| |
I0OJJ > AMSAT 08.11.26 14:48l 469 Lines 19541 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 1496-I0OJJ
Subj: ANS-312 AMSAT News Service
Path: IZ3LSV<IW8PGT<HB9ON<DK0WUE<ZL2BAU<VK3AT<VE3QBZ<VE2PKT<PY2BIL<LU9DCE<
EA2RCF<I0OJJ
Sent: 261108/1327Z 1496@I0OJJ.ITA.EU [Rome] $:1496-I0OJJ
From: I0OJJ@I0OJJ.ITA.EU
To : AMSAT@WW
From: "Mark Johns, K0JM via ANS" <ans@amsat.org
Subject: [ANS] ANS-312 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2026 21:13:57 EST
Reply-To: k0jm.mark@gmail.com
To: space@ww
November 8, 2026
In this edition:
- Apogee View
- NASA Announces Continued CubeSat Launch Initiative Missions
- AmsatDroid Free Resurrected as a New Android Satellite Tracker
- DXCC Satellite Standing November 2026
- VUCC Satellite Standing November 2026
- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 6, 2026
- Ambassador Events
- ARISS News
- Satellite Shorts from All Over
The AMSAT(R) News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information
service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes
news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities
of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active
interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog
and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in
Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
*Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at]
amsat.org <http://amsat.org>* .
Sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via
the ANS List. Join this list at:
https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
------------------------------
*Apogee View*
Greetings! It was great to see and spend time with many of you at our AMSAT
Space Symposium in Jacksonville, Florida, in early October. Despite some
challenges, including a nearby Hurricane Isaias, the event was well
attended and productive. Iâ€Öd like to personally thank Stephen Grant
,
KB4YKC, and Paul Locke, KB4PML, for hosting the event and, especially, for
putting up with me.
AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA (Photo: AMSAT)
AMSAT is open to proposals to host next yearâ€Ös Symposium; please co
ntact me
if youâ€Öd like to share your city with AMSAT for our annual meeting.
One of the more newsworthy announcements from Symposium was the release of
information regarding new AMSAT LTM partners. Our LTM program provides a
space-qualified CubeSat radio for qualified missions, with the agreement
that the included 30 kHz-wide linear transponder be operated once in orbit.
We initiated this program with HuskySat-1 (HO-107) and continued it with
MESAT1 (MO-122).
The first of these partners is JoanSat, a 1U mission launching in November
2027. Our partnership with the JoanSat mission resulted directly from our
presence at CalPolyâ€Ös CubeSat Developerâ€Ös Workshop in April
2026. JoanSat
is well documented at joansat.org.
Our second new partner is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona
Beach, FL. Their satellite is called COMET. COMET is planned as a 12U
University Nanosat Program that will separate in orbit into two 6U
satellites to test a 24 GHz steerable beam link between the pair. Each 6U
will carry an independent AMSAT LTM.
Our third new partner is Rice University and their OwlSat mission. OwlSat
is a 1U CubeSat with an Extreme Ultraviolet monitoring experiment. This
project is in the early stages of development.
Iâ€Öm still in discussions with a fourth partner who wishes to fly an LTM on
a 3U CubeSat mission. Hopefully, by my next Apogee View, Iâ€Öll be able to
share more details about this partnership. Keep in mind these five planned
LTM satellites are in addition to the LTMs included in FoxPlus-A and
GOLF-TEE!
Another announcement from the General Meeting part of the Symposium is
regarding the creation of a High Orbit Committee. I want to assemble an
AMSAT team to put together some notional payloads that we can shop to
various rideshare providers.
In my presentation, I described this as having a plan for when the dog
catches the car. As I have often written and spoken about, I have been
reaching out to make contacts in the rideshare arena, trying to find us a
ride to somewhere above LEO.
I am not focusing on any one orbit (such as GEO) because we must be
flexible and open to any possibilities, whether itâ€Ös MEO, GTO, GEO or some
exotic disposal orbit. Anything that gives us long access and a large
footprint is of interest, and we need to actively pursue such
opportunities. If this seems like something you have skills and interest
in, please email me directly at aglasbrenner@amsat.org.
On November 2nd, I was honored to attend a kickoff meeting for the
ARISS/AMSAT Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx) Lunar Team. Thank you to Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, for leading this initiative to include Amateur Radio in
future lunar missions. AMSAT is proud to support this initiative, and Iâ€Öm
excited to see what we can do on or around the Moon! More to come on this
soon!
Lastly, our treasurer, Steve Belter, N9IP, is looking for one or two
assistants to help manage our financial efforts. If this is an area where
you can assist AMSAT, please reach out to Steve or me to start a discussion.
73, Drew KO4MA
[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT President for the above
information.]
------------------------------
*The 2026 Presidentâ€Ös Club Coin – Only a Few Weeks Left!Hel
p Support GOLF
and FoxPlus.*
[image: Presidents' Club 2026 Coin]
*Annual memberships start at only $120Join the AMSAT Presidentâ€Ös Club today
and helpKeep Amateur Radio in
Space!https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
<https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/>*
------------------------------
NASA Announces Continued CubeSat Launch Initiative Missions
Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering reports that NASA has confirmed
that their CubeSat Launch Initiative selections that were idled when CSLI
went on hold will again be honored for both GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 satellites.
Buxton explains, “Note that selection does not guarantee a launch, as has
always been known as part of the CSLI process.
“However, since CSLI has been re-activated, we will not have to find a
commercial launch.
“We are setting the deadline for GOLF-TEE to be “ready for handover” to a
launch mission (integration) of December 15, 2027. This gives NASA a
renewed and updated focus on our desired orbit that they use to match type
of launch vehicle and the timing of a launch in order to get a ride coming
as soon as possible after that date.
