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: [email protected]

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:

• RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Is Designated AMSAT-OSCAR 109 (AO-109)
• SN9 Starship Test Launch: Otherwise successful test ends in a fireball
• CAPE-3 Updates and iGate Request * First QO-100 satellite contact from Indonesia
• ARISS Call for Proposals: Contacts for January to June 2022
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 4, 2021
• ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 038.01
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2021 Feb 07

RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Is Designated AMSAT-OSCAR 109 (AO-109)

On January 17, 2021, the RadFxSat-2 cubesat was launched on a LauncherOne vehicle off the coast of California. RadFxSat-2 is a joint mission of AMSAT and the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics at Vanderbilt University. The satellite carries a telemetry beacon and a linear transponder, along with radiation effects experiments. The telemetry beacon has not yet been heard, but the transponder is partially operational at reduced signal strength. Work continues to recover the telemetry beacon and characterize the transponder with the goal of opening it for general use. AMSAT hereby designates RadFxSat-2 as AMSAT-OSCAR 109 (AO-109).

Testing and characterization of RadFxSat-2/AO-109 continues. After user reports and additional verification that the linear transponder is at least partially functioning with a low level downlink signal, the Engineering and Operations teams made the official designation. Of the several objects have been suspected (D, C, and M), with Object C being suggested recently by Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA. Recently, these satellites have sufficiently spread apart to allow testing to determine which object is RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E.

During the 2 Feb 2021 0240 UTC passes, command station Mark Hammond, N8MH, compared Objects D, C, and M for the “best fit” for received signals with Doppler correction on both the uplink and downlink frequencies for each of the candidate objects. Objects D and M were quickly eliminated from further consideration, due to poor frequency predictions of Doppler correction compared to observed signals. The clear best fit is Object C, which is known OBJECT C, INTELDES 2021-002C, and NORAD CAT ID 47311. Therefore, AMSAT is happy to identify Object C/2021-002C/47311U as RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E and make the designation AO-109. Thanks to Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, for support during the identification.

The Engineering and Operations teams appreciate the community’s cooperation thus far and affirm the request that users do not attempt to use the transponder until further notice. The proper identification will allow further characterization of the satellite’s condition through additional testing.

(ANS thanks Mark L. Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and the Engineering and Operations Team for the above information)

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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-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!

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Another Starship Test Launch: SN9 test ends in a fireball

On Tuesday, February 2, Starship serial number 9 (SN9) completed SpaceX’s second high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from our site in Cameron County, Texas.

Similar to the high-altitude flight test of Starship serial number 8 (SN8), SN9 was powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee – approximately 10 kilometers in altitude. SN9 successfully performed a propellant transition to the internal header tanks, which hold landing propellant, before reorienting itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent.

During the landing flip maneuver, one of the Raptor engines did not relight and caused SN9 to land at high speed and experience a RUD.

The full description and a video of the test launch may be found at: https://bit.ly/3avfkPC

[ANS thanks SpaceX Public Relations for the above information]

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed
until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

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CAPE-3 Updates and iGate Request

Rizwan Merchant, KF5BNL, reports: “It seems CAPE-3 is indeed healthy in orbit. Our power system seems to be working as intended and UHF transmitters seem healthy. However, we’re suspecting the VHF radio is dead on arrival. We’ve not seen any indication of it functioning in orbit, which aligns with a fear we had prior to integration.

The CAPE-3 team is devising plans to begin testing individual subsystems on the satellite to gauge the health of those. This might take a few more weeks to validate and provide an update on what capabilities we can still carry out, as we update our ground systems.”

Additional updated information on CAPE-3 may be found at: https://bit.ly/2O6t1Nj

Rizwan continues: “If anyone is able to switch their iGates, or make a UHF iGate to help track CAPE-3 email packets, we’d be really grateful for the help! We’ve turned on one at our University as well. 1.) We are expecting UHF APRS on 437.325, the same as what our FSK and AX.25 packets are coming across on. 2.) From what I can tell, our NORAD ID is 47309. 3.) Currently we are having some issues commanding CAPE-3 from our University lab, so once we are able to transmit commands, we’ll be able to set the APRS emails to come across more often, and begin experimenting the tweeting function to see if it works as we intended.

I’d like to thank everyone who’s helped so far! We got our first email packet from W7KKE-13 earlier this evening (approximately 00:45 UTC Saturday, 02/06/2021).

The SatNOGS network is getting packets fairly regularly: https://bit.ly/3q9LQgR

[ANS thanks Riswan Merchant, KF5BN, 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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First QO-100 satellite contact from Indonesia

Indonesia’s national amateur radio society, ORARI, reports on the first contacts from Indonesia via the Qatar-Oscar-100 geostationary satellite transponder

The contacts took place on Thursday, January 27, 2021. Those involved were Farid Farhan YC1HVZ, Remco den Besten PA3FYM and Rene Stevens PE1CMO.

ORARI’s report says a team from the Telkom University Telecommunication Engineering Student Association (HMTT) led by Farid Farhan YC1HVZ, succeeded in conducting the first contact from Bukit Moko (Grid square OI33UD), Bandung, West Java with a satellite elevation of 0.8 degrees at an altitude of 1200m+.

Additional information is available at: https://bit.ly/3jgIC8B

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

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ARISS Call for Proposals

New Proposal Window is February 15th, 2021 to March 31st, 2021 February 2, 2021 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.

