AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-055

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, 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://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

In this edition:

• 50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement Award (Limited Edition) Starts March 3rd
• FalconSAT-3 Digipeater Waiting for Your APRS Packets
• Qatar OSCAR-100 Web Receiver Now Live
• AMSAT Journal January/February 2019 Is on Its Way
• KickSat-2 is Alive and Being Tracked (Updated 2/19/2019)
• Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course
• IARU Region 1 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Announced
• This Month in AMSAT History
• AMSAT-SA Space Symposium March 16, 2019
• HamSCI Workshop Receives National Science Foundation Grant
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055 01 ANS-055 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055 01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD February 24, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-055 01

50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement Award (Limited Edition) Starts March 3rd

Get those uplinks ready! Much like the regular AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement Award, the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition is unique in that the award certificates will be printed on one of the original goldenrod paper stock certificates and signed by AMSAT’s founding President, Perry Klein, K3JTE (now W3PK) With only 20 original certificates available, this award will certainly become a collector’s item

The first 20 applicants to successfully submit 20 confirmed, qualifying contacts on any satellite will receive this award A qualifying contact is defined as the establishment of two-way communication on any amateur radio satellite, with another station in a U S state, Canadian call area, or DXCC entity, no two of which may be the same

• All contacts must be made between March 03, 2019 00:00 UTC and December 31, 2019 23:59 UTC

• A U S state shall mean any state of the United States and the District of Columbia

• The 14 Canadian call areas are VE1 – Nova Scotia, VE2 – Quebec, VE3 – Ontario, VE4 – Manitoba, VE5 – Saskatchewan, VE6 – Alberta, VE7 – British Columbia, VE8 – Northwest Territories, VE9 – New Brunswick, VO1 – Newfoundland, VO2 – Labrador, VY0 – Nunavut, VY1 – Yukon, VY2 – Prince Edward Island

• Only one qualifying contact is allowed for each U S state, Canadian call area, and DXCC entity

• Qualifying contacts may not be counted for multiple types of entities As an example, a QSO with Alaska counts as an additional state or DXCC entity, not both

• Contacts must be made from same location, or from locations, no two of which are more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart

• Previous recipients of the AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award, may apply for the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award

The complete rules and instructions for applying for this and all 50th Anniversary Awards can be found at: https://www amsat org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information ]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ For a limited time, new and renewing AMSAT members will receive a free digital copy of "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites" Join or renew your AMSAT membership today at https://www amsat org/product-category/amsat-membership/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

FalconSAT-3 Digipeater Waiting for Your APRS Packets

While NO-84 is in a poor sun angle and the ISS digipeater proves to be a challenge these days, APRS fans might be longing for something to do Fear not!

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR reminds us that FalconSAT-3 is available to us 5 times a day (Or, more like 5 times a night for US operators right now ) Bob writes:

"For APRS folks just sitting in their mobile with nothing to do, you can work FalconSAT-3 from any APRS mobile Although passes now are from about midnight to 6 AM EST, that pattern moves earlier about 36 minutes a day

"Unlike the NO-84 and ISS digipeaters that operate on a single 2 meter frequency, FalconSAT-3 uses an uplink of 145 840 MHz and a downlink of 435 103 MHz The uplink doesn’t change, but the downlink frequency needs to be adjusted downward throughout a pass Tune 435 110 MHz at start of pass, then clicking down steps of 5 KHz towards the middle of the pass and then ending at 435 095 by the end ten minutes later If you are just going to monitor overnight, set to 435 103 for the early middle of the pass and check your LIST in the morning

"The FalconSAT digipeater operates APRS at 9600 baud and works fine from a 50W APRS mobile with mobile antenna Just turn on your rig, set the internal TNC to 9600 baud and monitor the downlink You should see packets from PFS3-1 (the APRS broadcast call sign) and other stations

"Uplink takes a few more settings Using a Kenwood TM-D710:

• Set your path to go via PFS3-1
• Set the TNC to TX A and RX B
• Set the uplink on band A to 145 84 (No need to adjust for Doppler)
• Set the beacon to once a minute
• Turn off decay and proportional pathing

"You will NOT see your own digipeats Although the satellite and D710 are operating full duplex, the D710 TNC is not By the time the TNC TX/RX turns around, you will already have missed it So don't keep transmitting until you see your packet You won't see it But, when you do see someone else's APRS packet, by all means send them a message If he ACKS, then success!

