In this edition:
- Bob Twiggs Keynote Address at 2024 AMSAT Space Symposium Now Available
- Updated Hamfest Handouts Now Online
- UKâs SaxaVord Spaceport to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites
- AO-73 Goes on Hiatus
- Bochum Space Conference 2024
- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 23, 2024
- 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-056 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 FEB 25
Bob Twiggs Keynote Address at 2024 AMSAT Space Symposium Now Available
For those who missed Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, keynote address at the 2023
AMSAT Space Symposium, now is your chance to catch up on this delightful
and informative presentation. You can view Bobâs 36-minute presentation
at https://youtu.be/uDPJ4SHAF74?si=c9f3xM8G1KFUjZPw.
Sorry, there are no advanced mathematical formulas or complex orbital
mechanics to be found here. Bob is a consummate story teller who brings
warmth and humanity to the pioneering days of amateur satellites. If you
werenât in Dallas for the live event, this is the next best thing to
being there.
Robert J. Twiggs is a professor of Astronautics and Space Science at
Morehead State University. He is responsible, along with Jordi
Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic State University, for co-inventing
the CubeSat reference design for miniaturized satellites which became an
Industry Standard for design and deployment of the satellites.
Twiggs earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics
Engineering from the University of Idaho in 1961 and a Master of Science
in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in microwave devices
from Stanford University in 1964.
From 1985 to 1994, Twiggs was the director of the Weber State
University Center for Aerospace Technology. He served as a consulting
professor in the Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and
Astronautics from 1994 to 2008. At Stanford, he established the Space
Systems Development Laboratory. Bob Twiggs became a professor at
Morehead State University in 2009 in an effort to push the PocketQube
standard leveraging the universityâs large aperture space tracking
system, and to help develop a space economy in the state of Kentucky.
In 2019, Twiggs designed and proposed another smaller, simpler
satellite form factor called ThinSat which could enable high school
students to design and build satellites.
[ANS thanks AMSAT and Wikipedia for the above information and David
Beaujean, N8EPF, for his excellent work in editing the video
presentation for our enjoyment.]
Updated Hamfest Handouts Now Online
Realizing that the hamfest season runs from January 1st through
December 31st every year, AMSAT needed to update its venerable tri-fold
handout. While AMSAT finalizes its plans for reinvigorating its
Ambassador program, it wanted to make immediately available a fresh set
of handouts for use at hamfests, maker-faires, and so on.
Some of the considerations to be factored into an updated program are
the increased costs of printing and shipping small quantities of
handouts here and there. Conversely, the cost of printing and shipping
literature has to be balanced against the inevitable âwasteâ factor of
literature simply tossed into, at best, a nearby recycling bin by
passer-byâs who feel obligated to take a handout offered to them as they
walk by a display. Considerable thought is being given to this
situation.
For a few recent hamfests, a few AMSAT Ambassadors have been testing
the concept of displaying a poster with a QR code that interested
parties can scan to download literature. Although it is too soon to say
this approach is a smashing success, AMSAT Ambassadors testing the
concept feel positive about the reaction of hamfest participants
visiting their displays. In tests, a QR code on a small poster can be
successfully decoded at up to 20 feet away.
You can view or download the QR code poster at AMSAT Hamfest QR Code.
The QR code used brings the ham to a âlandingâ site of the AMSAT website. The landing site offers the person
- A link to join AMSAT online,
- A two-page summary brochure as to why they should join AMSAT,
- A comprehensive brochure describing AMSAT activities, and
- A link to the AMSAT Store to buy a downloadable copy of âGetting Started with Amateur Satellites.â
You can view the landing page at https://www.amsat.org/getting-started-with-amsat/.
This page has been specially formatted for use on smart phones. You can
click on each of the images to view or download each of the documents
or links. Since this is a test period for this approach, these pages are
not cataloged on the web site. After we receive feedback from AMSAT
membership and especially AMSAT Ambassadors, access to these documents
and the QR code poster will be open to general membership.
