ANS

In this edition:

* MESAT1 Named a Finalist in Global Satellite Contest
* 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Continues
* AMSAT Organizations Continue to Challenge AST SpaceMobile Use of Ham Radio Spectrum
* Registration Remains Open for AMSAT Symposium, Presentations Invited
* NASA Satellite May Be Destroyed On Purpose
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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/

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MESAT1 Named a Finalist in Global Satellite Contest

MESAT1 (MO-122), Maine’s first research satellite developed by the University of Maine and with collaboration from AMSAT Engineering, was a finalist for the SmallSat “Rookie of the Year” Award, which is sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The public was encouraged to cast their vote online to boost MESAT1 to victory as the top rookie small satellite mission. Voting was free and open to everyone through August 12. MESAT1 was among seven small satellites vying for the title.

MO-122 (Photo: University of Maine)

Launched into orbit on July 4, 2024, MESAT1 was developed to get students involved in space science. The cost-effective nanosatellite, which measures 11.8 inches, is outfitted with four multispectral cameras that were designed to capture climate-related Earth imagery for experiments designed by Maine K-12 students. An AMSAT-provided LTM-1 linear transponder provides services to amateur radio enthusiasts around the world. In October of 2024, at the request of University of Maine, AMSAT designated MESAT1 as MESAT1-OSCAR 122 (MO-122).

“Access to space data motivates and excites students to learn fundamental skills in mathematics and science and helps them see the importance of STEM careers,” said UMaine Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Kody Varahramyan, who led the establishment of UMaine’s Space Initiative. “Being selected as a finalist for SmallSat Rookie of the Year is a national recognition of what Maine students and their faculty researchers can accomplish together.”

Finalists for the SmallSat award included teams from the University of Arizona, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and international missions from Senegal and Croatia. MESAT1 stands out as a mission that empowered K–12 students from Falmouth High School, Fryeburg Academy and Saco Middle School to contribute to space exploration.

The winner, announced during the 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference from Aug. 10-13 in Salt Lake City, was CroCube the first Croatian satellite. CroCube also operates as an amateur radio satellite with a CW beacon and a GFSK9k6 – AX.25 G3RUH telemetry beacon at 436.775 MHz.

MESAT1 was designed, built and tested by students and faculty at UMaine in partnership with the University of Southern Maine, the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, with support from NASA and the Maine Space Grant Consortium. The satellite’s development and integration for launch was led by Ali Abedi, who formerly served as associate vice president for research and a professor at UMaine.

This effort is part of the broader UMaine Space Initiative, which is working to develop a skilled space workforce and grow Maine’s presence in the space economy, including plans for a future Maine SpacePort Complex.

“This recognition puts Maine on the map as a state that not only builds satellites, but also builds opportunities — for students, teachers, researchers and entrepreneurs,” Varahramyan said.

[ANS thanks The University of Maine and smallsat.org for the above information]

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Your 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coin Is Waiting!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.

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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2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Continues

The nomination period for the 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended on June 15, 2025. The following candidates have been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link that follows:

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, NØJY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
Douglas Tabor, N6UA

As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, the four candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The candidate receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared the First Alternate. The voting period opened on July 15, 2025 and shall conclude on September 15, 2025. Results will be announced no later that September 30, 2025.

AMSAT members may review the candidate statements and cast their ballots at https://launch.amsat.org/2025-BoD-Election

[ANS thanks Douglas Tabor, N6UA, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]

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Need new satellite antennas?

Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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AMSAT Organizations Continue to Challenge AST SpaceMobile Use of Ham Radio Spectrum

Facing more than 2,500 complaints from amateurs, AST SpaceMobile has responded by telling the FCC that it has designed its satellites to “mitigate interference” with amateur radio bands.

On August 5, the company replied to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, defending its plan to use the 430 to 440MHz radio bands outside the U.S. to track and control its proposed fleet of 248 satellites. The company says it’s proposing “very limited, non-routine” use of the 430 to 440MHz bands and only for launch and early orbit phases for its satellites or “emergency operations when other frequency bands are unavailable.”

AST SpaceMobile’s attempt to justify its use of the amateur radio band for its satellites has done little to assuage concerns from the ham radio community.

“AST is again economical with the truth,” an amateur radio operator in Germany named Mario Lorenz wrote to the FCC on August 8.

The amateur radio community says AST is already using those bands. On August 8, AMSAT-Deutschland sent a letter to the FCC that says amateur radio users have detected signals from AST’s satellites over the radio bands.

“The claim is therefore either a misrepresentation or a deliberate falsehood,” AMSAT-Deutschland wrote. In particular, AST’s BlueWalker-3 satellite was spotted using the radio band up until July 23 as the amateur radio community began campaigning against the spectrum use.

“It also raises questions about AST’s technical maturity,” the group added. “Other large-scale satellite operators — such as SpaceX, with over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit — appear to manage TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command) functions without resorting to use of the amateur UHF band.”