"You don't even need a computer to predict FalconSAT-3's passes Once you hear a pass, then just remember that passes are 36 minutes earlier each day and the next pass is always 98 minutes later unless that was the last pass of the day "

For more detailed information on programming various radios for working FalconSAT-3, see Patrick, WD9EWK's AMSAT Journal article at: https://tinyurl com/ans-055-falconsat-3

[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information ]

---

Qatar OSCAR-100 Web Receiver Now Live

The BATC and AMSAT-UK 10 GHz Narrowband WebSDR and Wideband Spectrum Viewer for the amateur radio transponders on the Es’hail-2 / QO-100 geostationary satellite are now available online

The geostationary satellite Es’hail-2 carrying amateur radio transponders launched from Kennedy Space Center at 20:46 GMT on Thursday, November 15, 2018 and is now in a geostationary orbit at 25 9° East The transponders should link radio amateurs across a third of the globe from Brazil to Thailand

Following commissioning of the satellite on February 12, 2019 the Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) invited radio amateurs worldwide to use the Es’hail-2 / QO-100 narrowband transponder

In co-operation with AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club will be operating a 10 GHz WebSDR for the narrowband segment, and a Spectrum Viewer for the wideband (DATV) segment Goonhilly Earth Station is supporting the project, providing hosting for the Ground Station facility at their world-famous site in Cornwall, UK

You can listen to the WebSDR's at: https://eshail batc org uk/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information ]

---

AMSAT Journal January/February 2019 Is on Its Way

The current issue (Volume 42, Number 1) of The AMSAT Journal is on its way to AMSAT members' mailboxes

This issue's cover features a well-illustrated story of the AMSAT operation on the Queen Mary by Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK Other interesting articles in this edition include:

• In his Apogee View column President Joe Spier, K6WAO hints at a 1969 themed "OSCAR Park" display AMSAT's Golden Jubilee booth at Dayton Hamvention

• Educational Relations Update by Alan B Johnston, KU2Y

• New AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: Part 2, Classroom Activities by Alan B Johnston, KU2Y and Pat Kilroy, N8PK

• AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program

• Fox-in-a-Box: An Easily Deployed Satellite Telemetry Receiver by Burns Fisher, WB1FJ and Chris Thompson, G0KLA

• Grid Squares and Dough Squares: A Mississippi/Louisiana Rove by Robert Bankston, KE4AL and Brian Karcher, KG5GJT

• L-band Uplink Amplifier by Ed Krome, K9EK

• Arduino Based Amateur Satellite Antenna Tracker - ABBASAT by Don Corrington, AK2S

• Digital Voice on Amateur Satellites: Experiences with LilacSat-OSCAR 90 by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

• Member Footprints: Share Your Experiences as an AMSAT Member

Remember, if you're not an AMSAT member, you're not getting The AMSAT Journal and you're NOT getting all the news!

[ANS thanks AMSAT Journal Editor-in-Chief Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK for the above information ]

---

KickSat-2 is Alive and Being Tracked (Updated 2/19/2019)

For the first couple of days after the 3U KickSat-2 was deployed from Cygnus NG-10 last November, nothing was heard from the satellite But in a February 16 post to AMSAT-BB, Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, reported receiving several short and weak transmissions from KickSat 2 — short telemetry bursts on 437 5077 MHz Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, is the principal investigator for the KickSat project, which NASA adopted as an official mission

“Yes, KickSat-2 is alive,” Manchester told ARRL “We have been tracking it since Thursday, [February 14,] and have been able to decode at least some packets The signal is weak and we think the antenna did not properly deploy on the CubeSat ”

KickSat-2 is scheduled to deploy up to 104 tiny Sprite satellites into low Earth orbit The Sprites then would transmit on 437 240 MHz at 10 mW, communicating with each other via a mesh network and with command stations on Earth The Sprites, which are less than 2 square inches, are expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere within weeks Manchester did not indicate if attempts would be made to deploy the Sprites