The AMSAT Ambassador team looks forward to your feedback on how to
improve AMSATâs presence at local and regional hamfests, maker-faires
and other events that can boost interest in amateur satellites and AMSAT
membership. Please send your comments and/or questions to info@amsat.org. If you are interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador, please send an email with a short resume to volunteer@amsat.org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
UKâs SaxaVord Spaceport to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites
Two more amateur radio satellites, MARIA-G (HADES-F) and UNNE-1
(HADES-E), are planned to launch from the UKâs SaxaVord Spaceport later
in 2024. Previously announced amateur radio payloads on the launch are:
ERMINAZ-1U and -1V from AMSAT-DL
GENESIS-MA and -ME from AMSAT-EA
QUBIK 5, SIDLOC-PQ-1 and -PQ-2 from Libre Space Foundation
MARIA-G
A 1.5u Pocketqube. MARIA-G will offer
radio amateurs around the world the opportunity to relay FM voice and
AX.25 / APRS 300 / 1200 bps communications. The satellite will also
transmit telemetry with its status and voice and CW messages. This all
will be achieved by implementing a SDR based FM and FSK repeater. The FM
/ FSK repeater will be available all time and opened by squelch level
without the need of a PL tone/CTCSS.
Main mission for MARIA-G is to be a FM repeater but it will also
include a simple guess game being implemented by students at Maria
Guerrero High School in Collado Villalba â Madrid (Spain). The satellite
will send a clue each week in CW so radio amateurs will have to solve
the mystery by having all the clues.
A small experiment, developed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research
organization (Germany) will also fly on the satellite to make proof of
concept transmissions of a TS-UNB waveform from a low Earth orbit. It
will transmit a TS-UNB message according to the ETSI standard
ETSI-TS-103-357. It is intended solely as a research and development
project with no commercial intent, all its data public and open. ITU
modulation classification would be 100K W2DWW but the bandwidth will be
narrowed. The operation of this experiment will be managed by AMSAT-EA.
UNNE-1
A 1.5u Pocketqube. UNNE-1 will offer radio
amateurs around the world the opportunity to relay FM voice and AX.25 /
APRS 300 / 1200 bps communications. The satellite will also transmit
telemetry with its status and voice and CW messages.
This all will be achieved by implementing a SDR based FM and FSK
repeater. The FM / FSK repeater will be available all time and opened by
squelch level without the need of a PL tone/CTCSS.
A small guessing-game is being implemented by students of Universidad
de Nebrija (Spain). The satellite will send a clue each week in its
telemetry so radio-amateurs will have to solve the mystery by having all
the clues. Game will be detailed in AMSAT-EA and Universidad de Nebrija
websites.
The main mission for the satellite is acting as a FM voice repeater
although due to its SDR nature it can repeat data too. This satellite is
based on the hardware of HADES-D (SO-121) thatâs currently being used
to amateurs worldwide. The guess game implemented by the University is a
small challenge for the radio-amateurs and its mission is to make the
reception of signals from the satellite fun for youngsters, expecting
them to be future radio amateurs.
Proposing a UHF downlink, VHF Uplink for FM voice, FSK data up to
1200 bps, APRS up to 1200 bps and FSK telemetry and experimental data up
to 1600 bps and CW.
These two satellites are part of the Erminaz mission, a joint effort
by AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA and Libre Space Foundation. Planning a DLR/ESA
launch from the UK SaxaVord Spaceport in Summer 2024 into 500/600 km
polar orbit.
For more information see:
IARU satellite frequency coordination pages https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/index.php
AMSAT-DL ERMINAZ https://amsat-dl.org/en/erminaz/
AMSAT-EA projects https://www.amsat-ea.org/proyectos/
Libre Space Foundation projects https://libre.space/projects/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
The 2024 AMSAT Presidentâs Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus
Join the AMSAT Presidentâs Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
AO-73 Goes on Hiatus
A messages from the FC1 operations team reads,
âAfter a good period of transponder activity FUNcube batteries need a
short rest. We plan to switch the transponder OFF between March 3rd to
15th subject to operational conditions. The satellite will be placed
Safe mode and will still provide low power telemetry
[ANS thanks David Johnson, G4DPZ for the above information.]
M2 LEO-Pack Antenna
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/
Bochum Space Conference 2024
From September 20-22, 2024, AMSAT-DL is organizing a symposium, flea
market and general meeting in the radome of the Bochum Observatory. The
radome will once again be dedicated to satellite and space research.
