In this edition:

* AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers
* The January/February AMSAT Journal is Available
* The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed
* Austria Restricts 23cm Band Operation
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 23, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 Mar 26

AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers

(repeated from last week)

It’s less than eight weeks away when Amateur Radio’s biggest event of the year happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. That’s right, May 19-20 is Hamvention time when over 30,000 of our closest friends get together to get a first hand look at the latest products and to catch up with friends from around the world.

With over 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, AMSAT is a major Hamvention exhibitor with displays from Engineering, Operations, Educational Relations, the AMSAT Store and much more. Last year in 2022, about 35 people assisted with the AMSAT booth.  It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2022 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun.

Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you’re available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated.

If you will be attending Hamvention and can help, please send an e-mail to Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator via w1eme [at] amsat [dot]org.

[ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator for the above information.]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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The January/February AMSAT Journal is Available

The January/February 2023 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal.

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.

[ANS thanks Joe Koronowski, Editor AMSAT Journal for the above information]

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The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed

Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA shares some of the little-known techniques and implications of rocket architectural design. The discussion is fascinating and a valuable set of observations for those who are not in the business. Why big rockets sometimes do less. Why little rockets sometimes cost more. And why every rocket has its very own, perfect mission.

There is no single, best rocket. Different rockets do different things. As it turns out, the design of a rocket flows directly from the mission the rocket is intended to do, and there are many different missions. Any given rocket is optimal for a specific orbit and payload. Its efficiency falls off as we move away from that perfect case.

The entire Blog is comprehensive and available at: https://bit.ly/42BIAOA

[ANS thanks Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA and the Medium platform for the above information]

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

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Austria Restricts 23cm Band Operation

Austria has become the latest country to impose restrictions on Amateur Radio operation in the 23 cm band (1240-1300 MHz) to protect to protect ground-based receivers for the Galileo RNSS satellite constellation.

Advice from Austria’s national amateur radio society ÖVSV cites changes to the legal conditions in the AFU area from 03/13/2023:
Annex 2 of the Amateur Radio Ordinance is omitted and is now regulated in the Frequency Use Ordinance Annex 4. This results in some changes in the frequency ranges and powers.
For the KW bands 80m, 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m, 1KW (High-Power) can now be approved for Class 1 FA after 1 year of trouble-free operation.
Thus, the power limitation of 7100-7200 kHz (previously only 200W) in the 40m band is eliminated and AFU has primary status.
30m band still only max. 200W if power level B or C approved (no change)
160m band from 1810-1850 kHz now max. 200W if power level B or C approved and AFU has primary status.
160m band from 1850-2000 kHz only max. 100W (now instead of 1950 kHz up to 2000 kHz)

2023-03-13 Austrian Regulations
The 6m band has been extended from 52-54MHz. (Limited until 31.12.2030, for research WRAN)
-from 50-52 MHz now max 200W if power level B or C approved and AFU has primary status.
-from 52-54MHz only max 100W.
On the 70cm band now also allowed as already on 2m high-power (up to 1KW), if power level B or C approved (but only EME and MS with Yagis from at least 15dBd gain)
The 23cm band was kept, but the performance was severely limited
-only 10W allowed (previously max. 200W were allowed)
-Repeaters with more than 16kHz bandwidth must cease operation by December 31, 2024.
On all higher FM bands (except 10 GHz, since only 40dbW EIRB) now also max. 200W (previously only 100W) allowed.
On 24GHz AFU has only secondary status

Please note the new conditions.
Kurt Baumann OE1KBC

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Kurt OE1KBC for the above information]

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

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 26, 2023

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

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

None

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

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ARISS NEWS

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

“Valle de Camargo” High School, Revilla de Camargo, Spain, direct via EA1FBG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO. Contact is go for: Mon 2023-03-27 15:09:00 UTC 36 deg.