NASA calls KickSat-2 a technology demonstration mission that’s designed to demonstrate the deployment and operation of prototype Sprite “ChipSats,” also known as “femtosatellites ”

The FCC recently imposed a $900,000 penalty on a commercial concern, Swarm Technologies, for launching similar tiny satellites after the FCC had denied permission “These spacecraft are therefore below the size threshold at which detection by the Space Surveillance Network can be considered routine,” the FCC told Swarm Technologies

Manchester had been trying without success to convince the FCC to allow him to deploy the Sprites from KickSat-2, but, apparently gun shy after the Swarm action, the agency denied permission at the last moment Once NASA adopted KickSat-2 as its own mission, however, the regulatory body shifted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the launch went forward

In the Swarm Technologies proceeding, the FCC has argued that satellites smaller than 10 centimeters on any side were too small, although the agency has been accused of inconsistency in its approach to licensing small satellites KickSat-2’s Sprites are 3 5 centimeters on the side and just 0 2 centimeters thick Manchester’s 2014 KickSat was unable to deploy its Sprites before deorbiting

The FCC issued an Enforcement Advisory last April to remind satellite operators that they must obtain FCC authorization for space station and Earth station operations The advisory cautioned satellite operators and launch companies against proceeding with launch arrangements following a license denial or prior to receiving an FCC authorization

Manchester is reported to be developing a plan to deploy a group of small satellites to survey the sky in the LF radio range, something that cannot be done from the ground owing to the ionosphere

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information ]

---

Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course

The European Space Agency's Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course was created to get students thinking like spacecraft operators 30 university students from 12 different ESA Member States have successfully completed the latest Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course Running from 5 – 8 February 2019, and hosted at ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility, ESEC-Galaxia in Belgium, the course was delivered by a senior ESA engineer

This course was the fourth edition of ESA Academy’s Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course The tried-and-tested aim remained: acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of spacecraft telecommunications The “Ladybird approach” was used throughout, meaning that lectures avoided excessive mathematical and analytical detail, and were furnished with a wealth of real-l life examples supplemented with easy to understand diagrams

A secondary course aim was to “fill the gap” between spacecraft operators and telecommunications designers Traditionally, designers cannot think “as operators”, and this course offered participants an opportunity to use the “spacecraft operator point of view” when designing a ground station or a telecommunications subsystem of a spacecraft

Throughout the course students were introduced to various spacecraft telecommunications topics, including:

• Signal modulation and demodulation
• Channel coding
• Communication protocols
• Transmission
• Link budget for signal reception, and
• Ground stations

ESA’s Training and Learning Program is offering several other training session opportunities in the coming months They will cover different fields of ESA expertise, such as Space Debris, Standardization, Product Assurance, Space Law, and Gravity-Related Research

For more information on the program visit: https://tinyurl com/ans-055-eas-ladybird

[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information ]

---

IARU Region 1 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Announced

The Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) program is an IARU Region 1 initiative aimed at engaging youngsters in amateur radio, as well as supporting amateurs under the age of 26

The YOTA program is jointly led by Lisa, PA2LS and Tommy, ON2TD, and organizes a number of projects, including YOTA Month, the IARU Youth Contesting Program, and the YOTA summer event—which is held in a different IARU Region 1 country each year For further information about YOTA, visit: https://www ham-yota com

The 2019 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) summer camp will be held in Bulgaria, close to the capital city of Sofia The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA) will be hosting the event, which will take place from 11-17 August 2019 This is a chance in a lifetime for young RSGB Members to represent their country and national society Find out more at: https://rsgb org/main/about-us/yota/yota-2019/

[ANS thanks the RSGB for the above information ]

---

This Month in AMSAT History

While starting our Golden Jubilee, it's fun to take a look back at what has happened over the past fifty years Here's a peek at some news items from the archives of "The "AMSAT Journal", aka "Amateur Satellite Report" aka "AMSAT Newsletter" as it has been named over the years Unfortunately our archives are not complete so we sometimes had to pull some snippets from adjacent issues

