AMATEUR SATELLITE BLOG

Tigrisat 30/09/2015 02:50 UTC

Tigrisat 30/09/2015 02:50 UTC

PSAT

PSAT
PSAT

1:Fm PSAT-1 To APOFF Via ARISS <UI R Pid=F0 Len=52> [07:08:45R]
s#019412,0z200,GbjDdjGEjEJghJfiBhfdjFajFHieIfhHhgci

Raw Packet YB0X-1 LAPAN-A2/ORARI Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite

2015-09-29 12:00:58 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,E27CBR-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:00:59 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,E27CBR-6:T#000,138,203,001,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 12:02:03 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,E27CBR-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:03:07 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,E27CBR-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:04:11 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:05:15 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:06:19 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YB6DE-5:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 12:06:19 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YB6DE-5:T#001,138,194,001,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:42:35 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:42:36 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:T#000,139,197,001,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:43:16 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:43:47 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:44:19 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:44:20 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,E27CBR-6:T#001,138,200,002,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:44:51 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:45:23 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:45:39 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:T#002,139,193,001,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:45:55 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:46:27 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:51:35 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2CEH-3:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:52:02 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT2,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Wejcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsate<0xcc>lite
2015-09-29 13:52:07 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2RUT-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:52:52 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:53:40 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:53:40 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:T#008,140,190,252,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:54:29 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC9RAK:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:55:00 WIB: YB0X-1>APO21-8,SGTE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/OJARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:55:00 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:T#009,140,198,253,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 13:55:01 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC9RAK:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:55:33 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC9RAK:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:56:19 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI& Indonesian Equatorial Microsmtellit5
2015-09-29 13:56:36 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 13:57:08 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:~Velcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equmtorial Microsatellite [Unsupported packet format]
2015-09-29 13:57:23 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI<0x02> Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:27:30 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:28:51 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:29:55 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:30:58 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:30:59 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:T#001,140,198,253,000,000,00000010
2015-09-29 15:32:03 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2CEH-3:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:33:07 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YD0NXX-4:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:34:11 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,9W2VHF-1:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:35:18 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC3BVG:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:36:25 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC3BVG:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:37:24 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:38:27 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:39:32 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:40:37 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,VK8MA-6:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  )ndonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:40:37 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC9RAK:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite
2015-09-29 15:41:41 WIB: YB0X-1>APOT21,SGATE,qAR,YC9RAK:>Welcome to LAPAN-A2/ORARI  Indonesian Equatorial Microsatellite

TIGRISAT 29/09/2015 02:17 UTC

TIGRISAT 29/09/2015 02:17 UTC


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LAPAN-A2 microsatellite of Indonesia

