<div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large" class="gmail_default">
<font size="4">AMSAT News Service</font>
<div>
<p><font size="4">ANS-229<br>
August 17, 2025</font></p>
<p><font size="4">In this edition:</font></p>
<p><font size="4">* MESAT1 Named a Finalist in Global Satellite Contest<br>
* 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Continues<br>
* AMSAT Organizations Continue to Challenge AST SpaceMobile Use of Ham Radio Spectrum<br>
* Registration Remains Open for AMSAT Symposium, Presentations Invited<br>
* NASA Satellite May Be Destroyed On Purpose<br>
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution<br>
* ARISS News<br>
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities<br>
* Satellite Shorts From All Over</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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.</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>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">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></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">MESAT1 Named a Finalist in Global Satellite Contest</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">MESAT1 (MO-122), Maine’s first research satellite
developed by the University of Maine and with collaboration from AMSAT
Engineering, was a finalist for the SmallSat “Rookie of the Year” Award,
which is sponsored by the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The public was encouraged to cast their vote online to
boost MESAT1 to victory as the top rookie small satellite mission.
Voting was free and open to everyone through August 12. MESAT1 was among
seven small satellites vying for the title.</font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MESAT1-Maines-First-Small-Satellite-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></font></p></div><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em>MO-122 (Photo: University of Maine)</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4">Launched into orbit on July 4, 2024, MESAT1 was
developed to get students involved in space science. The cost-effective
nanosatellite, which measures 11.8 inches, is outfitted with four
multispectral cameras that were designed to capture climate-related
Earth imagery for experiments designed by Maine K-12 students. An
AMSAT-provided LTM-1 linear transponder provides services to amateur
radio enthusiasts around the world. In October of 2024, at the request
of University of Maine, AMSAT designated MESAT1 as
MESAT1-OSCAR 122 (MO-122).</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“Access to space data motivates and excites students
to learn fundamental skills in mathematics and science and helps them
see the importance of STEM careers,” said UMaine Vice President for
Research and Dean of the Graduate School Kody Varahramyan,
who led the establishment of UMaine’s Space Initiative. “Being selected
as a finalist for SmallSat Rookie of the Year is a national recognition
of what Maine students and their faculty researchers can accomplish
together.”</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Finalists for the SmallSat award included teams from
the University of Arizona, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and
international missions from Senegal and Croatia. MESAT1 stands out as a
mission that empowered K–12 students from Falmouth
High School, Fryeburg Academy and Saco Middle School to contribute to
space exploration.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The winner, announced during the 39th Annual Small
Satellite Conference from Aug. 10-13 in Salt Lake City, was CroCube the
first Croatian satellite. CroCube also operates as an amateur radio
satellite with a CW beacon and a GFSK9k6 – AX.25
G3RUH telemetry beacon at 436.775 MHz.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">MESAT1 was designed, built and tested by students and
faculty at UMaine in partnership with the University of Southern Maine,
the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and AMSAT, the Radio
Amateur Satellite Corporation, with support from
NASA and the Maine Space Grant Consortium. The satellite’s development
and integration for launch was led by Ali Abedi, who formerly served as
associate vice president for research and a professor at UMaine.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">This effort is part of the broader UMaine Space
Initiative, which is working to develop a skilled space workforce and
grow Maine’s presence in the space economy, including plans for a future
Maine SpacePort Complex.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“This recognition puts Maine on the map as a state
that not only builds satellites, but also builds opportunities — for
students, teachers, researchers and entrepreneurs,” Varahramyan said.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks The University of Maine and <a href="http://smallsat.org" target="_blank">
smallsat.org</a> for the above information]</font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong>Your 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coin Is Waiting!</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.</strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><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"></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong>Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Keep Amateur Radio in Space! </strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><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></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Continues</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">The nomination period for the 2025 AMSAT Board of
Directors Election ended on June 15, 2025. The following candidates have
been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link
that follows:</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Barry Baines, WD4ASW<br>
Jerry Buxton, NØJY<br>