The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31st, 2021. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on February 25th, 2021 at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2021.eventbrite.com

Additional information may be found at https://www.ariss.org/

[ANS thanks David Jordan AA4KN ARISS PR 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.
Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 4, 2021

The NORAD Cat ID for RadFxSat-2 has been updated in this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution as follows:

RadFxSat-2 – NORAD Cat ID 47311. Mark Hammond, N8MH, (AMSAT Director and Command Station) has identified RadFxSat-2 as OBJECT C, NORAD CAT ID 47311. OBJECT C was determined to be the “best fit” for RadFXSAt-2 and OBJECTS D and M were eliminated as contenders. RadFxSat-2/Fox1E has been designated AO-109 as reported above.

The following satellites have also been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

SOMP 2b – NORAD Cat ID 47445.
IDEASSat – NORAD Cat ID 47458.
Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for these two satellite identifications.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements 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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ARISS NEWS

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-02-06 04:30 UTC

Sterling MS, Ashburn, VA, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Contact is go for: Tue 2021-02-09 14:44:48 UTC 66 deg

Watch for live stream at https://youtu.be/qVhBweqjCo4

Red Hill Lutheran, Tustin, CA, telebridge via NA7V . The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS . The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG. Contact is go for: Wed 2021-02-10 18:26:15 UTC 65 deg.

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.

[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

Quick Hits:

N6DNM: There will be a quick run at CM88/89 on Sun 7th, and a good chance of an attempt at CM79 on around Feb 12-13 (if wx holds) . Details will follow.

Major Roves:

CM93 Possibility: N6DNM Very long shot, but might want to put it on your calendar for May 15th, if you can figure out where it is and for #SOTA folks, that would be W6/SC-336, Santa Rosa Island, activated only once before.

JD1BQA activation of Ogasawara: Takio Hata, JH3QFL, plans to activate Ogasawara (AS-031) from May 1 to 7 as JD1BQA. QRV on 160, 80, 40, and 6m on FT8/FT4, and via the RS-44 satellite (CW). QSL via JH3QFL (d).  (Reported in DXNL 2235 – February 3, 2021 DX Newsletter)

Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com Updated 02/3/ 2021

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information]

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? 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 and registered ARRL instructor Clint Bradford K6LCS has a couple Zoom presentations lined up to begin 2021. In the first week of February, an “abbreviated” presentation was given to a Southern CA ARES group. Later in the month, a “normal” show will be presented. There are up-to-five spots available for you to attend! Just send Clint an email message for details.

Would a 90-minute informative, personalized-to-your-club, FUN presentation on working the “easy” satellites would be appropriate for your club? Send Clint an email message, and let’s book a date! Contact: Clint Bradford K6LCS k6lcs at ham-sat dot info 909-999-SATS (7287)

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ After a successful launch in December, on 2 Feb. 2021, UVSQSat switched mode from 1200 BPSK(G3RUH) to 9600 BPSK(G3RUH). Frequencies for UVSQSat are telemetry on 437.02 MHz with callsign LATMOS-1 and the repeater: 145.905 MHz Uplink, 437.02 MHz Downlink More information on the UVSQSat mission may be found at: https://bit.ly/3oOPYRy (ANS thanks Christophe Mercier of AMSAT Francophone for the above information).

+ Two astronauts working outside the International Space Station on January 27 installed a European Space Agency data relay antenna and connected four of six cables to partially power a new ESA experiment platform. But the two cables they were unable to connect to the Bartolomeo platform will need to be connected later. Unable to resolve the cable trouble, they capped the two balky connectors and used tie-downs to hold all the cables in place. (ANS thanks SpaceFlight Now for the above information)

+ An update to the IC-705 Satellite Memory .CSV file has been posted at the AMSAT-SE website. Lars, SM0TGU, has fixed a bug in the PO-101 settings and has added 5 offsets for each of the FM birds. The 5 offset memory settings should make it easier to track the doppler shift of those satellites if an operator is in the field. The revised memory settings files are available at: https://www.amsat.se/2020/11/12/satellite-memory-file-for-ic-705/ (ANS thanks Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU of AMSAT-SE for the above information)

+ Twelve bottles of Bordeaux wine and dozens of vine shoots are back at home in southwest France after spending months on the International Space Station (ISS) for an unusual astrochemistry experiment. The red wine and 320 mature shoots known as canes arrived February 1 after their return to Earth via a Dragon capsule operated by SpaceX. They will be analysed at the Institute of Vine and Wine Science in Bordeaux to see how the stresses produced by zero gravity affect both grape growth and the finished product, which could spur new agricultural research. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)

+ Sixty more SpaceX-owned Starlink internet satellites rocketed through a moonlit winter sky over Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 launcher early Thursday, while another Falcon 9 stood on a different launch pad a few miles away to loft another 60 Starlink payloads Friday. The first stage’s landing punctuated the fifth trip to space and back for this booster, and it broke a record for the fastest turnaround between flights of a SpaceX booster, besting the previous mark of 38 days set last month.(ANS thanks SpaceFlight Now for the above information)

+ Diplomas for the AMICALSAT satellite are being sent out. If you have not yet requested them, you can do so before 28/02/2021. The request for a diploma is done by sending an email to [email protected] indicating your callsign or the name given in the AMSAT-F database to send the data. (ANS thanks Christophe Mercier of AMSAT Francophone for the above information)

+ The first private Chinese company to reach orbit met with failure Monday (Feb. 1) during its second attempt to go to space. iSpace’s four-stage Hyperbola-1 rocket failed after liftoff while attempting to carry the cubesat-sized Fangzhou-2 (Ark-2) satellite into space. Media reports indicate the launch attempt happened around 0815z from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)

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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 Store.

