Amateur Radio News

Updated 5/9/2022

The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) reports that the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) electronic batch filing (EBF) system is back online and functioning normally. A message sent by the FCC ULS EBF Team to VECs explains that the technical issues with ULS EBF filing are resolved, and that VECs may resume submitting files containing amateur radio license applications...

The ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program opened a second grant proposal period which began September 7, 2022, and runs until November 4, 2022, at 7 PM Eastern Time. Radio clubs can apply now, and information about the program can be found on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org/club-grant-program.

Following the first proposal period that ran earlier this year, 128 clubs applied for grants with a varie...

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, has announced the election of Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States of America as the next ITU Secretary-General. Bogdan-Martin will assume office on January 1, 2023. She is radio amateur; call sign KD2JTX.

The election took place during ITU's Plenipotentiary...

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-275

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:

• Final Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
• 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
• AMSAT-UK Colloquium Talks to be Live-Streamed
• FCC Says Out-of-Service Satellites Must be Removed Within Five Years
• IARU Coordinates Frequencies for CosmoGirlSat
• Zimbabwe Amateur Radio Satellite Launch Imminent
• China CAS-10 Ham Radio Satellite to Launch in November
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-275 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Oct 2

Final Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting

This is a call for papers for the 40th annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 21-22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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 presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 14 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org

[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information.]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota. on Oct. 21-22, 2022. Highlights of all scheduled events include:

– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
– 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
– AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, under the Events tab.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2ND IS THE DEADLINE FOR RESERVING A HOTEL ROOM AT THE REDUCED RATE! You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

AMSAT-UK Colloquium Talks to be Live-Streamed

The talks given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be streamed live to a global audience over the weekend of October 8-9, 2022.  The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating Amateur Radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby. There will be including a roundup of a number of new live and potential spacecraft projects that are under investigation and/or development.

The streaming on Saturday will run from 0830-1645 GMT and from 0830-1415 GMT on Sunday.

Th streaming URL is https://batc.org.uk/live/amsatuk2022.

A link to the schedule of talks is available at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/.

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

FCC Says Out-of-Service Satellites Must be Removed Within Five Years

Satellites that are no longer in service must get out of the sky far more quickly under a new rule adopted by US federal regulators Thursday — and it’s all in the name of combating the garbage in Earth’s orbit.

Unused satellites in low-Earth orbit, which is the area already most congested with satellites, must be dragged out of orbit “as soon as practicable, and no more than five years following the end of their mission,” according to the new Federal Communications Commission rule.

That’s far less time than the long-standing rule of 25 years that has been criticized as too lax. Even NASA advised years ago that the 25-year timeline should be reduced to five years.

“Twenty-five years is a long time. There is no reason to wait that long anymore, especially in low-Earth orbit,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said at Thursday’s meeting. The FCC rule passed unanimously.

The goal of this rule is prevent the dangerous proliferation of junk and debris in space. Already, there’s estimated to be more than 100 million pieces of space junk traveling uncontrolled through orbit, ranging in size from a penny to an entire rocket booster. Much of that debris, experts say, is too small to track.

Collisions in space have happened before. And each collision can span thousands of new pieces of debris, each of which risk setting off even more collisions. One well-known theory, called “Kessler Syndrome,” warns that it’s possible for spaceborne garbage to set of disastrous chain reactions, potentially causing Earth’s orbit to become so cluttered with junk that it could render future space exploration and satellite launches impractical and even impossible.

More than half of the roughly 10,000 satellites the world has sent into orbit since the 1950’s are now obsolete and considered “space junk,” Rosenworcel said, adding that the debris poses risks to communication and safety.

The FCC plan had been questioned by some US lawmakers who have said the rules could create “conflicting guidance” and without clear congressional authority. But Thursday’s vote moved forward nonetheless.

“At risk is more than the $279 billion-a-year satellite and launch industries and the jobs that depend on them,” according to an FCC document released earlier this month. “Left unchecked, orbital debris could block all of these benefits and reduce opportunities across nearly every sector of our economy.”

The number of satellites in low-Earth orbit, which is the sphere of orbit extending about 2,000 km or 1,200 miles out, has grown exponentially in recent years, thanks in large part to massive, new “megaconstellations” of small satellites pouring into space, largely by commercial companies. Most notably, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched about 3,000 satellites to space for its space-based internet service, Starlink.

There’s also plans to put tens of thousands of new satellites in low-Earth orbit in years to come, FCC commissioner Nathan Simington noted during Thursday’s meeting.

Commercial companies have routinely promised to take the debris issue seriously, and SpaceX had already agreed to comply with the recommended five-year rule for getting defunct satellites out of orbit.

But there has long been a broader push within the space community to codify new regulations. So the FCC announced plans in early September to at least vote on updates to US regulations.

The FCC also specified that it will apply the rule not only to the US satellite operators it oversees but also to “non-US-licensed satellites and systems seeking US market access.”

“A veritable Cambrian explosion of commercial space operations is just over the horizon, and we had better be ready when it arrives,” said Simington.