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia. Direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Thu 2023-03-30 08:20 UTC

Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi  KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor is ON6TI. Contact is go for: Fri 2023-03-31 08:49:06 UTC 72 deg

Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Fri 2023-03-31 13:50 UTC

Stone Magnet Middle School, Melbourne, Fl, direct via AJ9N. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is AJ9N. Contact is go for: Fri 2023-03-31 18:07:55 UTC 50 deg

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

ARISS from Twitter: We’ve updated our username here on Twitter to @ARISS_Intl to make us easier to find.  If you are all ready following, thanks!  There’s nothing for you to do.

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

SAT DXPEDITION MENORCA ISLAND 2023
(DXCC : EA6 Balearic is. / GRIDS : JN10+JN20+JM19+JM29 / IOTA : EU-004)
Philippe, EA4NF will be operating on satellite from MENORCA Island as EA6/EA4NF from April 5 to 8, 223. Portable activation with a FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna and also handheld+whip antenna. April 5-8, 2023 FM SAT & LINEARS. QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF. Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates : @EA4NF_SAT

CY0S, the Sable Island DXpedition, is equipped with satellite gear and will attempt satellite operations as schedule and conditions permit. Operations will be announced on https://hams.at/  Sable is mostly in grid GN03, with parts of the island in both FN93 and GN04. The expedition is set up in FN93xw, very near the GN03/FN93 grid line. (ANS thanks https://t-rexsoftware.com/cy0s/frequencies.htm for the above information)

Joe, KE9AJ will be in New Mexico Mar 26-30. Then onto DN70 in Colorado Apr 1-10. He will have his IO-117 gear with him. This will be a family trip so sat operations will be as time permits. Watch his Twitter Feed and AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations web page for more info as it becomes available.

The AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations web page may be found at:
https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, and https://t-rexsoftware.com/cy0s/frequencies.htm for the above information]

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a satellite presentation scheduled with a group in Thames Valley, England (5/11/23)
Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/

Hamvention 2023 is coming! Greene County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center, May 19 – 21. AMSAT will have a full display as detailed by Phil Smith W1EME above. Please reach out to Phil if you can help.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Doug Papay, K8DP has continued to document the GreenCube IO-117 user lists by providing a very nice mapping page using the Google My Maps application. It is well worth a browse if you are considering using the satellite or are already involved. See: https://bit.ly/3LCKmsR. [ANS thanks the Doug Papay, K8DP for the above information]

+ After 15 years in space, NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission has ended. NASA first noticed issues with AIM’s battery in 2019, but the probe was still sending a “significant amount of data” back to Earth. NASA says AIM has now become unresponsive. Launched in 2007, AIM studied noctilucent or night-shining clouds, which can last hundreds of years in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. It was only meant to operate up for two years, but it’s provided data for multiple groundbreaking studies, including a study that found methane emissions are causing night-shining clouds to form more frequently. (ANS thanks Engadget for the above information)

+ The world’s first 3D-printed rocket launched successfully on Wednesday, marking a step forward for the California company behind the innovative spacecraft, though it failed to reach orbit. Billed as less costly to produce and fly, the unmanned Terran 1 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:25 pm (0325 GMT Thursday) but suffered an “anomaly” during second-stage separation as it streamed towards low Earth orbit, according to a livestream broadcast by aerospace startup Relativity Space. More may be found at https://bit.ly/3K1sSoI  [ANS thanks Chris Lefkow and Lucie Aubourg of AFP, and Space Daily for the above information]

+NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module. WASHINGTON — NASA is projecting spending nearly $1 billion on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station at the end of the decade to provide redundancy for safely disposing of the station. NASA released additional details March 13 about its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. An outline of the proposal, published by the White House March 9, requested $27.2 billion for the agency, a 7.1% increase from 2023 that roughly keeps pace with inflation. One of the biggest new initiatives in the budget is the ISS deorbit tug, which would be used to perform the final lowering of the station’s orbit to ensure it reenters over the South Pacific. NASA first indicated its plans for the tug in a request for information last August, but offered few specifics about the vehicle in the budget request. [ANS thanks Jeff Foust of Space News for the above information]