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. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional student 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

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-031

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:

• RadFxSat-2 Update – (January 29, 2021)
• RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status (January 28, 2021)
• ARISS Operations Situation
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 28, 2021
• QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo to Include Speaker Track on Amateur Radio Satellites
• Ham Radio’s SuitSat Returns in Short Horror Film
• Iodine Thruster Could Slow Space Junk Accumulation
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.01
ANS-031 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 031.01
From AMSAT HQ: 712 H Street NE  Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002
January 31, 2021
To ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.01

RadFxSat-2 Update (January 29, 2021)

From AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY:

“Thanks go to W5SAT, who applied the amateur radio spirit of exploration and innovation to helping find out “what’s up?” with RadFxSat-2.

“We appreciate his work and immediately applied it to our processes as we discover/recover RadFxSat-2.

“Why was it not heard or found week ago?  There could be an unexplained behavior such that it could not and was not able to occur until the other day. Our stations attempted transponder use under various conjectured and commanded states throughout this period as part of the exploration of the anomaly, but did not detect any signals. They were able to confirm their signals the night of the 27th.

“Following that we turned attention to the beacon, as you know. We have not discovered the beacon yet and we have contacted some top class “big gun” stations, asking for their help. The signal will obviously be pipsqueak and may not even be there. The drive to find it, or if it is not detected then to take possible actions to activate it, is the information in the telemetry that is paramount to knowing through satellite data exactly what is going on.  We asked you that the transponder not be used because any power to signals in the transponder downlink is power stolen from the beacon strength.  We have asked everybody to listen, as from the beginning, to help find it and find status and solutions faster. It may sound boring or useless but it is at the heart of every satellite launch and commissioning phase and perhaps the biggest part the general satellite community can play in the lifetime of the satellite. The payoff is important to all of us, and I invite anyone to join the hunt and share in the enjoyment of – whatever happens.

“I can’t say what we will be doing tomorrow for sure, we will be looking for any reports and telemetry as more and larger stations join and because we have seen behavior that is not clearly understood. Procedures and conclusions that are not carefully thought out could result in losing what we have now. It is comparable to NASA taking careful time in dealing with anomalies (barring safety-related issues). Very importantly, we will be watching to see if anyone captured anything at all from the telemetry in the beacon. All you have to do is hunt and catch one frame and you are a hero in this game. Your help is greatly appreciated.

“Unless there is some big news over the weekend, I expect that Monday evening would be the next opportunity for a short update, time permitting.”

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President – Engineering for the above information]

RadFxSat-2 Signals Detected, AMSAT Engineering Continues to Assess Status (January 28, 2021)

On January 27, 2021, Brad Schumacher, W5SAT, reported copying his CW signal weakly via the RadFxSat-2 transponder. On the morning of January 28, AMSAT Engineering and Operations confirmed these reports and determined that RadFxSat-2 is partially functioning, though signals are extremely weak. AMSAT thanks W5SAT for his report.

AMSAT also appreciate those who joined in determining whether they could detect their own or other signals in recent passes today.

At this time it is essential and we ask you: Please do not attempt to transmit through the transponder until further notice. This is very important to the next steps the team is taking now.

The next crucial step in evaluating the condition of RadFxSat-2 is to determine whether or not the 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon is operating and, if possible, copy telemetry from the beacon. AMSAT asks that everyone with 70cm receive capability listen to the beacon frequency of 435.750 MHz (+/-) Doppler, upper sideband (USB). Use FoxTelem with your receiver in order to tune and capture any telemetry you can. Also make sure FoxTelem is set to “Upload to server” so that AMSAT receives your telemetry data. If you capture a good IQ recording on SDR, please send a detailed description of your recording to [email protected]. The team may respond with a request for your recording and details on how to transfer it to the AMSAT Engineering team. Please understand that keeping the transponder clear is essential to putting all power and attention to the beacon telemetry.

Two-line elements (TLE’s) are available in AMSAT’s nasabare.txt distribution at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt. Available data suggests that RadFxSat-2 is OBJECT M from the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne launch, NORAD ID 47320, international designation 21-002M.

AMSAT thanks the Amateur satellite community for their perseverance and assistance while the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams work to understand and resolve the situation with RadFxSat-2.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams for the above information]

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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

ARISS Operations Situation

Thursday, January 28., 2021 Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-USA Executive Director issued the following statement.

“Today was a tough one for ARISS.  Let me explain.

“As you all know, an EVA (spacewalk) was conducted yesterday to install cabling on the exterior of Columbus to support the commissioning of the Bartolomeo attached payload capability mounted on the Columbus module. On January 26, prior to the EVA, our Columbus next generation radio system was shut off and the ISS-internal coaxial cable to the antenna was disconnected from the ARISS radio as a safety precaution for the EVA. During the EVA, our current external antenna coaxial cable, installed in 2009, was replaced with another one built by ESA/Airbus with four RF connectors included, as compared to the current 2 RF connections. This change was made to allow ESA to connect ARISS and 3 additional customers to Bartolomeo, as compared to ARISS and one additional RF customer.

“As you might have seen yesterday, the EVA was conducted and our cable connection was swapped out. This morning, the crew restarted the radio system. Not hearing any Voice Repeater reports, we requested a switch to APRS packet.  We still did not hear any downlink reports.  At 1746 UTC we had a planned ARISS school contact between our certified telebridge station ON4ISS, operated by Jan in Belgium, and Mike Hopkins on ISS. No downlink signal was heard during the contact. The crew radioed down ???no joy??? on the contact about halfway through the contact and the Newcastle High School, Newcastle Wyoming, USA contact attempt ended.

“Clearly, there is an issue. More troubleshooting will be required. It may be the new external RF cable that was installed during yesterday’s EVA. It might also be from the connect and disconnect of the interior coaxial (RF) cable. So the interior cable cannot not be totally discounted yet. The crew took pictures of the coaxial cable and connector attached to the ARISS radio inside the ISS. Because the exterior cable is a Bartolomeo cable and not an ARISS cable, we are working with ESA and NASA on a way forward. NASA has opened a Payload Anomaly Report on this issue.  We have talked to both the NASA and ESA representatives. These are the same folks that worked with us on previous ARISS hardware systems as well as the ESA Bartolomeo integration initiative. We have also asked our Russian team lead, Sergey Samburov, if we can temporarily use the radio in the Service Module for school contacts until we are able to resolve this issue. As we gather more information, we will share it with you.

