Tag: national reconnaissance office

We went into orbit!

Our AMSAT Fox-1A satellite on board NROL55
Our AMSAT Fox-1A satellite on board NROL55

That’s right sports fans.  We went into orbit.

Yep … Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Our Amateur Radio satellite, Fox-1A (now officially AO-85), hitched a ride on #NROL55 this morning out of Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Anyone with a ham radio license can utilize the transceiver on board the satellite, at least once we complete testing and confirm full functionality.  The satellite is currently transmitting telemetry.

  • FM mode
  • UHF uplink: 435.180 MHz, PL tone 67 Hz
  • VHF downlink: 145.980 MHz.  This is the frequency on which you listen.

Lotsa moar details (PDF): Fox-1A Operating Guide

AMSAT blog posting: Announcement

😀

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Fox-1A satellite has been integrated for orbital launch

It’s done! The Fox-1A CubeSat satellite has been integrated into the Poly-PicoSatellite Orbital Deployer rig (P-POD) with two other CubeSats. The loaded P-POD will be integrated into the rocket payload for subsequent launch in late summer 2015.

Fox-1A was hand delivered in it’s Pelican case to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for completion of CubeSat Acceptance Checks, then integration.

Representatives from Fox-1, ARC1, and BisonSat CubeSat teams, Cal Poly, Tyvak, NRO/OSL, and NASA were on hand during the integration.

Now we wait. [drums fingers on desk]

The following are photos concerning the integration. Click on each page for larger version (new window)

Fox-1A on the left with the two other CubeSats for this particular P-POD
Fox-1A on the right with the two other CubeSats for this particular P-POD
Fox-1A CubeSat satellite installed in P-POD
Fox-1A CubeSat satellite installed in P-POD
Larger view of the loaded P-POD
Larger view of the loaded P-POD
CubeSat P-POD closed
CubeSat P-POD closed
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