[ANS thanks CNN.com 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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IARU Coordinates Frequencies for CosmoGirlSat

CosmoGirlSat is a 1U CubeSat mission with three-fold communications capabilities: 1) An automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) Digipeater – APRS shall provide digital message relay service to the Amateur Radio community by means of digipeating. 2) Picture Data Transmission – The satellite carries a high resolution camera, which can take pictures of the earth which can be downloaded to the ground stations. 3) Short Text Message Transmission – Short text messages uplinked on UHF signals by Radio Amateurs are stored on the satellite. UHF request commands from the ground station triggers the downlink of the stored messages. One stored message is randomly picked up and downlinked to Amateur Radio stations on GMSK signal. CosmoGirlSat will be deployed from the ISS. A CW beacon and 4k8 GMSK telemetry downlink on 437.120 MHz has been coordinated together with the APRS digipeater on 145 825 MHz**

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]

Zimbabwe Amateur Radio Satellite Launch Imminent

Independent Online, a South African newspaper reports Zimbabwe’s first satellite ZimSat-1, carrying an Amateur Radio APRS digipeater is expected to be launched to the ISS in October. The IOL article says the satellite will host a multispectral camera and image classification tool, as well as a device to transmit and receive signals from amateur radio operators.

Named ZimSat-1, the Sunday Mail in Zimbabwe reported that the nanosatellite will reach the International Space Station next month before its launch into orbit, scheduled for November. ZimSat-1 will be on board the Cygnus NG-18, an uncrewed spacecraft that provides commercial cargo resupply to the International Space Station on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), when it is released into space in October,” the state-owned newspaper reported online.

Zimbabwe’s ambitious satellite is reportedly scheduled to reach the International Space Station by October 28, before being launched from the Japanese Kibo – the Asian country’s science module for the International Space Station.

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

China CAS-10 Ham Radio Satellite to Launch in November

CAMSAT reports the CAS-10 (XW-4) amateur radio satellite with a V/U linear transponder, is expected to be launched to the Tiangong Space Station on November 7, 2022.

On the AMSAT bulletin board Alan Kung BA1DU posted:

The CAMSAT CAS-10 (XW-4) amateur satellite has been shipped to the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan China, and has been installed in the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft, which is scheduled to be launched on November 6 using the Long March 7 launch vehicle to China Tiangong Space Station.

The CAS-10 (XW-4) satellite will deploy from the space station into its own orbit around December 15, and the amateur radio payload will be operational immediately after that time. The specific deployment time and satellite orbit TLE will be announced later.

The IARU satellite frequency coordination page reports:

An 8U CubeSat approx 228 x455x 100mm 12kg Mass. A follow on mission from CAS-9 and also known as Hope-4 (XW-4) Carrying a V/U Mode Linear Transponder, a UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon, a UHF – AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK Telemetry downlink and a space camera.

1. CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. This transponder will work all day during the life cycle of the satellite, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can use it for two-way radio relay communications.

2. CAS-10 carries a camera, and the pictures it takes are stored in the flash memory on the satellite, we have designed a simple remote control system based on DTMF, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can send DTMF commands to download the camera photos.

3. CW beacon uses Morse code to send satellite telemetry data, which is also a feature that is widely welcomed by amateur radio enthusiasts.

Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated.

[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News 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

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 Contacts
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The crewmember was Sergey Prokopyev.
Contact was successful on Monday, September 26, 2022 at 08:20 UTC.

New England Sci-Tech, Natick, MA, telebridge via ON4ISS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The crewmember was Bob Hines KI5RQT.
Contact was successful Tuesday, September 27 2022 at 18:30 UTC.

+ Upcoming Contacts
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Houston, Houston, TX, direct via KG5QNO.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Bob Hines KI5RQT.
Contact is go for Monday, October 3, 2022 at 18:07 UTC.

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, 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

JQ78TF: October 5, 2022
LA7XK/JW7XK will start in the evening on October, 5 and end in the morning on October 10. He will be QRV on RS-44 from Longyearbyen on Svalbard.

IN70, IN79: October 11-16, 2022
M1DDD will be operating ‘holiday style” from his the base camp in IO70. Hopefully a full day operation in IN79 on FM and linear birds. Possibly operation in IN69 will be for a few hours one afternoon on FM only. Updates on Twitter and http://hams.at

DN72,DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93: October 4-6, 2022
AD0HJ, Mitch, is going to check out the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention. He will be making several stops on the way to do satellite activations from these six lonely grid squares.

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

———————————————————————

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21–22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
More information to follow.

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
October 7-9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8–9, 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement Thursday, Sept. 22, to study the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris Program idea to boost the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Dragon spacecraft, at no cost to the government. There are no plans for NASA to conduct or fund a servicing mission or compete this opportunity; the study is designed to help the agency understand the commercial possibilities. Teams expect the study to take up to six months, collecting technical data from both Hubble and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This data will help determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock, and move the telescope into a more stable orbit. Complete information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-275-Hubble-Boost. [ANS thanks SpaceRef.com for the above information.]