+Is it possible that SpaceX has succeeded in making orbital launches boring? Increasingly, the answer to this question appears to be yes. On Friday the California-based company launched two Falcon 9 rockets within the span of just a little more than four hours. At 12:26 pm local time, a Falcon 9 rocket carried 52 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A mere 4 hours and 12 minutes later, another Falcon 9 rocket delivered two large communications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit for the Luxembourg-based satellite company SES from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This broke SpaceX’s record for the shortest duration between two launches. However, the overall record for the lowest time between two launches of the same rocket still belongs to the Russian-built Soyuz vehicle. In June 2013, Roscosmos launched a Soyuz booster from Kazakhstan, and Arianespace launched a Soyuz from French Guiana within two hours. Those launches were conducted by two separate space agencies on separate continents, however. More may be found at https://bit.ly/42xueil. [ANS thanks Eric Berger of ARS Technica for the above information]

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz [at] frawg.org

In this edition:

* AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers
* Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
* IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites
* AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available
* AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 Mar 19

AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers

It’s less than eight weeks away when Amateur Radio’s biggest event of the year happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. That’s right, May 19-20 is Hamvention time when over 30,000 of our closest friends get together to get a first hand look at the latest products and to catch up with friends from around the world.

With over 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, AMSAT is a major Hamvention exhibitor with displays from Engineering, Operations, Educational Relations, the AMSAT Store and much more. Last year in 2022, about 35 people assisted with the AMSAT booth.  It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2022 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun.

Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you’re available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated.

If you will be attending Hamvention and can help, please send an e-mail to Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator via w1eme [at] amsat [dot]org.

[ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator for the above information.]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo

Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on March 26, 2023 at 17:00Z. The title of the presentation is “Exploring Satellite Telemetry with the CubeSat Simulator.”

Alan writes, “There are thousands of satellites in low earth orbit above us transmitting radio signals. Many of those signals contain telemetry, that is information about the spacecraft and its environment and built in sensors.

“A great way to learn about satellite telemetry is to use the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator, a functional model of a 1U CubeSat designed for the classroom and public demonstrations.
In this presentation, I’ll show how to receive and interpret telemetry from it using the same tools and apps used for in orbit satellites launched by AMSAT and other amateur radio organizations.

“I will also show you how you can build your own CubeSatSim with some intermediate soldering and 3D printing skills as the project is fully open sourced and available on GitHub.”

This one hour presentation is geared for those beginning to explore the world of satellite telemetry. The cost of the two day virtual event is $15. More information is available at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/.

[ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations for the above information.]

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IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites

The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites:

+ PW-SAT3
PW-SAT3 is a 1U CubeSat mission to be flown by the Warsaw University of Technology. Students from the PW-Sat3 team are 1) designing a butane warm gas propulsion device that will be used to perform station-keeping maneuvers deorbiting maneuver; 2) AOCS system  that will be used during propulsion maneuvers to align the satellite in the optimal orientation; 3) Earth Horizon Sensors made from industrial IR matrixes; 4) A camera module  to capture views from space. The team also wants to implement a simple open transponder for radio amateurs to operate packet radio. They are also investigating the possibility to allow radio amateurs to download on-demand low-resolution images from the camera module.

Proposing a UHF downlink using 2GFSK at 9k6 or 19k2. A downlink on 437.170 MHz has been coordinated. No launch date has been defined but deployment into a SSO 550km orbit is planned. More info from https://pw-sat.pl.

+ SAKURA
Sakura is a 1U CubeSat mission sponsored by the Chiba Institute of Technology. APRS Mission Will provide APRS services including Digipeater functionality. SAKURA will carry two cameras, one to photograph sunspots and the other to photograph typhoons ,volcanoes and flooding areas. Amateur Radio stations should be able to receive a photograph in one pass.