“On behalf of the ARISS International Board, the Delegates and the entire team, I want to thank all of you for your tremendous volunteer support to ARISS.  We WILL get through this and be more resilient as a result.”

[ANS thanks Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-USA Executive Director for the above information.]

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/

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 28, 2021

Available data suggests that RadFxSat-2 is OBJECT M from the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne 1-19-21 launch, NORAD ID 47320, international designation 21-002M. Therefore, The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

RadFxSat-2 – NORAD Cat ID 47320.
Thanks to Brad Schumacher, W5SAT for his report copying RadFxSat-2 and AMSAT Engineering Ops for the confirmation.

The following satellite has also been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

OBJECT N – NORAD Cat ID 47345.
This object was part of the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Demo 2 launch of January 19, 2021. Object N was initially given the wrong launch date but that date was later corrected to 1-19-2021.

The current TLE’s can always be downloaded at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt.

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

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo to Include Speaker Track on Amateur Radio Satellites

The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on March 13 – 14, 2021 will devote a speaker track to AMSAT and the world of Amateur Radio satellites.

The Expo is in “full planning mode” and promises “many exciting new things” for the upcoming event, which will include a world-class lineup of more than 60 speakers and workshops for beginners to experts. Presenters at nine AMSAT sessions will discuss the broad spectrum of ham radio satellites, including:

– Introduction to Amateur Radio Satellites (Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW)

– Getting on the Air with Satellites (Clint Bradford, K6LCS)

– How to Enjoy Amateur Radio Contacts with the International Space Station (Frank Bauer, KA3HDO)

– Implementation of LDPC Encoder on FPGA (Anshul Makkar)

– Debris Mitigation in Earth’s Orbit (Anshul Makkar)

– Digital Multiplexing Transponder from the Open Research Institute (Michelle Thompson, W5NYV)

– Solving the ITAR and EAR Problem for the Amateur Radio Satellite Service (Michelle Thompson, W5NYV)

– Remote Labs for P4XT Engineering Development (Paul Williamson, KB5MU)

Thompson, an AMSAT Board Member, said working satellites is one of the most rewarding privileges of holding an Amateur Radio license.

“There has never been a better time to be involved in amateur radio satellites, since some long-standing regulatory burdens have been lifted and advanced technology has never been more affordable and accessible,” Thompson remarked. “We have opportunities now that were not available as of even a few years ago. AMSAT is fortunate to contribute to the Expo by showcasing the truly amazing work going on around the world in the amateur satellite scene. And the Expo is an ideal partner to show it off to the wider ham audience.”

AMSAT will have a booth at the Expo, where attendees can talk to experts, enthusiasts, operators, and technicians and obtain contact and membership information for the 30 AMSAT societies around the world.

Early Bird tickets are $10 (to help cover the cost of this event) and $12.50 “at the door.” That includes entry for the live, 2-day event as well as access during the 30-day on-demand period following the event. Register on the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo website.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

Ham Radio’s SuitSat Returns in Short Horror Film

SuitSat loses its innocence in a new video short sci-fi thriller Decommissioned. “Inspired by true events,” the video short resurrects the 2006 spacesuit/satellite that transmitted messages on 2 meters as it circled Earth. The original SuitSat-1 project, conceived by an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team, repurposed a decommissioned Russian Orlan spacesuit to function as a free-floating amateur radio transmit-only satellite.

“ARISS designed and built an antenna and radio gear that got approved for installation into the suit, and cosmonaut Valeri Tokarev and Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, put SuitSat-1 into orbit at the start of a spacewalk,” ARISS-US Delegate for ARRL Rosalie White, K1STO, recounted. SuitSat-1 transmitted a voice message, “This is SuitSat-1 RS0RS!” in several languages, plus telemetry and a slow-scan TV image on an 8-minute cycle as it orbited Earth.

In the 6-minute film, a SuitSat returns in the future to haunt International Space Station commander “Diaz,” played by Joey Vieira. Diaz is seen taking photos from inside an observation dome on the ISS when he spies some distant space debris and radios Houston to express concern.

“If there was any cause for alarm, you know we’d see it too,” Houston assures.

As the object closes in, an increasingly anxious Diaz recognizes the “debris” as SuitSat. “This is SuitSat,” comes a voice on the ham radio.

“Houston, you’re not gonna believe this. We’re picking up transmissions on the ham radio that sound identical to the SuitSat experiment,” he tells a skeptical mission control. “It’s SuitSat! I’m seeing SuitSat!”

“SuitSat re-entered the atmosphere and burned up years ago,” mission control responds. “It’s impossible.”

Decommissioned was produced by Perception Pictures and directed by Australian filmmaker Josh Tanner. He told Gizmodo that he produced the video “using the Unreal Engine technology that The Mandalorian used, albeit old-school rear projection, as opposed to the fancy LED wall tech they used.”

SuitSat-1 — called Radioskaf or Radio Sputnik in Russian — was so successful that another unneeded Orlan spacesuit was subsequently refitted as SuitSat-2.

As an interesting sidebar with respect to the real SuitSat, White explained, “After the ARISS engineers calculated SuitSat-1’s orbit and spin characteristics, they knew the legs and arms would have to be filled with something, so they asked the crew to stuff dirty laundry inside.”

