AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-317
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/
In this edition:
- CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station
- Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA
- Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022
- ARISS News
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-317 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2022 Nov 13
CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station
CAMSAT’s CAS-10 (XW-4) satellite was launched on November 12, 2022, carried on the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft to the Chinese Space Station. Deployment from the Chinese Space Station is expected on or about December 15th. The satellite will be active immediately upon deployment into its own 400 km orbit with an inclination of 42.9 degrees.
CAS 10 is an 8U CubeSat approx 228x455x100mm with 12kg Mass. A follow on mission from CAS-9 and also known as Hope-4 (XW-4) Carrying a V/U Mode Linear Transponder, a UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon, a UHF – AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK Telemetry downlink and a space camera.
CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. This transponder will work all day during the life cycle of the satellite, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can use it for two-way radio relay communications.
CAS-10 carries a camera, and the pictures it takes are stored in the flash memory on the satellite, we have designed a simple remote control system based on DTMF, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can send DTMF commands to download the camera photos.
CW beacon uses Morse code to send satellite telemetry data, which is also a feature that is widely welcomed by amateur radio enthusiasts.
Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated.
[ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information]
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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA
NASA astronaut and former U.S. Air Force Col. Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, is retiring from NASA after 22 years of service. His last day with the agency was Friday, Nov. 11.
Behnken’s career highlights included 93 days in space on two space shuttle Endeavour flights and the first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Behnken was pilot and joint operations commander for the first crewed flight test of the SpaceX Dragon. Known as Demo-2, that flight launched Behnken and former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley to the International Space Station May 30, 2020, and safely returned them to Earth Aug. 2, 2020.
Behnken joined NASA at Johnson in July 2000 as an astronaut candidate. On his first spaceflight, in 2008, Behnken was a space shuttle Endeavour mission specialist for the STS-123 delivery of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency’s Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre) to the space station. Behnken performed three spacewalks, and operated station’s robotic arm both with and without Dextre attached. He flew again in 2010, as a mission specialist for STS‐130, which delivered the station’s Tranquility module and its cupola, the station’s seven-window Earth-facing observation post. He served as the mission’s lead spacewalker, performing three additional spacewalks to install the newly arrived module. Behnken completed 10 spacewalks across his three missions, spending more than 61 hours working in the vacuum of space.
Behnken grew up in St. Ann, Missouri, and graduated from Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1993, and a Doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1997.
Behnken was commissioned via the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Before retiring from active military service in February 2022, Behnken had achieved the rank of colonel and flown more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 25 different types of aircraft.
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022
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/
Due to the impending installation and activation of amateur radio equipment aboard the Chinese Space Station, as well as the deployment of CAS-10, the Chinese Space Station (NORAD ID 48274) has been added to the AMSAT TLE distribution as “CSS”
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager 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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ARISS News
Scheduled ARISS Contacts
Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, 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
Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-21 15:20 UTC
ARISS Radio Status
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode set for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
* Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Misconfigured. Default mode set for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28.
* Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01.
* Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
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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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: Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the ARRL Phone Sweeptakes. I’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but will hand out the grid.
VE1CWJ/VP9: Planning “holiday style” LEO sats as VE1CWJ/VP9 from Nov 11-13. No set schedule, but evening RS-44 & FO-29 passes are most likely. QSL via LOTW.
KC1MEB: Rove trip vacation style. FN53 Nov 18th into 19th, FN56 19th into 20th, FN57 20th through 22nd
DK9JC: Passes on RS-44 for NA, Nov 18 Friday, 1841-1854Z 13min common FP #JN39EL pse no dupes and no EU weather depending, winter here
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, reports: “Had a magnificent time last night speaking with the RAGS – Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (NY). Great turnout … Zoom handled the show. They have been supporting their region very well since the mid-1050s.
One aspect of AMSAT Ambassadors’ lives is talking to clubs and conventions. I have given my presentation more than 150 times now … Well, actually, that’s really 150+ unique presentations – NEVER have I given the same exact show twice. There’s about 25 “slides” that get customized to each audience – and they appreciate the fact that mine is not a “canned” presentation:
“- I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.”
Think a 75-90-minute presentation on “Working the Easy Satellites” would be appropriate for YOUR club or convention? Let me know!
Shows are scheduled for the PAPA System in Southern California, a group in Vancouver BC, and another East Coast club before Christmas.”
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, 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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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Curious about satellite operating? Check out Sean Kutzko, KX9X’s interview with Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, for the ARRL On The Air Podcast, as they talk about satellite operating basics! https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/91256162/operating-amateur-satellites/
+ The Greencube digipeater has proven popular for long range QSOs given its MEO orbit at approximately 5,800 km. The digipeater will be reactivated at 00:01 UTC on November 16th.
+ FO-99’s operation schedule for November is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2012
+ An Atlas 5 successfully launched a polar-orbiting weather satellite and a reentry technology demonstrator on Nov. 10. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 2 satellite, deployed 28 minutes after liftoff, placing it into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 800 kilometers. The spacecraft made contact with controllers shortly after deployment. However, NASA reported nearly three hours after liftoff that they had yet to receive telemetry that the solar array deployed as planned. JPSS-2 is the second of four planned polar-orbiting weather satellites in the JPSS program to provide weather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A secondary payload on the launch was the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), a technology demonstration of an inflatable heat shield. NASA is interested in using that technology, scaled up, for landing future Mars missions. LOFTID separated from the Centaur 75 minutes after liftoff, after the upper stage performed two burns to place it on a reentry trajectory. The vehicle appeared to perform as expected through reentry, deploying a parachute and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii 2 hours and 13 minutes after liftoff. A recovery vessel picked up the spacecraft, as well as a separate data recorder ejected from LOFTID before splashdown. The launch was the 100th mission for NASA’s Launch Services Program, which coordinates launches for NASA science missions. It is also the final Atlas 5 launch for the program and the final Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg. ULA will convert the launch pad for use by Vulcan. (ANS thanks SpaceNews 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,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org