+ After 10 months flying in space, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) – the world’s first planetary defense technology demonstration – successfully impacted its asteroid target on Monday, the agency’s first attempt to move an asteroid in space. The investigation team will now observe Dimorphos using ground-based telescopes to confirm that DART’s impact altered the asteroid’s orbit around Didymos. Researchers expect the impact to shorten Dimorphos’ orbit by about 1%, or roughly 10 minutes; precisely measuring how much the asteroid was deflected is one of the primary purposes of the full-scale test. Full details at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-275-DART. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]

+ Moonhack is an online coding challenge for young learners and celebrates humans’ technological achievements. The 2022 event takes place from 10 to 23 October to coincide with World Space Week, and it features six brand-new projects that show how satellites can help us live more sustainably. Moonhack is free and open to any young coder, whether they are part of a Code Club or not. The projects are already available in English, French, Dutch, and Greek. Arabic and Latin American Spanish versions are in preparation. More information at https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/moonhack-2022/. [ANS thanks the Raspberry Pi Foundation for the above information.]

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
n1uw at amsat dot org

Sunspot activity rose this reporting week, September 22-28, with
average daily sunspot numbers increasing from 68 to 105.1. But solar
flux? Not so much. Average daily solar flux rose from 134.3 to
138.4.

So, the sunspot average rose 55% and solar flux only 3%. I usually
expect the numbers to track more closely.

New sunspots appeared on September 22 and 23, and one more on
September 27. On Thursday nig...

In the next couple of days, ARRL members in the Southeastern Division will receive an email message indicating that the online voting site for the 2022 ARRL Southeastern Division Election is now open. The message will include instructions to access candidate statements, the ballot, and to vote.

A third party was selected by the ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee to conduct the election: Electio...

As Hurricane Ian, now a tropical storm, makes its way across Florida, amateur radio operators continue to provide communications support for weather updates and requests for assistance.

The hurricane made landfall at 3 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, just south of Tampa, Florida, as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 miles per hour. Millions of residents are without power...

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has been in operation since the morning of September 27, 2022, as Hurricane Ian swept across Cuba and headed toward Florida’s Gulf Coast. The HWN continues to operate on both 14.325 and 7.268 MHz as propagation permits. The 20-meter net resumed at 8:00 AM Eastern Time on Thursday, September 29, and will continue until further discussion and conditions warrant closi...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted an ARRL emergency request for a 60-day temporary waiver intended to facilitate amateur radio emergency communications for hurricane relief. The waiver was adopted on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, and immediately permitted amateur radio operators supporting amateur data transmission for Hurricane Ian traffic to employ a higher symbol rate fo...

ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) groups and volunteers have ramped up preparations as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Ian continues to quickly intensify. As of 11:00 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 27, Ian is a Category 3 hurricane located 305 miles south-southwest of Sarasota, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and moving toward the n...

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-268

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:

• Final Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
• 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Oct. 21-22
• Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 21, 2022
• July/August 2022 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
• Apogee View – July/August 2022
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-268 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Sep 25

Final Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting

This is a call for papers for the 40th annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 21-22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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 presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 14 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org

[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Oct. 21-22 DISCOUNT HOTEL RESERVATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 28TH

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minn. on Oct. 21-22, 2022. Highlights of all scheduled events include:

– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
– 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
– AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, under the Events tab.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo.

You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 22, 2022

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 Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:

JAGSAT NORAD Cat ID 53771 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for this identification).

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT- TLE distribution:

ELFIN-A NORAD Cat ID 43617 (decayed from orbit on 09/17/2022 per Space-Track).

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager 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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July/August 2022 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available

The July/August 2022 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Members can download the issue at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital 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.

Inside the Current Issue:

* Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
* Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
* My First Simulated Satellite – Virginia Smith, NV5F
* Building AMSAT CubeSatSims in the Classroom – Alan Johnston, KU2Y and Edward Char
* 2022 AMSAT Field Day – Bruce Paige, KK5DO

If you’re not yet an AMSAT member, join today at https://launch.amsat.org/Membership

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

Apogee View – July/August 2022

In this “Apogee View,” I want to highlight two important topics: this year’s AMSAT Symposium; and volunteers’ significant role in AMSAT’s accomplishments.

AMSAT Symposium

Three years after we were last able to get together in person at an AMSAT Symposium, I feel excited for the opportunity to meet up in Minnesota next month.

AMSAT symposia are not only an excellent opportunity to celebrate amateur radio in space and share what everyone is working on, but they also provide us with unique opportunities to formulate new directions, ideas, and projects. Some of AMSAT’s most innovative accomplishments started with a discussion that began at a symposium. I hope that you can attend and be part of this experience.

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 21-22, 2022, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Highlights of all scheduled events include:
• AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
• 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
• Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
• AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
• AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium is open to anyone interested in advancing the art and science of amateur radio in space. To register, please visit https://launch.amsat.org/Events.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport and provides a complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America, Target Field, Minnesota Zoo, and the Nickelodeon Universe theme park.

