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/post
In this edition:
- AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites may launch September
- Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost)
- 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held (Repost)
- Satellite Contact Achievements and Records
- ARISS News
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2021 Aug 29
AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites may launch September
Spain’s national amateur radio society, the URE, report two AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites are expected to be launched on September 2, 2021.
A translation of the URE post reads:
The GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N satellites, designed and built by AMSAT-EA in collaboration with students from the European University and ICAI, will be launched, in a first attempt, on September 2, once the American company Firefly has carried out the static test of the Alpha launcher, this being the last step before its launch. The vehicle is ready for takeoff on its platform from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California and carries, for this inaugural flight, many other satellites from various organizations and universities.
The GENESIS are digital repeating satellites of ASK and CW and also carry Applied Ion Systems’ AIS-gPPT3-1C experimental ion thrusters.
The working frequencies of the satellites are as follows:
GENESIS-L
145.875 MHz uplink, Modes: CW, ASK 50 bps
436.875 MHz downlink CW, ASK 50 bps, am2sat callsign
GENESIS-N
145.888 MHz uplink, Modes: CW and ASK 50 bps
436.888 MHz downlink CW ASK 50 bps, am3sat callsign
The description of the telemetry and the mode of operation of its repeaters can be found in the following links:
Link to telemetry transmissions description (in English)
https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/d
Source URE https://www.ure.es/satelites-g
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information and the translation]
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Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-th
You won’t want to miss it!
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Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost)
The 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held Friday through Sunday, October 29-31, 2021, at the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Registration is now open for the event at https://launch.amsat.org/Event
The Crowne Plaza AiRE is located at 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245, adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and only steps away from the METRO Blue Line’s American Blvd. stop. Nearby shopping and tourist attractions include Mall of America, SEA LIFE at Mall of America, Nickelodeon Universe, and the Minnesota Zoo.
The Symposium includes presentations, exhibit space, and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting. The preliminary schedule is presented at https://launch.amsat.org/event
The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held before the Symposium, October 28-29, at the same hotel.
Those attending may make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000 or (877) 424-4188 (toll free). The group name is Amateur Satellite Group.
Platinum and Titanium members of the AMSAT President’s Club receive free admission to the Symposium and receive a complimentary lunch with the President on Saturday afternoon. Please email [email protected] to arrange registration.
Presenters are invited to participate at the Symposium and/or submit a paper to the Symposium Proceedings. Read the Call for Papers at https://www.amsat.org/2021-ams
[ANS thanks AMSAT 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-cat
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2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held
The nomination period for the 2021 Board of Directors Election ended on June 15, 2021. The following candidates have been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link that follows:
Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO
Robert Bankston, KE4AL
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
In accordance with our Bylaws, AMSAT must hold an election, even though we have four nominations for four open Director positions. As such, we will host electronic voting on our Member Portal this year, at no cost to the organization. Voting is now open and will close on September 15, 2021.
When members click on the poll link, they will see their ballot (poll question). After choosing from the possible options, click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike many online polls, the results of all votes cast, up to the point of your vote, will not be displayed. AMSAT members can only vote once. If you click the poll link again after already voting, a vote submitted message will be displayed. As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, all four candidates will be seated on the Board when the voting period concludes on September 15, 2021.
To read candidate biographies see:
https://launch.amsat.org/2021-
AMSAT members may access their ballots at:
https://launch.amsat.org/Sys/P
[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
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AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all
begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar
panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on
NASA’s ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be
worth it!
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Satellite Contact Achievements
Congratulations Toshio Arai, JM1LRA, and Junta Ohsone, 7L1ETP, on receiving the 55th and 56th 73 on 73 Awards by AMSAT-UK issued for working 73 unique stations on AO-73. Both operators completed the requirements for the award exclusively using CW. (posted via Twitter)
A new distance record has also been claimed on AO-73 (FUNcubeUK). A65GC worked F4DXV at 02:37 UTC on 20-Aug-2021 – a distance of 5,313 km.
A new distance record has been claimed on AO-27. @N5LEX in FN11nq65 worked @F4DXV in JN04it22 on 18-Aug-2021 at 20:46 UTC. https://amsat.org/satellite-di
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM AMSAT Director & Executive Vice President 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_g
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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.
