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<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT News Service</span></font><div style="font-size:small" class="gmail_default"><div><p>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ANS-103<br>
April 13, 2025</span></font></p>
<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">* Fram2Ham Mission A Success<br>
* ISS SSTV April 11-16 – Humans in Space<br>
* OpenGD77 Handheld Radio Firmware Aids FM Satellite Operating<br>
* Update about HADES-ICM<br>
* A New Breed of Satellite and Space Focused “Makers” is Emerging<br>
* Your Story Is Needed<br>
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution<br>
* Starliner’s Wild Ride<br>
* ARISS News<br>
* Upcoming Satellite Operations<br>
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities<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" target="_blank">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" target="_blank">amsat.org</a></strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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/" target="_blank">https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/</a></span></font></p>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Fram2Ham Mission A Success</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">According to our education partner ARISS, “The Framonauts are back on
Earth after a ground breaking mission and ham radio event!” The ARISS
STEM contest teams submission deadline for participants to submit their
contest entries was April 17, 2025. More than 110 STEM team submissions
were received, along with 1,100 general submissions to the gallery.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Once contest submissions are complete, ARISS will share when the
gallery images are live. That is then your opportunity to start sharing
your personal image SSTV captures on social media.</span></font></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/fram2-logo.png" alt="" width="259" height="290" class="gmail-CToWUd"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">As with any experiment, there are many lessons learned. ARISS seeks feedback from participants.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A Shortwave Listener (SWL), Ryszard Kowalski, on April 7, 2025 posted
a professional-quality framed collection of photos received during the
Fram2Ham SSTV Experiment. For details see: <a href="https://fram2ham.com/" target="_blank">https://fram2ham.com/</a>. Kowalski has been a member of AMSAT since January 21, 2020.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The photos, captured during April 1-4, 2025, were posted on the AMSAT Facebook Group. View the collection here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1738703997045169&set=gm.2587259684795960&idorvanity=752128438309103" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1738703997045169&set=gm.2587259684795960&idorvanity=752128438309103</a>. A Facebook account may be necessary to view the images.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In another attention-worthy AMSAT Facebook Group post, Matúš Nemec,
OM25ISS Administrator, on April 6, 2025 posted a set of photos and
information regarding a Day in Space event at the University of Prešov,
in Slovakia. See <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167612127668053/user/100034118948580/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167612127668053/user/100034118948580/</a>. A video of the day-long STEM oriented activity can be viewed here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/M3TRp9ykIQo?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/live/M3TRp9ykIQo?feature=shared</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks ARIS and David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Have Just Arrived!</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.</strong></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-PC-Coin-2-Sided-Color-Web-300x148.jpg" alt="2025 PC Coin Set" width="300" height="148" class="gmail-CToWUd"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help </strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Keep Amateur Radio in Space! </strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/</strong></a></span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ISS SSTV April 11-16 – Humans in Space</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">April 12 is the International Day of Human Spaceflight so, what better theme for the April 11-16 Slow Scan TV transmissions.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Start: Friday, April 11 1700 GMT<br>
End: Wed, April 16 1430 GMT</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Frequency: 145.800 MHz FM (+/-3.5 kHz Doppler Shift)<br>
SSTV Mode: PD120 (Transmission cycle 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Amateurs are invited to upload decoded images in the ARISS gallery, area “Series 26 – Humans in space” at: <a href="https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/" target="_blank">https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Once submitted, clicking on the dedicated button enables application for the official ARISS SSTV award.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The ARISS QSL can also be requested by contacting the European QSL bureau: <a href="https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/ariss-station/european-qsl-bureau" target="_blank">https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/ariss-station/european-qsl-bureau</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">To support everyone interested in such events, the European Space