[ANS thanks PC Magazine for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.pcmag.com/news/ham-radio-users-explain-why-theyre-worried-about-ast-spacemobiles-satellite]

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Registration Remains Open for AMSAT Symposium, Presentations Invited

Registrations & room reservations remain available for the 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting to be held Thursday, October 16 to Sunday, October 19 at the Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North, 1515 North 44th Street Phoenix, AZ. Early Bird registration remains available until September 15 at https://launch.amsat.org/Events

Photo: Holiday Inn Suites Phoenix Airport North

Rooms for the 43rd AMSAT Annual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting have been going fast but more are now available. At an affordable price of $140 per night plus tax, these rooms will go fast. More information of room reservations can be found at: https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/

Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your paper or presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 8 for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings. Proposals for presentations at the Symposium do not require a paper. Presentations will be recorded and made available on AMSAT’s YouTube Channel and transcribed and published with its slides in the Proceedings. Proposals should be sent to Frank Karnauskas, N1UW via f.karnauskas [at] amsat.org

Liam Cheney (Photo: Footstep Aerospace)

Keynote speaker at the Symposium will be Liam Cheney, an aerospace consultant and founder of Footstep Aerospace by AG3, LLC. Mr. Cheney supports mission integration, strategy, and business development for the space industry. He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, is a certified Project Management Professional, and a member of AMSAT.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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NASA Satellite That Scientists and Farmers Rely On May Be Destroyed On Purpose

The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to current and former NASA staffers. If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere.

The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.

It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions. The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who worked on the missions. An official review by NASA in 2023 found that “the data are of exceptionally high quality” and recommended continuing the mission for at least three years.

Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe. They use identical measurement devices, but one device is attached to a stand-alone satellite while the other is attached to the International Space Station. The standalone satellite would burn up in the atmosphere if NASA pursued plans to terminate the mission.

Presidential budget proposals are wish lists that often bear little resemblance to final congressional budgets. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions have already received funding from Congress through the end of the 2025 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Draft budgets that Congress is currently considering for next year keep NASA funding basically flat. But it’s not clear whether these specific missions will receive funding again, or if Congress will pass a budget before current funding expires on Sept. 30.

Last week, NASA announced it will consider proposals from private companies and universities that are willing to take on the cost of maintaining the device that is attached to the International Space Station, as well as another device that measures ozone in the atmosphere.

The missions are called Orbiting Carbon Observatories because they were originally designed to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But soon after they launched, scientists realized that they were also accidentally measuring plant growth on Earth.

Basically, when plants are growing, photosynthesis is happening in their cells. And that photosynthesis gives off a very specific wavelength of light. The OCO instruments in space measure that light all over the planet.

“NASA and others have turned this happy accident into an incredibly valuable set of maps of plant photosynthesis around the world,” explains Scott Denning, a longtime climate scientist at Colorado State University who worked on the OCO missions and is now retired. “Lo and behold, we also get these lovely, high resolution maps of plant growth,” he says. “And that’s useful to farmers, useful to rangeland and grazing and drought monitoring and forest mapping and all kinds of things, in addition to the CO2 measurements.”

The cost of maintaining the two OCO satellite missions up in space is a small fraction of the amount of money taxpayers already spent to design and launch the instruments. The two missions cost about $750 million to design, build and launch, according to David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist.

By comparison, maintaining both OCO missions in orbit costs about $15 million per year, Crisp says. That money covers the cost of downloading the data, maintaining a network of calibration sensors on the ground and making sure the stand-alone satellite isn’t hit by space debris, according to Crisp.

“Just from an economic standpoint, it makes no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data,” Crisp says.

[ANS thanks National Public Radio for the above information. Read the complete article at https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 15

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

With HamTV becoming active on ISS, orbital elements are now updated twice daily in http://www.amsat.org/tle/ at 00:18 and 12:18 UTC. The intention is to have high quality TLE available to accurately calculate doppler shift for the 2.935 GHz downlink. Observations comparing these TLE to those that were caclulated based ephemerides and TLE produced by Johnson Space Center the last time HAMTV was active are desired, write jfitzgerald [at] amsat.org

Assignments to some of the Tevel2 satellites have been updated to match object numbers.

The following satellites have been removed from this week’s distribution:
CSIM NORAD Cat ID 43793 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 August 2025

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

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ARISS NEWS

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

COMPLETED
N. Sultanov International Aerospace School, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, direct via RC4P
The ISS callsign was RSØISS
The crewmember was Sergey Ryzhikov
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR
Contact was successful for Mon 2025-08-11 07:51 UTC
Congratulations to the N. Sultanov International Aerospace School students, Sergey, mentor RV3DR, and ground station RC4P!

