Tag Archives: Cubesats

Upcoming Cubesats Launch from ISS

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Update: The launch date has changed. Now the satellites will be launch at the 19th and 20th of November 2013.

ISS-36 HTV-4 BerthingWith al the attention going towards the Dnepr launch on November 21 we would almost forget that there are a couple of Cubesats onboard the ISS that will be launched also. The launch is planned for November 25. The following satellites will be deployed.

  • Pico Dragon, developed by the Việtnam National Satellite Center (VNSC), University of Tokyo and IHI aerospace. A CW beacon at 437.250 MHz and 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 telemetry on 437.365 MHz.
  • ArduSat-1 developed by NanoSatisfi. 437.325 MHz 9k6 MSK CCSDS downlink.
  • ArduSat-X developed by NanoSatisfi. 437.345 MHz 9k6 MSK CCSDS downlink.
  • TechEdSat-3 developed by interns at the NASA Ames Research Center. 437.465 MHz 1200 bps packet radio beacon transmitting 1 watt to 1/4 wave monopole. It plans to test an Iridium Satphone modem and has a deployment mechanism to de-orbit in 10 days.

These satellites arrived Aug 9, 2013 at the International Space Station’s and the Canadarm2 grapples the unpiloted Japanese “Kounotori” H2 Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) as it approaches the station, carrying ArduSat-1 and ArduSat-X among 3.6 tons of science experiments.

November 19, 2013 ISS Launch
 
Satellite Uplink Downlink Beacon Mode
 
ArduSat-1 437.325 9k6 MSK
ArduSat-X 437.345 9k6 MSK
PicoDragon 437.365 437.250 1k2 AFSK, AX.25, CW
 
November 20, 2013 ISS Launch
 
Satellite Uplink Downlink Beacon Mode
 
TechEdSat-3 437.465 437.465 1k2 AFSK, AX.25

Launch Minotaur 1 ORS-3

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Launch information regarding the Minotaur 1 ORS-3 on November 19th, 2013 (EST).
(The launch window UTC begins on 00:30 – November 20th, 2013)

Minotaur-1The rocket will launch the Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office’s ORS-3 mission, which features the deployment of 29 satellites in space. The launch window is 00:30 to 02:30 UTC The backup launch days run through November 26.

The Minotaur’s primary payload is the Space Test Program Satellite-3 (STPSat-3), an Air Force technology-demonstration mission. Thirteen small cubesats aboard are being provided through NASA’s Cubesat Launch Initiative. Among the cubesats is NASA’s Small Satellite Program PhoneSat 2 second generation smartphone mission. Also included is the first cubesat built by high school students.

Live coverage of the launch is available via UStream beginning at 23:30 UTC

It would be great if we have some preliminary TLE data available so we can try and receive the satellites that are part of the NASA Cubesat Launch Initiative.

Thanks to the work of Satou Tetsurou – JA0CAW, we have the following table with known frequencies. If there are errors in it, please let me know via the contact form.

Update: November 17th, 2013 With the help of DK3WN and other helpful radio amateurs the list is updated with new information.

Minotaur-1 Elana4 launch 00:30 UTC November 20th, 2013
Satellite Downlink Mode
CAPE-2 145.825 1k2 AFSK, AX.25 xx sec interval / CW
DragonSat-1 145.870 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 30 sec interval
TetherSat 437.100 9k6 FSK, AX.25, xx sec interval
Hooponopono-2 437.220 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 15 sec interval
COPPER 437.290 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 10 sec interval
Vermont Lunar 437.305 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 60 sec interval
TetherSat-2 437.305 9k6 FSK, AX.25, xx sec interval
TJ3Sat 437.320 CW beep every 13.5 sec, CW ident every 10 minutes
CAPE-2 437.325 1k2 AFSK, AX.25 xx sec interval / CW
Black Knight-1 437.345 No beacon, only active on GS request
SwampSat 437.385 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 60 sec interval
KYSat-2 437.405 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 15 sec interval in sunlight
ChargerSat-1 437.405 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 10 sec interval
Trailblazer-1 437.425 9k6 FSK, AX.25, 50 sec interval
PhoneSat-v24 437.425 1k2 AFSK, AX.25 30 sec interval (150s charging mode)
NPS-SCAT 437.525 1k2 AFSK, AX.25, 5 min interval

Elana4 Map

Upcoming Dnepr launch

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DNEPR-1 Lift OffHere some information regarding the upcoming Dnepr launch. At the moment the launch date is set to 21th November 2013. With this launch there will be flying at least two Cubesats with linear transponder functionality. The launch will be done at the Dombarovskiy Launch Site.