White said Decommissioned was a hit at a recent ARISS meeting. The original SuitSats were deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after their useful lives ended.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

Iodine Thruster Could Slow Space Junk Accumulation

For the first time ever, a telecommunications satellite has used an iodine propellant to change its orbit around Earth. The small but potentially disruptive innovation could help to clear the skies of space junk, by enabling tiny satellites to self-destruct cheaply and easily at the end of their missions, by steering themselves into the atmosphere where they would burn up. The technology could also be used to boost the mission lifetime of small CubeSats that monitor agricultural crops on Earth or entire mega-constellations of nanosats that provide global internet access, by raising their orbits when they begin to drift towards the planet.

The technology was developed by ThrustMe, a spin-off company from the École Polytechnique and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and supported by ESA through its programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). It uses a novel propellant – iodine – in an electric thruster that controls the satellite’s height above Earth. Iodine is less expensive and uses simpler technologies than traditional propellants. Unlike many traditional propellants, iodine is non-toxic and it is solid at room temperature and pressure. This makes it easier and cheaper to handle on Earth. When heated, it turns to gas without going through a liquid phase, which makes it ideal for a simple propulsion system. It is also denser than traditional propellants, so it occupies smaller volumes onboard the satellite.

ThrustMe launched its iodine thruster on a commercial research nanosat called SpaceTy Beihangkongshi-1 that went into space in November 2020. It was test fired earlier this month before being used to change the orbit of the satellite.

[ANS thanks ESA for the above information.]

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/

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

No events listed.

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately.

Send your upcoming rover operations to Paul Overn, KE0PBR at ke0pbr at gmail dot com.

ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts

Vladivostok, 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 astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov.
Contact is go for Friday, February 5, 2021 at 08:35 UTC.

Ottawa Carleton District School Board, Ottawa, ON, Canada, multi-point telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG.
Contact is go for Friday, February 5, 2021 at 17:41:04.

Successful Contacts

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, Direct
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The astronaut was Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
Contact was successful on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 08:25 UTC.

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

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

Satellite Shorts from All Over

35 Years Ago: Remembering Challenger and Her Crew

On Jan. 28, 1986, the astronauts once again boarded Challenger as managers had cleared the launch despite unexpectedly cold temperatures overnight at KSC. Managers considered significant ice covering parts of the launch tower as not enough of a concern to delay the launch. In behind-the-scenes discussions, concerns by engineers about the effects of the cold temperatures on the integrity of O-rings in SRB segment joints were overruled by managers who cleared Challenger to launch. Liftoff took place at 11:38 a.m. Eastern time.

As soon as Challenger cleared the launch tower, control of the vehicle shifted from KSC’s Launch Control Center to the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC, where ascent Flight Director Jay H. Greene and his team monitored the mission’s progress. For the first minute or so, the launch appeared to proceed normally, with the usual callouts between the crew and capsule communicator Richard O. Covey in MCC. At 73 seconds after liftoff, controllers lost all telemetry from Challenger and noticed a fireball on television screens. Stunned controllers slowly came to realize that the vehicle had suffered a major malfunction that the crew likely did not survive.

Read the entire article at https://www.nasa.gov/feature/35-years-ago-remembering-challenger-and-her-crew.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]

Build a Fully Automatic Amateur and APT Weather Satellite Ground Station

Over on GitHub stdevPavelmc has released his software called FAASGS (Fully Automatic Amateur Satellite Ground Station). FAASGS is an open source program that allows RTL-SDR users to set up a satellite ground station that tunes, record and generate images for NOAA APT weather satellites, as well as records FM amateur radio satellites. The software runs on a single board computer such as a Raspberry Pi.

Read the full article at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/.

[ANS thanks RTL-SDR.com for the above information.]

‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ Launch Completed By Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab has successfully launched their 18th Electron mission, ‘Another One Leaves The Crust,’ on January 20, 2021. This is the first mission in a busy launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program.

For the complete story go to https://news.satnews.com/2021/01/20/rocket-labs-first-launch-of-2021-for-mid-january-for-ohb-group/.

[ANS thanks SatNews.com for the above information.]

Not an AMSAT member? Join now at https://launch.amsat.org/

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. President’s Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.

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 info at the amsat dot org for additional student membership information.

73,

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

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-024

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:

• Update on the Status of RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E
• UVSQ-SAT Launch Now January 24th
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 21, 2021
• ftp.amsat.org Service to be Terminated
• ARISS News
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-024.01
ANS-024 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 024.01
From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC
DATE January 24, 2021
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-024

Update on the Status of RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E

RadFxSat-2 was launched Sunday, January 17, on Virgin Orbit LauncherOne launch vehicle.  Reports from the launch provider stated that telemetry confirmed that the deploy commands had been sent and that all of the doors opened successfully, resulting in payload orbits that were all within the ICD limits.

Nominally, we expected to see “First (digital) Veronica” from the RadFxSat-2 telemetry beacon commencing 54 minutes after our deployment from the launch vehicle.  That did not occur as expected.

For each of our launches, we follow a number of steps documented in the “In Orbit Checklist” (IOC) spreadsheet.  Confirmation of launch and deployment are the first steps and then, confirmation of beacon reception.  All other steps follow that but there are steps in case of anomaly, beginning with the detection of the beacon.

As always, from the moment we are deployed we look for signs of the beacon through the ears of amateur radio operators and other means, SatNOGS and webSDR to name a few.  The antenna deployment and full start of the IHU to bring up the beacon can occur anywhere around the globe.  AMSAT greatly appreciates the ongoing and reliable help we receive from you and it is by far the best satellite ground network even beyond that of many commercial players, for LEO orbits.

Command coverage is limited to the United States for various reasons including regulatory requirements, so the opportunity to exercise the steps of the IOC occurs a few times per day as the orbit passes over us.