UPCOMING
Youngsters On The Air, Jambville, France, Direct via FX5YOTA
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is F6ICS
Contact is go for: Tue 2025-08-19 09:18:53 UTC 82 deg
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MARkTcR6Njo

NixderStelar (formerly Gemini-1), Lima, Peru, telebridge via VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-08-20 14:08:05 UTC 81 deg

The crossband repeater continues to be ACTIVE (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also ACTIVE (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Next expected outage: Ham TV (2395.00 MHz down) will power down on Monday 18 August at 14:15 UTC and power up on Wednesday 20 August at approximately 12:35 UTC.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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 Ambassador Activities

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

August 16-17, 2025
Huntsville Hamfest 2025
Von Braun Center South Hall
700 Monroe St. SW
Huntsville, AL 35801
https://hamfest.org/
N8DEU, WD4ASW, KE4AL, W4FCL

August 21-24, 2025
Northeast HamXposition (HamX) & New England ARRL Convention
Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road W
Marlborough, MA 01752
http://www.HamX.org
W1EME, WD4ASW, WB1FJ

September 6, 2025
Greater Louisville Hamfest
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre
395 Paroquet Springs Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest
W4FCL

October 11, 2025
North Star Radio Convention
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
https://northstarradio.org/
ADØHJ

October 16, 17, 18, 19, 2025
AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting and 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Details at https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT-Deutschland will host the Bochum Space Days event from September 19 to 21, 2025. In cooperation with the Bochum Observatory, AMSAT-Deutschland e.V. is offering a varied and informative program aimed at AMSAT members and all space enthusiasts. The focus is on current developments and future prospects for national and international amateur radio satellites and other space projects. Lectures, presentations and exciting discussions will provide participants with valuable insights into the latest technologies, missions and research projects in space travel. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/save-the-date-bochum-space-days-2025/ for details. (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.)

+ If you happen to read Japanese, the latest JAMSAT Newsletter No.318 includes JAMSAT’s next Transponder Board Project “Blueberry JAM,” as well as an invitation to HamFair2025 in Tokyo next weekend. See it at https://bit.ly/43kOW7v (ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP, JAMSAT Newsletter Editor, for the above information.)

+ The September 2025 issue of QST Magazine contains a review of the Halibut Electronics EggNOGS Antenna. The reviewer recommends this low-cost “eggbeater” antenna array primarily for receiving in unattended operations, such as weather satellite and SatNOGS ground stations. However, the kit has options for low power uplink transmissions, as well. The detailed review appears on pages 45-49 of the magazine, or see https://electronics.halibut.com/ for the manufacturer’s website. (ANS thanks QST Magazine for the above information.)

+ NASA Astronaut James A. Lovell (Captain, USN, Ret.), veteran of the Gemini VII, Gemini XII, and Apollo 8 missions before becoming the Mission Commander for the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, died August 7 at the age of 97. Lovell joined NASA in 1962 as part of its second group of astronauts. He was selected as backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, and would have been the fifth human to walk on the moon, had it not been for the Apollo 13 “problem.” (ANS thanks NASA for the above information.)

+ SpaceX is now offering Starship flights to Mars, with Italy signing up as the first customer to send payloads. However, there is no announced start date for providing the service. (ANS thank The Orbital Index for the above information.)

+ Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have found strong evidence of a giant planet orbiting a star in the stellar system closest to our own Sun. At just four light-years away from Earth, the Alpha Centauri triple star system has long been a compelling target in the search for worlds beyond our solar system. If confirmed, the planet would be the closest to Earth that orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. However, because the planet candidate is a gas giant, scientists say it would not support life as we know it. (ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information.)

+ A newly released report states that in 2023, LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory at CalTech, detected the most massive black hole merger yet, in which rapidly spinning black holes with masses of roughly 100 M☉ and 140 M☉ (M☉= 1 solar mass) merged to form a 225 M☉ black hole. Notice that 100 + 140 = 240 M☉, but the final object weighs a meager 225 Suns, meaning that 15 M☉ were converted directly into gravitational energy in this event, totaling 3 x 1048 Joules —- more energy than the combined stellar output of every star in the visible universe in that moment! (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002

In this edition:

* AMSAT Submits Formal Objection to AST SpaceMobile Plan, FCC Records 2,283 Comments
* Amateur Radio Enthusiasts Decode SSMIS After DoD Ends Public Hurricane Data Stream
* SpaceX Launches NASA’s TRACERS Mission to Study Solar Wind and Magnetic Reconnection
* NASA, ISRO Set to Launch NISAR Satellite to Map Earth and Monitor Glaciers, Faults, and Crops
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 25, 2025
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

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

ANS-208 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2025 Jul 27

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AMSAT Submits Formal Objection to AST SpaceMobile Plan, FCC Records 2,220 Comments

The public comment period has officially closed for FCC Space Bureau Docket 25-201, which reviewed a request by AST & Science, LLC (AST SpaceMobile) to use the 430–440 MHz band for telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) operations. This spectrum includes 435–438 MHz, a critical allocation for the amateur satellite service. The filing window ended at midnight Eastern Time on July 21.

