AMSAT has been informed that the launch period for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D has been moved and is now commencing on September 1, 2016 and ending on November 30, 2016.
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be integrated onto the Spaceflight SHERPA platform for its maiden flight aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launching into a sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D carry university experiments from Pennsylvania State-Erie, Vanderbilt, University of Iowa, cameras provided by Virginia Tech, as well as amateur radio voice repeaters capable of U/v or L/v operation.
The GEO project at Virginia Tech being done jointly with AMSAT and using RINCON Research’s AstroSDR has completed our preliminary design review (PDR). Please visit out web site at
We are able to provide much more information to donors if you need it including a sanitized version of our PDR slides giving much greater detail on the internal to the spacecraft project. Your donations are needed to make this project fly.
The bottom line is we have a design, an air interface document, a ground terminal project plan. We have permission from the US government to put our payload on board their spacecraft. We have been told by FEMA that they will use our capability in times of Emergency if we get it into orbit. Flex Radio has agreed to design a high end ground terminal which will be capable of supporting more missions that just this one.
We need your donations! Following the giving link on the web site. This is a tax deductible donation to our Virginia Tech if you are in the United States. We are a 501c3 entity.
Cheers! (73 de N4HY)
(L-R) Sonya Rowe, KK4NLO; Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Bob McGwier, N4HY; Franklin Antonio, N6NKF; Tom Clark, K3IO; Michelle Thompson, W5NYV; and Phil Karn, KA9Q standing next to the Aquila M8 Bus flight article.
Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced at the Dayton Hamvention AMSAT Forum on Saturday that the launch for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D is now NET (No Earlier Than) July 28, 2016.
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be integrated onto the Spaceflight Sherpa platform for its maiden flight aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Team has donated two of its handsome ARISS Challenge Coins to the Dayton Amateur Radio Association as a 2016 Hamvention door prize. The two keepsake coins are positioned side by side in a beautiful display box so that each side of the coin is seen from either direction.
2016 ARISS Dayton Hamvention Door Prize
The commemorative ARISS Challenge Coin is the premium received by donors who give $100 or more to ARISS. Dayton Hamvention General Chairman Jim Tiderman, N8IDS, agreed to feature the ARISS keepsake coin by holding a special prize drawing immediately following the introduction of the winners of the 2016 Dayton Hamvention national awards at 2 pm on Sunday.
The ARISS Team kicks off its 2016 fund-raising campaign at the Dayton Hamvention to raise money for the very high cost of replacing its aging radio system on the ISS and to help defray the cost of continuing ARISS operations. This special Hamvention prize drawing is the first step of the campaign.
ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, noted the importance of this fundraising campaign: “ARISS is in need of critical upgrades of our on-orbit equipment. The radio system in the Columbus module is over 17 years old and underpowered. We need a 21st Century next generation solution. This fundraising campaign will enable these upgrades and, as a result, significantly improve ARISS operations and provide the funding necessary to better support our stakeholders and the amateur radio community.”
Those wanting to support the ARISS fundraising campaign can donate to ARISS online via the AMSAT Website, www.amsat.org (select the “ARISS Donate” button) or the ARISS web page, www.ariss.org (select the “Donate” tab). ARISS representatives will also be at the AMSAT Booth during the Hamvention with Challenge Coins ready for people ready to donate $100 or more.
Be sure to go to the Hara Arena at the Dayton Hamvention on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 2 pm for the major door prize drawings … and good luck!
About ARISS
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, go to: www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org , and www.arrl.org .