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA<br>
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW<br>
Douglas Tabor, N6UA</font></p>
<p><font size="4">As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for
election this year, the four candidates receiving the largest number of
votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The candidate receiving
the next largest number of votes shall be declared
the First Alternate. The voting period opened on July 15, 2025 and
shall conclude on September 15, 2025. Results will be announced no later
that September 30, 2025.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">AMSAT members may review the candidate statements and cast their ballots at
<a href="https://launch.amsat.org/2025-BoD-Election" target="_blank">https://launch.amsat.org/2025-BoD-Election</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks Douglas Tabor, N6UA, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]</font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong>Need new satellite antennas? </strong>
</font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack1-300x298.png" alt="" width="300" height="298" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></font></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong><br>
Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. </strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/" target="_blank"><strong>https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/</strong></a></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">AMSAT Organizations Continue to Challenge AST SpaceMobile Use of Ham Radio Spectrum</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">Facing more than 2,500 complaints from amateurs, AST
SpaceMobile has responded by telling the FCC that it has designed its
satellites to “mitigate interference” with amateur radio bands.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">On August 5, the company replied to the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission, defending its plan to use the 430 to 440MHz
radio bands outside the U.S. to track and control its proposed fleet of
248 satellites. The company says it’s proposing
“very limited, non-routine” use of the 430 to 440MHz bands and only for
launch and early orbit phases for its satellites or “emergency
operations when other frequency bands are unavailable.”</font></p>
<p><font size="4">AST SpaceMobile’s attempt to justify its use of the
amateur radio band for its satellites has done little to assuage
concerns from the ham radio community.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“AST is again economical with the truth,” an amateur radio operator in Germany named Mario Lorenz wrote to the FCC on August 8.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The amateur radio community says AST is already using
those bands. On August 8, AMSAT-Deutschland sent a letter to the FCC
that says amateur radio users have detected signals from AST’s
satellites over the radio bands.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“The claim is therefore either a misrepresentation or a
deliberate falsehood,” AMSAT-Deutschland wrote. In particular, AST’s
BlueWalker-3 satellite was spotted using the radio band up until July 23
as the amateur radio community began campaigning
against the spectrum use.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“It also raises questions about AST’s technical
maturity,” the group added. “Other large-scale satellite operators —
such as SpaceX, with over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit — appear to
manage TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command) functions
without resorting to use of the amateur UHF band.”</font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks PC Magazine for the above information. Read the full article at
<a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/ham-radio-users-explain-why-theyre-worried-about-ast-spacemobiles-satellite" target="_blank">
https://www.pcmag.com/news/ham-radio-users-explain-why-theyre-worried-about-ast-spacemobiles-satellite</a>]</font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><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"></font></p><hr>
<h2><font size="6">Registration Remains Open for AMSAT Symposium, Presentations Invited</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">Registrations & room reservations remain available
for the 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
to be held Thursday, October 16 to Sunday, October 19 at the Holiday Inn
& Suites Phoenix Airport North, 1515 North 44th
Street Phoenix, AZ. Early Bird registration remains available until
September 15 at
<a href="https://launch.amsat.org/Events" target="_blank">https://launch.amsat.org/Events</a></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HolInPHXAirNor-Patio-300x225.avif" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></font></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em>Photo: Holiday Inn Suites Phoenix Airport North</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4">Rooms for the 43rd AMSAT Annual Space Symposium and
Annual General Meeting have been going fast but more are now available.
At an affordable price of $140 per night plus tax, these rooms will go
fast. More information of room reservations
can be found at: <a href="https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/" target="_blank">
https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are
invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We
request a tentative title of your paper or presentation as soon as
possible, with final copy submitted by October
8 for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings. Proposals for
presentations at the Symposium do not require a paper. Presentations
will be recorded and made available on AMSAT’s YouTube Channel and
transcribed and published with its slides in the Proceedings.