Proposing VHF and UHF downlinks using APRS and 4k8 AX25 GMSK respectively. Planning a launch to the ISS in January 2024 for deployment. Downlinks on 145.825 MHz and 437.375 MHz have been coordinated.

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]

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

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AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available

The AMSAT 2021 Annual report is now available for download. Annual reports are typical made available to the public up to a year or so after the financial records have been reviewed and approved by an external accounting firm. Although AMSAT has always published its financial statements and IRS filings every year, it now finds it useful to publish a corporate-like annual report to inform our stakeholders and prospective donors of our activities.

Because the annual report is written for sometimes non-technical persons outside the traditional Amateur Radio world, experienced technical readers might find some passages over simplified descriptions of the engineering contributions and activities that AMSAT conducts. Nonetheless, AMSAT hopes that everyone can find the annual report a fairly descriptive picture of the work is does in helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space.

The 2021 Annual Report can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-2021-Report.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support

[Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of the story that appeared in ANS-071.]

Instituto Universitario “Ignacio Da Riva” IDR and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain has recognized and thanked the members of AMSAT who have supported their educational endeavors by collecting telemetry data downloaded from the UPMSat-2 satellite around the globe.

Mr. Rafael García Romero, EA4BPN, along with project director Dr. Elena Roibas, and IDR Director Dr. Angel Sanz Andres , on behalf of the UPMSat-2 team, penned the letter of recognition dated February 17, 2023 and recently received by AMSAT. The letter reads:

“On the celebration of UPMSat-2 launch date anniversary of the second year in orbit, UPMSat-2 team would like to thank AMSAT for its support to the satellite downlink data gathering. The effort of AMSAT members is seen at IDR as a valuable ‘citizen science’ contribution to our project and is gratefully acknowledged. We expect that the UPMSat-2 will continue to work for another two years, therefore, it would bring an opportunity to continue with this fruitful collaboration.

“With our best regards, we wish all the best for AMSAT members.”

UPMSat-2 sends 2-FSK data at 2400bps, with transmitted power of approximately 2.5 watts, on 437.405 MHz. Originally scheduled to launch in 1999, it was finally launched on September 3, 2020 from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the flight VV16 of the Vega rocket, it entered a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately 518 km.”

[ANS thanks Rafael García, EA4BPN, and Dr. Angel Sanz Andres, IDR Director, for the above information.]

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

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 2023

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

FMN 1  NORAD Cat ID 43192  (decayed from orbit on 03/16/23 per Space-Track).
HO-119 NORAD Cat ID 54816  (decayed from orbit on 03/15/23 per Space-Track).

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

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ARISS NEWS

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

+ Upcoming Contacts

Lana’i High and Elementary School, Lana’i City, HI, telebridge via ON4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ.
The ARISS mentors are AJ9N and W4NTR.
Contact is go for: Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 18:22:52 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at the ARISS YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxm5Ca2y0HD_NxXlZWXv11A.

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

NA-008; March 16 April 13, 2023
Pierre, VE3KTB, maybe active on FM satellites during his spare time from the Eureka station as VY0ERC. QSL via M0OXO OQRS.

DM22qq; March 19, 2023
AD7DB working:
AO-91 at 16:01Z (possibly)
AO-91 at 17:35Z
SO-50 19 18:06Z

DM23ag
AD7DB working:
PO101 at 22:56Z
Follow him on Twitter for updates

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.]

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled …

– Nashville, Tennessee – April 20
– England, May 11
– Ohio – Students – ISS-specific, May 8

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information.]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The national ham organization EARS of the United Arab Emirates runs the special event station A60AP with additional designators /0 to /15 to mark their country’s astronaut program. They remain active until the end of August. More information at https://www.mbrsc.ae/service/astronaut_prog. [ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.]