Agency released tutorials about how to receive pictures transmitted over
amateur radio by the International Space Station: you can find them on <a href="https://issfanclub.eu/2024/11/08/esa-tips-how-to-get-pictures-from-the-international-space-station-via-amateur-radio-2/" target="_blank">https://issfanclub.eu/2024/11/08/esa-tips-how-to-get-pictures-from-the-international-space-station-via-amateur-radio-2/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">It’s always possible to receive the ISS SSTV signal by using the
WebSDR at the Goonhilly Earth Station, the audio can then be fed into
your PC or Smartphone SSTV App <a href="https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Follow @ARISS_intl on X for official updates, since changes can occur.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Reminder, the images are sent on a (roughly) 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off schedule. So if nothing is heard, give it 2 minutes!</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM
filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider
deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as
standard.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Predictions for the ISS pass times are available at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/track/" target="_blank">https://www.amsat.org/track/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Useful information on receiving the pictures and links for Apps to display the pictures can be found here: <a href="https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/" target="_blank">https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">OpenGD77 Handheld Radio Firmware Aids FM Satellite Operating</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">An article In ARRL <em>QST </em>magazine, April 2025, pages 35 and
36, provides an overview of an available open source firmware for
held-held radios: According to the article, the free firmware can
provide some models of analog FM and DMR capable radios with satellite
capability including screens showing; polar view graphic, satellite
individual predictions, a satellite alarm and the ability to upload
Kep’s data into the radio.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/QST_cover.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="367" class="gmail-CToWUd"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Doppler tuning and AOS and LOS information were mentioned in the QST article. View the April 2025 <em>QST</em> issue via this link: <a href="https://edition.pagesuite.com/get_image.aspx?w=280&eid=7584fe3f-aae2-4504-82c2-65a4c4f268bf&pnum=first" target="_blank">https://edition.pagesuite.com/get_image.aspx?w=280&eid=7584fe3f-aae2-4504-82c2-65a4c4f268bf&pnum=first</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ARRL members can access <em>QST</em> supplementary materials which are available via this link: <a href="http://www.arrl.org/qst-in-depth" target="_blank">http://www.arrl.org/qst-in-depth</a>.
Several YouTube videos about the firmware are live including how to
create a code plug for programming a handheld with GD-77 firmware. This
unique firmware was introduced several years ago.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The GD77 firmware also includes a number enhancements, including
easier DMR related functions. Recent discussion on OpenGD77 was heard
via the CSRA Multimode Tech Net from several satisfied users.
Information about the net is available on their Facebook Group page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1138357396634299/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1138357396634299/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The firmware is now available for use in some models of Radioddity,
Baofeng and TYT model radios and have been successfully used on an
Anytone 878UV II plus handheld.. A GD77 user guide is available via this
link: <a href="https://github.com/LibreDMR/OpenGD77_UserGuide?tab=readme-ov-file#readme" target="_blank">https://github.com/LibreDMR/OpenGD77_UserGuide?tab=readme-ov-file#readme</a><br>
and a forum is here: <a href="https://www.opengd77.com/" target="_blank">https://www.opengd77.com/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The developer’s site includes this caution statement, “firmware
license forbids any form of commercial use of the firmware binary or the
source code. Installing the firmware onto the radio will invalidate all
FCC certifications and those of other countries’ licensing bodies.
However, it is usually possible to back up and restore the original
radio firmware.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks <em>QST</em> and David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">Need new satellite antennas? </strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/M2_LeoPack_Hi-300x298.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="298" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></span></font></p></div></div>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. </strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/" target="_blank"><strong>https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/</strong></a></span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Update About HADES-ICM</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">HADES-ICM was deployed last Monday, March 31, at 7:37 UTC from OTV
ION-SCV-017. Telemetry data shows the satellite is in good condition.