You can make reservations by calling the hotel at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Alternatively, you can make reservations online at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms.

We are AMSAT

Conversations on the AMSAT Bulletin Board start with “AMSAT should…” or “AMSAT needs to….” While these often express great suggestions, the proposals quickly fade into the ether when proponents are asked if they are volunteering.

Asking if someone is volunteering is not meant to slight anyone in any way or discount their ideas; rather, it is a product of who we are and where we are.

AMSAT is an all-volunteer membership organization, and, as such, it draws its strength and accomplishments from its membership. Out of 4,000 members, AMSAT currently has approximately 40 core volunteer engineers, builders, programmers, educators and administrators, who are all fully engaged with the current projects. Thus, taking on any additional work requires additional volunteers.

Think about this for a minute: 40 volunteers out of 4,000 members represent only one percent of our membership. Since we have already achieved so much with that one percent, how much more could we accomplish if we had more of our members volunteer? The potential to advance the art of radio science in space and reach farther is unlimited. Please help us get there!

If you are ready to answer the call, please get in touch with me at rbankston at amsat.org. Until next time, Onward & Upward!

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, for the above information]

ARISS News

Scheduled ARISS Contacts

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, 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 crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev

Contact is go for Mon 2022-09-26 08:20 UTC

New England Sci-Tech, Natick, MA, telebridge via ON4ISS

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Bob Hines KI5RQT

Contact is go for: Tue 2022-09-27 18:30:39 UTC 89 deg

Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdxnD8uF8t0

Aznakaevo School TBD, Aznakaevo, Republic of Tatarstan, 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 crewmember is Dmitry Petlin

Contact is go for Sat 2022-10-01 13:50 UTC

ARISS Radio Status

Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode set for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).

* Powered OFF for Soyuz undocking on September 29. OFF Sep. 28 about 09:00 UTC. ON Sep. 30 about 12:30 UTC.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode set for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)​

* Powered OFF for Soyuz undocking on September 29. OFF Sep. 28 about 09:00 UTC. ON Sep. 30 about 12:30 UTC.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.

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, 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

W7WGC: Upcoming, mostly “POTA,” rove. Northwest coast of Oregon, grids CN74, CN75, CN76, CN85 & CN86. Sept. 28th – October 3rd-ish. FM and Linear birds.

LA7XK / JW7XK: Starting in the evening on Oct. 5 ending in the morning on Oct. 10. I will be QRV on RS-44 from Longyearbyen on Svalbard. Locator is JQ78TF

AD0HJ: DN72,DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93: Oct. 4th, 5th and 6th. Mitch is going to check out the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention. He will be making several stops on the way to do satellite activations from six lonely grid squares.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
October 7, 2022 – October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8–9, 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21–22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
https://launch.amsat.org/event-4922878

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page 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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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ ArianeGroup unveiled a multi-year design project for a new crew and cargo upper stage that it hopes will meet Europe’s appetite for space travel. Susie (Smart Upper Stage for Innovative Exploration) will launch on top of the nearly flight-ready Ariane 64 heavy-lift vehicle, carrying cargo and astronauts to LEO and, eventually, to deep space. Susie is designed for safety and reusability. The 12 m-long craft is significantly larger than Dragon, Starliner, or Orion—it features 40 cubic meters of payload space and a total mass of 25 tons. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ CAPSTONE continues to tumble, but the spacecraft’s communication situation has improved and its propulsion system is being warmed back up to operating temperatures. The CAPSTONE probe is expected to act as a pathfinder for NASA’s Gateway — a small space station designed to orbit the Moon and act as a jumping-off point for crewed missions to the surface. [The AMSAT Board of Directors has made a commitment to support amateur radio’s inclusion on NASA’s Gateway.] (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ A U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts blasted off to the International Space Station Wednesday, Sept. 21 on a Russian-operated flight despite soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. NASA’s Frank Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1355 GMT. Rubio is the first U.S. astronaut to travel to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz rocket since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into pro-Western Ukraine on February 24. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ EA4NF has made two notable transatlantic QSOs via AO-91 over the past week, both with VE1CWJ in Nova Scotia and both using a Kenwood TH-D7 handheld transceiver with a whip antenna. The first QSO was made from near Madrid and the second from a beach in the Balearic Islands as EA6/EA4NF. Despite poor battery condition, AO-91 is still capable of supporting long distance QSOs with minimal equipment.

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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

Geomagnetic disturbances were down this week, but so were sunspot
numbers and solar flux.

Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 92.7 to 68, and average
daily solar flux from 141.3 to 134.3.

On September 22 the sunspot number was 99, well above (by 31 points)
the average for the previous seven days, a promising indication. We
hope it may signal a trend.

But Solar Cycle 25 progresses, a bit better...

The National Hurricane Center (NHC), the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Hurricane Net, and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) all have been engaged in tracking Hurricane Fiona.

Amateur radio operators have been reporting weather conditions since Monday, September 19, 2022, and have received positive feedback on their assistance. The VoIP ...

