<div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small" class="gmail_default"></div><div class="gmail_default"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"></span></font><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT NEWS SERVICE<br></span></font><font size="4">ANS-049</font><div class="entry-content">
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In this edition:</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">* SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Astronaut Launch to Make Way for Private Moon Mission<br>
* Upcoming Rideshare Launch to Include Amateur Payloads<br>
* Bill Introduced to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio<br>
* Small Launch Companies Seek Niches to Compete With SpaceX Rideshare<br>
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 16<br>
* ARISS News<br>
* Upcoming Satellite Operations<br>
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events<br>
* Satellite Shorts From All Over</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The news feed on <a href="http://www.amsat.org">http://www.amsat.org</a> publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a></strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: <a href="https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/">https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ANS-049 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">To: All RADIO AMATEURS<br>
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation<br>
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653<br>
Washington, DC 20002</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DATE 2024 Feb 18</span></font></p>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Astronaut Launch to Make Way for Private Moon Mission</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA’s next astronaut launch will delay nearly a week to let a moon mission leave Earth first.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA’s Crew-8 astronauts, who will launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon,
will fly to space no earlier than Feb. 28. The delay from Feb. 22 will
make room for the expected launch of Intuitive Machines’ moon lander
from the same launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Odysseus, a robotic lunar lander built by the Houston-based company
Intuitive Machines, lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida early in the morning on Thursday,
Feb. 15.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">If all goes according to plan, Odysseus (designated IM-1) will touch
down near the moon’s south pole on Feb. 22, becoming the first-ever
private spacecraft to ace a lunar landing. Success would also be a big
deal for the United States, which hasn’t been to the lunar surface since
NASA’s Apollo 17 mission more than half a century ago.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“NASA and SpaceX will continue to assess Crew-8 readiness and may
adjust the Crew-8 launch date following a successful IM-1 launch,”
agency officials wrote in a statement on Feb. 13, while announcing the
delay. The astronaut mission will serve as relief for Crew-7, which flew
to space on Aug. 26 for an International Space Station mission expected
to last six or seven months.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-57304 gmail-aligncenter" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/AA1eOb3V-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">SpaceX Crew-8 crew. From left to
right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, NASA astronaut Michael
Barratt, KD5MIJ, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR, and NASA
astronaut Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Crew-8 includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR (commander),
Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ (pilot), and Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU (mission
specialist), along with Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist
Alexander Grebenkin.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Both the ISS crew and the IM-1 launch are using a pad SpaceX leases
at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The moon mission has a fairly narrow
launch window as the IM-1 lander needs specific landing conditions to
land at the lunar south pole, which is part of why the launch date for
Crew-8 may be adjusted.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Crew-8, as the name implies, is the eighth crewed operational mission
by SpaceX that sends commercial crews to the ISS on NASA’s behalf.
Starliner, the second vendor, may fly its first test crew in mid-April
2024.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.]</span></font></p>
<hr>
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<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Upcoming Rideshare Launch to Include Amateur Payloads</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The SpaceX F9 Transporter-10 Rideshare mission has been scheduled for
launch on 1 March 2024. In addition to a half dozen commercial
payloads, two amateur satellites are on the launch manifest: SONATE-2
from Germany and CroCube from Croatia.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">SONATE-2</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">SONATE-2 is a 6U+ CubeSat designed and built by the University of
Wuerzburg in Germany. As for many university satellites, the mission
objectives of the SONATE-2 satellite can be divided into three different
parts:<br>
– The operation of an amateur radio payload<br>
– The development and operation of the satellite for the education of students.<br>
– The operation of a novel payload as a technology demonstration in space.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The amateur payload of SONATE-2 consists of a VHF transceiver that
was already built for the predecessor mission SONATE over the course of
several student theses. For SONATE-2 additional student theses extended
the transceiver functionalities. It will provide regular SSTV downlinks
with images from the optical sensors included in the AI payload as well
as an APRS digipeater and CW beacon.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">On the education side, the mission will serve as a foundation for
different aspects of the university aerospace and computer science
engineering program. In the context of practical courses, theses or as
student assistants, students can participate in the development of all
subsystems of the space and ground segment, including the amateur radio
payload and the technology demonstration payload. In the context of
mandatory lectures and exercises on space operations every student will
also be included in the operations of the satellite. The German
Aerospace Center (DLR) offers a School Lab for high school students at
the location of our external ground station in Neustrelitz, Germany.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Besides experiments on space and satellites, the School Lab includes
amateur radio contacts to the ISS under the supervision of licensed
local radio amateurs, which they wish to extend to other satellites like
in this cooperation with the SONATE-2 mission.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-57309 gmail-aligncenter" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/csm_SONATE-2_mit_logo_klein_6cb334ae58-300x169.png" alt="" width="300" height="169"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In addition to the amateur and educational mission parts, the
SONATE-2 mission also has a research objective for the demonstration of
novel artificial intelligence technology in the space environments.