The LAPAN-A2 microsatellite, a successor mission of the LAPAN-TUBSAT (also referred to as LAPAN-A1) microsatellite family, is the first indigenous satellite design and development of LAPAN (Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional), or the "National Institute of Aeronautics and Space," Jakarta, funded by the government of Indonesia. 1) 2) 3)
Background: Indonesia is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean with a length of ~ 5,150 km along the equator (equivalent to about 1/8th of Earth's circumference), the widest breadth of the archipelago is ~1,750 km . The country has a population of more than 220 million people. With the extensive region and with diverse geographical problems, the utilization of satellites is important for Indonesia to address solutions to the problems of the nation.
LAPAN was established in November 1964. The space agency is responsible for carrying out civil and military aerospace research and space research; however, one of the most important tasks of the LAPAN is to interconnect the more than 6000 islands of Indonesia. For this reason, LAPAN has launched several satellites (purchased abroad) to provide telecommunication coverage for the islands of Indonesia. The LAPAN communication satellites include the Palapa satellites (launch of Palapa-A1 on Aug. 7, 1976, and Palapa-A2 on Oct. 3, 1977).
Following the success of LAPAN-TUBSAT (A1) microsatellite, built at TUB (Technical University of Berlin) along with a training program of LAPAN engineers - which was launched on January 10, 2007 and is operational in 2012 - LAPAN engineers designed and developed the LAPAN-A2 spacecraft indigenously, and started also with the design of the LAPAN-A3 satellite, all are based on the LAPAN-TUBSAT bus.
The mission objectives of LAPAN-A2 (considered to be a 2nd generation mission) are to use the microsatellite for disaster mitigation monitoring by Earth observation, also for land use, natural resources and environment monitoring.
Specific goals of the LAPAN-A2 mission are: 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
1) Provision of an Earth observation video surveillance capability, based on the LAPAN-TUBSAT experience with a swath width of3.5 km and a resolution of 5 m. - The experimental Digital Space Camera provides a swath width of 9 km with a resolution of 4 m.
2) Use of amateur radio APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) and voice repeater functions for disaster mitigation communications. This service is implemented for ORARI (Organisasi Amatir Radio Indonesia - or the 'Amateur Radio Organization of Indonesia').
3) Implementation of an AIS (Automatic Identification System) payload for the provision of maritime monitoring in the equatorial region
4) Use of an automatic attitude control subsystem.
Development of indigenous facilities: In view of a very sparse high-tech infrastructure in Indonesia, LAPAN built several facilities in Indonesia to design and develop its microsatellites. This involved the construction of an AIT (Assembly, Integration and Test) facility for LAPAN-A2. One of the critical facilities for satellite AIT is the structural dynamics (vibration) laboratory. In 2009, LAPAN upgraded the vibration laboratory at Sentra Teknologi Polimer, BPPT, in Tangerang. The laboratory was initially used to test automotive components. The upgrade has made it possible to measure natural frequencies and to provide dynamic loads for spacecraft up to the 100 kg class , as required by the launch provider.
LapanA2_Auto8
Figure 1: Illustration of the LAPAN-A2 microsatellite (image credit: LAPAN)
Spacecraft:
The LAPAN A-2 microsatellite features the following performance enhancements when compared with LAPAN-TUBSAT:
• Use of a GPS receiver for the provision of timing information for all subsystems and orbit position (e.g., geodetic coordinates), primarily for periodic calculation of satellite orbit elements.
• Use of an enhanced ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem) to obtain precise satellite platform attitude stability during Earth observation data acquisition.
The attitude control strategy of LAPAN-A2 is based on the angular momentum management concept of LAPAN-TUBSAT heritage. This concept implements the momentum bias method in which the angular momentum is maintained in the Y-axis. The Y-axis is defined as the pitch axis which is perpendicular to the flight direction. 9)
The ADCS actuators consist of 3 pairs of RWs (Reaction Wheels), laser gyros and 3 magnetic coils (torquers). These torquers use air coils to generate magnetic dipole moments. They can compensate for the spacecraft residual magnetic fields or attitude drift from minor disturbance torques. - The attitude is sensed with 6 sun sensors for coarse attitude determination, a redundant set of star sensors is used for precision pointing during imaging periods. The star sensors (one with a CMOS detector and one with a CCD detector) are mounted in orthogonal directions to ensure star visibility at all times. The spacecraft is also equipped with a 3-axis magnetometer to measure the Earth's magnetic field.
Star sensor assembly
CCD sensor
- FOV: 31º x 23º
- 16 mm optics
- Update period: 5 Hz
- Power consumption: 3W
CMOS sensor
- FOV: 14º x 14º
- 50 mm optics
- Update period: 4 Hz
- Power consumption: 2.5 W
Gyroscope
Bias stability
Random walk
Power consumption
≤ 2º/h (at stabilzed temperature)
≤ 0.6º/h1/2
≤ 2.3 W
Magnetometer
Wide field range
Accuracy
Power
0.6 gauss (mTesla)
≤ 0.2 mTesla
1 W
Reaction wheel assembly
Moment of inertia
Max angular momentum
Power
912.6 kgmm2
0.57 Nms
1.4 W
Magnetic torquer
Dipole
11 Am2 @16V (x-axis)
14 Am2 @16V (y-axis)
11 Am2 @16V (z-axis)
Table 1: Specification of the ADCS
According to mission operations, the attitude control of LAPAN-A2 can be divided into 3 main categories where the satellite axis of roll pitch and yaw is defined as X, Y, Z respectively:
- Nadir pointing, in which the Z-axis of spacecraft is pointed to nadir along the ground track. The spacecraft also has slew capability to point at a certain object on the Earth off-track
- Target pointing, in which the pitch rate is managed so that the Z- axis is pointed to the designated target on Earth. This target pointing mode is applicable for recording moving objects in the target area or to produce stereographic images.
- Inertial pointing, in which the satellite points the camera to the certain celestial target in space.
The ADCS will support automatic capturing of an Earth target. In this operational support mode, the camera operation and satellite pointing maneuver employ a closed-loop process between the star sensors, the GPS receiver, and the attitude control actuator assembly, which are managed by the satellite main computer and the attitude control computer (called Wheel Drive Electronics). The agile spacecraft provides a pointing capability (±30º in pitch and roll) to point it for event observations.
LapanA2_Auto7
Figure 2: Nominal flight configuration of LAPAN-A2 (image credit: LAPAN)
EPS (Electrical Power Subsystem): Use of triple junction surface-mounted solar cells for the generation of power. The 4 GaAs solar panels, each of size 465 mm x 262 mm with 30 solar cells, provide a maximum power of 32 W. Three Li-ion batteries are arranged in parallel, each consisting of 4 cells per pack in series. The battery assembly provides a nominal voltage of 17 V with a storage capacity of 17 Ah.
Spacecraft structure: The configuration of the bus structure is the same as that of LAPAN-TUBSAT. The box-like structure has a size of 47 cm in length (x-axis) and 50 cm in width (z-axis). Two shelves (upper and lower compartment) provide accommodation for all spacecraft components. The height of the upper compartment (based on its placement in launch vehicle) is the height of the lens and its mounting platform. This compartment is utilized to accommodated the ‘tall' components, such as batteries. The lower compartments is used to mount the ‘short' components such as the electronics. The total height of the structure is 36 cm, which left the dimension for the AIS VHF antenna not exceeding the PSLV height envelope. The spacecraft launch mass is 68 kg.
LapanA2_Auto6
Figure 3: Alternate view of the LAPAN-2 structure (left) and the accommodation of the spacecraft components at right (image credit: LAPAN)
RF communications: The uplink and downlink TT&C (Telemetry Tracking and Command) functions are implemented in the UHF band at a data rate of 1200 bit/s. The payload video data is downlinked in S-band.
LapanA2_Auto5
Figure 4: Block diagram of the LAPAN-A2 spacecraft (image credit: LAPAN)
 
