Amateur Transponder Satellites For Next NASA launch

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NASA have selected GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 as the next satellites to be added to the payload of there next launch, as part of the NASA’s CubeSat launch initiative.

Announced during the ninth round of selections for the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). The first two AMSAT GOLF CubeSats, GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1, were among the 21 missions recommended for selection.

AMSAT must negotiate and execute a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NASA for each project to finalise the selection. NASA anticipates a sufficient number of launch opportunities but does not guarantee that all recommended payloads will be launched.

GOLF-TEE (Technology Evaluation Environment) will serve as a rapidly deployable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) testbed for technologies necessary for a successful CubeSat mission to a wide variety of orbits.

“The GOLF-TEE project tees off the next phase of our CubeSat program. GOLF-TEE provides AMSAT hardware and knowledge for Attitude Determination and Control (ADAC) capability and the opportunity to develop a 3U spaceframe with deployable solar panels that can be used in LEO or HEO missions, two of the major systems required in future GOLF and HEO missions. Ragnarok Industries developed the attitude control system for the Lunar Heimdallr 6U CubeSat, a NASA Cube Quest Challenge finalist.”
— AMSAT Vice-President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY

GOLF-TEE and the GOLF program will provide for the development of “Five and Dime” Field-Programmable Gate Array Software Defined Radio (FPGA SDR) transponders for use on a variety of missions and orbits. The target date for launch of GOLF-TEE is 4Q 2019.

GOLF-1 will serve as a follow-on mission, also to LEO. Launch is targeted for 2020-2021.

AMSAT Story - https://www.amsat.org/golf-tee-and-golf-1-selected-for-nasas-cubesat-launch-initiative/

 

Argentinian Balloon Flight Completes 2nd Round World

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The El PicoGlobo WSPR beacon balloon has now completed its 2nd lap around the world.

After its 2nd crossing of the Pacific Ocean, the balloon flew over Patagonia, then headed north at 12,000 metres altitude to Buenos Aires during the night of 11th February 2018.

On 12th February 2018 it flew over Uruguay then turned east out over the Atlantic Ocean to begin its 3rd circle of the Earth.

PicoGlobo transmits a WSPR beacon on 14.0956 MHz.

Flight Progress - http://lu7aa.org.ar/wspr.asp

AO-92 Commissioned and Open for Amateur Use

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On 26th January 2018, AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced that AO-92 had been commissioned and formally turned the satellite over to AMSAT Operations. AMSAT Vice President – Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, then declared that AO-92 was now open for amateur radio use.

Initially, the U/v FM transponder will be open continuously for a period of one week. After the first week, operations will be scheduled between the U/v FM transponder, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa’s High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI).

Schedule updates will appear in the AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins and will also be posted to the AMSAT-BB, AMSAT’s Twitter account (@AMSAT), the AMSAT North America Facebook group, and the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-schedules/

AO-92 was launched on the PSLV-C40 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on January 12, 2018. For the past two weeks, the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams have been testing the various modes and experiments on board. Testing has shown that both the U/v FM transponder and L-Band Downshifter work very well. The Virginia Tech camera has returned stunning photos and data from HERCI has been successfully downlinked.

AMSAT thanks the 178 stations worldwide that have used FoxTelem to collect telemetry and experiment data from AO-92 during the commissioning process. The collection of this data is crucial to the missions of AMSAT’s Fox-1 satellites. Please continue to collect data from

  • AO-85, AO-91, and AO-92.
  • RADIO PROGRAMMING CHART
  • Fox-1D Doppler Shift Correction
  • Memory 1 (AOS) - TX 435.340 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.880 MHz
  • Memory 2 (Rise) - TX 435.345 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.880 MHz
  • Memory 3 (TCA) - TX 435.350 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.880 MHz
  • Memory 4 (Descend) - TX 435.355 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.880 MHz
  • Memory 5 (LOS) - TX 435.360 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.880 MHz

The L-band experiment will use 1267.350 MHz uplink with 145.880 MHz downlink. UHF and L-band uplink operation are set by the command stations; the operating schedule will be posted.