UK CubeSail Amateur / Ham Radio Satellite

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CubeSail is an exciting, ground-breaking educational satellite project at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) that hopes to launch into a 680 km Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) from India in December 2014 

A key feature is the deployment of a 25 square metre sail structure, which will be used to demonstrate the propulsive effect of solar radiation pressure (i.e. solar sailing) and will demonstrate the de-orbiting capabilities of the sail as a drag augmentation device. CubeSail will be the first launched three-axis stabilised solar sail.

anateur_ham_radio_cubesail

CubeSail will build on small satellite experience at SSC, such as the STRaND-1 nanosatellite, launched on February 25, 2013. Furthermore, the mission critical sail deployment mechanism has undergone an extensive testing and validation process as part of the ESA Gossamer Deorbiter project carried out at SSC. The CubeSail project is also financially and technically supported by world leading industrial partners, Astrium and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.

CubeSail is a 3U CubeSat project with a 6kg mass, the mission aims are:

  • Technology Demonstration 1: Deployable Sail- The CubeSail satellite will deploy a large (up to 5×5 metre) square aluminised Kapton sail, using novel CFRP deployable booms.
  • Technology Demonstration 2: Solar Sailing – The CubeSail mission will demonstrate ‘solar sailing’ in LEO by utilising the solar radiation pressure on the reflective sail to change its orbital inclination.
  • Technology Demonstration 3: Attitude Control CubeSail is equipped with 3-axis-stabilizing attitude determination and control system. A novel capability of this system is pointing via a centre-of-mass/centre-of-pressure (COM/COP) offset.
  • Technology Demonstration 4: Drag Deorbiting -The satellite will deorbit much more quickly than otherwise due to its deployable sail. Satellite pointing will be optimized by the attitude control system for maximum drag.
  • Outreach – The satellite will provide beacons for which amateur satellite users and ham radio users will be able to receive. Proposing a 9600 Bit/s AX.25 RC-BPSK downlink  

The IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have coordinated a downlink frequency of 435.240 MHz.

Wirral Grammar School for Girls launch 434 MHz balloon

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Pupils at Wirral Grammar School for Girls have launched a High Altitude Balloon with 434 MHz telemetry and Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) transmitters  

Launched on Wednesday July 16 2014 at around 11:00 BST from Middletown Hill near Welshpool. The balloon will be a 1200g Hwoyee with Helium.

Transmitter Details 

Balloon with 434MHz telemetry and Slow Scan TV Launched by Wirral Grammar School for Girls

Balloon with 434MHz telemetry and Slow Scan TV Launched by Wirral Grammar School for Girls

Callsign: WG3
Frequency: 434.300 MHz
Mode: RTTY 50,7n2 470 Hz shift

Callsign: WG3TV
Frequency: 434.350 MHz
Mode: RTTY 300,8n2 610 Hz shift SSDV + telemetry

The balloon will carry a Raspberry Pi A with RFM22B based daughterboard. The radio coverage area could extend up to a radius of 700 km which would make it receivable throughout the British Isles. 

Online real-time tracking of balloons - http://spacenear.us/tracker/

Beginners Guide to Tracking using dl-fldigi software - http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide

Received SSDV images - http://ssdv.habhub.org/

Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) Guide - http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:ssdv

Top Ten finish for UK Team in WRTC

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The UK Team of Essex radio amateur/ham Mark Haynes M0DXR and Olof Lundberg G0CKV have achieved an impressive 10th place at the World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 in New England, USA

The positions near the top of the leaderboard were continually changing throughout the Championship. At one point M0DXR and G0CKV were in second place.

The ARRL report that because of “one little bug” in the online live scoreboard some teams’ multiplier counts were not reported — only contact totals. So what the online scoreboard is currently reporting may not turn out to be the official finish.

WRTC Results - http://sb.wrtc2014.org/