Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – Dec.24.2019

A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here):

** West Virginia Universty’s CubeSat STF-1 (Simulation-to-Flight 1) judged a success after a year in orbit: WV MetroNews Officials mark spacecraft’s first year in orbit – WV MetroNews

WVU was the research partner of the STF-1 mission. The four science experiments WVU developed included a low-powered characterizer of III-V Nitride based materials, a Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) swarm, the testing of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver for precise orbit determination, and an environment and space weather investigation which was split into two separate experiments lead by Dr. Dimitris Vassiliadis worked as a research associate professor in the WVU Physics Department at the early stages of the STF-1 mission.

“STF-1 was quite successful in operating nearly flawlessly in terms of spacecraft performance for about 6 months and also meeting several science goals including those pertaining to the plasma experiment and the energetic-particle experiment,” Vassiliadis said. “This is somewhat remarkable for a CubeSat built by a first-time team with varying levels of expertise, but it is one more demonstration that modern CubeSats are becoming increasingly reliable.”

The CubeSat, funded by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative program, was launched on Dec.16, 2018 on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand: LIFTOFF! – STF-1 News

STF-1 ready for integration in to the Electron rocket. Credits: WVU STF-1 team

** 15 student teams in Canadian CubeSat Project rush to prepare their spacecraft for 2021 launch opportunity: Mini-satellite competition gives students a hands-on learning opportunity in space | University Affairs

The hands-on training spans every step of developing a space mission, from initial design to building, testing, launching and operating the CubeSat in orbit, says Ian Mann, a professor of physics at U of A and faculty advisor for his university’s entry, the Ex-Alta 2 CubeSat project. The CSA hopes to inspire interest in STEM fields and give students the opportunity to round out their technical knowledge with business, project management and communications skills, says Dean Sangiorgi, senior engineer with the CSA and project manager for the CubeSat project. The latter is achieved in part through an outreach plan each team is required to include.

“It’s the exact kind of stuff that you don’t quite get to do in your classes. You learn theory about how to do this, but maybe don’t get to actually carry it out,” says Callie Lissinna, an undergraduate mechanical engineering student at U of A and the Ex-Alta 2 project manager.

** AMSAT news on student and amateur CubeSat/smallsat projects: ANS-356 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin

SMOG-P and ATL-1 Designated Magyar-OSCAR 105 (MO-105) and Magyar-OSCAR 106 (MO-106)
CAMSAT CAS-6 Satellite Launched
FCC Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3-GHz Band, Invites Comments
FCC Considers NPRM for 5.9 GHz Band Rules
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 19, 2019
AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication
AMSAT CW Day, January 1, 2020 is Just Ahead!
ESA’s OPS-SAT Flying Laboratory Launched
AMSAT-LU – Dec-15 AMSAT-LU NEMO-1 Buoy Report
Upcoming Satellite Operations
ARISS News
Satellite Shorts from All Over