Committee.” She attended the first every YOTA Camp in Region 2 in 2021, both learning as a camper and teaching as the satellite workshop leader. During that camp, she served as the “YOTA Host” for the first scheduled contact with an astronaut through the ARISS program.

She is a member of the ARRL, the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society, the North Fulton Amateur Radio League, the Genesee County Radio Club, the Amateur Radio Club of Columbia County, the Young Ladies Radio League, the Young Amateur Communications Ham Team, AMSAT, CWOps, and the Straight Key Century Club.

Ruth attended Kettering University in Michigan and graduated with a double major in Engineering Physics and Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Acoustics. She is currently a graduate student at Penn State University pursuing a Master of Science in Acoustics.

Grace Papay, K8LG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace is a 3rd generation 19-year-old amateur radio operator from Holland, Michigan. Grace was licensed in 2021 and holds an Amateur Extra class license. She enjoys communicating via amateur satellites and has so far achieved via satellite DXCC, VUCC, WAS, and WAZ. She is actively working towards the AMSAT GridMaster Award.

Grace has participated in many contests both as a Single Op, Multioperator, and Multi-Multi. Grace has participated in many major contests including WAE, Sweepstakes, and several CQ WW contests. She was a member of the 2023 K3LR CQWW Phone team and the 2024 J62K CQ WW WPX Phone team.

Grace is a member of the ARRL, AMSAT, Holland Amateur Radio Club, Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team, the West Chester Amateur Radio Association, Northwest Ohio VHF Amateur Radio Society, and Dayton Amateur Radio Association.

Grace is attending Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio where she is studying electrical engineering.

[ANS thanks QCWA and the winners for the above information]


Fort Worth Cowtown Hamfest Asking for Volunteers for AMSAT

The dates have slipped up on me, but, the Forth Worth Cowtown Hamfest is only two weekends away, January 17 and 18.
I have booked table space and at least one presentation for the weekend.  Therefore, I Am looking for additional volunteers to help man the table, do demos and just talk amateur radio in space.
The Cowtown club was the home of the late Keith Pugh, W5IU, who was an AMSAT Ambassador and ARISS mentor for many years before his passing.  The Cowtown club recently dedicated a satellite station at their clubhouse in his honor and with some of his donated hardware.
All this to say that the Cowtown Hamfest is a friend of AMSAT and so it is always good for us to make a good showing.
Contact me, Tom Schuessler via tschuessler (at) amsat.org or n5hyp (at)arrl.net for more information or to volunteer.

[ANS thanks Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, AMSAT Ambassador, for the above information]


VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings January 2025

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for December 01, 2024 to January 01, 2025

Callsign 12/1/25 1/1/25
WA4NVM           1665    1676
EA2AA           1011    1026
VU2LBW            751     902
N5BO            650     786
WA4HFN            706     727
A65BR            652     676
N5EKO            599     622
W9FF            525     545
W3TI            444     465
DL8GAM            400     450
HB9BIN            276     356
IN3EQZ            New     268
N4UFO            201     206
W4DFU            151     163
G4BWP            123     150
ER1KW            111     127

Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders!
IN3EQZ is first VUCC Satellite holder from JN56

DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for December 01, 2024 to January 01, 2025

Callsign 12/1/24 1/1/25
F6BKI        207    209
SP8NR        164    177
G4WFQ        173    176
G4GIR        167    171
I3BUI        156    167
VU2LBW        162    166
RA3S        162    164
SV8CS        159    162
DL6GBM        152    157
EA2AA        156    157
ON4AOI        131    156
LA6OP        151    154
HB9RYZ        148    152
KB8VAO        149    151
IK4CIE        143    146
PA7RA        135    144
F6AOJ        139    143
4O4A        New    141
IK5CBE        131    141
NK1K        138    141
SV8QG        113    139
IW7DOL        127    136
XE1MEX        125    127
DL8GAM        101    120
EA5RM        110    112
K9UO        106    110
LA7XK        106    110
W8LR        104    108
DJ7NT        New    105
OE3JAG        New    102
RA4HGN        New    102
SA0UNX        New    102
EA3TA        New    100
G4BWP        New    100
SP5ULN        New    100

Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders!

4O4A is first DXCC Satellite holder from Montenegro and JN92
EA3TA is first DXCC Satellite holder from JN11
G4BWP is first DXCC Satellite holder from JO02
RA4HGN is first DXCC Satellite holder from LO53
OA3JAG is first DXCC Satellite holder from JN88

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


The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Have Just Arrived!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!


Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 3, 2025

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

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


Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the
AMSAT Store!

When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.


ARISS News

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

ARISS school contacts are currently planned to resume the week of 2025-01-13 to 2025-01-19.

The current SSTV event ends Sunday, January 5 at 14:20 UTC. As always, radio enthusiasts around the world are invited to downlink the images at 145.800 MHz +/- 3 KHz Doppler shift and the transmission mode is PD 120. The images downlinked will follow the theme “Celebrating ARISS 2024” and as usual, there will be 12 images transmitted sequentially throughout the event. Those taking part in the event are encouraged to post their received images at our ARISS SSTV Gallery found at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ and also apply for an award certificate at the sit

Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication.  You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.

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

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

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

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

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

8R, GUYANA:
Watch out for Aldir, PY1SAD, signing 8R1TM from Georgetown between
Jan. 1 and Feb. 8. QRV on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via
satellites. QSL direct via homecall, LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com.

NA-057; HR, BAHIA ISLANDS: Alex, K6VHF, returns to Roatan Isl. and
operates as K6VHF/HR9 between the 5th and 12th. QRV on 160-6m and
via RS-44 satellite. QSL via K6VHF (d/B), ClubLog OQRS,
LoTW, eQSL.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager,  JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, and DXNL 2439 – January 1, 2025 DX Newsletter, for the above information]


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


AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Scheduled Events

January 8, 2025
West Valley Amateur Radio Association (WVARA) – Monthly Meeting – 7:00 PM
“Build A Satellite Roving Station for Your Next Road Trip or POTA Activation”
Santa Clara Valley American Red Cross
2731 N. 1st St.
San Jose, CA 95134
https://wvara.org/wordpress/
WU0I

January 11, 2025
Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society – TechFest
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
Expo Center Building
2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy.
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
http://www.techfest.info/
K4RGK

February 14-15, 2025
Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention
Yuma County Fairgrounds
Yuma, AZ
https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW

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


Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ Club Log OQRS ADIF files now correctly include SAT_NAME and PROP_MODE for satellite contacts. Long-standing bug, now fixed thanks to a report from S9Z’s QSL manager. (ANS thanks G7VJR of ClubLog)

+ Congratulations to Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ, for his outstanding achievements in providing satellite contacts! Mitch has roved an impressive 100 grid squares, earning him the AMSAT VUCC/r Award #20. The Reverse VUCC or VUCC/r Award, originally introduced by the Central States VHF Society and now carried on by AMSAT, recognizes the dedication of satellite rovers like Mitch. For more information about this prestigious award, you can visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award. Keep on roving, Mitch, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community with your remarkable achievements! (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information)

+ Dave Bowman, G0MRF, reports that the last of the four boards for the FUNcube Lite payload on Jovian-1 have now been designed on KiCad and is ready for production. The entire payload needs to fit into a 0.7 U enclosure to prevent interference to the rest of the satellite. (ANS thanks G0MRF via X  – https://x.com/g0mrf/status/1874445171561312767 )


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] arrl.net

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

ANS-364 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

  • W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day
  • ARISS SSTV Event Underway
  • N4AKV Earns AMSAT VUCC Award/r
  • GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers January 2025 Rankings
  • NASA’s Deep Space Network Upgraded
  • Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 27, 2024
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • AMSAT Ambassador Activities
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [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-364 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 Dec 29

W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day

The Annual W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day occurs each year on January 1st. The event runs 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC January on New Year’s Day.

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

In recognition of Ray’s long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT’s CW Activity Day is now known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day.

Send your reports including stations worked and satellites used to info at amsat dot org.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.]


ARISS SSTV Event Underway

Well underway for the holidays and New Year, ARISS’ Slow Scan Television (SSTV) event began on December 25 and will continue until January 5, 2025.

Series 23 consists of 12 pictures celebrating ARISS memories of 2024. Ending time for the transmissions is tentatively January 5 at 14: 20 UTC.

On the ISS, the Service Module radio is being used and the ISS callsign is RS0ISS; Images are transmitted on 145.800 MHz FM and the SSTV mode is PD120.

Everyone is invited to upload their decoded images in the ARISS gallery, area “Series 23 Holiday 2025” at: https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV. Once you’ve submitted your image, just click on the dedicated button and you can apply for the official ARISS SSTV award.