At the moment there are some nice blogs that give insides on the flight preparations, one of them is the ISILanch blog from ISIS in The Netherlands. It is nice to see how every thing is going in the cleanroom.

I am trying to keep this list complete and up to date but with this large group of satellites there is always a chance that I made a mistake or missed something. If so, would please inform me via the contact form so I can correct this information.

DNEPR Launch 21 November 2013 – 07:11:29 UTC

Satellite Type Frequency Owner Remarks
DubaiSat-2 Minisatellite Earth observation EIAST PP
STSat-3 SaTReC Korea PP
AprizeSat 7 and 8 Cubesat SpaceQuest Argentina SP
BPA-3 Hartron-Arkos Ukraine SP
BRITE-PL Cubesat Downlink: 437.365 / 2234.4 MHz Uplink: 437.365 Beacon: 145.890 SRC Poland (website) SP
CINEMA 2 and 3 Cubesat KHU Seoul SP
CubeBUG-2 Cubesat Telemetry and Beacons 437.445MHz 1200bps, AFSK / 9600bps FSK, GMSK Argentina (website) SP
Delfi-n3Xt Cubesat Uplink 435.530 – 435.570MHz Downlink 145.880 – 145.920MHz Telemetry and Beacons 145.870/145.930MHz, 2405.000MHz Delft TU Netherlands (website) SP
Dove-3 Cubesat Planet Labs SP
eSt@r-2 Cubesat 437.485MHz, 1200bps AFSK CW Politecnico di Torino Italy SP
First-MOVE Cubesat Uplink: 435.520 MHz Downlink: 145.970 MHz 1k2 BPSK AX25 (website) SP
FUNCube-1 Cubesat Uplink 435.150-435.130MHz (Inverting) Downlink 145.950-145.970MHz Beacon 145.935MHz 1k2 BPSK Amsat-NL (website) SP
GOMX-1 Cubesat 437.250MHz, 1k2/2k4/4k8/9k6 GMSK GomSpace ApS Denmark (website) SP
HinCube Cubesat 437.305MHz GMSK Narvik Norway (website) SP
KHUSAT 01 and 02 Cubesat SP
NEE-02 Cubesat EXA Ecuador (website) SP
OPTOS Cubesat SP
SkySat-1 Microsat Skybox Imaging USA SP
Triton-1 Cubesat Downlink: 145.815 / 145.860 ISIS The Netherlands SP
UniSat-5 Microsat 437.175/437.425MHz, UHF 9600bps GMSK AX.25 Gauss Italy (website) SP
Dove-4 Cubesat Payload from UniSat-5
HUMSAT-D Cubesat 437.325MHz Vigo Spain (website) Payload from UniSat-5
I-Cube-1 Cubesat 145.947MHz IST Pakistan Payload from UniSat-5
PocketPUCP Pocket Cubesat 437.200MHz, 1200bps AFSK Pontifical Peru (website) Payload from PUCPSAT-1
PUCPSAT-1 Cubesat 145.840MHz 1200bps AFSK Beacon 437.200MHz Pontifical Peru (website) Payload from UniSat-5
$50Sat (Eagle-2) Pocket Cubesat 437.505MHz Payload from UniSat-5
BeakerSat (Eagle-1) Pocket Cubesat 437.465MHz Payload from UniSat-5
QBScout Pocket Cubesat 437.525MHz, 9600bps GMSK UMBC USA (website) Payload from UniSat-5
WREN Pocket Cubesat 437.405MHz, 1200bps FSK CW SSTV StaDoKo Germany (website) Payload from UniSat-5
UWE-3 Cubesat Downlink: 437.385MHz, 1200bps FSK CW UW Germany website SP
Velox-P2 Cubesat Downlink: 145.980 1k2 BPSK Singapore SP
WNISat-1 10kg Micro Sat Axelspace Japan (website) SP
ZACube-1 Cubesat Uplink 145.860MHz Downlink 437.345MHz Beacon 14.099MHz F’SATI South Afric (website) SP

ISIpods dnepr launch

ISIPODs containing Triton-1 (left) and HiNcube, FUNcube-1 and ZACUBE-1 (right) Image credit: Gerard Aalbers – FUNcube team.