+ NASA is awarding more than $3.8 million to 21 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions for projects designed to bring the excitement of space science to communities across the nation and broaden student participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Projects were selected for NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program and TEAM II Community Anchor Awards. The selected projects will engage their communities in a wide variety of STEM topics, from aeronautics and Earth science to human space exploration. More information including a complete list of the organizations receiving funds is available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-NASA-STEM. [ANS thanks SpaceRef.com for the above information.]

+ What time is it on the moon? A new era of lunar exploration is on the rise, with dozens of Moon missions planned for the coming decade. Europe is in the forefront here, contributing to building the Gateway lunar station and the Orion spacecraft – set to return humans to our natural satellite – as well as developing its large logistic lunar lander, known as Argonaut. As dozens of missions will be operating on and around the Moon and needing to communicate together and fix their positions independently from Earth, this new era will require its own time. Timing is a crucial element, adds ESA navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano: “During this meeting at ESTEC, we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to. A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this.” More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-Lunar-Time. [ANS thanks the ESA for the above information.]

+ Looking for a fun project for that 3D printer sitting in your workshop?  Look no further than Relativity Space in California for inspiration. Their Terran 1 will try to become the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit. “There are a number of firsts here potentially on this rocket,” said Josh Brost, vice president of revenue operations at Relativity Space. “It has the chance of being the first liquid natural gas / liquid oxygen rocket to make it to orbit. It has, by far, the highest 3D-printed content of any rocket in history. We’re sitting at about 85% by mass, where I don’t think any other rocket has gone past maybe 4%.” Compared to a traditional rocket that has more than 100,000 parts, this 3D-printed rocket has less than 1,000 parts. After two aborted launches this month, Relativity Space is poised for another try on March 22. More information at https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/03/11/relativity-space-terran-1-glhf/. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

In this edition:

* AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support
* ARDC Grant Funds FreeDV Project
* Radio Interference From Satellites Threatening Astronomy
* House Subcommittee Advances Five Satellite-Related Bills
* AMSAT-INDIA Participates in Science Carnival
* ISS Dodges Commercial Imaging Satellite
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Crew 5 Hams to Splashdown Sunday
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 Mar 12

AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support

Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio of Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain has recognized and thanked the members of AMSAT who have supported their educational endeavors by collecting telemetry data downloaded from the UPMSat-2 satellite around the globe.

Dr. Rafael García Romero, EA4BPN, along with project director Dr. Elena Roibas and team member Dr. Angel Sanz Andres, penned the letter of recognition dated February 17, 2023 and recently received by AMSAT. The letter reads:

“On the celebration of UPMSat-2 launch date anniversary of the second year in orbit, UPMSat-2 team would like to thank AMSAT for its support to the satellite downlink data gathering.

“The effort of AMSAT members is seen at IDR as a valuable ‘citizen science’ contribution to our project and is gratefully acknowledged.

“We expect that the UPMSat-2 will continue to work for another two years, therefore, it would bring an opportunity to continue with this fruitful collaboration.

“With our best regards, we wish all the best for AMSAT members.”

UPMSat-2 sends 2-FSK data at 2400bps, with transmitted power of approximately 2.5 watts, on 437.405 MHz. Originally scheduled to launch in 1999, it was finally launched on September 3, 2020 from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the flight VV16 of the Vega rocket, it entered a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately 518 km.

[ANS thanks Rafael García, EA4BPN, for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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ARDC Grant Funds FreeDV Project

To advance the state of the art in HF digital voice and to promote its use, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded $420,000 to the FreeDV Project.

FreeDV is a low-bit-rate digital voice mode for HF radio. Initially developed by David Rowe, VK5DGR, an international team of radio amateurs are now working together on the project. FreeDV is open-source software, released under the GNU Lesser Public License (LPGL) version 2.1. The modems and Codec 2 speech codec used in FreeDV are also open source.

Hardware and software developers can integrate FreeDV into their projects using the FreeDV API. To operate FreeDV, radio amateurs either run the FreeDV GUI application on Windows, Linux and OSX machines or use the SM1000 FreeDV adaptor. Either method allows hams to use a single-sideband HF radio to send and receive FreeDV signals. To learn more about FreeDV, go to https://www.freedv.org.