Proposals should be sent to Frank Karnauskas, N1UW via f.karnauskas
[at] <a href="http://amsat.org" target="_blank">
amsat.org</a></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cheney-Head-Shot-01-252x300.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="300" class="gmail-CToWUd"></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em>Liam Cheney (Photo: Footstep Aerospace)</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4">Keynote speaker at the Symposium will be Liam Cheney,
an aerospace consultant and founder of Footstep Aerospace by AG3, LLC.
Mr. Cheney supports mission integration, strategy, and business
development for the space industry. He holds a Master’s
degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, is a
certified Project Management Professional, and a member of AMSAT.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]</font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">NASA Satellite That Scientists and Farmers Rely On May Be Destroyed On Purpose</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to
draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to
current and former NASA staffers. If the plans are carried out, one of
the missions would be permanently terminated,
because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The data the two missions collect is widely used,
including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need
detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the
only two federal satellite missions that were designed
and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to
end the missions. The equipment in space is state of the art and is
expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who
worked on the missions. An official review by NASA
in 2023 found that “the data are of exceptionally high quality” and
recommended continuing the mission for at least three years.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon
Observatories, measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe.
They use identical measurement devices, but one device is attached to a
stand-alone satellite while the other is attached
to the International Space Station. The standalone satellite would burn
up in the atmosphere if NASA pursued plans to terminate the mission.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Presidential budget proposals are wish lists that
often bear little resemblance to final congressional budgets. The
Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions have already received funding from
Congress through the end of the 2025 fiscal year, which
ends Sept. 30. Draft budgets that Congress is currently considering for
next year keep NASA funding basically flat. But it’s not clear whether
these specific missions will receive funding again, or if Congress will
pass a budget before current funding expires
on Sept. 30.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Last week, NASA announced it will consider proposals
from private companies and universities that are willing to take on the
cost of maintaining the device that is attached to the International
Space Station, as well as another device that
measures ozone in the atmosphere.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The missions are called Orbiting Carbon Observatories
because they were originally designed to measure carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. But soon after they launched, scientists realized that they
were also accidentally measuring plant growth
on Earth.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Basically, when plants are growing, photosynthesis is
happening in their cells. And that photosynthesis gives off a very
specific wavelength of light. The OCO instruments in space measure that
light all over the planet.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“NASA and others have turned this happy accident into
an incredibly valuable set of maps of plant photosynthesis around the
world,” explains Scott Denning, a longtime climate scientist at Colorado
State University who worked on the OCO missions
and is now retired. “Lo and behold, we also get these lovely, high
resolution maps of plant growth,” he says. “And that’s useful to
farmers, useful to rangeland and grazing and drought monitoring and
forest mapping and all kinds of things, in addition to the
CO2 measurements.”</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The cost of maintaining the two OCO satellite missions
up in space is a small fraction of the amount of money taxpayers
already spent to design and launch the instruments. The two missions
cost about $750 million to design, build and launch,
according to David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">By comparison, maintaining both OCO missions in orbit
costs about $15 million per year, Crisp says. That money covers the cost
of downloading the data, maintaining a network of calibration sensors
on the ground and making sure the stand-alone
satellite isn’t hit by space debris, according to Crisp.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">“Just from an economic standpoint, it makes no
economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly
valuable data,” Crisp says.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks National Public Radio for the above information. Read the complete article at
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened" target="_blank">
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened</a>]</font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong>Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!</strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/flagpole.png" alt="" width="252" height="300" class="gmail-CToWUd"><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Keeping Amateur Radio in Space</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear</strong></a></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 15</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">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>.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">With HamTV becoming active on ISS, orbital elements are now updated twice daily in
<a href="http://www.amsat.org/tle/" target="_blank">http://www.amsat.org/tle/</a>
at 00:18 and 12:18 UTC. The intention is to have high quality TLE
available to accurately calculate doppler shift for the 2.935 GHz
downlink. Observations comparing these TLE to those that were
caclulated based ephemerides and TLE produced by Johnson Space Center
the last time HAMTV was active are desired, write jfitzgerald [at]