AMSAT submitted formal comments opposing the proposal, citing the extensive non-commercial use of 435–438 MHz by amateur satellites, including OSCAR-class spacecraft, educational CubeSats, and the ARISS station aboard the International Space Station. AMSAT also highlighted ongoing interference caused by AST’s BlueWalker-3 satellite on 437.500 MHz, which has disrupted InspireSAT-1. The filing urges the Commission to deny AST’s request and preserve the integrity of the amateur satellite service.

The international amateur satellite community also responded forcefully. AMSAT-DL (Germany) provided direct evidence of BlueWalker-3 interference received at the Bochum Observatory. AMSAT-SM (Sweden) filed in opposition as well, and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) pointed out that AST’s use of 430–440 MHz under ITU Radio Regulation Article 4.4 lacks required sharing studies and would pose significant interference risks to amateur operations worldwide.

As of the close of the comment period, the FCC docket recorded 2,283 total filings, a remarkable outpouring of concern from the amateur community. While not all filings were express comments in opposition, the overwhelming majority appear to be from individual amateur radio operators urging the FCC to reject AST’s request. The ARRL encouraged its members to participate. The result is one of the most heavily commented amateur-spectrum proceedings in recent FCC history.

AST has maintained that its use of the band would be limited to early-orbit phases and emergencies, but commenters—including AMSAT—argue that such “limited use” does not mitigate the real potential for interference. AMSAT emphasized that many amateur satellites rely on IARU-coordinated use of 435–438 MHz, and that commercial systems should operate in bands explicitly allocated for space operations—not shared amateur satellite spectrum.

The FCC’s reply comment window remains open through August 5, 2025. During this period, individuals and organizations may respond directly to previously filed comments, clarify technical concerns, and reinforce the case for preserving amateur access to 435–438 MHz. AMSAT encourages reply commenters to cite interference data, highlight educational and non-commercial uses, and support the formal filings made by AMSAT and IARU.

After the reply deadline, the FCC Space Bureau will review the entire docket record. This process may take weeks or months and may culminate in a proposed order or public notice. While there is no petition-to-deny window in this particular docket, stakeholders may still file additional comments or seek reconsideration if the Commission issues a preliminary decision.

AMSAT will continue to monitor the proceeding and work in coordination with the IARU and international partners to protect amateur satellite spectrum. The 435–438 MHz allocation remains a cornerstone of AMSAT’s mission to promote education, experimentation, and global collaboration in space communications. AMSAT thanks all who filed comments and urges continued engagement as the proceeding advances.

[ANS thanks AMSAT and the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) for the above information]

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Amateur Radio Enthusiasts Decode SSMIS After DoD Ends Public Hurricane Data Stream

Amateur radio enthusiasts have developed a method to access critical hurricane monitoring data following a decision by the U.S. government to end online distribution. The data originates from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) aboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), long used by meteorologists to monitor storm development.

In June, the Department of Defense announced it would discontinue public access to real-time SSMIS data, citing cybersecurity concerns. Although the cutoff was postponed until August, forecasters warned that losing this source of microwave imagery would hinder their ability to analyze tropical cyclone structure, particularly under cloud cover or at night.

In response, amateur radio enthusiasts developed a workaround led by the SatDump project’s creator. The SatDump software project has released a new decoder that allows users to receive SSMIS transmissions directly from the satellite. Although official distribution is scheduled to stop soon, the satellite continues to broadcast unencrypted signals over the United States and polar regions.

With the right radio hardware—details of which are available online—users can intercept the satellite’s signal independently. The decoder software was built using a combination of reverse engineering and publicly available documentation to replicate some of the functionality NOAA had previously provided.

Not all data channels are accessible using this method. Thermal data in particular remains unavailable due to the absence of reference materials needed for decoding. Still, the tool provides valuable insight for those monitoring storms during hurricane season.

The decoder is still under active development and is available in the “verywip” branch of the SatDump GitHub repository at https://github.com/SatDump/SatDump. Interested users can download the tool and find setup instructions and ongoing updates through the project page.

Read the full article at: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/21/ssmis_satellite_decoder/

[ANS thanks Lindsay Clark, The Register, for the above information]

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The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Have Just Arrived!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight

Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!

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SpaceX Launches NASA’s TRACERS Mission to Study Solar Wind and Magnetic Reconnection

NASA’s TRACERS mission successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Wednesday, July 23, following a one-day delay caused by airspace concerns. The mission, carried into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aims to improve scientific understanding of space weather by studying how solar wind affects Earth’s magnetic field.

TRACERS, short for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, consists of two identical spacecraft designed to fly in close formation. Their mission is to monitor magnetic reconnection events, where Earth’s magnetic field lines snap and reconnect due to surges in solar wind. These reconnection events are responsible for geomagnetic storms and auroras, and can potentially disrupt satellites and electrical grids on Earth.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 2:13 p.m. EDT (1813 UTC) and successfully returned its first stage to a landing at Vandenberg less than eight minutes after launch. This marked the 16th flight for the booster. The rocket’s upper stage continued carrying TRACERS to its target altitude of 367 miles (590 kilometers) in low Earth orbit.

