A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here):
** After ISS departure, Cygnus resupply vehicle releases 14 CubeSats including several built by university groups:
- Cygnus departs space station, deploys CubeSats – Spaceflight Now
- Nanoracks Deploys 250th Satellite, Eighth Cygnus Mission – NanoRacks
The university satellites include:
- NanoRacks Cygnus deployer:
- SwampSat II (University of Florida) will deploy “a 172-square-foot (16-square meter) loop antenna after release from the NanoRacks deployer. The antenna will measure very low frequency wave propagation in the upper ionosphere.“
- Orbital Factory-2 (University of Texas, El Paso) “will perform a technological demonstration of 3D printing of conductive material. The small satellite features a 3D printing 2-DOF gantry table mechanism that will deposit conductive ink and simulate repairing of a solar cell.“
- HuskySat-1 (University of Washington) – “HuskySat-1’s goal is to test two experimental payloads, a Pulsed Plasma Thruster, and a high-frequency K-band communication system, as well as hosting an Amateur Radio Linear Transponder.”
- SEOPS Slingshot deployer:
- EdgeCube (Sonoma State University, Santa Clara University and Morehead State University) aims to monitor ecosystem change over time by observing variations “in leaf reflectance in the range 680 to 750 nm from changes in vegetation chlorophyll absorption and mesophyll scattering due to seasonal leaf phenology or stress“.
- MakerSat 1 (Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho) “designed to be quickly snap-assembled by astronauts on the space station, then loaded into its deployment slot”.
A demo of the MakerSat 1 quick assembly:
** AMSAT news on student and amateur CubeSat/smallsat projects: ANS-033 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
- HuskySat-1 Deployed, Telemetry Beacon Active
- Free Digital Copy of “Getting Started with Amateur Satellites” Now Available for New or Renewing Members
- Joe Spier, K6WAO, Resigns as AMSAT President
- Melissa Pore To Be Honored at Hamcation February 2020
- W1ANT Pro Satellite Tracker Announced
- AMSAT Argentina Drifting APRS Buoy on 145.825 MHz
- VUCC Awards-Endorsements for February 2020
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Upcoming AMSAT Events
- ARISS News
- Satellite Shorts from All Over
General CubeSat/SmallSat info:
- Resources:
- Launch options:
- SteamJet Space Systems – Water fueled thruster for satellite orbit control
- Smallsats by the Numbers – SatMagazine
- Inspiration Fuels the National Space Club – Univ. Alabama at Huntsville – “Startup funds of $1,000 were provided to each Alabama CubeSat Initiative subsystem team when it started in the 2018-2019 school year, and faculty advisors integrated design efforts into university curricula as senior design projects.”
- Twitter:
- Projects:
- MiniCarb –
- Celestial milestone for USI’s satellite project | Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW) – UNITE CubeSat at Univ. of Southern Indiana
- Kinéis raises 100 million euros and finances its constellation of nanosatellites dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT) – Kineis
- Kepler decides to build its 140-satellite cubesat constellation in-house – SpaceNews.com
- OneWeb joins the satellite Internet gold rush this week | Ars Technica
- Canadian Companies Will Likely Have Double Digit Satellites Launched This Year – The Start of a Trend – SpaceQ
** Judi Sandrock – Modular Smallsat Teaching Tools with Xinabox – Cold Star Project S02E17
Xinabox co-founder Judi Sandrock from South Africa is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan, and we’re talking about their modular smallsat teaching tools.
== Amazon Ad ==