The satellite has already accepted commands and now it is undergoing a
testing phase. The final TLE is not yet available but you can use this
one (Source SatNOGS):</span></font></p>
<p></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AMSAT_EA-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" class="gmail-CToWUd"></span></font></p><p>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">HADES-ICM</span></font>
<br><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1 98637U 25052X 25092.34373891 .00000000 00000-0 42496-2 0 03<br>
2 98637 97.4434 347.3229 0004588 342.2991 86.6061 15.18376415 09</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The repeater will not be active until we have its final TLE and the
satellite has been fully checked. This can take several weeks.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The same software as for HADES-R can be used for demodulating and decoding. (Recommended Andy’s Soundmodem).</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Félix Paez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA Principal Project Manager, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A New Breed of Satellite and Space Focused “Makers” is Emerging</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Several threads have come together pointing to a new breed of space
oriented individuals who may be attracted to Amateur Radio. Exploding
interest in inexpensive small board computers (SBC), satellite specific
firmware for handhelds, 3-D printed parts for satellite antennas and
soda can size “satellites,” and makers using small board computers.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">According to Wikipedia, “maker culture is a contemporary subculture
representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects
with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the
creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing ones.” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Taken as a whole, this points in the direction from which new hams,
especially students and young adults, may arise. This article is the
first of a series about makers as potential recruits for Amateur Radio
clubs. To learn more about makers, simply go to YouTube. YouTube is an
abundant source of maker videos with some produced by satellite oriented
Radio Amateurs and others.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">You may recall that the 3-D printed components and Raspberry Pi (RPi)
SBCs have been key components of many recent AMSAT projects. RPi. Is
often the SBC of choice, especially in severely volume-restricted
cubesats.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">For example, the AMSAT CubeSatSim v1.3 hardware including two RPi
SBCs and four matching cameras. An excellent overview of AMSAT education
with the CubeSat Simulator project sessions were presented by Alan
Johnston, KU2Y, the CubeSatSim creator. Another session, Integration of
the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research, was presented by
Rachel Jones, KO4HLC.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Learn more about the CubeSatSim here: <a href="https://cubesatsim.com/" target="_blank">https://cubesatsim.com/</a>. Also, members may download any of the 1986 to 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings here: <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings" target="_blank">https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings</a>. Non-members who join AMSAT may download the 184 page Proceedings and utilize all other AMSAT information and member services: <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/Membership" target="_blank">https://launch.amsat.org/Membership</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">To attract young adults Amateur Radio clubs may want to consider
acquiring 3-D printers for shared use in member projects. Also, widely
publicized activities using SBCs and open source software can attract
fresh participants to clubs.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">We’ll be covering more topics about makers and means of attracting
them to Amateur Radio clubs in following issues the AMSAT News Weekly
Bulletin.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks David Vine, WA1EAW, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Your Story Is Needed</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The AMSAT News Service weekly Bulletins and the bi-monthly <em>AMSAT Journal</em>
editors are always seeking fresh Amateur Satellite news and
information. We need your input including news tips. Send them to:
<a href="mailto:ans-editors@amsat.org" target="_blank">ans-editors@amsat.org</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT volunteer editors sometimes lack important news about domestic
and international Amateur Satellite events and activities, club
presentations, Amateur Satellite related projects, etc. Send info or an
article about it to the above address.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/YourHelp-300x232.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="232" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></span></font></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><br></span></font></p><p style="text-align:left"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Have
you taken part in or conducted an interesting Amateur Satellite
oriented activity. Do you present talks and presentations about Amateur
Satellites and closely related topics? Do you participate in Amateur
Satellite oriented nets? Would you like others to know about it? If so,
tell us about it via: <a href="mailto:ans-editors@amsat.org" target="_blank">ans-editors@amsat.org</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Are you experienced as a writer, presenter or have other space or
satellite related skills you’d like to share with AMSAT members and
others worldwide? If so, reach out to us via the email address above and
let us know what you’d like to write about.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">There are no paid staff personnel employed by AMSAT publications. The
organization relies on volunteers and financial donations from people
worldwide who support AMSAT in many different ways. If you are reading
this note you are interested in keeping Amateur Radio in space and
space-oriented education for students, young people as well as adults.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Thank you for reading this note and we hope to hear from you soon.</span></font></p>
<hr>
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<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution</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/" target="_blank">https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">The following satellites have been <i><u>removed</u></i> from this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DRAGON Fram2 NORAD Cat ID 63427 Splashdown 16:19 04 April 2025<br></span></font>
<font size="4">Fram2Ham<span style="font-family:georgia,serif"> Provisional Cat ID 90000 Experiment terminated 08:42:50 O4 April 2025</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">The following satellites have been <i><u>added</u></i> to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">TEVEL2-1 NORAD Cat ID 63217<br>
TEVEL2-2 NORAD Cat ID 63218<br>
TEVEL2-3 NORAD Cat ID 63219<br>
TEVEL2-4 NORAD Cat ID 63213<br>
TEVEL2-5 NORAD Cat ID 63214<br>
TEVEL2-6 NORAD Cat ID 63215<br>
TEVEL2-7 NORAD Cat ID 63239<br>
TEVEL2-8 NORAD Cat ID 63237<br>
TEVEL2-9 NORAD Cat ID 63238</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Please note</strong> that Two/Three Line Element (TLE or 3LE)
sets for spacecraft launched in the near future will not be available,
and new formats will be used instead. The essence of the problem is that
the US Space Force is running out of numbers to catalog new satellites,
see <a href="https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php" target="_blank">https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php</a>
for details. AMSAT will continue to disseminate TLE for satellites
currently in orbit indefinitely as we do now, but we seek comments
regarding the best way to support the amateur satellites of the future.