Also, European stations can request the ARISS QSL by contacting the European QSL bureau: https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/ariss-station/european-qsl-bureau.

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

No two-meter radio? it’s always possible to decode the audio signals coming from the WebSDR at Goonhilly Earth Station https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/

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

Reminder, the images are sent on a (roughly) 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off schedule. So if you don’t hear anything, give it wait two minutes.

Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard. Free decoding software is available for Android and Apple smartphone. Check your phone’s app store by searching SSTV”. PC users can download the free RX-SSTV program.

You can get predictions for the ISS pass times at https://www.amsat.org/track/ or from a myriad of free smartphone apps.

More useful information to receive the pictures can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-UK for the above information.]


The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Almost Gone!
ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

PC Coin

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!


https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/


N4AKV Earns AMSAT VUCC Award/r

Congratulations to Jonathan Eernisse, N4AKV, for his outstanding achievements in providing satellite contacts! Jonathan has roved an impressive 102 grid squares, earning him the AMSAT VUCC/r Award #19. The Reverse VUCC or VUCC/r Award, originally introduced by the Central States VHF Society and now carried on by AMSAT, recognizes the dedication of satellite rovers like Jonathan. For more information about this prestigious award, you can visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award.

Keep on roving, Jonathan, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community with your remarkable achievements!

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.]


GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers January 2025 Rankings

The January 2025 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data. Figures updated December 26, 2024.

1 ND9M 26 KX9X 51 W7WGC 76 LU4JVE
2 NJ7H 27 ON4AUC 52 N6DNM 77 AA8CH
3 JA9KRO 28 KG5CCI 53 JK2XXK 78 VE1VOX
4 UT1FG 29 N5BO 54 EA4NF 79 FG8OJ
5 N5UC 30 K8BL 55 SM3NRY 80 YU0W
6 DL6AP 31 KE4AL 56 JL3RNZ 81 PT9BM
7 OE3SEU 32 KB5FHK 57 DF2ET 82 KJ7NDY
8 WI7P 33 VE3HLS 58 XE1ET 83 KI7UXT
9 DP0POL 34 PA3GAN 59 AA5PK 84 N6UTC
10 K5ZM 35 KI0KB 60 KI7QEK 85 KB2YSI
11 F5VMJ 36 KI7UNJ 61 SP5XSD 86 N4DCW
12 N6UA 37 LA9XGA 62 F4DXV 87 WA9JBQ
13 HA3FOK 38 JO2ASQ 63 AD7DB 88 JM1CAX
14 WY7AA 39 F4BKV 64 VE1CWJ 89 AF5CC
15 N9IP 40 BA1PK 65 KE9AJ 90 VE3GOP
16 W5PFG 41 N7AGF 66 DL4EA 91 BG7QIW
17 AK8CW 42 VK5DG 67 N8RO 92 N0TEL
18 DL2GRC 43 VA3VGR 68 VA7LM 93 KG4AKV
19 AD0DX 44 XE3DX 69 KM4LAO 94 W8MTB
20 LU5ILA 45 KE0WPA 70 M1DDD 95 K0FFY
21 N4AKV 46 PR8KW 71 W8LR 96 CU2ZG
22 AD0HJ 47 K7TAB 72 W1AW 97 VE7PTN
23 WD9EWK 48 KE0PBR 73 N4UFO 98 K6VHF
24 ND0C 49 EB1AO 74 HB9GWJ 99 VE6WK
25 DJ8MS 50 AC0RA 75 PT2AP 100 DK9JC

[ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information.]


Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.

When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.

https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/


NASA’s Deep Space Network Upgraded

Installation of the latest antenna took place on Dec. 18, when teams at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, installed the metal reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23, a multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna. When operational in 2026, Deep Space Station 23 will receive transmissions from missions such as Perseverance, Psyche, Europa Clipper, Voyager 1, and a growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space.

“This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program. “The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

“With the Deep Space Network, we are able to explore the Martian landscape with our rovers, see the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning cosmic observations, and so much more,” said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL. “The network enables over 40 deep space missions, including the farthest human-made objects in the universe, Voyager 1 and 2. With upgrades like these, the network will continue to support humanity’s exploration of our solar system and beyond, enabling ground breaking science and discovery far into the future.”

Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-364-Deep-Space.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]


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

25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space


https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 27, 2024

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

SSS-2B Catalog No. 56184: Decayed from orbit on or about 23 December 2024.

[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.

ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts

ARISS school contacts are currently planned to resume the week of 2025-01-13 to 2025-01-19.

The Slow Scan TV experiment continues until January 5, 2025. Transmitting PD120 mode on 145.800 MHz.

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 listed as of December 23, 2024.

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

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


AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

January 8, 2025
West Valley Amateur Radio Association (WVARA) – Monthly Meeting – 7:00 PM
“Build A Satellite Roving Station for Your Next Road Trip or POTA Activation”
Santa Clara Valley American Red Cross
2731 N. 1st St.
San Jose, CA 95134
https://wvara.org/wordpress/
WU0I

January 11, 2025
Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society – TechFest
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
Expo Center Building
2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy.
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
http://www.techfest.info/
K4RGK

February 14-15, 2025
Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention
Yuma County Fairgrounds
Yuma, AZ
https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW

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

For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/

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


Satellite Shorts From All Over

Tom Schuessler, N5HYP is looking for volunteers for the upcoming Fort Worth Cowtown Hamfest. “The dates have slipped up on me, but, the hamfest is only three weekends away, January 17 and 18. Cowtown Hamfest, Fort Worth Texas. I have booked table space and at least one presentation for the weekend. Therefore, I Am looking for additional volunteers to help man the table, do demos and just talk amateur radio in space. The Cowtown club was the home of the late Keith Pugh, W5IU, who was an AMSAT Ambassador and ARISS mentor for many years before his passing. The Cowtown club recently dedicated a satellite station at their clubhouse in his honor and with some of his donated hardware. All this to say that the Cowtown Hamfest is a friend of AMSAT and so it is always good for us to make a good showing.” Contact Tom Schuessler via tschuessler (at) amsat.org or n5hyp (at) arrl (dot)net for more information or to volunteer. [ANS thanks Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, AMSAT Ambassador for the above information.]

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology continues to grow. Fresh off a highly successful YouTube telethon that raised more than $41,000 for the program, some of next year’s dates have been announced. Applications are now open. The program is growing, and educators will have the opportunity to attend sessions around the country. “We love having the teachers here at ARRL Headquarters, but we wanted to bring this program nationwide,” said ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA. Dates and details of the regional sessions are still being determined, but the hope is to touch many areas of the United States. The application process is straightforward. Interested educators can find the web form at www.arrl.org/ti. ARRL covers all the costs of the TI, including travel, but there is a $100 application fee if the teacher is accepted. More information available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-364-Teachers. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

The 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference is scheduled for August 11-13, 2025. The event will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Persons wanting to submit an abstract for a talk, poster or flash talk must submit their abstract by February 4, 2025 to be considered. Educators and researchers at universities can also apply for a University Exhibit. Complete information is available at https://smallsat.org/. [ANS thanks SmallSat.org 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 [dot] org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

ANS-357 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* Taiwan’s PARUS-T1A Launch Failed
* NASA Astronauts Face More Time In Space With Return Delayed
* NASA Now Knows Why Its Mars Helicopter Crashed
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS SSTV Event December 25 – January 5
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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-357 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 Dec. 22

Taiwan’s PARUS-T1A Launch Failed

Radio Amateurs around the world were anticipating a new FM repeater in space as a Christmas present this year, but it seems they will find only coal in their stockings. The rocket carrying the PARUS T1A satellite failed to reach orbit.

Space One, a Japanese space startup, said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion.

Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan. The company said it had aborted the flight after concluding that it was unlikely to complete its mission.

“We are very sorry that we could not achieve as far as a final stage of the mission,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told a news conference Wednesday. “We don’t consider this a failure because we are getting valuable data that will help our pursuit toward a next challenge.”

He said he hoped to find the cause to address the problems as soon as possible to achieve a success next time.

Company executive and space engineer Mamoru Endo said the abnormality in the first stage engine nozzle or its control system is likely to have caused an unstable flight of the rocket, which started spiraling in midflight and eventually destroyed itself about three minutes after liftoff, using its autonomous safety mechanism.

The Kairos No. 2 rocket was carrying five small satellites, including one from the Taiwanese space agency and several from Japanese startups. The Taiwanese satellite was PARUS-T1A a 3U CubeSat that featured an FM crossband repeater, as well as an APRS digipeater to provide global amateur activities at the same frequency of ISS APRS channel 145.825MHz.

A second Taiwanese amateur satellite, PARUS-T1, carrying an APRS store-and-forward system, is still scheduled for launch next month on a SpaceX mission. Both satellites were constructed by students at National Formosa University.

