SwissCube update

The latest issue of the EPFL newsletter gives an update on the SwissCube Amateur Radio satellite which has a downlink on 437.505MHz.

Since its launch in September 2009, the satellite has been operating very well and contacts between SwissCube and the ground stations in Lausanne and Fribourg are established on an almost daily basis.

Due to a high tumbling rate, it is not possible at the present time to operate the telescope to map the airglow phenomena but the rotation rate is slowing down and we are hopeful to acquire the first images soon. In the meantime, thanks to telemetry data, plenty of information is obtained on the health of the satellite.

Regarding future EPFL projects the newsletter says:

Based on the tremendous SwissCube success obtained by the Space Center EPFL together with its academic and industrial members, three future space projects are being considered for possible implementation.

Initial concepts for a space debris-removal mission, a small telescope to monitor exo-planets, or a constellation of small satellites in the frame of an international mission will be further investigated.

Preliminary studies are being currently performed to assess the technical requirements and feasibly of these missions that will require spacecrafts substantially bigger and more powerful than SwissCube but still remaining in the nano-satellite class.

SwissCube Live Amateur Radio Information
http://swisscube-live.ch/

SwissCube
http://swisscube.epfl.ch/

EPFL Space Centre Newsletter
http://space.epfl.ch/webdav/site/space/shared/newsletter/
SpaceCenter_Newsletter_May2010.pdf

Getting started on Amateur Radio Satellites PDF
http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/408/168/

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information.
Join online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subs_form/