In addition to TRACERS, the launch also carried five secondary payloads, including two private spacecraft named LIDE and Skykraft 4. Three additional NASA-affiliated missions were also aboard the flight, each focused on testing new technologies and studying space environments.

Among the ride-along NASA missions was Athena EPIC, a SmallSat aimed at improving cost-effective integration of Earth-observing instruments into orbit. Also included was the Polylingual Experimental Terminal, which will test spacecraft communication across different satellite networks, and the REAL mission, a cubesat designed to study and eventually mitigate harmful high-energy particles in the Van Allen radiation belts.

All six payloads — TRACERS and its fellow spacecraft — were successfully deployed during a 50-minute window beginning roughly 55 minutes after launch. The TRACERS mission is managed in collaboration with the University of Iowa, with the goal of enhancing models of space weather and protecting infrastructure from solar activity.

Read the full article at: https://www.space.com/science/nasa-launching-tracers-mission-to-protect-earth-from-space-weather-today-how-to-watch-live

[ANS thanks Keith Cooper, Space.com, for the above information]

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NASA, ISRO Set to Launch NISAR Satellite to Map Earth and Monitor Glaciers, Faults, and Crops

A new Earth-observing satellite developed jointly by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to enhance global monitoring of land and ice. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, known as NISAR, will track surface changes with unprecedented accuracy, helping scientists and decision-makers address challenges ranging from natural disasters to food security. The satellite is scheduled to launch on July 30, 2025, at 8:10 a.m. EDT (12:10 UTC) from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard ISRO’s GSLV-F16 launch vehicle.

NISAR is the first collaborative satellite mission of its kind between the two space agencies. It combines NASA’s L-band radar with ISRO’s S-band radar to produce high-resolution measurements of Earth’s surface, regardless of weather or lighting conditions. This dual-radar approach will allow scientists to detect subtle shifts in glaciers, faults, wetlands, and farmland, and to develop a deeper understanding of how these systems evolve over time.

The satellite’s radar reflector antenna spans 39 feet and will scan Earth’s surface every 12 days. The system is capable of detecting ground movement as small as fractions of an inch, providing critical insight into potential earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity. NISAR will also monitor infrastructure like dams and levees, alerting engineers to changes in surrounding land that may affect structural stability.

Data collected by NISAR will be processed and distributed via cloud platforms, with open access for researchers and governments around the world. Over its primary mission, NISAR is expected to generate about 80 terabytes of data products per day—making it the most data-intensive Earth science satellite ever launched by NASA or ISRO. These data will support everything from climate studies to emergency response planning.

The mission also plays a vital role in monitoring ecosystems and agricultural resources. With its ability to penetrate forest canopies and monitor moisture levels in soil and vegetation, NISAR will contribute to studies of forest health, crop yields, and carbon cycling. Its global coverage will be especially valuable in regions that lack consistent satellite monitoring.

The NISAR project is managed jointly by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and multiple ISRO centers, with key hardware contributions from both nations. Engineers from California and India collaborated to integrate and test the satellite, which represents a new chapter in U.S.-India civil space cooperation. NISAR continues the legacy of synthetic aperture radar missions while expanding their reach and resolution on a global scale.

Read the full article at: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/5-things-to-know-about-powerful-new-us-india-satellite-nisar/

[ANS thanks the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for the above information]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 25, 2025

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

NOTICE: In an effort to minimize confusion between sources of two line element sets, AMSAT is adopting the convention of listing the USSF/NORAD Satellite Catalog name first, followed by any secondary name or names in parentheses. For example, “POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT)” was added recently where “POEM 4” is the name that appears in the US Space Force Satellite Catalog, and “BGS ARPIT” is the name best known within the amateur satellite community. Expect name changes for affected satellites in the coming weeks as this change is fully implemented.

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

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]

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ARISS NEWS

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

+ Upcoming Contacts

Youth Camp “Cosmos” of Elabuga district, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is TBD
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Mon 2025-07-28 TBD UTC

Osaka-Kansai Japan Expo, Osaka, Japan, direct via 8K3EXPO
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Takaya Onishi KF5LKS
The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-08-01 09:45:06 UTC

Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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 Ambassador Activities

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, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Scheduled Events

Northeast HamXposition (HamX) & New England ARRL Convention – August 21st thru 24th, 2025
Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road West
Marlborough, MA 01752
http://www.HamX.org
W1EME, WD4ASW, WB1FJ

Greater Louisville Hamfest – September 6th, 2025
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre
395 Paroquet Springs Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest
W4FCL

43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting – October 16th thru 19th, 2025
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/