With no sign of the beacon after a few orbits offering good footprints for reception, we proceeded with the contingency steps to verify the presence of or activate the beacon.  This past week our Engineering and Operations Team members have been at work literally 20 hours per day exercising all of the contingencies outlined in the IOC steps.  These steps have grown and matured with each launch of a Fox-1 program CubeSat and are tailored to the specific satellite.  RadFxSat-2, while she may seem to be much the same as the others with the exception of the transponder vs. FM radio, does present a number of variations to be included in the IOC.  As the results of those steps were exhausted with no beacon detected, we added meetings and increased emails including all of our engineers to discuss possible causes by any of the systems and to develop further steps.

From those we drew new steps of command sequences that might overcome whatever anomaly existed and make the beacon heard.  As the week drew on, we continued brainstorming and steps to activate other functions that would provide proof of life.  We continue to do so today and for whatever time until we exhaust all possibilities that we are able to draw from the expertise and satellite experience of our Engineering Team and Operations Team drawing from the design of RadFxSat-2 and lessons learned in the Fox-1 program as well as any from missions prior to AMSAT’s first CubeSats.

AMSAT still needs your help as always, to help detect any sign of activity from RadFxSat-2.  This includes ability to listen for local oscillators or transponder driver output in the case of a failed PA.

I personally ask that those of you who are and have been interested in the entire process of bringing a new amateur radio satellite to orbit and through end of life to continue to contribute your curiosity and enthusiasm in exploring from your own station, to pursue the possibilities of a successful RadFxSat-2 mission along with us.  I have received reports and queries from some of you, and I greatly appreciate your contributions.  You are in fact volunteers in the AMSAT Engineering Team through your contribution.

If you are interested, I ask that you do due diligence in your procedure if you think you have identified a signal by re-creating (if possible) and verifying to yourself that what you have is credible, as we do, before contacting us.  That “standard” procedure is what adds value by making the information actionable rather than placing the onus of determining if it is even real upon us, because we are of course quite busy with that already.  Please email your findings to [email protected] and allow us a day or two to acknowledge and/or reply.

While we tend to talk about our involvement with RadFxSat-2 above all, a real effect reaches outside our mutual desire for amateur radio satellite fun.  RadFxSat-2 is sponsored by Vanderbilt University as part of our long partnership going back to Fox-1A.  RadFxSat-2’s mission belongs to Vanderbilt University as part of their RadFX series of missions seeking to verify and explore radiation effects on COTS components.  Their mission coincides well with AMSAT’s desire to fly lower cost satellite missions using COTS components, in the unfriendly radiation environment of Earth orbit and beyond.  Vanderbilt also sponsored the CSLI for RadFxSat (one) in our Fox-1B spacecraft back in 2012.  Their proposal was selected by NASA, flown on the ELaNa XIV mission in November of 2017.

RadFxSat’s mission was very successful in the information provided through the combined telemetry-gathering of all of those who pursue our missions through FoxTelem.  Vanderbilt University published their results giving praise to AMSAT and our Fox-1 CubeSats. The experiments we host are built by students and Vanderbilt shares the experiences with the educational community in their area.  That is a success for AMSAT as well in our goal to provide STEM and other educational contributions.

While the RadFxSat-2 mission is problematic at this time, we will pursue every possibility to make her work for the amateur community and for our partner.  I certainly hope to continue our partnership with Vanderbilt, the mutual benefit is a wonderful and fun undertaking that adds to the value of our satellites.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President – Engineering, 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

UVSQ-SAT Launch Now January 24th

The launch of UVSQ-SAT, which carries an FM transponder for amateur radio use is now planned for January 24, 2020 at 15:00 UTC.

The project team is offering a gift to the first 5 people who receive the satellite’s signal and the first 5 people who receive and decode the signal and submit it to the AMSAT-F server and/or SatNOGS.

For more information on UVSQ-SAT, see the following links:

http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/?ong=Ham-Radio
https://site.amsat-f.org/uvsq-sat/
https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/inspire/

[ANS thanks Christophe Mercier, AMSAT-F President, for the above information]

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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 21, 2021

On January 19, 2021 at about 22:28 UTC Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Demo 2 placed 11 new satellites into orbit. AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 was among the 11 new satellites. The following is a summary of identified and not yet identified satellites from that launch as the date of this email.

So far, the following satellites have been identified and added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

CAPE 3 – Cat ID 47309
MiTEE 1 – Cat ID 47314
ExoCube 2 – Cat ID 47319

Thanks to Nico Janssen (PA0DLO), Alan Biddle (WA4SCA), and SatNogs for the above IDs.

The object Cat ID 47316 is the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket body and has not been added.

The following are unidentified satellites that have been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

OBJECT B – Cat ID 47310
OBJECT C – Cat ID 47311
OBJECT D – Cat ID 47312
OBJECT E – Cat ID 47313
OBJECT G – Cat ID 47315
OBJECT J – Cat ID 47317
OBJECT K – Cat ID 47318
OBJECT M – Cat ID 47320

Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, notes that the unidentified OBJECTS C, D, and M are in the center of the pack and are good candidates for being RadFxSat-2.

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

ftp.amsat.org Service to be Terminated

User habits have evolved over the decades favoring file transfer via HTTP(S) and we are now seeing very little activity via the FTP protocol. AMSAT will eliminate the administrative burden and other costs of FTP operation and is proposing to terminate FTP services on 15 April 2021.