Update:

FUNcube-1 Launch: Date and time confirmed, The launch date of RS-20B rocket (Dnepr) with a group of satellites (DubaiSat-2 cluster mission) from Dombarovsky missile area (Yasny Launch Base) has been established for November 21, 2013 at 07:10:11 UT. The back-up launch date is November 22, 2013 at 07:10:11 UT.

Zarya information: Dnepr 21 November 2013 launch update

Thanks to some preliminary TLE data I could calculate the following first pass data over The Netherlands and parts of Europe. 21-11-2013 09:47 CEST (UTC+1).

DNepr 21-11-2013 NL

ISS Amateur Radio CubeSats TLE

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Kepler (TLE) data for the ISS/JAXA cubesat launch

Cubesats leave ISSThe TLE of the five CubeSats recently launched from ISS are now available with the NORAD registration numbers 1998-067-CN, CP, CQ, CR, CS. 1998 ? Yes as NORAD considers they are parts of the ISS, the first module of which, Zarya, was launched on November 20th 1998 and got the NORAD registration number 1998-067-A.

(J-P/F5YG wrote on amsat-bb) Yesterday evening (Western Europe, around 2130 UTC), I noticed that FITSAT-1 was already about 4 mn before the ISS predictions as this one modified altitude (higher). With a max. elevation angle of 83 deg., we received the 437.250 MHz beacon loud and clear.

1998-067CN              
1 38852U 98067CN  12283.00925092  .00041863  00000-0  69687-3 0    14
2 38852  51.6477 275.8145 0018909 135.8738 224.3701 15.51407904   603
1998-067CP              
1 38853U 98067CO  12283.00919217  .00038394  00000-0  64119-3 0    17
2 38853  51.6480 275.8141 0014227 145.1302 215.0858 15.51445930   661
1998-067CQ              
1 38854U 98067CP  12283.07336473  .00054398  00000-0  89879-3 0    14
2 38854  51.6473 275.4897 0014651 145.1372 215.0744 15.51582271   671
1998-067CR              
1 38855U 98067CQ  12282.68697989  .00022010  00000-0  37095-3 0    12
2 38855  51.6485 277.4123 0014736 146.6828 213.5108 15.51493630   504
1998-067CS              
1 38856U 98067CR  12283.00883489  .00069724  00000-0  11405-2 0    11
2 38856  51.6479 275.8106 0018733 136.2088 224.0323 15.51677880   557

We-Wish, RAIKO, FITSat-1, F1 and TechEdSat.

Update: October 10, 2012 from PA0DLO via Amsat-BB
PA0DLO wrote on Amsat-BB: FITSAT-1 is object 38853, 1998-067CP
DK3WN wrote on Amsat-BB: TechEdSat is object 38854, 1998-067CQ and We-Wish is object 38856, 1998-067CS

TLE data on October 11th, 2012 gives:

FITSAT-1              
1 38853U 98067CP  12284.23299041  .00046535  00000-0  77118-3 0    41
2 38853  51.6484 269.7387 0014904 153.8209 206.3540 15.51562650   854
TechEdSat              
1 38854U 98067CQ  12284.23265201  .00051303  00000-0  84491-3 0    33
2 38854  51.6480 269.7331 0014412 150.5036 209.6797 15.51702475   857
We-Wish
1 38856U 98067CS  12284.23242654  .00070920  00000-0  11526-2 0    58
2 38856  51.6470 269.7301 0018337 140.3610 219.8733 15.51859653   742

[PE0SAT Thanks DK3WN, J-P/F5YG, PA0DLO and amsat-bb for the above information]