Launch: A launch of LAPAN-A2 as a secondary payload to the AstroSat spacecraft of ISRO (primary payload) is scheduled on a PSLV-C34 vehicle of ISRO for October 2015. The launch site is SDSC (Satish Dhawan Space Center) SHAR, ISRO's launch site on the south-east coast of India, Sriharikota.
Orbit: Circular NEqO (Near Equatorial Orbit), altitude =650 km, inclination of 8º, period = 98 minutes. The low inclination permits a contact with the spacecraft on every pass of the mission.
LapanA2_Auto4
Figure 5: Illustration of the LAPAN-A2 pass range over Indonesia (image credit: LAPAN)
 

 
Sensor complement: (Video Camera, AIS, APRS)
Video Camera assembly:
Use of a COTS (Commercial-of-the-Shelf) RGB video camera, named spaceCam c4000, provided by Theta System Elektronik GmbH of Gröbenzell, Germany. The medium format RGB camera features a focal length of 600 mm. The camera is used for snapshot operations support. At an orbital altitude of 650 km, the camera provides a spatial resolution of 6 m with a frame coverage of 12 km x 12 km. The agility of the spacecraft (i.e. the ability to point off-nadir) and the high tolerance on illumination variation of the camera increase the prospect of improved observations.
The video camera assembly consists of two cameras. The first one is the same model as flown on LAPAN-TUBSAT (with an analog output); the second camera features a digital output.
LapanA2_Auto3
Figure 6: Photo of the spaceCam c4000 camera (image credit: Theta System Elektronik)
The camera system offers two observation modes: a) automatic target pointing, and b) interactive operation.
• The automatic target pointing mode employs the closed-loop process between the star sensor assembly, the GPS receiver, and the attitude control actuator.
• The interactive operation mode is identical to the one on LAPAN-TUBSAT, in which the video camera mode will be used to find the target, before high-resolution imagery is taken.
In the early orbit phase the satellite will be operated in open-loop or interactive mode for instrument characterization. After the characterization process is completed ,the satellite will be flown in closed-loop or automatic target pointing as the nominal support mode.
CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor
CMOSIS 4000 model
Sensor type
Progressive scan, CMOS, global shutter
Sensor format
1:1, 1 inch (25 mm) CMOS image sensor
Image size
11.3 mm x 11.3 mm, 15.9 mm diagonal
Pixel size
5.5 µm x 5.5 µm
No of pixels
2048 (H) x 2048 (V)
Electron Capacity, FWC (Full Well Capacity)
13,500 e-
Noise figure
13 e- rms
Dynamic range
1038 : 1
Dark Current @ 25ºC
10 e- / pixel / s
Quantum efficiency
50 %, with lens on chip
Anti-blooming
200 x e- capacity
Data quantization
12 bit
Mechanical size
126 mm x 106 mm x 54mm
Operational temperature range
-15º to 45ºC
Table 2: Specification of the spaceCam c4000 camera 10)
 