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The organization got its start by managing the AMPRNet address space, which is reserved for licensed amateur radio operators worldwide.

Additionally, ARDC makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radio’s practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to advances that benefit the general public, including the mobile phone and wireless internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all such technology is available through open source hardware and software, and where anyone has the ability to innovate upon it. To learn more about ARDC, go to https://www.ardc.net.

[ANS thanks ARDC for the above information]

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Radio Interference From Satellites Threatening Astronomy

Radio telescopes are facing a problem. All satellites, whatever their function, use radio waves to transmit information to the surface of the Earth. Just as light pollution can hide a starry night sky, radio transmissions can swamp out the radio waves astronomers use to learn about black holes, newly forming stars and the evolution of galaxies.

In a paper published March 3,2023, Christopher Gordon De Pree, Deputy Electromagnetic Spectrum Manager, National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Christopher R. Anderson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the United States Naval Academy; and Mariya Zheleva, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University at Albany, State University of New York, call for creation of a national radio dynamic zone.

This zone would be similar to existing radio quiet zones, covering a large area with restrictions on radio transmissions nearby. Unlike a quiet zone, the facility would be outfitted with sensitive spectrum monitors that would allow astronomers, satellite companies and technology developers to test receivers and transmitters together at large scales. The goal would be to support creative and cooperative uses of the radio spectrum.

As the problem of radio pollution continues to grow, scientists, engineers and policymakers will need to figure out how everyone can effectively share the limited range of radio frequencies. One solution that astronomers have been working on for the past few years is to create a facility where astronomers and engineers can test new technologies to prevent radio interference from blocking out the night sky.

Such a zone doesn’t exist yet, but our team and many people across the U.S. are working to refine the concept so that radio astronomy, Earth-sensing satellites and government and commercial wireless systems can find ways to share the precious natural resource that is the radio spectrum.

[ANS thanks The Conversation for the above information]

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

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House Subcommittee Advances Five Satellite-Related Bills

A U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee unanimously approved five space-related bills March 8, including legislation seeking to modernize regulations for satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO).

+ The Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (HR 1338) would give the FCC defined deadlines for processing satellite license applications. It would require the FCC to “modernize its rules to encourage operators to base their operations in the United States,” said House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-Wash.), “and incentivize operators to be responsible stewards of space and spectrum in a global marketplace.”

+ The Secure Space Act (HR 675) would prohibit the FCC from granting satellite licenses to foreign entities the U.S. deems a threat to national security or domestic supply chains.

+ Launch Communications Act (HR 682) would streamline the process for accessing certain spectrum for performing commercial spacecraft launches and reentries.

+ Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act (HR 1339) would compel the FCC would to review rule changes that could help promote space-based communications for the agriculture market.

+ Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act (HR 1353) would facilitate the use of satellites as providers of connectivity for emergency services in areas hit by natural disasters or otherwise lacking wireless communications.

[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information]

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AMSAT-INDIA Participates in Science Carnival

To celebrate National Day of India on February 28 one of the biggest Science Carnival 2023 was organised by Gujarat state – India at prestigious Science City Ahmedabad during 28th February to 4th March 2023.

AMSAT-INDIA was specially invited to participate in this biggest scientific exhibition for mass awareness on Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication!

AMSAT-INDIA Regional Coordinator Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP & team member Sakshi Vagadia VU3EXP did huge efforts to mass promote AMSAT activities amongst all sort of visitors which includes young kids, school-college students, budding engineers, IT Programmers, general public, professionals from various industries, scientists from renowned organization like ISRO, PRL, IPR, VSSE, ISR, officers from BSF, Police, Fire dept and citizens from every walk of life! More than 100,000 visitors were reported and grabbed the opportunity to visit science carnival 2023 and our Science exhibition during 5 days.