While the AI payload is mainly operated using a separate up/downlink in
the space operation service in S-band, the satellite bus and the amateur
payloads are operated in the amateur service. Housekeeping telemetry in
the amateur service also contains status information of the non-amateur
payload.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Proposing CW, SSTV using Martin M1 and APRS downlinks on VHF and a
9k6 G3RUH AX25 telemetry downlink on UHF. Planning a launch into a 550
km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). More info at <a href="https://go.uniwue.de/hk">https://go.uniwue.de/hk</a>.
Downlinks on 437.025 MHz, 145.825 MHz, 145.840 MHz and 145.880 MHz have
been coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">CroCube</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">CroCube is a 1U CubeSat mission to support the Croatian, but also
worldwide amateur radio community with many HAM services and activities.
The mission’s goal is also to facilitate the technological development
of Croatia, create an advanced society focused on prosperity and
innovation, and increase participation in the global space sector. Also,
drive Croatia into the space era, increase interest in astronomy and
space projects, and develop STEM and tech entrepreneurship, create a
platform for founding a space center in Croatia, increase investments
and employment in robotics, technology and ICT and finally reduce
unemployment and prevent brain drain.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The CroCube satellite is designed for HAM radio activities. The main
purpose is to provide services for radio amateurs in Croatia and
worldwide, and also for students of technical universities to get
hands-on experience with satellite communication and get radioamateur
licences. One of the project goals is to popularize HAM activities
across the common population, students and children in Croatia.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">CroCube will provide these HAM services:<br>
– AX.25 telemetry<br>
– CW beacon – Digipeater<br>
– Anniversary/special occasions AX.25 & CW messages for community engagement<br>
– Experimental SSDV transmissions<br>
– SATNOGS integration, decoder, dashboard</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Proposing a UHF downlink using 9k6 G3RUH GFSK with AX25 telemetry.
Planning an Exolaunch deployment into a 510 km SSO. More info at <a href="https://drustvo-evo.hr">https://drustvo-evo.hr</a> . A downlink on 436.775 MHz has been coordinated by IARU.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Libre Space, Jan van Gils, PE0SAT, and IARU for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-alignnone gmail-size-thumbnail gmail-wp-image-6243 gmail-aligncenter" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150"></span></font></p>
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<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Bill Introduced to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (MS) and Richard Blumenthal (CT)
introduced S.3690 on January 30, 2024, the Senate companion bill to
H.R.4006, introduced last June. Both bills reflect the Congressional
campaign efforts by ARRL to eliminate homeowner association land use
restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of an
Amateur Radio Operator to install and operate amateur station antennas
on residential properties they own.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Amateur Radio Operators repeatedly are relied upon to provide
essential communications when disaster strikes, but their ability to do
so is being impaired by the exponential growth of residential private
land use restrictions that hinder their ability to establish stations in
their homes with which to train and provide emergency communications
when called upon.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In announcing the introduction of S.3690, Senator Wicker said:
“Because communication during natural disasters is often hindered, we
should be making every attempt to give folks more options. Reliable
access can make the difference between life and death in an emergency.
Our legislation removes roadblocks for amateur radio operators looking
to help their friends, families, and neighbors.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In a similar announcement, Senator Blumenthal stated: “Our measure
will help clarify the rules so ham radio enthusiasts can successfully
continue their communications.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In the face of emergency or crisis, they help provide vital,
life-saving information that allow listeners to properly and safely
respond, but prohibitive home association rules and confusing approval
processes for installing antennas have been an unnecessary impediment.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act resolves these bottlenecks
and ensures that radio operators can function successfully.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and Director John Robert
Stratton, N5AUS, Chair of the ARRL’s Government Affairs Committee, both
extended on behalf of ARRL, its Members, and the Amateur Radio community
their thanks and appreciation for the leadership of Senator Wicker and
Senator Blumenthal in their continuing efforts to support and protect
the rights of all Amateur Radio Operators.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Small Launch Companies Seek Niches to Compete With SpaceX Rideshare</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Small launch vehicle developers are working to carve out niches in a
market for smallsat launches that is increasingly dominated by SpaceX’s
Transporter rideshare missions.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The Transporter missions, which fill a Falcon 9 often with more than
100 smallsats, offer per-kilogram prices significantly below dedicated
small launch vehicles. SpaceX has seen high demand for those missions
and announced plans last year for a related line of missions called
Bandwagon that will go to mid-inclination orbits.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“The Transporter program was created a few years ago with, in my
opinion, the sole purpose of trying to kill new entrants like us,” said
Sandy Tirtey, director of global commercial launch services at Rocket
Lab, during a panel at the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, Calif.
