SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS002
ARLS002 Fox-1D Amateur Radio CubeSat Launches Successfully, Now
Designated as AO-92
ZCZC AS02
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 002 ARLS002
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT January 16, 2018
To all radio amateurs
SB SPACE ARL ARLS002
ARLS002 Fox-1D Amateur Radio CubeSat Launches Successfully, Now
Designated as AO-92
Right on schedule at 0359 UTC on January 12, the solid-fueled first
stage and ground-lit strap-on boosters of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) ignited
and hurtled AMSAT-NA's Fox-1D CubeSat along with 30 other satellites
onboard the PSLV-C40 mission toward a sun-synchronous orbit. Less
than 18 minutes later, the primary payload, a Cartosat-2 series
imaging satellite for the Indian government, separated from the
launcher's fourth stage, followed by other satellites on the
mission. By 27 minutes into the flight, confirmation came that all
nanosatellites had been deployed. Fox-1D was in orbit.
Just before 0500 UTC, Fox-1D passed over western North America, but
the onboard timer that ensures the satellite does not deploy
antennas and begin transmitting until it's clear of the launch
vehicle and other satellites had not yet expired.
"At about 0517 UTC, the satellite came to life and its antennas
deployed over the North Pole," AMSAT reported. "The AMSAT
Engineering team and Amateur Radio operators worldwide were watching
various WebSDRs for signs of life. Around 0525 UTC, the
characteristic 'Fox tail' of the Fox-1 FM transmitter was seen on
multiple WebSDRs. Fox-1D was alive." At 0528 UTC, the first frame
appeared on the AMSAT telemetry server, uploaded by Anatoly
Alexsandrov, UA9UIZ, and initial telemetry values confirmed that the
satellite was healthy.
AMSAT-NA OSCAR Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO, has designated
Fox-1D as AMSAT OSCAR 92 or AO-92. Fox-1D, a 1U CubeSat, is the
third of AMSAT's five Fox-1 CubeSats to reach orbit. It was preceded
by AO-85 (Fox-1A) and AO-91 (RadFxSat / Fox-1B).
AMSAT Engineering reminds stations that the satellite will not be
available for general use until the on-orbit checkouts are complete.
AMSAT invites continued telemetry reports to assist the engineering
team to complete commissioning.
"During commissioning, the transponder may be active at times, but
please do not transmit as you may interfere with important tests
that must be completed before the satellite is commissioned," AMSAT
said. "The commissioning process is expected to take up to 2 weeks."
See the AMSAT-NA website for an update on AO-92 commissioning and
payload testing. Additional updates may be posted this week. The URL
for updates is,
https://www.amsat.org/ao-92-commissioning-update-transponder-and-camera-tested-further-camera-tests-planned/
.
In addition to a Fox-1 U/V FM transponder, Fox-1D will carry several
university experiments, including a MEMS gyro from Pennsylvania
State University-Erie, a camera from Virginia Tech, and the
University of Iowa's High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument
(HERCI) radiation mapping experiment. Fox-1D also carries the AMSAT
"L-Band Downshifter," which gives the option of utilizing a 1.2 GHz
uplink for the FM transponder. The Fox-1D downlink will be on
145.880 MHz, and uplinks will be on 435.350 and 1,267.350 MHz (67 Hz
CTCSS), switchable.
The PSLV launcher also carried the French PicSat, which includes a
V/U FM transponder. PicSat will perform space observations. The
transponder uplink is 145.910 MHz, the downlink is 435.525 MHz.
NNNN
/EX