AMSAT-INDIA stall was spacious & decent sized at 3m x 3m, it was a big attraction at the center of the Science Exhibition. With well prepared different informative Banners on AMSAT-INDIA, Various Satellite Activities, Amateur Radio Satellite chronology, ARISS Student outreach program, ARISS SSTV event, Question submission for our upcoming ARISS student outreach program etc was absolutely eye catching from a distance.

For the curious visitors we tried to highlight every aspect of our hobby and exhibited all sorts of Radio stuff, Documents, QSL Cards, Books, Ham License, Awards, Project articles, Tracking software, SSTV software, SDR Software, Cube Satellite models etc to give bit idea of our hobby.

Experiencing various amateur radio gear, satellite antenna & test instruments were highly appreciated by visiting budding engineers from a number of colleges at AMSAT-INDIA stall. Some of the stuff we displayed include; Dual band Arrow-II antenna, dual band Yagi, tape measure antenna, GP, Telescopic antenna for SDR, Radios includes Icom IC-705 with LiFePO4 battery pack, Kenwood VHF base, half dozen of VHF/UHF HTs, RTL-SDR setup, LDG ATU, NanoVNA, Morse Key, cw oscillator, Paddle, electronic keyer, SWR/Power meter, Cable, Connectors etc. It made our task easy to explain the use of each stuff according to the visitors’ query.

We came across various types of queries like how to be a Ham, Procedure to get license, Types of Amateur Radio satellites, operating modes, setting up ground station, how to receive ISS SSTV images, how to establish satellite contact etc. We made a humble attempt to answer & satisfy all of those queries. We enjoyed a very detailed discussion with students/groups who already know about Amateur Radio and always need to learn more on Satellite Communication.

We also highlighted contributions of worldwide AMSAT organizations, IARU, ARISS, RSGB, ARRL and our ARSI & GIAR. I also mark a note on an author and my teacher Mr. Nagendra Vijay of popular Gujarati Science magazine named ‘Scope’ who did tremendous efforts to introduce Ham Radio in Gujarat (India) 40 years back and still continue to create awareness via it’s leading Science magazine ‘Safari’, his stall was just after a row.

Our AMSAT-INDIA stall were visited by many well-wisher GIAR Ham friends including VU2CPV Pravinbhai, VU2JGI Jagdishbhai, VU2MJP Manojbhai, VU2SPF Bhatnagarji, VU3APY Asheshbhai, VU3VDC Vitthhalbhai, VU3GLY Priyesh, VU3WHO Snehal etc.

It was a great experience for us to spend the whole 5 days enjoying talking & explaining our favorite hobby Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication!

We were happy to present amateur radio as a scientific hobby & experimenting platform for diversified fields and not just emergency communication tools!

Lots of positive & appreciating feedback we received in the visitor feedback book.

We are thankful to Science Carnival 2023 Organiser Dr. Vrajesh Parikh, Pulkesh Prajapati, Dr. Narotam Sahoo & team for inviting us for this prestigious Science Carnival Exhibition. I also thank our AMSAT-INDIA Secretary Mr Nitin Muttin VU3TYG, Director Educational B. A. Subramani VU2WMY, President Ramesh Ramsubbu VU2RMS & committee for complete guidance and support extended to us.

I specially thank team member Sakshi Vagadia VU3EXP & my XYL Kiran Vagadia for supporting and assisting me all the time during the 5 day exhibition.

I am optimistic to see the next generation taking keen interest in Amateur Radio & Satellites from VU Land.

[ANS thanks Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, for the above information]

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ISS Dodges Commercial Imaging Satellite

The International Space Station adjusted its orbit March 6 to avoid a close approach by an imaging satellite operated by Satellogic, the latest evidence of growing congestion in low Earth orbit.

NASA said in a March 6 blog post that the Progress MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station fired its thrusters for a little more than six minutes, raising the station’s orbit to move out of the way of what the agency called an Earth observation satellite. According to Roscosmos, the maneuver, lasting 375.8 seconds, changed the station’s velocity by 0.7 meters per second.