on Feb. 7. “Yet, we are still flying because we offer something unique.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">That uniqueness, he argued, is the ability to fly missions to
specific orbits not served by Transporter rideshare missions. An example
is Rocket Lab’s next Electron launch, which will place into orbit the
ADRAS-J inspector satellite for Astroscale. That mission requires a
specific, precise orbit so that ADRAS-J can rendezvous with a derelict
Japanese upper stage.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-57305 gmail-aligncenter" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/electron-northstar-300x198.webp" alt="" width="300" height="198"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">A Rocket Lab Electron launched four smallsats for NorthStar Earth and Space Jan. 31. Credit: Rocket Lab</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“Electron is really the only vehicle capable of delivering such a
complex mission on an expedited timeline,” Peter Beck, chief executive
of Rocket Lab, said in a Feb. 7 statement about the launch, scheduled
for Feb. 19 (New Zealand time). Rocket Lab said the specific launch time
will be determined just a day before launch, with a near-instantaneous
launch window.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“Most of the missions that we fly are enabled by the fact that we
offer dedicated services,” Tirtey said, citing the upcoming ADRAS-J
launch. “There is no way you could do this on a rideshare.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Other panelists said they are targeting customers with specific
requirements or needs that make them less price-sensitive than those who
opt for the less expensive Transporter launches. That includes
dedicated orbits and high reliability, said Pablo Gallego, senior vice
president of sales and customers at Spanish launch company PLD Space.
“We are offering a premium service for the ones that are willing to
pay.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">That argument, though, is in danger of being undercut by the
combination of rideshare launches and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs),
which can take satellites to their desired orbit after being deployed
from a Transporter or similar launch. Several companies are offering
such vehicles and using them on Transporter launches.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">While that combination may still be less expensive than dedicated
launches, it still doesn’t offer sufficient flexibility, launch
providers argued. “We are excited to partner with a lot of OTV providers
in providing that service to our customers, but it comes down to
performance and how quickly you can get there,” said Robert Sproles,
chief technology officer of launch services company Exolaunch. “If it
takes you multiple months on orbit to get to that final destination,
there’s a strong argument to be made to going dedicated.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Tirtey said that maneuvers that require plane changes can take months
to complete, adding that current OTV providers have yet to demonstrate
the ability to perform such complex maneuvers. “It could be useful, but
you can’t expect a revolution because of physics.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">However, on another panel at the conference Feb. 6, industry
officials said they see challenges for small launch vehicles coming from
SpaceX’s Starship, which promises much greater performance at
significantly lower prices. “If you’re a smallsat company, your business
model should be looking forward to the model of the Starship
rideshare,” a scaled-up version of Falcon 9 rideshare, said Abhishek
Tripathi, director of mission operations at the University of California
Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab and who previously worked at SpaceX.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">He said that the introduction of Starship could change how spacecraft
are designed, allowing the use of heavier but cheaper materials and
components. “You can throw mass and power and volume at your problem and
thereby scale up your satellite bus and still be cheap.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
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<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 16</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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 daily in the first hour of
the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after
reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More
information may be found at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/">https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/</a>.</span></font></p>
<ul><li><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Lume-1 NORAD Cat ID 43908 Decayed from orbit on or about 13 February 2024</span></font></li><li><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">FEES NORAD Cat ID 48082 Decayed from orbit on or about 12 February 2024</span></font></li></ul>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ARISS NEWS</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>COMPLETED CONTACTS</strong><br>
School TBD, Naro-Fominsk, Russia, direct via UB3AYC<br>
The ISS callsign was RSØISS<br>
The crewmember was Nikolay Chub<br>
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR<br>
Contact was successful for Thu 2024-02-15 08:22 UTC<br>
Congratulations to the Naro-Fominsk students, Nikolay, and mentor RV3DR!</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">B. Russell High School, Rome, Italy, direct via IKØUSO<br>
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS<br>
The crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL<br>
The ARISS mentor was IKØUSO<br>
Contact was successful: Thu 2024-02-15 11:32:10 UTC 54 deg<br>
Congratulations to the B. Russell High School students, Jasmin, and mentor IKØUSO!<br>
Watch for Livestream at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0YEgMvzbn8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0YEgMvzbn8</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia, direct via R2FDB<br>
The ISS callsign was to be RSØISS<br>
The crewmember was Konstantin Borisov<br>
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR<br>
Contact was successful for: Fri 2024-02-16 09:10 UTC<br>
Congratulations to the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University students, Konstantin, and mentor RV3DR!</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>SCHEDULED CONTACTS</strong><br>
Girl Scout Troop 1089, Sacramento, CA, direct via N6NA<br>
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS<br>
The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM<br>
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN<br>
Contact is go for: Thu 2024-02-22 18:26:02 UTC 89 deg</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The crossband repeater continues to be <strong>active</strong>
(145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The packet system is also <strong>active</strong> (145.825 MHz up & down).</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your
own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the
listed time.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The latest information on the operation mode can be found at <a href="https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html">https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at <a href="https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html">https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Upcoming Satellite Operations</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Jonathan Eernisse, N4AKV has been QRV from FM05/FM06 and FM15/FM16 this week. Both LEO and IO-117. Details available on <a href="http://hams.at">hams.at</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on <a href="https://hams.at">https://hams.at</a>.