AIS (Automatic Identification System):
Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Its territorial water is about 5.8 million km2 which represents 75% of its territory. Hundreds of ships pass daily through two of the most frequented waterways in Indonesia, the Malaka (Malacca) strait and the Sulawesi strait. In 2012, the monitoring of maritime traffic is still conduced by the conventional coastal stations and the use of patrol boats. The range of a coastal station is typically 30 nautical miles (56 km) and about the same for patrol boats. Hence, the coverage for Indonesian waters is still very limited. An improvement of the situation is indeed needed to reduce the level of law violations in Indonesian waters.
The use of a satellite-based maritime monitoring system is considered the proper solution for Indonesia. AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a system that can monitor ships, based on GPS and VHF digital communication. AIS is regulated by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) to be installed in ships weighing 300 tons or more. An AIS receiver on the satellite offers a considerably enlarged coverage when compared to a seashore station network.
The AIS instrument assembly is designed and developed at KSX (Kongsberg Seatex AS, Trondheim, Norway). The instrumentation is similar to the one flown on AISSAT-1 (launch on July 12, 2010). The AIS instrument features are (Ref. 3) :
• Simultaneous reception and decoding of any two channels in the maritime VHF band
• SDR‐based radio architecture – upgradeable after launch
• High sensitivity
• Low power consumption
• Industrial grade components used giving a cost‐efficient AIS payload
• RS422 interface.
LapanA2_Auto2
Figure 7: Illustration of AIS components on the LAPAN-A2 spacecraft (image credit: LAPAN)
LapanA2_Auto1
Figure 8: Overview of the AIS system components of the LAPAN-A2 mission (image credit: LAPAN)
 
APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System)
APRS is an amateur radio as well as an amateur radio voice repeater. The system is intended for ORARI ( Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization) use.
The archipelago of Indonesia is part of the global "ring of fire" experiencing frequent natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, eruption of volcanoes, and floods. From past experience, the ground communication infrastructure is often damaged, limiting the ability to coordinate the aid effort in the stricken region. A satellite based telecommunication system is usually the only means of communication. The LAPAN-A2 microsatellite carries the amateur radio short text message repeater (APRS) and a voice repeater. The APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System ) and the voice communication payload is developed by LAPAN using the LAPAN-TUBSAT UHF/VHF radio heritage along with a COTS APRS modem. The primary application of APRS is intended for communications in support of disaster mitigation and relief efforts.
 

 
Ground segment:
LAPAN operates a network of ground stations to operate microsatellites (LAPAN-TUBSAT, LAPAN-A2 and LAPAN-A3). The network consists of ground station in Rumpin and Rancabungur (Bogor), Bukittinggi (West Sumatra), Pontianak (West Borneo)and Biak (Papua). Within the network, Rumpin is the main control station. In addition, as a research ground station, Rancabungur functions as backup for Rumpin, to ensure the reliability of Western Indonesia coverage. A LAPAN-built receiving antenna is installed in Bukittinggi, to cover the far Northwest of Indonesia such as the Aceh province. Another LAPAN-built receiving antenna is installed in Pontianak and Biak, to cover the satellite operation in the Central and Eastern part of Indonesia. In the future, another station will be established in Pare-pare, Celebes, to provide a better coverage of the central part of Indonesia.
LapanA2_Auto0
Figure 9: Ground station network of LAPAN-TUBSAT, LAPAN-A2 and LAPAN-A3 (image credit: LAPAN)
 

PSLV-C30 / ASTROSAT MISSION UPDATE

 Mobile Service Tower (MST) withdrawal to 50 m distance is completed by 15:00 hr IST. Propellant filling operation of Second Stage (PS2) is in progress.