2009

President Barry Baines, WD4ASW announces an Engineering Task Force to evaluate satellite proposals and to help AMSAT prioritize how it uses its engineering resources

AMSAT-NA faces a critical crossroad in its support of international development of amateur satellites because of various export control rules, primarily ITAR Without an acceptable handle on ITAR issues,
AMSAT-NA may be forced to go it alone developing satellites

Several existing and potential future options for launching Phase 3 satellites are explored The constantly evolving business environment for launching secondary payloads is discussed To be successful AMSAT and its volunteers must adapt to how satellite projects are supported and managed

1999

President Keith Baker, KB1SF discusses finding a safe and affordable launch for Phase 3D In addition to Phase 3D there are a number of new satellites on the drawing boards Many satellites are underused now Make a New Year's resolution to try different satellites and different modes

As we approach the year 2000, Roy D Welch, W0SL reviews items we need to check out in our computers and software to be sure that date and time sensitive software will function after January 1st

Concern is expressed over the large number of nanosats (the size of basketballs) that are being launched with high risk of leaving space debris Also worrisome is the considerable number of university people who plan on using Amateur Radio frequencies thinking they are free for use by just anyone

1987

The long rumored launch of RS-9 and RS-10 is expected in January 1987 RS-5 and RS-7 have survived the long eclipse period but have sustained further battery damage

AMSAT President Emeritus Tom Clark, W3IWI received a high honor from NASA for this work in the field of Very Long Baseline Interferometry

AO-10 is again providing excellent communications despite fundamental IHU memory problems Users are advised to enjoy A)-10 while they can

March 1974

March celebrates AMSAT's 5th anniversary with membership topping 1,100 dues paying members in 52 countries

President Perry Klein, K3JTE reports Oscar B is about two months behind schedule The launch of Oscar 7 has been rescheduled to July 1974

Jan King, W3GEY proposes an analog telemetry system for future satellites to obtain data on functions that vary rapidly with time

With a year of operating time under their belts, users are beginning to understand the idiosyncrasies of Oscar 6, such as why it is on when it should be off

The latest edition of the Radio Amateur Callbook now includes a directory of Oscar 6 users

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information ]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www zazzle com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

AMSAT-SA Space Symposium March 16, 2019

Es’hailsat has been one of the major discussions on the agenda of the AMSAT Space Symposiums over the past two years with Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP providing details of how to set up an inexpensive ground station

The subject will again be on the agenda on 16 March 2019 when Hannes will show the final version of his ground station and make some QSOs during a live demonstration

For this alone do not miss the 2019 Space Symposium to be held on March 16, 2019 in Midrand There are many other interesting presentations and demonstrations on the agenda It is an event not to be missed For details and a registration form visit: www amsatsa org za

AMSAT SA is also proud to announce that AMSAT SA Space Symposium 2019 is being validated by the SAIEE, as per ECSA Policy, under validation no SAIEE- 2479-V

Es’hailsat is the first geostationary satellite to cover Africa, Europe and the Middle East providing DX opportunities 24 hours per day The transponder was built by AMSAT DL in Germany and is being managed by the Qatar Amateur Radio Society

[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information ]

---

HamSCI Workshop Receives National Science Foundation Grant

The HamSCI Workshop March 22 – 23 at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, has received a supporting grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Organized and administered by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the conference is hosted by the CWRU Amateur Radio Club (W8EDU) Registration remains open, and papers and presentations are invited

“We are especially looking for speakers with presentations showing analysis of ionospheric observations, ideas and proposals for the design of the Personal Space Weather Station and instrumentation for the 2024 eclipse,” HamSCI’s Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, said Other presentations related to Amateur Radio and science also are welcome Email abstracts to hamsci@hamsci org

The theme for this year’s conference will be “Ionospheric Effects and Sensing,” including the use of Amateur Radio techniques to characterize and study ionospheric phenomena Discussion will include continued development of the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station and integration of Amateur Radio into the collegiate curriculum

Featured speakers will include well-known Amateur Radio author Ward Silver, N0AX, propagation specialist Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, and Larisa Goncharenko, who will talk on Space Science for Ham Radio Operators The NSF conference grant from the Geosciences Directorate will facilitate conference activities and associated logistics