By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive
information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid
squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score
between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also
being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible
from your location.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight<br>
Thursday February 22nd through Saturday February 24th, 2024<br>
Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation<br>
Kennedy Space Center, M6-306 405 State Road, FL 32899<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://www.ariss.org/overview.html">https://www.ariss.org/overview.html</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ Dayton Hamvention 2024<br>
Friday May 17th through Sunday May 19th, 2024<br>
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center<br>
120 Fairground Road<br>
Xenia, OH 45385<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://hamvention.org">https://hamvention.org</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Satellite Shorts From All Over</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ The JAMSAT Annual General Meeting and Symposium 2024 will be held
in Sagano, Kyoto on 23-24 March 2024. To join the Symposium by ZOOM,
please send e-mail to Ueda-san, <a href="mailto:ja0fkm@gmail.com">ja0fkm@gmail.com</a>, with your Callsign and
Name by 16 March. He will send you invitation email including Zoom URL.
If you are adept at reading Japanese (or have a good translation
program) the latest edition of the JAMSAT Newsletter is packed with
excellent articles, including a full report of satellite operations by
the JAMSAT VK9QO DXpedition to Cocos (Keeling) Island, amateur
transmissions from the moon by the SLIM LEV-1/LEV-2 landers, and a
how-to on restoring a Yaesu G-5500 rotator. Visit the JAMSAT website at <a href="https://www.jamsat.or.jp/">https://www.jamsat.or.jp/</a> to learn more. (ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP, JAMSAT Newsletter Editor, for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ An unspecified defect in early model Starlink satellites has
prompted SpaceX to preemptively deorbit the units before they
potentially fail and become hazards in low Earth orbit. The company has
already initiated the disposal of 406 units from the nearly 6,000
satellites launched to date. Among these, 17 are currently
non-maneuverable but are expected to naturally decay and eventually burn
up in Earth’s atmosphere in the coming years. However, the decision to
deorbit a large batch of approximately 100 satellites within a brief
amount of time is certainly out of the ordinary. (ANS thanks Gismodo for
the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ The European Space Agency’s Cluster mission, which has spent 24
years revealing the secrets of Earth’s magnetic environment, is coming
to an end. The first of the four satellites in the Cluster quartet,
named ‘Salsa’, will reenter Earth’s atmosphere in September 2024. This
month, spacecraft operators carried out a series of manoeuvres to ensure
this reentry will take place over a sparsely populated region in the
South Pacific. The end of the Cluster mission offers a rare chance to
study the safe atmospheric reentry of four identical satellites under
different conditions. (ANS thanks The European Space Agency for the
above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union’s
Space programme, has confirmed that January 2024 was the warmest
January on record. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus
Climate Change Service (C3S) said: “2024 starts with another
record-breaking month – not only is it the warmest January on record but
we have also just experienced a 12-month period [with a mean global
average temperature] more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial reference
period. Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to
stop global temperatures increasing.” (ANS thanks <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu">https://climate.copernicus.eu</a> for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ Voyager 1, humanity’s most distant scientific outpost, is currently
careening away from Earth at 17 kilometers every second and unable to
transmit useful scientific or engineering data back to us across nearly a
light-day of space. The problem with the 46-year-old spacecraft cropped
up back in November, when Voyager started sending gibberish back to
Earth. Flight controllers have determined that the problem lies within
the one remaining flight data system (FDS) computer on board, most
likely thanks to a single bit of corrupted memory. The team has tried
rebooting the FDS, to no avail. With most of the engineers who
originally built the spacecraft long gone now, the team is treading very
carefully. (ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Join AMSAT today at <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/">https://launch.amsat.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).<br>
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.<br>
* 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.<br>
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Contact info [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a> for additional membership information.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM<br>
k0jm [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a></span></font></p>
</div>
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