Please let us know at webmaster at amsat.org if this will cause any difficulty with any automated systems, especially with respect to dissemination of orbital elements. If you have such a system, please adjust them to get elements from the following locations:

https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt
https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasa.all

Editor’s Note: The gigabytes of historical files and information available at ftp.amsat.org will continue to be available. Details for accessing this archive will be made available at a later date.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team Leader for the above information]

ARISS News

Maine Regional School Unit #21, Kennebunk, ME, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG

Contact was successful: Thu 2021-01-21 18:27:40 UTC 52 deg
Watch for live stream at https://youtu.be/LN70OpJFMgs

Newcastle High School, Newcastle, WY, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be Mike Hopkins KF5LJG
The down link frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC

Contact is go for Option #5: Thu 2021-01-28 17:46:13 UTC 80 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

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space?

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

From Clint Bradford, K6LCS

THANK YOU to The Villages Amateur Radio Club in Florida! We just had a great time (01/21/2021) discussing working amateur satellites. One of their members’ sons is THE control op for AO-27 – don’t you DARE delete those memories from your radios just yet!

Upcoming Zoom “How to Work Amateur Satellites With You HT” presentations:

February 8 – An ARES meeting in Los Angeles county
March 1 – Western Amateur Radio Association, Orange County, CA
TBD – Palm Springs Desert RATS
June 15 – Wellesley Amateur Radio Society, Eastern Massachusetts

Think a 90-minute, informative, and FUN presentation on working satellites would be appropriate for YOUR club? Let me know!

Clint Bradford K6LCS
http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS (7287)

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information]

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/

Upcoming Satellite Operations

****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.****

WL7T is roving in the Western US. Check https://twitter.com/Tyler_WL7T for updates.

K7ZOO is roving DL88 or DL89. and others in the area. Check https://twitter.com/K7ZOO_rover for details.

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]

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/

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The first satellite with a Hall-effect thruster has gone to space. Check out the Universe Today article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-024-Hall

+ An iodine propellant has been used to change a satellite’s orbit for the first time. Check out the European Space Agency article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-024-Iodine

+ Videos of the 2021 Ham Radio University presentations are posted at https://www.youtube.com/c/HamRadioUniversityNLI

Presentations handouts and slide decks are available at http://hamradiouniversity.org/past-presentations/

The HRU 2021 – The Art of Operating Amateur Satellites with an HT by Peter Portanova, W2JV is posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSj-mo7oYxE

+ Sean Kutzko, KX9X, discussed amateur satellites on the DX Engineering YouTube channel. Check out the replay at https://youtu.be/HYrcVbN2J9o

+ The November/December 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal is available for AMSAT members at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal/

+ Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT’s new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT’s Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you’re a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/

+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print

/EX

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. President’s Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.

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.

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-017

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:

• RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021
• November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online
• UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch
• Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
• CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth’s Magnetic Field for Propulsion
• CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders
• International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-017.01
ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 017.01
From AMSAT HQ Washington, DC
January 17, 2021
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-017.01

RadFxSat-2 Launch Delayed Until Sunday, January 17, 2021

Virgin Orbit announced a new launch date of No Earlier Than (NET) Sunday, January 17, 2021 with additional windows in January if needed. The specific window is 10:00 to 14:00 PST (1800 to 2200 UTC). Virgin Orbit seems to be using its Twitter account to make their public announcements, so that may be worth watching at https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit.

AMSAT does not have preliminary TLE for the upcoming launch. If you are hoping to snag the first contact, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP – Engineering suggests checking the nasabare.text TLE just prior to launch, maybe thirty-minutes after launch or until they are posted.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

November/December 2020 AMSAT Journal Now Online

AMSAT members can read the November/December 2020 edition of the AMSAT Journal online. This edition includes:

• Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
• Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton, N0JY
• Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
• Development Update – Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
• For Beginners – Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VIII – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
• Working FalconSat-3 Packet BBS with the Kenwood TH-D72A – Brian Wilkins, KO4AQF
• Testing a More Fade-resistant BPSK Demodulator for Fox Linear Transponder Spacecraft – Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ
• The Success Story of SMOG-P, the World’s Smallest Satellite – Gabor Geczy
• Starting My Adventure With Amateur Radio Satellites – James Johnson, VE7HJ

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly 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. Join AMSAT today to start receiving your bi-monthly issue of The AMSAT Journal. Members can access the latest issue of The AMSAT Journal as well as archived editions at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal/.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

                  https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

UVSQsat Scheduled for January 21, 2021 Launch

The launch of UVSQsat is scheduled for January 21, 2021 by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. UVSQ-SAT is a nanosatellite designed by LATMOS (Atmospheres Spatial Observation Laboratory) and developed at the Observatory of Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines.  Its scientific and technological goals are observing essential climate variables, namely shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere and UV solar spectral irradiance.

In addition to experimental and educational missions, it will provide the Amateur Radio community with a new FM transponder. AMSAT-Francophone and the radio club F6KRK have been involved throughout the project. AMSAT-Francophone offers software to interpret the data and send it to the AMSAT-F & Satnogs database. The software is in beta mode and available for testing and giving feedback for improvement. The software runs on both Windows and Linux platforms. Information for downloading is available at:
https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/21-ecr-uvsqsat/ApplicationUVSQsatDecoder/src/site/markdown/UserManual.md

Two audio files are available for testing the software:
– 1200 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_143925Z_437017790Hz_IQ—Beacon_1200.wav
– 9600 bps (BPSK / G3RUH): SDRSharp_20201023_144839Z_437011810Hz_IQ—Beacon_9600.wav

The satellite will transmit on the frequency: 437.020 MHz.

More information on the satellite frequencies: http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0UVSQsat.html

More information on the project: http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/index.php

[ANS thanks AMSAT-F for the above information.]

Seven US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

January 7, 2021 – Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2021 contact window. A total of seven of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the seven US host organizations during the July through December 2021 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The seven schools advancing in the selection process are:

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN
Tarwater Elementary, Chandler, AZ
Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse, NY
SpaceKids Global and Girl Scouts of Citrus, Winter Park, FL
Civil Air Patrol – Illinois Wing, St Charles, IL
Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC
Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information.]