<a href="http://amsat.org" target="_blank">amsat.org</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">Assignments to some of the Tevel2 satellites have been updated to match object numbers.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The following satellites have been removed from this week’s distribution:<br>
CSIM NORAD Cat ID 43793 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 August 2025</font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]</font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong>AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available</strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Keytag1D-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></font></p><p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><br>
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</font><font size="4"><strong>Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite</strong><br>
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</font><font size="4"><strong>Order Today at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain" target="_blank">
https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain</a></strong></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">ARISS NEWS</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">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.</font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/ARISS-Large1-300x80.png" alt="" width="300" height="80" class="gmail-CToWUd"></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>COMPLETED</strong><br>
N. Sultanov International Aerospace School, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, direct via RC4P<br>
The ISS callsign was RSØISS<br>
The crewmember was Sergey Ryzhikov<br>
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR<br>
Contact was successful for Mon 2025-08-11 07:51 UTC<br>
Congratulations to the N. Sultanov International Aerospace School students, Sergey, mentor RV3DR, and ground station RC4P!</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>UPCOMING</strong><br>
Youngsters On The Air, Jambville, France, Direct via FX5YOTA<br>
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS<br>
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT<br>
The ARISS mentor is F6ICS<br>
Contact is go for: Tue 2025-08-19 09:18:53 UTC 82 deg<br>
Watch for Livestream at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MARkTcR6Njo" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MARkTcR6Njo</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">NixderStelar (formerly Gemini-1), Lima, Peru, telebridge via VK4KHZ<br>
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS<br>
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN<br>
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ<br>
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-08-20 14:08:05 UTC 81 deg</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The packet system is also <strong>ACTIVE</strong> (145.825 MHz up & down).</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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>Next expected outage:</strong> Ham TV (2395.00 MHz down) will
power down on Monday 18 August at 14:15 UTC and power up on Wednesday 20
August at approximately 12:35 UTC.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">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></font></p>
<p><font size="4">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></font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]</font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">AMSAT Ambassador Activities</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate
communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at
club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.</font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><img src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Ambassador-Logo-2024-300x245.jpg" alt="AMSAT Ambassador News Logo" width="300" height="245" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0"></font></p><p><font size="4"><strong>August 16-17, 2025</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Huntsville Hamfest 2025</strong><br>
Von Braun Center South Hall<br>
700 Monroe St. SW<br>
Huntsville, AL 35801<br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="https://hamfest.org/" target="_blank">https://hamfest.org/</a><br>
N8DEU, WD4ASW, KE4AL, W4FCL</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>August 21-24, 2025</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Northeast HamXposition (HamX) & New England ARRL Convention</strong><br>
Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center<br>
181 Boston Post Road W<br>
Marlborough, MA 01752<br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="http://www.HamX.org" target="_blank">http://www.HamX.org</a><br>
W1EME, WD4ASW, WB1FJ</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>September 6, 2025</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>Greater Louisville Hamfest</strong><br>
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre<br>
395 Paroquet Springs Drive<br>
Shepherdsville, KY 40165<br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest" target="_blank">https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest</a><br>
W4FCL</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>October 11, 2025</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>North Star Radio Convention</strong><br>
Hennepin Technical College<br>
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard<br>
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445<br>
</font><font size="4"><a href="https://northstarradio.org/" target="_blank">https://northstarradio.org/</a><br>
ADØHJ</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong>October 16, 17, 18, 19, 2025</strong><br>
</font><font size="4"><strong>AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting and 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting</strong><br>
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North<br>
1515 North 44th Street<br>
Phoenix, Arizona 85008<br>
Details at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/" target="_blank">https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]</font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="6">Satellite Shorts From All Over</font></h2>
<p><font size="4">+ AMSAT-Deutschland will host the Bochum Space Days
event from September 19 to 21, 2025. In cooperation with the Bochum
Observatory, AMSAT-Deutschland e.V. is offering a varied and informative
program aimed at AMSAT members and all space enthusiasts.