PSAT-1 28/09/2015 00:40 UTC

PSAT-1 28/09/2015 00:40 UTC

50-hour countodwn for PSLV-C30/ASTROSAT mission begins


The 50 hour activity of the PSLV-C30/mission started early today morning at 8:00 a.m. Dedicated to astronomy, the is a miniature version of the Hubble, the US-European joint space observatory that has discovered new galaxies and improved understanding of the universe.

The Mission will be launched through the Polar Satellite Lauch Vehicle (PSLV)-C30. 

The countdown started after the Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) cleared it on Friday.

carrying ASTOSAT will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota at 10.00 a.m on Monday September 28th.

The Rs 178 crore Astrosat is India’s first space observatory. Dedicated to astronomy, the satellite is a miniature version of the Hubble, the US-European joint space observatory that has discovered new galaxies and improved understanding of the universe.

India’s observatory will be the fourth in space, after the Hubble, Russia’s Spektr R and Suzaku of Japan.

Astrosat, initially planned for 2005, has been delayed by a decade, as the scientific community struggled to build with precision the instruments needed for such operations, according to reports.

The instruments, spreading across ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths, will study black holes, neutron stars, quasars, white dwarfs and pulsars.

“Astrosat is special due to the choice of instruments to study in multi-wave lengths — UV rays, visible and X-rays — which even the doesn’t have,” A S Kiran Kumar, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), said in a recent interview. “The instruments allow simultaneous observation of cosmic sources, an area in which other observatories currently have limitations.”

UNISAT-6 26/09/2015 02:17 UTC

UNISAT-6 26/09/2015 02:17 UTC

PSAT-1

PSAT-1






1:Fm PSAT-1 To APOFF Via ARISS <UI R Pid=F0 Len=34> [08:12:00R]
T#575,880,086,896,739,833,00011100
1:Fm PSAT-1 To APOFF Via ARISS <UI R Pid=F0 Len=36> [08:12:38R]
:BLN0USA  :PSK31 435.35 Up on 28.12

ESA invites radio amateurs to listen for AAUSAT-5 CubeSat

AAUSat-5 and Deployer - Credit ESA
AAUSat-5 and Deployer – Credit ESA
The AAUSAT-5 amateur radio CubeSat built by students at the University of Aalborg, Denmark is planned to be released from the International Space Station sometime in the week of October 5.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is inviting radio amateurs to listen out for the signals from the satellite. The first to send in a recorded signal from AAUSAT-5 will receive a prize from ESA’s Education Office.
Launched on August 19, 2015 to the ISS, the Danish student CubeSat is now waiting for its deployment from the Japanese Kibo module’s airlock. An astronaut will manipulate the Kibo robotic arm to lift AAUSAT-5 from the airlock and place it in orbit.
Once deployed from the ISS the CubeSat will begin transmitting signals to Earth that can be picked up by anyone with common amateur radio equipment. ESA challenges anyone to record the signal and send it to ESA (cubesats@esa.int) and Aalborg University (studentspace@space.aau.dk).
The satellite will transmit on 437.425 MHz using CW and GMSK. The 30 WPM CW beacon will transmit every 3 minutes and the 9600 bps GMSK every 30 seconds.
The first correct email received will win the following prizes:
• ESA/AAUSAT5 poster with signatures of the team members
• ESA Education goodie bag
• Scale 1:1 3D printed model of the AAUSAT-5 satellite
Read the ESA article at
http://www.esa.int/Education/CubeSats_-_Fly_Your_Satellite/Be_the_first_to_catch_the_signals_from_a_new_Satellite_in_orbit
AAUSAT-5 amateur radio information http://www.space.aau.dk/aausat5/index.php?n=Main.HamInfo
ESA AAUSAT-5 Twitter hashtag #AAUSAT5 https://twitter.com/ESA__Education
Danish CubeSats head for ISS http://amsat-uk.org/2015/08/19/danish-cubesats-head-for-iss/