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information ]

---

Upcoming Satellite Operations

• Eureka Nunavut (ER60, EQ79) – February 3, - March 29, 2019 Eureka ARC, VY0ERC, will be QRV from Eureka, NU (NA-008), February 3 until March 29, 2019 Time and weather permitting, they expect to be on the FM satellites from ER60 and EQ79 Announcements will be posted on Twitter at https://twitter com/vy0erc

• Turks and Caicos Islands (FL31) – February 28 - March 9, 2019 Adrian, AA5UK, will be heading to Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands from Feb 28th through March 9th, 2019 He will be operating holiday style on HF and Satellites as VP5/AA5UK from grid FL31UU14 Focus will be on the linear satellites, with some FM activity depending on pile-up civility Hope to work some European stations as location favors the East Pass announcements will be made via Twitter: https://twitter com/AA5UK and periodically via amsat-bb

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information ]

• Russia and Eastern Europe - February 24 - March 14, 2019 Gabe Harambe, AL6D/VE6NJH is on the first of four flights for another of his signature trips This voyage stakes him to Poland (Feb 24-28), Lithuania (Feb 28-Mar 4), Kaliningrad (Mar 4-7), Saint Petersburg (Mar 7-11), Åland Islands (Mar 11-13), and Helsinki (Mar 13-14) Gabe thinks the most desired entities are going to be UA2 and OH0 Unfortunately OH0 is gonna be quick, arriving in the evening and leaving in the morning for two nights and one full day) He hopes to make US contacts from every entity and will try to hit as many grids as feasible He will have a car in Vilnius and Kaliningrad, but good transatlantic locations will take precedence over grids Don't expect Gabe on every pass "I'm traveling with family and we'll be doing touristy stuff, but I'll make my best effort to be on the great AO-7 and FO-29 passes across the ocean I'm operating ninja portable like the good ole days, QRP with two FT-817NDs and an arrow, hopefully that doesn't attract too much negative attention from customs in Russia " Updates will be on Twitter @AL6D_Alaska

  [ANS thanks Gabe Zeifman, AL6D/VE6NJH/Harambe1 for the above information ]

---

ARISS News

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of February 19, 2019, 21:30 UTC:

• Huntington High School, Huntington, TX, direct via KI5AJL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is go for Monday February 25, 2019, 19:39:52 UTC 25 degs

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information ]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign
 to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades
 on ISS
 The upgrades are necessary to enable students to
 continue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio


     For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit:
  https://fundrazr
com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Satellite Shorts from All Over

• First AMSAT Rover Award for 2019 Congratulation to Casey, KI7UNJ, for earning the first AMSAT Rover Award for 2019 Number 041 Keep on Rov'in!

[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Awards for the above information ]

• Build your own Space Weather dashboard

Jan van den Berg, PA2P wrote an article on how to build your own Space Weather Dashboard with NOAA data The article is about how to design your own gauges and charts with Space Weather data from NOAA for your own website, instead of using the existing dashboards Jan's article can be viewed at: http://www pa2p nl/noaa

[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information ]

• ESA Introduces Interactive Nanosatellite Simulator

Through an innovative combination of a plug-and-play test platform and software, the UK Harwell-based SME is slashing the time it takes for space missions to be designed and qualified for launch

Their online ‘beeApp’ software helps define a full space mission from the ground up, including selection of launchers, ground stations and satellite size

Based on those parameters, it runs simulations on the orbits, amount of power received by the satellite from the sun, and when it can communicate with the ground This data is then used to create the optimal mission profile

Once that has been decided, their ‘beeKit’ hardware emulates the size, on-board computer and electrical interfaces of a real satellite, to facilitate the design and testing of the actual payloads When linked, these two tools can simulate the mission in space, and how the payload will perform

More information of the program is available at: https://tinyurl com/ans-055-esa-beekit

[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information ]

• SSO-A Solar Sails Deployed - May be Visible to the Naked Eye

The solar sails on the SSO-A mission "Free Flyer" deployers, launched December 3, 2018, are believed to have deployed and may now be quite bright to the naked eye