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

For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

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AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ ARISS SSTV Series 28 ran from July 14–20, 2025, transmitting 12 commemorative images from the International Space Station to honor the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and STS-51F, which helped pioneer SSTV from space. The event drew strong global interest, with more than 8,650 images submitted to the ARISS gallery—an increase from Series 27. Over 3,300 individuals uploaded decodes, and nearly half of all participants were educators or students, highlighting SSTV’s appeal in STEM education. Europe led with 42% of submissions, followed by Asia (23%), North America (12%), South America (8%), Oceania (4%), Africa (1.3%), and Antarctica (0.01%). All seven continents were represented, demonstrating SSTV’s remarkable accessibility with modest equipment. ARISS thanks everyone who participated and helped make Series 28 a resounding worldwide success. (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)

+ On July 22, 2025, Earth completed its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the standard 24-hour day, making it the second-shortest day on record since precise atomic clock measurements began in 1973. This continues a puzzling trend observed since 2020, during which Earth has repeatedly broken its own speed records — the shortest day to date was July 5, 2024, at 1.66 milliseconds short. While day length variations are not new over geologic time, the recent acceleration defies easy explanation and may point to changes deep within the planet. One leading theory attributes the shift to interactions in Earth’s liquid core, which could be redistributing angular momentum and subtly speeding up the mantle and crust. Other scientists suggest melting polar ice and rising sea levels may be influencing Earth’s rotation, though likely as a moderating factor rather than the main cause. Experts believe the acceleration may be temporary, and Earth’s long-term trend toward slower rotation and longer days could soon resume. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)

+ The long-anticipated reinstallation of HamTV is scheduled to take place on the ISS on Tuesday, July 29. Work on the system will occur between 3:55 AM EDT and 5:55 AM EDT (07:55 UTC to 09:55 UTC), and successful completion could lead to test transmissions beginning the same day. HamTV is a digital amateur television system developed for educational outreach, allowing students to see live video from space during school contacts with the ISS. The system transmits MPEG-2 video using the DVB-S protocol, with a downlink frequency of 2395 MHz (2.395 GHz), and relies on modest ground station equipment for reception. Originally launched in 2014, HamTV is housed in the Columbus module but has been offline since 2018 pending equipment refurbishment and crew time for reinstallation. More information is available on the BATC Wiki at wiki.batc.org.uk/HAMTV_from_the_ISS and in the ARISS discussion channel on Discord at discord.gg/JrmXw58U8T. (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)

+ KrakenRF Inc has announced the upcoming launch of the Discovery Drive, an affordable automatic antenna rotator designed for the Discovery Dish and similar antennas like Wi-Fi grid and Yagi types. A pre-launch page is now live at crowdsupply.com/krakenrf/discovery-drive, where users can sign up to receive notifications and secure early-bird pricing with at least $100 off during the crowdfunding campaign. The motorized rotator enables tracking of fast-moving polar orbiting satellites such as NOAA POES, METEOR-M2, METOP, and FENGYUN, and allows quick switching between geostationary satellites. It also supports amateur radio satellite tracking using rotctl-compatible software like SatDump, GPredict, and Look4Sat. Discovery Drive features a built-in ESP32 controller with Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, ±1.5° accuracy, and a waterproof enclosure—no external controller required. With open-source firmware, low power consumption, and robust gear-locked output drives, it offers an accessible and user-friendly solution for satellite and directional antenna users. (ANS thanks KrakenRF for the above information)

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org

In this edition:

* ARISS SSTV Event Starts July 14
* Registration Opens for 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
* ARISS Call for Proposals for School Contacts Began July 9
* 2025 President’s Club Members Hit $65,000 YTD
* SDR Provides New Capabilities For Next AMSAT CubeSats
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT(R) 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

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/

ARISS SSTV Event Starts July 14

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced Slow Scan Television (SSTV) Series 28 to run from July 14-20, 2025.

The theme will be the Apollo Soyuz mission and STS-51F which pioneered SSTV on Shuttles.

This series of 12 images will be transmitted from the ISS on 145.800 MHz using PD120 encoding. Software needed to decode the pictures is free and is available for PC’s, Mac’s, Android smartphones, and iPhones. Search “SSTV software” on Google and your phone’s app store for a variety of options.

Transmissions from the ISS are powerful enough so images can be received with a handheld radio and its stock rubber duck antenna, albeit quite noisy. The addition of a simple homemade 3-element beam to the handheld can produce in pixel perfect images. Persons who are not familiar with SSTV operations can visit https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/.

You are invited to upload decoded images in the ARISS gallery, area “ARISS Series 28 Apollo Soyuz and STS-51F” at: https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/. Once you’ve submitted your pictures, just click on the dedicated button to apply for the official ARISS SSTV award.

Transmissions will begin on Monday, July 14 at 09:15 UTC (05:15 AM Eastern time). Transmissions will cease on Sunday, July 20 at 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM Eastern time).

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

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Your 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coin Is Waiting!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox-Plus.