AMSAT Deutschland e.V. and the Bochum Observatory are taking the
positive experience of the anniversary conference in 2023 as an
opportunity to inform AMSAT members and other space enthusiasts about
current and future prospects for national and international space
projects with a varied program. As the radome is also the location of
ESAâs education office in Germany (esero Germany), they want to make the
symposium even more attractive in future and at the same time focus
even more on current European space travel.
The planning so far envisages the following schedule:
Friday, September 20, 2024
Come-together in the afternoon including short guided tours in the radome.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
From 9:00 a.m. AMSAT symposium with lecture program. Amateur radio flea market in the radome.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
From 10:00 a.m. General meeting
Further information on the AMSAT-DL space conference in Bochum will
follow in the course of 2024. The conference program is expected to be
available on our website beginning in July. Speakers with interesting
topics wanted, please get in touch!
For further information see https://amsat-dl.org/en/bochum-space-conference-2024/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL 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 February 23, 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. 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 satellites have been removed from this weekâs AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
CAPE-3 NORAD Cat ID 47309 Decayed from orbit on or about 17 February 2024
GRIFEX NORAD Cat ID 40379 Decayed from orbit on or about 22 February 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.
Completed Contacts
Girl Scout Troop 1089, Sacramento, CA, direct via N6NA.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Loral OâHara, KI5TOM.
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN.
Contact was successful on Thursday February 22, 2024.
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 reported to be active on the ARISS status page
(145.825 MHz up & down) but the AMSAT satellite status page shows no
recent contacts as of the time of this writing.
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 at this time.
[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.
CubeSat Developers Workshop 2024
April 23â25, 2024
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
https://www.cubesatdw.org/
Dayton Hamvention 2024
May 17, 2024 â May 19, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road, Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org
38th Annual Small Satellite Conference
Logan, UT, USA
August 3-8, 2024
https://smallsat.org/
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The European Space Agency Academyâs CubeSat Summer School is open
for applications. Taking place over four weeks from 5 to 30 August 2024
at ESEC-Galaxia (Transinne, Belgium), applications are now open for
university students with engineering, physics and business management
backgrounds. During the Summer School, ESA and external experts will
deliver an extensive mix of lectures and hands-on activities. The entire
project lifecycle of a satellite mission will be covered, from design
to verification, launch and operations, including typical milestone
reviews and new methodologies. Students will be introduced to legal,
cybersecurity, and economic aspects of space projects. The Summer School
will even introduce space entrepreneurship skills, offering support in
devising methods of turning a CubeSat into a viable and profitable
business opportunity. More information at http://tinyurl.com/ANS-056-ESA-Summer-School. [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information.]
+ NASA is developing a plan to deorbit the International Space
Station (ISS) at the end of its lifetime, currently scheduled for 2030.
Since the 356-foot-wide laboratory is too big to completely vaporize if
left to naturally burn in Earthâs atmosphere, the space agency intends
to send a US spacecraft to help deorbit the station and direct its
reentry over the unpopulated South Pacific. The goal is to give the ISS
an extra âspace tugâ to help it move more than it could with its own
thrust, and guide the final burns for ISS to re-enter Earthâs
atmosphere. The space tug is expected to cost $1 billion, agency
officials had said earlier this year. Earlier this year, Russia agreed
to stay onboard ISS through 2028, rather than its previous timeline of
2024, after which it may focus on building its own station in low-Earth
orbit. Other partner countries have agreed to continue their presence
through 2030, but it is not clear precisely how they will contribute to
retiring the ISS. More information at http://tinyurl.com/ANS-056-ISS-Tug. [ANS thanks the SpaceRef.com for the above information.]
+ Martians Wanted: NASA has opened the call for a simulated yearlong
Mars mission. If youâre looking for an extended vacation next year, NASA
is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year
Mars surface mission to help inform the agencyâs plans for human
exploration of the Red Planet. The second of three planned ground-based
missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog)
is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025. Each CHAPEA mission involves a
four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a
1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASAâs Johnson Space
Center in Houston. The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates
the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations,
equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental
stressors. Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations,
habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth. More information at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-056-Mars-Mission. [ANS thanks the NASA for the above information.]
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
- Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
- Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
- Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status
shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6
post-secondary years in this status.
- Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This weekâs ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org