Space One said it had fixed the cause of the debut flight failure, which stemmed from a miscalculation of the rocket’s first-stage propulsion.

Japan hopes the company can pave the way for a domestic space industry that competes with the United States.

[ANS thanks the Associated Press and reporter Mari Yamaguchi for the above information]


The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are still available!

Only 10 Days Left!!!

Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

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


NASA Astronauts Face More Time In Space With Return Delayed

NASA announced on Tuesday the latest delay in the homecoming for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, KD5PLB. Their space mission was extended again. That means they won’t be back on Earth until spring, 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing’s Starliner capsule.

The two test pilots planned on being away just a week or so when they blasted off June 5 on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission grew from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to send the company’s problem-plagued Starliner capsule back empty in September.

Now the pair won’t return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements, according to NASA.

NASA shared a holiday snapshot of astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams on Dec. 17. [Credit: NASA Johnson]

NASA’s next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, followed by Wilmore’s and Williams’ return home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the brand new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than late March.

Last month, news articles suggesting that Ms. Williams was experiencing health problems during her unplanned extended stay in orbit set off widespread rumors on social media. NASA’s medical chief, Dr. James Polk, assured the public on November 14 that Williams is healthy and not suffering from any medical problems.

“I think there’s some rumors around outside there that I’m losing weight and stuff,” Williams said in an interview on November 12. “No, I’m actually right at the same amount. Things shift around quite a bit, you know? ”

Not only is she healthy, according to her and NASA, but they made Williams commander of Expedition 72 crew. As KD5PLB, she continues to be an active participant in ARISS contacts during her time aboard the ISS.

[ANS thanks The Washington Post, Space.com, and NASA for the above information]


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NASA Now Knows Why Its Mars Helicopter Crashed

Investigating an aircraft crash is no simple task here on Earth. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to diagnose a helicopter accident that took place 69 million miles away with none of the usual data present to help. NASA had to do just that after its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter suffered an accident on Jan. 18, 2024, that has since left it grounded in a crater on Mars. And now, after months of collecting data, the space agency may have finally figured out what happened.

On April 19, 2021, the NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history by lifting off the Jezero Crater’s floor and becoming the first aircraft to fly on a celestial entity other than Earth. The helicopter was supposed to fly only five experimental flights over 30 days to demonstrate that flight on Mars was possible. But it exceeded all expectations, conducting 72 flights over three years, setting all sorts of altitude records in the process, ending with that early 2024 accident.

The wreckage of the Inguity Mars Helicopter as seen by the Mars Rover Perseverance. The helicopter is on the right and the broken rotor is approximately 49 feet away on the left. [Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS]

The final moments of the helicopter’s flight were more or less a mystery at first. Ingenuity lifted off like it had 71 times before. Then camera footage showed that it began initiating descent after just 19 seconds of flight. By the time 32 seconds had elapsed, the helicopter was on the Martian surface again and had halted communications. Six days later, the helicopter beamed back images that showed it had sustained severe rotor-blade damage and would no longer be able to fly.

Now, NASA believes that the navigation system was ultimately to blame. The navigation system used the helicopter’s downward-facing camera to track visual features on the ground. During this final flight, the helicopter was flying over a portion of the Jezero Crater that is known for textured, featureless sand ripples. The navigation system was thus unable to find any suitable ground features to track for a landing.

From there, several things went wrong. NASA says that the helicopter made hard contact with a sand-ripple slope, causing it to pitch and roll. The sudden change in altitude was too much for the rotor blades, and four of them broke off at their weakest points. This caused the rotor system to vibrate excessively, which ripped one of the blades clean off. Finally, the incident generated an excessive power draw that caused communications to fail.

NASA’s graphic depicts the most likely scenario for the accident, in which Ingenuity landed hard on a sand-ripple slope, causing irreparable rotor-blade damage.
[NASA/JPL-Caltech]

“When running an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, you don’t have any black boxes or eye witnesses,” said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity’s first pilot and research technologist at JPL Robotics. “While multiple scenarios are viable with the available data, we have one we believe is most likely: Lack of surface texture gave the navigation system too little information to work with.”