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:

• FCC Proposes ‘Five-Year Rule’ For Dead Satellite Disposal
• 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Oct. 21 – 22
• Final Call for Papers for 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium
• 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results
• Everything Ready for the Launch of the New GENESIS – Updated
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Sept. 15
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-261 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Sept. 18

FCC Proposes ‘Five-Year Rule’ For Dead Satellite Disposal

The Federal Communications Commission wants to do something about space junk in low Earth orbit. On Sept. 8, the agency published a proposal that, if adopted, would put a deadline on how long non-geostationary satellites can stay in space.

As things stand, voluntary NASA guidelines published in the 1990s recommend that dead satellites should be deorbited within 25 years. The FCC wants to adopt a five-year rule that would require domestic satellite operators and companies that want access to the U.S. market to dispose of their non-functioning satellites as soon as they can. “We believe it is no longer sustainable to leave satellites in LEO [low Earth orbit] to deorbit over decades,” the FCC states in its proposal.

Satellites already in space would be exempt from the FCC’s guidelines. The Commission is also proposing there be a two-year grandfathering period that start on September 29th, the day it plans to vote on the regulation. That carveout would give organizations that previously obtained approval for a future satellite launch time to develop a disposal plan for their spacecraft. The FCC said it would also grant waivers case-by-case after NASA expressed concern that the five-year limit would impact its CubeSat missions.

The proposal comes as the number of satellites in low Earth orbit is expected to increase over the next few years dramatically. With contributions from companies like SpaceX, Amazon and OneWeb, as many as 18,000 new satellites could be floating above the planet by 2025. Those satellites will not only make it more challenging to observe the night sky, but the probability of a potential crash will increase too.

[ANS thanks Engadget for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Oct. 21 – 22

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota on Oct. 21-22, 2022. Highlights of all scheduled events include:

– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
– 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
– AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, https://launch.amsat.org/, under the Events tab.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo.

You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms
But don’t wait to reserve your room! The offer for specially reduced room rates for Symposium attendees ends on September 28. Make your reservation today to make sure you have a room and at the best possible price.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

Final Call for Papers for 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium

This is the final call for papers for the 40th annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 21-22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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 presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 14 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv@amsat.org

[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, Symposium Program Manager, 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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2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results

The 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election period ended on September 15, 2022.

As a result of the election, Mark Hammond, N8MH, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, have been duly elected to a two year term on the Board of Directors.
The results of the voting with 407 ballots cast are as follows:

Mark Hammond, N8MH 381
Bruce Paige, KK5DO 378
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 378

The membership of the AMSAT Board of Directors for 2022-2023 is:

Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO
Robert Bankston, KE4AL
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Mark Hammond, N8MH
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

Thank you all for participating in this year’s election process.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive VP, for the above information]

Everything Ready for the Launch of the New GENESIS – Updated

Everything is ready at the Vanderberg air base in California (USA), for the takeoff of the second flight of the Firefly Alpha launcher that will put, among others, the GENESIS-G/ASTROLAND-1 and GENESIS-J/ASTROLAND-2 satellites into orbit of AMSAT-EA.

The scheduled time for takeoff is 07:00 UTC on Monday, September 19 (delayed from Sept. 11). The planned orbit is 300 km with an inclination of 137 degrees.

The frequencies coordinated with IARU are the following:

GENESIS-G/ASTROLAND-1

145.875 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200 / 2400 bps
436.888 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps, FM voice beacon with AM2SAT callsign

GENESIS-J/ASTROLAND-2

145.925 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200 / 2400 bps
436.666 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW FSK 50 bps, SSTV Robot 36, FM voice beacon with AM3SAT callsign

Update – Launch scheduled for the 19th at 7:00 UTC.

More information on the Every Day Astronaut website: https://everydayastronaut.com/flta002-to-the-black-alpha/

The launch can be followed live at the following YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pics_iuBv9s

[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA 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 Sept. 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 Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

The NORAD Catalog ID for following satellite has been changed in this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

GREENCUBE is now identified as object NORAD Cat ID 53106 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for this identification).

The NORAD Cat ID for MTCube 2 is not clear at this time.

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

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.

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS, and the scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Monday 2022-09-26 08:20 UTC.

Aznakaevo School TBD, Aznakaevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS and the scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petlin. Contact is go for Saturday 2022-10-01 13:50 UTC.

Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. 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 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, 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

KJ7DZ: CN74 roving trip booked. Sept 22 – 24. More info will be posted as time gets closer

N4DCW: Four of the next six weekends (starting week of 9/7) look to be full of SOTA summits! Alerts are posted, and depending on timing should include some @Sats_and_SOTA when possible. Look for me this weekend in EM85. Details at https://twitter.com/MWimages/status/1567502526781575169

San Andrés Island (EK92) on FM satellites front 9/15 to 9/26. Details at https://twitter.com/RadioOSG/status/1567193764405411842

W8LR: EM68 and EM69, will try gridline, but if not accessible, then EM68. Watch Twitter for details. 9/18/22 11:00z

LA7XK / JW7XK: Starting in the evening on Oct. 5 ending in the morning on Oct. 10. I will be QRV on RS-44 from Longyearbyen on Svalbard. Locator is JQ78tf.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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 Schedules:

Tom Zimmerman, W9TTY, will be exhibiting for AMSAT at the Chicago FM Club Radio Expo in Belvidere, Illinois on Saturday, September 25, 2022.

