ESA TV Live:
Next on Astra 1G - SSETI Express
For those in Europe who would like to watch the launch of the next two
ESA "Express" missions directly rather than by the webstream
here are the broadcast details just issued by ESA TV!
26 October 2005 06:20-12:00 CEST (05:20-11:00 BST) Launch of Venus Express
- ESAs first mission to the planet
27 October 2005 08:30- 09:00 CEST (07:30-08:00 BST) Launch of SSETI Express
- ESAs first student-built satellite
The ESA TV Service is ensuring the live broadcast of ESAs most important
events on the Astra satellite, using a digital transponder that enables
every European with a digital satellite receiver and an antenna pointing
at 19.2 degrees east, to follow these events.
ASTRA 1G at 19 degrees East
Transponder: 1.108 (DVB - MPEG-2, MCPC)
Polarisation vertical - Frequency 12551,5 MHz
Symbol Rate 22000 MS/sec - FEC 5/6 - Service Name ESA (Astravision 2)
Starting 24 October, colour bars with an ESA identification are broadcast
on this satellite channel. This makes it possible to set up the equipment
and tune the receiver onto the right channel: For broadcasters, the programme
is also made available on Eutelsat W2, as a satellite feed in full broadcast
quality. For the downlink details, please check the ESA TV Website - http://television.esa.int.
The next ESA TV live transmissions on Astra 1-G will be produced on 26
and 27 October 2005 to mark the launches of Venus Express and SSETI Express.
All times below are in CEST = GMT+2hours = BST +1 hour
26 October
Start End Description
CEST CEST
06:20 07:00 Live transmission of the Venus Express launch
(lift-off 06:43 CEST, 05:43 BST, 04:43 GMT)
07:00 07:35 Live from ESOC: Guest and media information event
09:30 09:45 Media update: separation, spacecraft status
11:00 11:55 Media briefing: Venus Express launch results
27 October
Start End Description
CEST CEST
00:30 09:00 Live transmission of the SSETI Express launch
(lift-off 08:52 CEST, 07:52 BST, 06:52 GMT)
----
The SSETI Express UHF transmitter will be activated approximately 100
minutes after launch. The details below give some information about what
we expect to hear and when for SSETI Express and the cubesats that will
be released.
To receive the UHF transmissions from SSETI Express and the cubesats
there are two possibilities.
The simple possibility is a handheld receiver and simple hand held TV
type yagi antenna which is pointed in the general expected direction.
When SSETI Express is heard then this will only be obvious by a sudden
burst of increased noise from the loudspeaker. - the 9k6 data sounds just
like noise to the human ear! This will not be very impressive to invited
guests but will make the SSETI Express teams themselves very happy. Remember
to have three
frequencies stored in the radio 437.260MHz at AOS, 437.250MHz for when
the satellite is at its nearest point to you and 437.240MHz as it moves
away from you. This is Doppler at work.
The more complicated possibility is to use a "proper" receiving
station with automatically steered circularly polarised antennas, a mast
head preamp, Doppler adjusted UHF radio with a widened IF to pass the
9k6 data and a
suitable TNC feeding a computer and display. With this set-up it should
be possible to display the decoded telemetry from the satellite.
SSETI Express
Downlink: 437.250MHz AX25 9k6 FSK
(also 2401.835MHz 38k4 data and voice - but not for initial operations)
The first transmission will occur approximately 65 min after separation
from the launch adaptor- approx 100 mins after launch - we now expect
this now to occur around 08:32 UTC when Express is over northern Europe.
The type of the first transmissions will depend on the state of the battery.
In Nominal mode - a sub 1 second burst of AX25 telemetry every 18 seconds.
In Recovery or Safe mode - simple on/off telemetry comprising 16 x 100msec
carrier pulses. This telemetry is repeated every 30 seconds in Safe Mode
and every 2 mins when in Recovery Mode.
The satellite will transmit at a power of 3 watts.
The next time that Express can be heard over Europe will be the pass
that starts in Aalborg at around 10:03 UTC. This pass gives good coverage
of all of Europe and should also be audible from the launch site.
Reception reports will be welcome by email at operations@sseti.net
or by placing them on the SSETI Newsgroup at slave.gte.tuwein.ac.at in
the folder
"sseti.express.report" where you will also be able to see reports
from other locations around the world.
Full information on receiving SSETI Express signals, decoding the telemetry,
submitting it to the project team and entering the competition will be
posted
at http://sseti.gte.tuwien.ac.at/WSW4/MOPWS/news.php
This will have links to all the updated pages as they occur.
NCUBE2: a cubesat which will be released by Express
Downlink: 437,305MHz
Bitrate: 9600b/s
Modulation technique: GMSK
The first transmission will occur 20 min after separation from SSETI
Express - approx 120 mins after launch.
The message: "DE=LA1CUB=NCUBE2=FF=LA1CUB===" is morsed using
a 2400Hz tone, 26 words per minute where FF is a hex number [00=3,0V -
FF=4,5V] If battery voltage is above 3,8V, every 2 minutes. If battery
voltage is below 3,8, every 5 minutes
At the end of the message an unnumbered AX.25 packet is attached containing
the string:
DE=LA1CUB=NCUBE2=NORWEGIAN CUBESAT - WWW.NCUBE.NO
In the header of the AX.25: Callsign: NCUBE Destination: EARTH
The satellite will transmit at a power of 1,5W at full battery charge
Reception reports will be welcome email to ncube@rocketrange.no
or by phone +47 76 14 44 00
UWE –1: a cubesat which will be released by Express
Downlink 437,505MHz. 9k6 FSK AX25 packet
The first transmission will occur 6 min after separation from SSETI Express
- approx 106 mins after launch.
The satellite will transmit for about 1 sec every 1 minute. The output
power of the transceiver is approx 1 watt.
Further details will be made available later.
Reception reports will be very welcome at
cubesat@informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de.
Cubesat Xi-V: a cubesat which will be released by SSETI Express
CW signal on 437.465MHz
FM packet of AFSK AX.25 on 437.345MHz
The first CW transmission will occur 30 min after separation from SSETI
Express - approx 130 mins after launch.
FM packet will not be transmitted unless commanded by the ground station.
The interval of the CW signal is about 30 seconds.
The output of CW signal is 80mW, and that of FM packet is 800mW.
Both signals share one dipole antenna, so the satellite cannot transmit
both signals at the same time.
The email address to receive reports will be announced at the ground
station web page
http://gs.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
before launch.
SAFIR-S
A module integrated within the RUBIN experimental payload which will
stay attached to the launch adaptor.
A frequency of 2401,9 MHz is used. Callsign DP1AIS
One transmission cycle consists of 15 sec. FM-voice beacon transmission
and short 9k6 G3RUH data packets every 15 seconds. Total duration of the
above described transmission cycle is about 2-3 minutes.
Reports can be sent to DG6BCE@aatis.de
MOZHAETS
There is also a satellite in the Mozhaets series included in this launch
but no details of its transmissions are known.
• AMSAT-UK
produce a quarterly newsletter "Oscar News" which is full of
Amateur Satellite information.
For membership details contact the secretary Jim Heck
Tel: +44 (0)1258 453959
E-mail: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/
Online Satellite Pass Predictions:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/
73 Trevor M5AKA
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