The focus is on current developments and future prospects for national
and international amateur radio satellites and other space projects.
Lectures, presentations and exciting discussions will provide
participants with valuable insights into the latest technologies,
missions and research projects in space travel. See <a href="https://amsat-dl.org/en/save-the-date-bochum-space-days-2025/" target="_blank">
https://amsat-dl.org/en/save-the-date-bochum-space-days-2025/</a> for details. (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ If you happen to read Japanese, the latest <em>JAMSAT Newsletter</em>
No.318 includes JAMSAT’s next Transponder Board Project “Blueberry
JAM,” as well as an invitation to HamFair2025 in Tokyo next weekend. See
it at
<a href="https://bit.ly/43kOW7v" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/43kOW7v</a> (ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP,
<em>JAMSAT Newsletter</em> Editor, for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ The September 2025 issue of <em>QST Magazine</em>
contains a review of the Halibut Electronics EggNOGS Antenna. The
reviewer recommends this low-cost “eggbeater” antenna array primarily
for receiving in unattended operations, such as weather
satellite and SatNOGS ground stations. However, the kit has options for
low power uplink transmissions, as well. The detailed review appears on
pages 45-49 of the magazine, or see
<a href="https://electronics.halibut.com/" target="_blank">https://electronics.halibut.com/</a> for the manufacturer’s website. (ANS thanks
<em>QST Magazine</em> for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ NASA Astronaut James A. Lovell (Captain, USN, Ret.),
veteran of the Gemini VII, Gemini XII, and Apollo 8 missions before
becoming the Mission Commander for the nearly disastrous Apollo 13
mission to the Moon, died August 7 at the age of
97. Lovell joined NASA in 1962 as part of its second group of
astronauts. He was selected as backup commander to Neil Armstrong for
the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, and would have been the fifth human
to walk on the moon, had it not been for the Apollo
13 “problem.” (ANS thanks NASA for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ SpaceX is now offering Starship flights to Mars,
with Italy signing up as the first customer to send payloads. However,
there is no announced start date for providing the service. (ANS thanks
The Orbital Index for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space
Telescope have found strong evidence of a giant planet orbiting a star
in the stellar system closest to our own Sun. At just four light-years
away from Earth, the Alpha Centauri triple
star system has long been a compelling target in the search for worlds
beyond our solar system. If confirmed, the planet would be the closest
to Earth that orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. However,
because the planet candidate is a gas giant,
scientists say it would not support life as we know it. (ANS thanks the
European Space Agency for the above information.)</font></p>
<p><font size="4">+ A newly released report states that in 2023, LIGO,
the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory at CalTech,
detected the most massive black hole merger yet, in which rapidly
spinning black holes with masses of roughly 100 M☉ and
140 M☉ (M☉= 1 solar mass) merged to form a 225 M☉ black hole. Notice
that 100 + 140 = 240 M☉, but the final object weighs a meager 225 Suns,
meaning that 15 M☉ were converted directly into gravitational energy in
this event, totaling 3 x 1048 Joules —- more
energy than the combined stellar output of every star in the visible
universe in that moment! (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above
information.)</font></p>
<hr>
<p><font size="4">Join AMSAT today at <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/" target="_blank">https://launch.amsat.org/</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:</font></p>
<p><font size="4">* 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.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">Contact info [at] <a href="http://amsat.org" target="_blank">amsat.org</a> for additional membership information.</font></p>
<p><font size="4">73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!</font></p>
<p><font size="4">This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM<br>
mjohns [at] <a href="http://amsat.org" target="_blank">amsat.org</a></font></p>
<p><font size="4">ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002</font></p>
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