Clint Bradford, K6CLS: “How to Work the “Easy” Satellites” talks:

Part of the “job description” for volunteer AMSAT Ambassadors is to “spread the gospel” of working satellites to clubs and conventions.

In the next few weeks I have such Zoom presentations lined up for:
SOARA – South Orange County, CA
Boston ARC
Tristate Amateur Radio Society – Evansville,Indiana
Northern CA DX Club
San Gorgonio Pass ARC

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are always welcome.

Send an email or call!

Clint Bradford K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador
909-999-SATS
http://www.work-sat.com

Scheduled Events with AMSAT involvement:

Hamfests and Conventions

+ 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC)
September 16–18, 2022
Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
https://tapr.org

+ CFMC’S Radio Expo: Northern Illinois’ Largest Hamfest
Sunday, September 25th
Boone County Fairgrounds
8791 IL-76
Belvidere, IL
Flyer at: https://bit.ly/3RFtr8O

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
October 7, 2022 – October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8–9, 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21–22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites
3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
https://launch.amsat.org/event-4922878

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ A very nice interface application connecting SatPC32 to N3FJP’s ACLog logging software has been created by Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR. This program acts as a “gateway” between SatPC32 and ACLog and sends the relevant live data (ie. SAT_NAME and PROP_MODE) from SatPC32 to ACLog. Thus, you do not need to fill any data about the satellite and mode manually into ACLog, and everything is entered correctly for using ACLog’s automatic LoTW upload feature. Full details and download at https://bit.ly/3BdrM3L (ANS thanks Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR, for the above information)

+ A small spacecraft designed to test out key components of NASA’s Artemis program to the Moon has run into trouble in space. The CAPSTONE probe is expected to act as a pathfinder for NASA’s Gateway — a small space station designed to orbit the Moon and act as a jumping-off point for crewed missions to the surface. CAPSTONE’s mission centered around testing a never-before-used orbit to learn more about its stability before sending the Gateway to it. Advanced Space, which operates CAPSTONE, said in a statement Monday that the spacecraft is in “safe mode” after an engine burn last week and appears to be in a “stable orbit.” Mission managers are hoping to perform a “detumble” that will allow the spacecraft to orient itself in space again, pointing its solar panels to the Sun and charging its batteries. [The AMSAT Board of Directors has made a commitment to support amateur radio’s inclusion on NASA’s Gateway, a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more.] (ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information)

+ As anticipated, last Wednesday, Sept. 7, Apple announced that the new iPhone 14 will be able to send SOS messages and current location coordinates to Apple, Emergency Services, and Emergency Contacts via Globalstar satellites. Apple is dedicating $450M toward satellite infrastructure, covering 95% of the system’s cost, and will use up to 85%(!) of Globalstar’s network capacity. Due to limited bandwidth and the characteristics of cell phone antennas, users will need to point their phone at a satellite using a new UI and will select from a set of pre-written messages instead of sending free-form texts. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ Also related to satellites and cell phones, AST SpaceMobile’s Bluewalker-3 satellite launched on Saturday, Sept. 10. Bluewalker-3 is a test for an eventual 110-satellite constellation that would provide global cell phone coverage, “using 3GPP low-band cellular frequencies and Q/V-band frequencies” (it has an FCC experimental license). Concerns have been raised, however, about the satellite’s potentially- unprecedented brightness (> Venus), with a reflective and record-setting 64 m2 antenna. Even larger satellites are intended for the company’s final constellation! (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ The AMSAT-UK Colloquium Committee has issued its final call for speakers for the AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ  https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/  AMSAT-UK invite speakers, about amateur radio, space and associated activities, for this event. Submissions should be sent via e-mail: to dave at g4dpz.me.uk (ANS thanks David Johnson, G4DPZ, for the above information)

 

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, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

Solar activity bounced back this reporting week, September 8-14, when average daily sunspot numbers jumped from 68 to 92.7, and average solar flux from 125.8 to 141.3.

Fewer CMEs and flares were evident, with average planetary A index declining from 24.6 to 10.7, and middle latitude numbers from 17.4 to 10.6.

New sunspot groups appeared, one on September 8, three on September 10, and one more on ...

On September 7, 2022, Jeanne (Jan) Socrates, VE0JS/MM / KC2IOV, and her sailboat, the SV Nereida, set sail from Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the contiguous US. She was on her way to visit friends in San Francisco, California, but 2 days of 35 knot winds and storms left her sailboat disabled and her onboard radio equipment marginally operational. Amateur operators in New Mexico, ...

by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R

The Big E, “New England’s Great State Fair,” kicks off on Friday, September 16, 2022, and includes Project Big E, a 17-day amateur radio exhibit that runs through October 2, 2022. The fair, held in West Springfield, Massachusetts, is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the sixth-largest fair in the nation.