For example, is there any need to augment the weekly e-mail with a new
list in one or more of the new formats or is on line access via
<a href="http://www.celestrak.org" target="_blank">www.celestrak.org</a> or <a href="http://www.amsat.org" target="_blank">www.amsat.org</a> sufficient? Please send your comments
using the form at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/webmaster-contact/" target="_blank">https://www.amsat.org/webmaster-contact/</a> on the AMSAT web site.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Starliner’s Wild Ride</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">For the first time since they returned to Earth on a Crew Dragon
vehicle several weeks ago, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita
Williams, KD5PLB, participated in a news conference on Monday, March 31,
at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Afterward, they spent hours
conducting short, 10-minute interviews with reporters from around the
world, describing their mission to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on
the vehicle’s first crewed, which launched on June 5, 2024 for a
planned 10 days.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">After Starliner separated from the Atlas V rocket, Williams and
Wilmore performed several maneuvering tests and put the vehicle through
its paces. Starliner performed exceptionally well during these initial
tests on day one.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">More so even than launch or landing, the most challenging part of
this mission, which would stress Starliner’s handling capabilities as
well as its navigation system, would come as it approached the orbiting
laboratory. That’s when trouble started, as several thrusters began to
fail. Wilmore had to take manual control of the vehicle, but even more
thruster failures ensued.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/StarlinerLarge-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is
pictured docked to the International Space Station. One of the four
thruster packs is visible on the service module. [<span>Credit: NASA] </span></em></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Essentially, Wilmore could not fully control Starliner any longer.
But simply abandoning the docking attempt was not a palatable solution.
Just as the thrusters were needed to control the vehicle during the
docking process, they were also necessary to position Starliner for its
deorbit burn and reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. So Wilmore had to
contemplate whether it was riskier to approach the space station or try
to fly back to Earth. Williams was worrying about the same thing.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Wilmore said, “We knew that they [Mission Control] were working
really hard to be able to keep communication with us, and then be able
to send commands. We were both thinking, what if we lose communication
with the ground?</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“Thankfully, these folks are heroes. And please print this. What do
heroes look like? Well, heroes put their tank on and they run into a
fiery building and pull people out of it. That’s a hero. Heroes also sit
in their cubicle for decades studying their systems, and knowing their
systems front and back. And when there is no time to assess a situation
and go and talk to people and ask, ‘What do you think?’ they know their
system so well they come up with a plan on the fly. That is a hero. And
there are several of them in Mission Control.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">For the full article, see <a href="http://bit.ly/3XX0cnA" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/3XX0cnA</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Eric Berger writing for Ars Technica for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><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 style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/ARISS-Small-Icon.png" alt="" width="100" height="98" class="gmail-CToWUd"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Magnet Innovation Center, Inlet Beach, Florida, telebridge via AB1OC<br>
The scheduled crewmember is Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI<br>
The ARISS mentor is AA4KN<br>
Contact is go for: Thu 2025-04-17 15:52:03 UTC 56 deg</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Pan-African Citizen Science e-lab, Africa, telebridge via IK1SLD<br>
The scheduled crewmember is Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI<br>
The ARISS mentor is IN3GHZ<br>
