 Delfi-C3
CubeSat team provides update on their next satellite
This week, Wouter Jan Ubbels, PE4WJ, the Delfi-C3 Project Manager Electronic
Systems and Communications at the Delft University of Technology in the
Netherlands sent information about the next satellite being designed at
the University.
Delfi-C3 is based on a three-unit CubeSat.
Its primary mission objective will be, besides being an educational one,
a technology demonstration of three novel payloads. It will also include
a Mode U-V Amateur Radio linear transponder with 40kHz bandpass running
400mW PEP.
Telemetry decoding software will be made available to amateur radio operators
and universities which will allow them to decode and display near real
time telemetry.
Delfi-C3 will have a 1200 Baud AX.25 BPSK downlink so they plan to include
the possibility of using the soundcard to decode the telemetry instead
of having the need for a separate hardware PSK modem. This software is
planned to allow for a data upload to the central Delfi-C3 ground station
via the Internet for data processing.
The satellite will be in telemetry mode for the first three months of
the mission, after which it will be switched to transponder mode. At present
breadboards and prototype hardware are being produced. The University
aims for a launch in 2007.
The Delfi-C3 team is planning to attend the AMSAT-UK
colloquium this year where they will give a presentation on the progress
of the project.
You can find more information on Delfi-C3 at their website:
http://www.delfic3.nl
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