Planning for Project Big E began in 2021 by...

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® will close early on Friday, September 16, 2022, at 12 PM Eastern time (1600 UTC), for a staff event.

The ARRL Headquarters lobby & store, and W1AW will be open to visitors from 8 AM to 12 PM EDT on Friday.

There will be no interruption to W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions. W1AW will follow its regular transmitting schedule on Friday.

Th...

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:

• Artemis 1 scrubbed again
• 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, October 21 – 22, 2022
• AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium October 8-9, 2022
• 2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
• Launch of GENESIS-G and GENESIS-J with Firefly on September 11
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Sept. 8, 2022
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-254 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 September 11

Artemis 1 Scrubbed Again

After Aug 29th’s scrub (due to a liquid hydrogen umbilical leak and faulty engine thermal sensor), a second attempt on Saturday was scrubbed as well, this time because of an even worse hydrogen leak on the core stage. A launch this month is now looking unlikely. NASA engineers will first replace the leaky quick disconnect seal while at the pad so that they can test the fix with cryogenic liquids only available there. However, after that, they may still have to roll SLS back to the VAB—the Eastern Range requires that the flight termination system batteries be reset and recertified before the next launch attempt (although a waiver might be possible). The next available launch period runs from September 19 – October 4 with the following (and probably more likely) window being October 17 – 31. We’re hoping the onboard smallsats’ batteries can survive the wait. Ed. Note: Including the OMOTENASHI communications and impactor experiment. NASA is now targeting September 23 or 27 according to Jim Free, NASA Associate Administrator Exploration Systems Development)

[ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information]

40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, October 21 – 22, 2022

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota on Oct. 21-22, 2022. Highlights of all scheduled events include:

– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
– 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
– AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, under the Events tab.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo.

You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms
But don’t wait to reserve your room! The offer for specially reduced room rates for Symposium attendees ends on September 28. Make your reservation today to make sure you have a room and at the best possible price.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium October 8-9

AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.

The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating amateur radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby.

Booking for the RSGB Convention is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

Booking for the AMSAT-UK dinner on the Saturday evening at the nearby Marriott Delta Hotel is here: https://bit.ly/3x3nQBm

Details of the event can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/

[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA of AMSAT-UK 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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2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference

The annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) is scheduled for September 16-18, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Register for the DCC here (https://tapr.org/product/2022-dcc-registration/)

Register for the DCC host hotel (Hilton Charlotte Airport ) here (https://tinyurl.com/24hjmkwt) or dialup 1-800-445-8667

View the DCC schedule here (https://tapr.org/preliminary-2022-dcc-schedule/)

The deadline for technical papers passed September 1, 2022. Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights.

[ANS thanks TAPR.org for the above information.]

Launch of GENESIS-G and GENESIS-J with Firefly on September 11

From Felix Paez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA Team: This is to confirm that the launch of our new GENESIS-G and GENESIS-J satellites with Firefly will take place, if all goes well, on September 11, with the launch window starting at 3 PM Pacific Time (22h GMT), from Vanderberg. The expected orbit altitude is 300 km with an inclination of 137 degrees.

As many of you know, this will be the second attempt of Firefly to reach orbit after the first attempt made in September 2021 and which had to be aborted after two minutes of flight, causing our previous GENESIS-N and GENESIS-L to be lost, among others.

These new GENESIS have a more powerful on-board computer than their predecessors and updated software that allows FM voice repeater functionality, AFSK/FSK non-regenerative repeater up to 2400 bps, FSK regenerative repeater up to 50 bps, CW, digitized voice pre-recorded FM and FSK telemetry at 50 bps. The correct retransmission of AX25 / APRS frames over FM up to 2400 bps has been verified in the laboratory.

A small drawback we still have is the antenna deployment mechanism, that is the first version that was made and requires a plenty charged battery. The satellites have been stored for several months, so it is a weak point. Hopefully it will work.

These satellites also have the names of ASTROLAND-1 and ASTROLAND-2 to say thanks to the sponsorship of the project by the Astroland Planetary Agency. We also thank the private companies and Universities that helped in the project.

As on the previous occasion, two experimental propellants are flown, although this time they are from the Madrid company IENAI Space and, unlike the previous GENESIS mission, they use a liquid ionic fuel. Only the one from GENESIS-J is functional. The one from GENESIS-G carries the electronics but without the fuel.

The frequencies coordinated with IARU are the following:

GENESIS-G/ASTROLAND-1
145.875 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200 / 2400 bps
436.888 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps, FM voice beacon with AM2SAT callsign

GENESIS-J/ASTROLAND-2
145.925 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200 / 2400 bps
436.666 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW FSK 50 bps, SSTV Robot 36, FM voice beacon with AM3SAT callsign

We encourage all of you to try to receive their first transmissions once the first keplerians are available.

This flight will be streamed by Everyday Astronaut: https://everydayastronaut.com/

More information on the Firefly website: https://firefly.com/alpha-flight-2-to-the-black/.