The systems were standalone isolated systems with no communications so there is no telemetry confirmation Drag parameters from the TLEs are indicative of a successful deployment, but far from definitive The University of Surrey team is waiting for them to become optically visible in northern latitudes in the next couple of weeks Based on the experience with our InflateSail mission, they expect these objects to be quite bright to the naked eye if the sails have deployed successfully InflateSail was 10m2 and (initially) transparent with a +4 2 mag, whereas these sails are 16m2 and metalized so could well flare brightly

Any observations made by the community of either of these objects would be greatly appreciated and they should make for interesting targets View the complete story at: https://amsat-uk org/2019/02/14/sso-a-solar-sails-deployed/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information ]

• CubeSat Developers Workshop: April 23-25 Adds New Workshops

The CubeSat Developers Workshop to be held at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has announced the following additional conferences and workshops:

• CubeSat Training Course: April 26-27
• CubeSat Astronomy Workshop: April 26-27
• LunarCubes Workshop: April 26
• Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference (ISSC): April 29-30

For more information on these additional workshops and to register, visit: http://www cubesat org/workshop-information/#conferences-link

[ANS thanks CubeSat for the above information ]

• ISS and Amateur Radio as Art

The impressive artwork “Ten Minute Transmission”, featuring a Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver and the International Space Station, is on display at the Tate Gallery in London

"Ten Minute Transmission" is a sculpture modeled after the International Space Station Made of wire and attached to a TS-2000 this sculpture receives radio signals from the airwaves and transmits them into the gallery space See the sculpture at: https://tinyurl com/ans-055-sculpture

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information ]

• Kyutech is World's No 1 for University Small Satellite Launches

A space industry report states that Kyutech is the world No 1 academic operator of small satellites Bryce Space and Technology is a company based in northern Virginia in the United States and is partially funded by NASA it produces reports about the space industry It has just released "Smallsats by the Numbers 2018" and in this report it is stated that Kyutech has launched the highest number of small satellites among all "academic operators" of the world, followed by Nanyang Technical University, Singapore; San Jose State University, USA; and Tsinghua University, China

Kyutech deployed 5 satellites into orbit in 2018, and 4 will be launched in 2019 Therefore, by the end of 2019, it is expected that the small satellite launch tally for Kyutech will reach 18

[ANS thanks Kyutech Institute of Technology for the above information ]

• Longer-Lasting Propulsion System Designed for CubeSats

According to Purdue scientists, chemical thrusters used in current Cubesats can become irreversibly damaged through repeated use, ultimately giving out before the CubeSat's planned lifespan is over

Utilizing a technique known as Low Energy Surface Flashover (LESF), it creates plasma which is electromagnetically accelerated down a narrow channel As the plasma leaves that channel, thrust is produced The whole process uses relatively little energy, with each thrust pulse lasting less than 100 to 200 nanoseconds (a nanosecond is one billionth of a second)

Because the pulses are so short, there is very little cumulative damage to the system In lab tests, one of the LESF setups was still operational after more than 1 5 million pulses More information is available at: https://newatlas com/cubesat-lesf-propulsion/58365/

[ANS thanks New Atlas for the above information ]

• Laser “License Plate” Could Improve Identification of Cubesats

A technology using a tiny laser tracker could help resolve one of the major challenges involved with the launching of cubesats: identifying individual satellites after their deployment

The solution developed at Los Alamos is called the Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI) “A simple blinking light can be seen from orbit if it’s the right kind of light and it blinks in the right way and then looked at it with the right kind of detector

A laser transmits brief pulses of light that encodes the identification code, but keeps the system’s average power at the milliwatt level That signal can be detected on the ground with a 35-centimeter telescope equipped with a narrow spectral filter to block light at all frequencies other than that the laser transmits it More information is available at: https://tinyurl com/ans-055-license-plate

[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information ]

---

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits Application forms are available from the AMSAT office

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 six post-secondary years in this status

Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information

73, This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat org AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA

Not an AMSAT member: Join now to support the amateur satellite program!

Subscription settings: http://www amsat org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

---

Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA http://www amsat org/mailman/listinfo/ans