Nobody expected Ingenuity to last as long as it did. Its flights gave researchers excellent aerial views of our red neighbor. Even now, as it lies in the sands of the Jezero Crater, Ingenuity can no longer fly but still beams back weather and avionics data to NASA. The avionics data along with the flight data from Ingenuity’s 72 flights — combined with Ingenuity’s incredible longevity — are helping NASA develop smaller, lighter avionics for future aircraft on Mars.

“Because Ingenuity was designed to be affordable while demanding huge amounts of computer power, we became the first mission to fly commercial off-the-shelf cellphone processors in deep space,” said Ingenuity project manager Teddy Tzanetos. “We’re now approaching four years of continuous operations, suggesting that not everything needs to be bigger, heavier and radiation-hardened to work in the harsh Martian environment.”

Tzanetos and his team are already working on another Mars helicopter. It’s approximately 20 times heavier than the Ingenuity and is being designed to carry several pounds of science equipment while autonomously exploring remote locations on Mars.

[ANS thanks CNET.com and space reporter Joe Hindy for the above information]


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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Dec. 20

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

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


ARISS SSTV Event December 25 – January 5

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.]


ARISS NEWS

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

RECENTLY COMPLETED:
Zespół Szkół Łączności, Warszawa, Poland, direct via SP5KAB
The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Nick Hague, KG5TMV
The ARISS mentor was SP3QFE
Contact was successful: Mon 2024-12-16 08:35:06 UTC 71 degrees maximum elevation.
Congratulations to the Zespół Szkół Łączności students, Nick, mentor SP3QFE, and ground station SP5KAB!
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/DBafZYpxolI

Sally Ride Elementary School, Orlando, Florida, direct via K1AA
The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Sunita Williams, KD5PLB
The ARISS mentor was AA4KN
Contact was successful: Tue 2024-12-17 18:49:38 UTC 30 degrees maximum elevation.
Congratulations to the Sally Ride Elementary School students, Sunita, mentor AA4KN, and ground station K1AA!
Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/DuCNyWOPxH0?feature=share

UPCOMING:
ARISS school contacts are currently planned to resume the week of 2025-01-13 to 2025-01-19.

Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.

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

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down) until December 25, when the SSTV event begins.

Ham TV – STATUS – Stowed. ​​ Default mode is for​​​ scheduled digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz 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. ​Powering OFF for U.S. EVA on Jan 23. ON TBD.

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

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

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

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


Upcoming Satellite Operations

None announced at this time.

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

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


AMSAT Ambassador Activities

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

February 14-15, 2025
Yuma HAMCON and Southwestern Division Convention
Yuma County Fairgrounds
Yuma, AZ
https://www.yumahamfest.com/
N1UW

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


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AO-73 (a.k.a. FUNcube 1) has been switched from autonomous mode to continuous transponder mode for the holiday period. This means that the transponder is available for use 24/7. AO-73 is anticipated to revert to autonomous mode sometime after January 5, 2025. In autonomous mode, the transponder is only available when the satellite is in eclipse. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.)

+ Two Chinese astronauts aboard their country’s orbiting space station spent nine hours working outside in the cold vacuum of space, the longest recorded spacewalk, the Chinese space administration has said. The astronauts on China’s Shenzhou-19 mission, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, finished their first “extravehicular activities” — spacewalking in popular parlance — this week, apparently nudging past the previous record of eight hours and 56 minutes set by two American astronauts in 2001, according to China’s Manned Space Agency. The feat was another sign of China’s ambitions to project its power and prestige in space. (ANS thanks The New York Times for the above information.)

+ The internet news site MSN recently published a feature on the history of amateur radio and astronauts in orbit, beginning with Owen Garriott, W5LFL, in 1983 and continuing to the present ARISS program. “How Amateur Radio Is Connecting Astronauts In Space With Kids On Earth” was written by Leonard David. See it at http://bit.ly/4gnfE3y (ANS thanks msn.com for the above information.)

+ The first Block 2 version of the giant SpaceX Starship, Ship 33, recently rolled out for testing and completed its first static fire test. It will be stacked on Booster 14 before it is targeted to complete the first flight of the Block 2 reusable upper stage in January. This upgraded Ship adds catch hardware and an additional ring, making it 1.8 m taller and now totaling 124.4 m (408 feet) when eventually stacked on top of Booster 14. The added height will allow it to pack 300 tons more propellant. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)

+ Your AMSAT News Service volunteer editors, Mark Johns, KØJM; Paul Stoetzer, N8HM; Frank Karnauskas, N1UW; and Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ, wish all of our readers the happiest of holidays.


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73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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