BUGSAT-1

BUGSAT-1

TIGRISAT 25/09/2015 14:32 UTC

TIGRISAT 25/09/2015 14:32 UTC


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OOREOS

OOREOS

BUGSAT-1 25/09/2015 03:20 UTC

BUGSAT-1 25/09/2015 03:20 UTC

Radio Amateur-deputy sheriff shot and killed in Florida

The ARRL reports an Okaloosa County, Florida, deputy sheriff, William J. 'Bill' Myers, KK4KF, died of gunshot wounds after serving a domestic violence restraining order at an attorney’s office in Shalimar, where he lived

NorthEscambia.com reported on September 23, “Deputy Myers was walking outside when he was shot multiple times in the back, including a gunshot wound to the rear of his head.” An Associated Press account said the shooter, identified as Joel Dixon Smith, 33, was supposed to be turning over any firearms in his possession, but apparently shot Myers with “a concealed weapon.”

A ham since 1986, Myers was a US Air Force retiree and former air traffic controller. He enjoyed operating CW and was a member of the FISTS CW Club and in recent years often ran QRP. One of his sons is also a ham

Read the full ARRL story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/radio-amateur-deputy-sheriff-shot-and-killed-in-florida

North Escambia story
http://www.northescambia.com/2015/09/okaloosa-county-deputy-dies-after-being-shot-suspect-dead

Fox-1C and Fox-1D FM transponder CubeSats will fly on SHERPA

SHERPA in Orbit - Credit Spaceflight Inc
SHERPA in Orbit – Credit Spaceflight Inc
In response to a breaking opportunity, AMSAT and Spaceflight, Inc. have arranged for Fox-1D to accompany Fox-1C on the maiden flight of the SHERPA system on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
AMSAT FOXAs a Fox-1 series, Fox-1D is identical to Fox-1C, but with different frequencies and carrying the University of Iowa HERCI (High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) radiation mapping experiment as a hosted payload. Fox-1D will provide additional selectable U/V or L/V repeater capabilities once in orbit, and will be capable of downlinking Earth images from the Virginia Tech camera experiment.
Launch is currently planned for the first quarter of 2016. Additional donor support is needed to offset the costs associated with the launch of Fox-1D in addition to Fox-1C. Please visit http://www.amsat.org/ to donate support this launch, and help keep amateur radio in space.
Fox-1C has been renamed Fox-1Cliff in honor of Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, who was a benefactor and long time supporter
for AMSAT as well as an adviser/mentor for students building CubeSats at Cal Poly.
Meet the Fox Project http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1113
Fox-1C Update Video http://amsat-uk.org/2015/06/07/fox-1c-update-video/
US launch schedule discussion forum
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=q67qup1a0d3e7vloo0p9isl1u6&topic=8184.960

FoxTelem Software for Windows, Mac, & Linux




FoxTelem Software for Windows, Mac, & Linux

Fox Telemetry Decoder

FoxTelemIQThe Fox Telemetry Decoder is being released to demodulate, store and analyze telemetry data from AMSAT’s Fox series of Cube Sats. We hope that you will also upload the telemetry you receive to the AMSAT server so that it can be used by other Amateur Scientists and our research partners, whose experiments fly with the Fox satellites.
FoxTelem is experimental. We are sure it can be improved. Please provide feedback and suggestions
Fox-1 satellites include two telemetry formats:
  • Slow Speed, also called Data Under Voice (DUV) is 200 bps FSK data sent at the same time as the transponder audio. Whenever the transmitter is on, data is being sent. This happens during beacons and during live QSOs.
  • High Speed is 9600 bps FSK sent instead of the transponder. This is used for data intensive experiments such as the Virginia Tech Camera and the University of Iowa HERCI experiment. This is only active when commanded from the ground. You can recognize High Speed because it sounds like an old school computer modem.
  • FoxTelem will receive and store both formats assuming you can feed it audio that does not have the frequencies below 200 Hz filtered.  For High Speed, the audio must also extend to include the full 9600bps bandwidth of the FM signal.  For both modes this is best achieved from a Software Defined Radio or from the 9600 bps packet port of some radios.  See the user guide for more details.