CubeSat to Test Harnessing Earth’s Magnetic Field for Propulsion

Although not an Amateur Radio satellite, a student-built CubeSat is of interest to the Amateur Radio Satellite Service. Built at the University of Michigan, it will investigate whether small satellites can be maintained in low Earth orbit without thrusters or propellant. Scheduled to launch from the Mojave Air and Space Port on Virgin Orbit’s Launch Demo 2 on January 10, 2020, the Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment-1 (MiTEE-1) will test the concept of using the Earth’s magnetic field to generate thrust.

The usual way to overcome this is to use thrusters to boost the satellite into a higher orbit, but for smaller spacecraft, and especially CubeSats, this isn’t currently an option – although efforts like the ThermaSat design are looking to bring lightweight propulsion systems to CubeSats. The result is that many perfectly good pieces of hardware are destroyed prematurely, deorbiting in a matter of months or even days.

The MiTEE project will test the feasibility of using electromagnetism to provide propulsion by stringing a wire tether 33 to 100 feet (10 to 30 m) long between two CubeSats. The idea is that solar panels would provide electricity, which would run through the wire. As the satellite orbits the Earth, the ionosphere completes the circuit and, because a force is exerted on a wire when it conducts a current in a magnetic field, the tether generates thrust that can be used to boost the spacecraft into a higher orbit. As the force isn’t very great, such an approach wouldn’t be feasible for larger satellites, but the hope is it will be enough to allow small satellites to compensate for the drag of the atmosphere.

The result of two and half years of work, MiTEE-1 won’t actually produce any thrust. Instead, it will consist of a satellite about the size of a loaf of breadbox and another about the size of a smartphone that deploys on a one-meter (33-in) rigid boom. This will measure how much current can be drawn from the ionosphere under various conditions.
The data from the mission will be used for planning and building the next MiTEE satellite, which will demonstrate the electric propulsion system concept in operation.

More information is available at: https://newatlas.com/space/cubesat-earth-magnetic-field-boost-orbit/.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis and newatlas.com for the above information.]

  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/

CHESS CubeSat Constellation to Carry FUNcube Transponders

In 2020, a project between AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NL and Swiss universities started with the aim of equipping two Swiss satellites with a linear transponder for Amateur Radio.

With a linear transponder, several QSOs can take place simultaneously. The satellites can be operated in CW/SSB with the simplest equipment. The satellites also include features for classroom demonstrations and experiments. In numerous teleconference discussions, the technical possibilities could be sounded out and the realization prepared.

The CHESS [Constellation of High Energy Swiss Satellites] project includes two satellites, which will be built simultaneously and later launched as a constellation. Both will provide a linear transponder for amateur radio use. The first satellite will have a nearly circular orbit at an altitude of 400 km. The second will have an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 350×1000 km.

The satellites themselves are a project of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with support from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU – Institute of Electrical Engineering IET), the University of Bern, the Valais University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HES-SO), the Haute École Neuchâtel and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich. The amateur radio payload is a project of AMSAT-UK/-NL.

On 18 December 2020, the successful system requirements review took place. The project coordination between CHESS and AMSAT lies with the Amateur Radio Association of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Technology & Architecture, Horw.

The Swiss AMSAT Operators provide information about the CHESS project at https://www.amsat-hb.org/funcube-chess/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]

International Amateur Radio Union Preparing for WRC-23

Preparations are under way by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to represent the interests of the amateur and amateur-satellite services at World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) sponsors WRCs, typically every 4 years, to consider revisions to the international Radio Regulations that define frequency allocations for various radio services.

The next WRC is expected to be held in 2023. Potentially affected bands are 50 – 54 MHz (a new service has been proposed in an adjacent band); 1240 – 1300 MHz; 3300 – 3400 MHz; 10.0 – 10.5 GHz, and 241 – 250 GHz. In addition, studies are being conducted to identify protection requirements for space weather sensors that operate in frequency bands from 13 kHz to at least 15 GHz.

Read the complete story at: http://www.arrl.org/news/international-amateur-radio-union-preparing-for-wrc-23.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

   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/

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo; March 13,14 2021
The second QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held on March 13-14, 2021.  There is an Amateur Radio speaker track and AMSAT will have a virtual booth during the event. Advance tickets are now on sale.

More information at: https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/

[ANS thanks Virtual QSO Virtual Ham Expo for the above information.]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

EL86; January 17-18, 2021
@KK4YEL: is heading out to EL86 for two days starting this Sunday evening.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR 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

ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts

Hisagi Junior High School, Zushi, Japan
Direct via 8N1ZH
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Contact is go for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 08:17:59 UTC. (70 deg)

Maine Regional School Unit #21, Kennebunk, ME
Multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG.
Contact is go for Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 18:27:40 UTC. (52 deg)

Completed Contacts

Shigagakuen Junior & Senior High School, Higashioumi, Japan,
Direct via 8N3SG
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The astronaut was Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Contact was successful on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 10:38:29 UTC.

A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home.

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

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

Shorts from All Over

New Keplerian Element Set orb21007.2l.amsat Available
Updated Keplerian elements were released on January 7, 2021 and are available at:
https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information.]

31st Anniversary of LO-19
Members of AMSAT Argentina will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the LUSAT (LO-19) satellite with the callsign LU7AA January 16-24, 2021. Stations will be QRV on HF on SSB, FT8, and CW. An award is also available. QSL via LU7AA direct or by eQSL.
More information is available at http://lu4aao.org/lu7aa/cert_31_aniv_lusat_2021.htm.

[ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM 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 info at amsat dot org for additional student membership information.

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