Ed. Note: Currently launch is scheduled for 15:00 PST, September 11/ 00:00 UTC, September 12 .

[ANS thanks Felix EA4GQS – AMSAT EA team 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

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.

No School Contacts currently scheduled.

Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. 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 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, 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

N8AJM:From September 12 to 16 I hope to be in EM85. I will be working FM only with no set schedule. I may also activate a few grids on the way down from EN72. I will try to post all passes on hams.at

KJ7DZ: CN74 roving trip booked. Sept 22 – 24. More info will be posted as time gets closer
​
9Y60, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (Special Event). Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society (TTARS) will be active as 9Y60TT to celebrate Trinidad and Tobago’s 60th anniversary of independence (August 31st, 1962) between August 26th and September 2nd. Activity will be on the HF/VHF bands using CW, SSB, Slow Scan TV (SSTV), Digital Modes (FT8/ FT4, JS8, JT65, 2m EME (Moonbounce), Satellite, APRS via ISS, Digital Voice (DMR, C4FM, D-Star), EchoLink….and more. QSL via LoTW, ClubLog and QRZ.com. For more details and info on how to obtain a certificate, see:https://9y60tt.info (received from JoAnne Maenpaa by email)

Op Note: AO-7 is in constant sunlight for the next several months and the onboard 24 hour timer is switching the satellite between Mode A (145 MHz uplink / 29 MHz downlink) and Mode B (432 MHz uplink / 145 MHz downlink) at approximately 2116Z daily.

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

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 8, 2022

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 Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
CUAVA-1 NORAD Cat ID 49275 (decayed form orbit on 09/02/2022 per Space-Track).

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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 Schedules:

Tom Zimmerman, W9TTY, will be exhibiting for AMSAT at the Chicago FM Club Radio Expo in Belvidere, Illinois on Saturday, September 25, 2022.

Clint Bradford, K6CLS: “How to Work the “Easy” Satellites” talks:

Part of the “job description” for volunteer AMSAT Ambassadors is to “spread the gospel” of working satellites to clubs and conventions.

In the next few weeks I have such Zoom presentations lined up for:
SOARA – South Orange County, CA
Boston ARC
Tristate Amateur Radio Society – Evansville,Indiana
Northern CA DX Club
San Gorgonio Pass ARC

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are aways welcome.

Send an email or call!

Clint Bradford K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador
909-999-SATS
http://www.work-sat.com

Scheduled Events with AMSAT involvement:

Hamfests and Conventions

+ 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC)
September 16–18, 2022
Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
https://tapr.org

+ CFMC’S Radio Expo: Northern Illinois’ Largest Hamfest
Sunday, September 25th
Boone County Fairgrounds
8791 IL-76
Belvidere, IL
Flyer at: https://bit.ly/3RFtr8O

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
October 7, 2022 – October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site.

+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8–9, 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21–22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites
3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
https://launch.amsat.org/event-4922878

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, and Frank Karnauskas, AMSAT Vice President – Development for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ With the successful launch of Eutelsat Konnect VHTS on Sept. 7, there are just three Ariane 5 rockets remaining in Arianespace’s inventory. The Ariane 5, in service since 1996, is being retired in favor of the next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, a launcher European officials say will be cheaper to operate and more competitive in the global launch market. The Ariane 5 was once dominant in commercial launch business, but lower-cost launch services from SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket have eroded Arianespace’s position. The Ariane 6 is an expendable design, like the Ariane 5. But Arianespace has secured contracts to launch European government missions and satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband network on the Ariane 6, now scheduled to debut next year. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Chinese taikonauts Chen Dong and Liu Yang conducted an EVA outside of the Tiangong Space Station on Sept. 1, while Cai Xuzhe stayed on the station. They left the station at 10:26 UTC, and the EVA took until 16:33 UTC to be completed. This was the first time the airlock of the recently launched Wentian Module was used to initiate an EVA, as well as the first time the five-meter-long remote control arm of the Wentian module was used. Part of the EVA was to install heat control pumps on the Wentian module, a wide-field panoramic camera, and a variety of other tasks. Part of the EVA was also to verify the function of the recently installed Wentian Airlock and test procedures for an emergency abort of an EVA. (ANS thanks Spaceflight.com for the above information)

+ An incredible aurora has been filmed from the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbited hundreds of miles above the Earth. NASA posted the captivating footage to Twitter (https://bit.ly/3QJrFmp) on Sunday after a geomagnetic storm hit our planet. On September 4, a stream of solar wind struck the Earth, sparking a geomagnetic storm of the G2 class, according to the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). This storm produced an aurora in some regions, including parts of the United States. (ANS thanks Newsweek.com for the above information)

+ NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft recently got its first look at Didymos, the double-asteroid system that includes its target, Dimorphos. On Sept. 26, DART will intentionally crash into Dimorphos, the asteroid moonlet of Didymos. While the asteroid poses no threat to Earth, this is the world’s first test of the kinetic impact technique, using a spacecraft to deflect an asteroid for planetary defense. (ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information)

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, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at arrl dot org