NASA spokesperson Sandra Jones told SpaceNews March 7 that the spacecraft would have approached within about 2.7 kilometers of the station without the maneuver. She did not identify the satellite involved in the close approach to the station other than an “Argentine earth observation satellite launched in 2020.” Other sources said the satellite was NuSat-17, also called NewSat-17, one of 10 satellites launched in November 2020 by Satellogic, headquartered in Buenos Aires.

A Satellogic spokesperson said late March 7 it received a conjunction data message, or CDM, from the 18th Space Defense Squadron, the Space Force unit that handles space situational awareness activities, about this close approach.

The orbit of NewSat-17 and the other nine satellites launched in 2020 have been gradually decaying, and are now crossing the orbital altitude of the ISS. That is an increasing concern for ISS operations as it and other Earth observation satellites typically operate in higher sun-synchronous orbits that will decay if not actively deorbited at the end of the missions.

The March 6 maneuver, NASA said, will not affect upcoming spacecraft going to and from the station. However, amateurs using the ARISS repeaters will want to be sure to have updated Keplerian elements that take the new orbit into account.

[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information]

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

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution

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

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

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

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Crew 5 Hams to Splashdown Sunday

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 02:19 UTC Sunday (9:19 p.m. EST Saturday evening) for a splashdown that will wrap up a nearly six-month science mission for NASA astronauts Josh A. Cassada, KI5CRH, Nicole Aunapu Mann, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

The return and related activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live

Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-5’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-5 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the International Space Station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.

The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts on its maiden voyage, will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down Saturday at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The spacecraft also will return time-sensitive research to Earth.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

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ARISS NEWS

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

RECENTLY COMPLETED:
Jumeirah College Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The ARISS mentor was Ferrario Gianpietro, IZ2GOJ. Contact was successful: Tue 2023-03-07 08:45:03 UTC 27 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Jumeirah College Dubai students, Sultan AlNeyadi KI5VTV, telebridge station VK4KHZ, and mentor IZ2GOJ! This was the first ARISS contact for Sultan AlNeyadi, KI5VTV.

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

David Bartholomew, AD7DB, will activate FM satellites from DM31 on Saturday, March 18. He may also pop up in DM23 and or DM22 on March 17 and March 19. Follow him on Twitter for updates @ad7db.

If YOU know of anything that should be here, please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net.

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

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 24-27, 2023
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

+ AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023.

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA and SpaceX are targeting 23:30 UTC Tuesday, March 14, to launch the company’s 27th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch timing is dependent upon the undocking and return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5. Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ The White House is proposing a $27.2 billion budget for NASA in fiscal year 2024 that would include increased funding for Artemis and starting work on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station. The Biden administration’s budget framework, released March 9, proposed increasing NASA’s budget by 7% from the nearly $25.4 billion the agency received in fiscal year 2023, roughly keeping pace with inflation. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ China has been dropping hints about its Long March 9 (CZ-9) rocket, a three-stage super-heavy variant of the Long March family. This launch vehicle will reportedly be capable of transporting up to 150,000 kg (16.5 tons) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 54,000 kg (59.5 tons) to a trans-lunar injection. On March 2nd, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) announced (via the Chinese social media platform Weixin) that it had finished building the first propellant tank for the CZ-9. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information)

+ After a decade in development, JAXA & Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ medium-lift H3 rocket, an upgraded and lower cost (around $50M vs $90M per launch) version of their H2-A launch vehicle, finally took off. Unfortunately, second-stage ignition failed and flight controllers were forced to terminate the mission. The self-destruct sequence took JAXA’s ALOS-3 along with it — a high-resolution optical Earth Observation satellite which would have had a ground resolution of 0.8 m. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking U.S.education institutions and organizations to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS in the first half of 2024. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31st, 2023. See https://www.ariss.org/ for details. (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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