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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Registration Opens for 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting

Registration is now open for the 43rd Annual Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting to be held October 16-19 in Phoenix, Arizona. You can catch the ground-breaking presentations, enjoy good food and exchange ideas with your friends, old and new, in the world of amateur satellites. The overall schedule is:

Thursday, October 16th
0900 – 1700 Board of Directors Meeting

Friday, October 17th
0900 – 1200 Board of Directors Meeting
1300 – 1700 Symposium Presentations
1800 – 2100 Reception & Auction

Saturday, October 18th
0900 – 1200 Symposium Presentations
1300 – 1500 Symposium Presentations
1500 – 1700 Annual General Meeting
1800 – 1900 Reception
1900 – 2100 Banquet

Sunday, October 19th
0800 – 1000 Members Breakfast

Register Now and Save!
Good News! No price increase over previous years’ Symposiums if you register now. Register for the Symposium before September 15 and save $20.

Early Bird Registration
* Symposium Registration is $75
* Banquet registration is $55

Regular Registration
* Symposium Registration is $85
* Banquet registration is $65

Save $20 and Register Today at:
https://launch.amsat.org/events.

Reserve Your Hotel Room Now!
* The Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North is located minutes away from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport and features:
* Free airport shuttle and free parking
* Resort-style facility with beautiful courtyard
* Outdoor pool
* Brew pub
* Fitness center
* Free breakfast
* Fully updated rooms
* All rooms are two-room suites with choice of 2 Queen beds or 1 King Bed
* Affordable rates of only $129 plus tax.

Rooms at these Discounted Rates are Limited.
You must make your reservation directly with the hotel to enjoy this special rate.

Call Reservations at 877-424-2449.
Use Group Code: P7C and Group Name: AMSAT.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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ARISS Call for Proposals for School Contacts Began July 9

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, 2026 and June 30, 2026. 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.

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.

The deadline to submit a proposal is August 29th, 2025. 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 July 30th at 7 PM ET. The Zoom link to sign up is: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/E0qy2calSqudqufl09PL8A

Questions should be directed to [email protected].

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

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Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase 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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2025 President’s Club Members Hit $65,000 YTD

AMSAT President, Robert Bankston, KE4AL thanks 2025 President’s Club members who have so far this year donated an amazing $65,544. It is because of these especially generous donors that AMSAT has the resources to Help Keep Amateur Radio in Space. With the Fox-Plus and GOLF-TEE satellites nearing flight readiness, AMSAT especially appreciates these contributions to help purchase flight-proven parts, specialized software licenses, test fees, shipping and travel costs. It just couldn’t be done without your support.

Contributors to date include:

Titanium ($4,800+)
Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Alan Biddle, WA4SCA
William Brown, K9LF
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Walter Wittenberg, K0CEH

Platinum ($2,400+)
Ray Crafton, KN2K
Douglas Tabor, N6UA

Gold ($1,200+)
Mark Hammond, N8MH
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
John Kludt, K7SYS
Glenn Miller, AA5PK
Mary Lou Monteiro

Silver ($600+)
Joseph, Lynch,N6CL
Jason Schwarz, N4JJS
Scott Shaheen, WB8OOJ

Bronze ($300+)
Keith Baker, KB1SF
Edward Krome, K9EK
Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT
Dave Taylor, W8AAS

Core ($120+)
Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ
Alan Boggs, K7IIV
Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT
David Hartrum, WA3YDZ
Doug Papay, K8DP
William Pesci, N4WLP
Tim Pierce, N9PN
Martin Shinko, KB3AEV
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Wayne Wagner, AG1A
Jim Wilmerding, W2NNU

There are still nearly six months left to become a member of the 2025 President’s Club. Join today at https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-presidents-club-donations/.

[ANS thanks ANS for the above information.]

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SDR Provides New Capabilities For Next AMSAT CubeSats

Rich Gopstein, KD2CQ and Bill Schell, W2WZ highlighted new systems aboard AMSAT’s new GOLF CubeSat at Hamvention 2025. Rich detailed the software defined radio (SDR) module while Bill explained how the SDR communicates with other systems on the upcoming GOLF satellites.

Rich explained, “The diagram above is a block diagram of the GOLF-TEE 3U CubeSat. The purple rectangle located in the middle of the diagram represents a (SDR). The Fox series of satellites before had transponders. Some were FM transponders. They acted like a repeater up in the sky. A single FM channel up with a single FM channel down. Other Fox satellites had linear transponders with wide bandwidths for several SSB or CW signals. Whatever you sent up to the satellite, either on 2 meters or 440, would come down on the other band.

“You could communicate with people that way, operate either FM or linear transponder, but that’s all you could do with a transponder. On the other hand, the SDR allows us to do much more interesting things. Instead of the radio being permanently built into the hardware like it was in the Fox series, with an SDR it’s all done in software. We don’t have to change the hardware to implement different modes like SSTV or any of the voice, data or image operations we want to try. With an SDR we can do it in software. It’s much easier much quicker to do.

