Two Danish CubeSats with Amateur Radio Payloads Launched from ISS

Two Danish CubeSats carrying payloads operating on Amateur Radio frequencies have been deployed from the International Space Station, but, so far, only one of the satellites has been heard. The CubeSats are AAUSat-5, which will send 9600 bps GMSK and CW on 437.425 MHz, and GomX-3, which transmits 9600 bps GMSK on 437.250 MHz. The satellites were released on October 5, but only GomX-3 has been heard. Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL, reported receiving the GMSK signal from GomX-3 at 1505-1515 UTC.

AAUSat-5 is a project of Aalborg University in Denmark, while GomX-3 was developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) by GomSpace in Aalborg. Both were launched to the ISS from Japan in August. Neither satellite carries an Amateur Radio transponder.

They were deployed from the ISS Japanese Kibo module airlock. In addition to their Amateur Radio payloads, GomX-3 will demonstrate new radio technology to support the tracking of civil aircraft and measure telecommunication satellite signal quality, while AAUSat-5 will demonstrate the tracking of ships on the open sea.

Elsewhere, the launch of yet another Amateur Radio-carrying satellite from China now is set for October 7. LQSat was developed by researchers and students at the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP). The satellite will launch from Inner Mongolia. The 50 kg satellite will downlink on 437.650 MHz with 0.5 W (either CW or 4800 bps MSK CSP packet data, and on 2404 MHz at 1 W, using 1 Mbps QPSK. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service, AMSAT-UK

Source:ARRL and AMSAT UK