Downloading the Program

You can download FoxTelem from the following locations:
FoxTelem is written in Java, so you need to have Java installed. Is is available from www.java.com

Installation Instructions

FoxTelem is supplied as an archive file (.zip on windows or Mac, and .gzip on Linux). You can unzip the contents and put it in the directory of your choice. Right on the desktop works well, as does somewhere in your home directory or documents directory. If you install it into the Mac Applications folder or into the Windows Program Files folder (or any other folder that is not writable by the application), then you will need to choose a different directory to write the decoded data into. You can do this the first time you run the program.

Running FoxTelem

Run FoxTelem by double clicking FoxTelem.exe on Windows or the Application file on MacOs. On Linux, you should be able to double click FoxTelem.jar. If you can’t, then right click, Properties, and change the Open With to be the Java runtime environment.
When FoxTelem starts then you should have the Welcome screen shown below. The Simple install will use the installation directory to store the decoded data. This keeps everything in one place, but mixes the program with its data. If you want to write the data to another directory, choose Custom, click Continue and specify the directory on the next screen.
initialsettingsFurther instructions are available in the manual, which is in the installation directory and accessible from the Help menu.

If FoxTelem does not start

FoxTelem will not start if you do not have java installed, or have a version before Java 6. You will get a message from the launcher telling you to download and install the latest version from www.java.com.
If you get an error message from Windows Smartscreen like the below, then click “More Info” and then “Run Anyway”. Windows gives this message for new or little know applications that have not established a reputation.
windowssmartscreenMacOS has similar security precautions and will give you a message like the below:
macdamagedFoxTelem is not really damaged and it can in fact be opened. You can hold the “Command” key while you double click the application and it will run. After that it will run without the Command key. This message is displayed because your “Security and Privacy” settings do not allow applications that are not installed from the Mac App Store.
If you are on Windows and the program complains that it is missing MSVCR100.dll or something similar to that, then you need to install the Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable:
If you do not know if you have 32 or 64 bit windows then Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties. Under System, you can view the system type.
If you are using MacOS 10.7 or later and you get the message below, then follow the instructions and install Apple’s “legacy” version of Java.
maclegacyFoxTelem is written and compiled with the latest version of Java (Version 8 in Sept 2015) but it is compliant with Java 6 so that it works on older Mac operating systems. On other platforms you can run FoxTelem with any versions of Java from Java 6, but Apple and Oracle have not made this simple on the Mac.
If FoxTelem still won’t start, then see the troubleshooting section at the end of the manual or ask for help on the amsat-bb mailing list.

Tigrisat 24/09/2015 13:59 UTC

Tigrisat 24/09/2015 13:59 UTC
TIGRISAT elemetry decoder

UWE-3 24/09/2015 13:47 UTC

UWE-3 24/09/2015 13:47 UTC
UWE-3 Telemetry decoder

BUGSAT-1 24/09/2015 03:14 UTC

BUGSAT-1 24/09/2015 03:14 UTC

STRAND 23/09/2015 23:26 UTC

STRAND 23/09/2015 23:26 UTC

TIGRISAT 23/09/2015 15:09 UTC

TIGRISAT 23/09/2015 15:09 UTC

FUNCUBE-1

FUNCUBE-1

UWE-3

UWE-3

BUGSAT-1 9/23/2015 3:08:15 AM

BUGSAT-1 9/23/2015 3:08:15 AM
BUGSAT Telemetry decoder

UNISAT-6

UNISAT-6
UNISAT-6 Telemetry decoder

OOREOS

OOREOS
O/OREOS Telemetry decoder

UWE-3

UWE-3
UWE-3  Telemetry decoder

FIREBIRD

FIREBIRD
FIRREBIRD  Telemetry decoder

STRAND 22092015 11:13 z

STRAND 22092015 11:13 z
STRAND Telemetry decoder

UNISAT-6

UNISAT-6
UNISAT-6 Telemetry decoder

BUGSAT-1

BUGSAT-1
BUGSAT-1 Telemetry decoder

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