“The SDR communicates with the RF matrix, represented by the light gray rectangle to the right of the SDR. The SDR communicates and is controlled by other circuits in the satellite through the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus shown to the left of the SDR. That control bus is used to activate and deactivate the radio system as well as command it to perform a variety of operations.”

Specifically the SDR for the first GOLF satellites is the Ettus Research™ E310 Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP™). Rich explained, “The Ettus 310 SDR has two receive and two transmit antenna connections, which gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of what we want to do. For example, we can create cross-band transponders with it. We will use the radio at 5 GHz and 10 GHz, but it can’t do 10 GHz natively. We need to implement some RF hardware externally to increase the original frequency range to 10 GHz.

“The Ettus runs on a Linux operating system so we will use GNU Radio software to program radio functions. So, if we want to have the radio operate as a transponder, for Morse code, telemetry, SSTV, or whatever, we can do it can through programming.”

It is a free and open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software radios. Gopstein remarked, “GNU Radio makes programming easier! The talent and skills of AMSAT engineers are a precious resource. The GNU building block approach saves time while elevating consistency, quality and production rates for the benefit of all AMSAT satellite end users.

“We’re using GNU Radio to support radio necessities such as the spacecraft transponder, telemetry and other modes of data transmission for the GOLF satellites. These are just a portion of the functions we’re capable of using.

“Because the Ettus E310 SDR connects to the RF matrix, various antennas on the satellite can be connected to the SDR. As I said before, the output from the SDR will have a 10 GHz frequency converter and we will also have a solid-state power amplifier. That combination will increase frequency and output power for transmission at 10 GHz then sending the RF to an X band patch antenna.”

“One element of RF operation that we’re definitely going to try with the SDR is a 1 megabits per second (Mbps) data transmission. Another exciting experiment with the SDR could be ‘five-and-dime’ 5GHz/10GHz microwave radio transponder. On future missions, we expect to use the SDR to try all sorts of other functions with the SDR, yet to be determined,” Rich concluded.

Next, Bill Schell, W2WZ went on to say, “This block diagram is a detailed look at part of the original diagram. It shows the Ettus E310 SDR connected to the main control processor of GOLF-TEE, the RT-IHU (Radiation Tolerant Internal Housekeeping Unit). The two are connected over the CAN bus, over which messages flow in each direction.”

“The RT-IHU control software communicates with a python application running on the E310 called ‘SDR Server’. This application receives request messages from the RT-IHU to execute various SDR related actions. It also sends E-310 related status and telemetry information back to the RT-IHU”, Bill added.

According to Bill, “One of the most important actions the RT-IHU requests through SDR server is to start and stop GNU radio flows on the E-310. These flows are the software that implement the radio functions of the SDR. A flow might implement a transponder, the transmission of a periodic morse code ID, or the transmission of a data file to a ground station. Flows are created from building blocks in the GNU radio user interface. Common types of blocks include signal sources, filters, modulators, demodulators, FFT’s, math operations, etc. Blocks are combined to implement a flow which accomplishes a particular radio or signal processing task.”

“Other actions the SDR server performs are the sending of IMU and temperature data to the RT-IHU, receiving a file for later transmission (by a flow), shutdown, and other housekeeping functions”, Bill concluded.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

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

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 11

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

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ARISS NEWS

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

There are no scheduled contacts at this time.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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 Ambassador Activities

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

August 21-24, 2025
Northeast HamXposition (HamX) & New England ARRL Convention
Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road W
Marlborough, MA 01752
http://www.HamX.org
W1EME, WD4ASW, WB1FJ

September 6, 2025
Greater Louisville Hamfest
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre
395 Paroquet Springs Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
W4FCL

October 16, 17, 18, 19, 2025
AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting and 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Details at https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT SA has announced that its 2025 Space Symposium will be held on August 2, 2025 and has issued the first call for papers. The theme of the symposium is “Embracing 68 years of space science innovation in Amateur Radio”. Papers are invited covering all aspects of space science and communication impacting and enhancing the Amateur Radio experience, from the technical to operational aspects. Presentations are typically 30 minutes a with a 10-minute Q&A. Send proposals in MS Word to [email protected] by July 9, 2025. The symposium will be held online on Webex. Register at https://forms.gle/vY9oGJekxzcg5j4c9.

+ ESA, Telesat and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) RAL Space have reported a groundbreaking milestone in telecommunications technology, successfully establishing a Q-Band (38-39 GHz) link over LEO, between the RAL Space Chilbolton Observatory and the Telesat LEO 3 demonstration satellite. A Q-Band receiver was mounted on Chilbolton Observatory’s large 25m dish. The team at the observatory used this radar tracking capability to monitor the state of the satellite and its orbit during each pass. The team established a stable link with a collocated Ka-Band uplink antenna to the Telesat LEO 3 satellite. The Telesat LEO 3 satellite also provided frequency up-conversion to Q-Band, amplification and retransmission to ground. The Telesat satellite station transmitted a DVBs signal. Full story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-194-Q-Band.

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002.
AMSAT is a registered trademark of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.