As of 08/26/2021 the next scheduled contact is yet to be determined. Current Status of ISS Stations:
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Supporting cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). Next mode change is to packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down) in late September.
Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 03. OFF Sep. 02 about 18:10 UTC. Back ON Sep. 04 about 13:45 UTC.
Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 09.
Power down for upcoming US EVA on Sep. 12.
Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
Kenwood D710E – STATUS – Radio usually off.
Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 03. Off Sep 02 about 18:10 UTC.
Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 09.
Power down for upcoming US EVA on Sep. 12.
Supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts and SSTV.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
KX9X: Time to rove again! @Nancy_N9NCY & I are heading back up to Minneapolis for a few days. Will activate the EN36/46 grid line on Sunday 8/29 on linear & FM sats. Pop ups while driving up 8/28 & back 9/2 possible. More info soon!
KB3IAI will be in FM26 on the coast from August 29th – Sept 5th. No set schedule, FM and SSB.
VE7KPM: CN78, upcoming. 9/2 approx.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
The 2021 HamXposition is taking place September the 11th and 12th, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The convention has a new home at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center. If you would like to volunteer at the booth contact Phil Smith w1eme at amsat.org.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 29-31, 2021
Crowne Plaza AiRE
3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245.
Complete information and registration at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-SYMPOSIUM.
RRRA Hamfest & ARRL Dakota Division Convention
Saturday, September 25, 2021, RRV Fairgrounds Hartl AG Building, 1805 Main Ave West, West Fargo, ND 58078
https://rrra.org/cal/2021/09/2
2021 Wyoming ARRL Section Convention
Saturday, October 9, 2021, Event Center at Archer, 3921 Archer Pkwy, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site
Updates may be found at: https://www.amsat.org/other-ev
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has online presentations scheduled for the following clubs:
Sonoma (CA) ARC
STARS – Easy Coast
Fairlawn NJ
Portland OR
Longmont CO
SW Florida
Contact Clint at http://www.work-sat.com or by phone at 909-999-SATS (7287) to arrange a presentation.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ At Space Symposium (https://www.spacesymposium.or
+ At SmallSat (https://smallsat.org/), Florence Tan from NASA mentioned that NASA’s SMD has been shifting from very small CubeSats to 6U+ CubeSats, ESPA-class spacecraft, and constellations. Roger Walker from ESA mentioned a similar trend of moving from 3U to 6U and then 12U CubeSats for operational science missions, facilitated by accurate COTS pointing and propulsion.(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
+ BryceTech just released their very thorough Smallsats by the Numbers Report, which they define as satellites under 600kg. 1,282 spacecraft launched in 2020, of which 94% were smallsats, representing 43% of the total upmass—of these, 937 were Starlink or OneWeb. A whopping 40% of all smallsats launched in the last 10 years launched in 2020. See also this interesting Tableau report on the uses, locations, and life-spans of satellites. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
+ Space station spacewalk postponed by astronaut medical issue: A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station Tuesday was postponed after NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei was diagnosed with a pinched nerve, which NASA described as a “minor medical issue.” Vande Hei planned to head outside the space station Tuesday with Japanese crewmade Akihiko Hoshide for a nearly seven-hour spacewalk to install a support bracket and modification kit that will enable the attachment of upgraded solar arrays set to arrive on a future cargo mission. The astronauts also planned to replace a floating point measurement unit, a device that measures the electrical charging potential of the space station solar arrays. NASA announced the postponement of the spacewalk Monday, describing Vande Hei’s condition as a “minor medical issue” and not a medical emergency. Additional detail at: https://bit.ly/3mCJSXc (ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now for the above information.)
+ Launch of lunar CubeSat moved from Virginia to New Zealand: The launch of a miniature trailblazer probe for NASA’s planned Gateway lunar space station has been moved from Rocket Lab’s new launch pad in Virginia to the company’s spaceport in New Zealand, officials recently announced. NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, mission will test deep space navigation and communications technology in the vicinity of the moon. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate maneuvers to enter and operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit, an elliptical orbit around the moon that will be home to the Gateway, a critical piece of NASA’s architecture to return humans to the lunar surface. The Gateway is a mini-space station NASA intends to use as a staging point for crewed lunar landings later in the 2020s. Additional info at:https://bit.ly/3BjP8mP (ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now for the above information.)
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at frawg dot org