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-04-18 10:26:16 UTC 76 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. <strong>UPCOMING:</strong> Powering off for Soyuz undocking on Apr 19 OFF about 12:15 UTC. ON Apr 20 about 14:30 UTC.</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" target="_blank">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" target="_blank">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>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AMSAT-SDR-Gen2-GNU-Radio-Based-Transverter.jpg" alt="" width="849" height="521" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></span></font></p><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small" class="gmail_default"><div style="font-size:small" class="gmail_default"><div>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Upcoming Satellite Operations</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>April 30:</strong> VYØSAT on SO-50 from EP28. Tentative if flight/wx cooperates. POTA CA4585.</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" target="_blank">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="6"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT Ambassador Activities</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">Denton County Amateur Radio Association (DCARA) – Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m. CDT<br>
Denton Count Administrative Courthouse<br>
1 Courthouse Drive<br>
3rd floor, Room 2020<br>
Denton, TX 76208<br>
Also online. See <a href="https://dcara.net/club-calendar/" target="_blank">https://dcara.net/club-calendar/</a> for link<br>
AMSAT Ambassador Tom Schuessler, N5HYP</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Dayton Hamvention – May 16th thru 18th, 2025<br>
Greene County Fair and Expo Center<br>
210 Fairground Road<br>
Xenia, OH 45385<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://hamvention.org/" target="_blank">https://hamvention.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6"><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 Cover Story for the May 2025 issue of <em>QST</em> magazine is
an article (beginning on page 55) about “NASA on the Air” (NOTA), a
collaboration among 12 amateur radio clubs at NASA facilities across the
country, from California to Florida. Club stations, operated primarily
by NASA staff member who happen to be licensed amateurs, commemorate
special events in space history with special operations on the ham
bands. See the <em>QST</em> article or <a href="https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/</a> for more information. (ANS thanks <em>QST</em> magazine for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ Three new crew members arrived at the International Space Station
on April 8, 2025, beginning an eight-month space research mission. NASA
astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey
Zubrisky launched earlier the same day aboard the Soyuz MS-25. (ANS
thanks NASA for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ CatSat now ready for microwave testing and QSOs. CatSat
successfully demonstrated the capability to act as a linear transponder
satellite for the first time on the morning of April 11! In this mode of
operation, the satellite receives signals sent from the ground at 5.663
GHz and re-transmits them back to the ground at 10.47 GHz. During the
pass, team members tracked the satellite and confirmed the presence of
the re-transmitted signal at 10.47 GHz. (ANS thanks Walter Rahmer,
KK7IOV, CatSat Command System Lead, for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ The Indonesian APRS satellite IO-86 has been returned to service
after a hiatus of several days during the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The
operating schedule may be found on X @pr_teksat. (ANS thanks Yono
Adisoemarta, YDØNXX, for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ The Yuri Gagarin Cup International HF and VHF Contest, held in
memory of Konstantin Khachaturov, RT3A (SK), is held April, 12 2025,
12.00 UTC until April, 13 2025, 11.59 UTC on HF and satellites. Awards
are offered in various categories, including for SWLs. For details, see <a href="https://gccontest.ru/en/rules-gc-2025/" target="_blank">https://gccontest.ru/en/rules-gc-2025/</a> (ANS thanks Ham Radio World for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ SpaceX static fired Super Heavy Booster 14 (that had previously
flown and returned on Flight 7) ahead of Starship Flight 9 with 29 of
its 33 engines being flight proven—this will be the first reuse for the
Starship system. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above
information.)</span></font></p><p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><br></span></font></p>
<hr>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Join AMSAT today at <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/" target="_blank">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" target="_blank">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 Editors, Mark Johns, KØJM and David Vine, WA1EAW<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">mjohns [at] <a href="http://amsat.org" target="_blank">amsat.org</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002</span></font></p><div class="gmail-yj6qo"></div><div class="gmail-adL">
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