“As is usually the case, this means we may be manifested on a launch any
time after the first of the year. That begins the launch mission process
and the required paperwork that helps ensure our payload is safe and proper
leading up to the actual integration date for that launch.
For the same reason, we have renewed/updated the readiness date for GOLF-1
to December 15, 2028.”
Jerry also noted that, “The agency anticipates releasing the next CSLI
solicitation in 2028. NASA will provide additional information about
eligibility, requirements, and how to apply closer to the solicitationâ€Ös
release.”
[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering for the above
information.]
------------------------------
AmsatDroid Free Resurrected as a New Android Satellite Tracker
David Johnson, G4DPZ reports that an old satellite tracking friend for
smartphones has returned to the living.
“Iâ€Öm pleased to say Iâ€Öve resurrected AmsatDroid Free as a completely new
implementation. The old app had aged out with the Android platform, so
rather than patch it I rebuilt it from the ground up in Kotlin with a
modern Jetpack Compose interface, while keeping the same proven SGP4/SDP4
orbit-prediction core (predict4java) under a regression test so predictions
stay faithful.
[image: AmsatDroid app night screen]AmsatDroid Free unique night view
(Photo: David Johnson)
“What it does:”
- Pass prediction for your location, with a sky view and a ground-track
map
- Doppler-corrected downlink and uplink frequencies, updated live during
a pass, including inverting (U/V) transponders
- Transponder frequencies come from Peter Goodhallâ€Ös (MM9SQL) OscarWatch
database, synced automatically so they stay current
- Pass alerts with a countdown notification and optional spoken
announcements
- Compass-oriented sky chart and an aiming aid for hand-held antennas
- An all-satellite overview of whatâ€Ös up now and coming soon
- A home-screen widget for your next pass
- Automatic Keplerian element updates (Celestrak or AMSAT)
- Tablet and foldable layouts, per-app language, and a red night mode
for observing without spoiling your night vision
“It runs on Android 11 and later and is free and open source (GPL-3.0). The
source, with screenshots, is on GitHub:
https://github.com/g4dpz/AmsatDroidFree
“It will also be available on the Google Play Store in a few days, once
account setup completes.”
[ANS thanks David Johnson, G4DPZ for the above information.]
------------------------------
*AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now AvailableYes, These are the Real
Thing!*
*Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a FoxPlus SatelliteIncludes First Class
Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only)Order Today at
https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
<https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain>*
------------------------------
DXCC Satellite Standing November 2026
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2026 to
November 01, 2026.
OE9DGV 221 223
DL2GRC 203 206
F4BKV 187 200
G4WFQ 183 200
HB9RYZ 176 180
ON4AOI 176 178
EA2AA 174 176
IK0WMJ 159 163
EA1N 139 150
SM2OAN 117 123
OH3DP 114 119
SV8CKM 109 117
YB5QZ 100 117
W8LR 115 116
HB9BIN 105 106
JS1LQI New 100
ZS1A New 100
Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders:
JS1LQI
ZS1A
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]
------------------------------
VUCC Satellite Standing November 2026
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2026 to
November 01, 2026.
PY2PIM 1354 1426
EA2AA 1285 1301
JA1QJI 1006 1145
E70A 1126 1144
K9UO 1030 1040
W8LR 921 936
JS1LQI 876 934
VE7PTN 794 817
F6GLJ 805 811
WD9EWK 791 792
JH1NHK 500 705
JI5USJ 601 625
OH3DP 551 600
JI5RPT/1 400 500
K5WO 365 401
IK6GZM 234 235
PT2VM 150 200
KD8RTT 150 154
MM0INH 107 125
K7IU New 120
BA8BLK New 100
KO6MBI New 100
Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders:
K7IU
BA8BLK
KO6MBI
BA8BLK is first VUCC-Satellite holder from OM21.
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]
------------------------------
*Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs *
*from the AMSAT Store and Get Free Shipping!*
*When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
<https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/>*
------------------------------
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 6, 2026
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical
model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly
updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin
files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin
files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available
for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at
https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.
This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution
.
*General Perturbations Data Support*
AMSAT is pleased to announce that modern forms of what are called General
Perturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including
JSON, XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The
reason this change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit
catalog numbers and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched
after July of this year. See
https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php for details.
These data are presently considered in beta test for the next few months
while hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org, and we are very open
to community feedback at webmaster at amsat.org. Testers may experience
outages and errors while we make improvements. We intend to put this into
production on our main web server in July as we expect that satellites
launched after this summer will require one of the new formats to
accommodate longer object numbers. AMSAT will continue to publish TLE
bulletins for satellites launched before July 2026 indefinitely.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the
above information.]
------------------------------
ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between
amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with
astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The
downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
- *Scheduled Contacts*
Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada, Sparks, NV, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Luke Delaney, KJ5PPF.
The ARISS mentor is Charlie Sufana, AJ9N.
Contact is go for Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 18:16 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at www.youtube.com/@pinecrestnnvSS.
Ecole Secondaire du Sommet, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, telebridge via
VK4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Joshua Kutryk, KJ5BFU.
The ARISS mentor is Wayne Harasimovitch, VE1WPH.
Contact is go for: Friday, November 13, 2026 at 18:07 UTC.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} &
437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is
pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband
repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information.]
------------------------------
*LIMITED TIME OFFER!*
AMSAT is offering a limited-time promotion for new and renewing members
that includes a free digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur
Satellites. The promotion is being offered as AMSAT begins the 2026
membership year.
[image: Getting Started]
Anyone who joins or renews their AMSAT membership during the promotional
period will receive a download link for the latest edition of Getting
Started with Amateur Satellites in their membership confirmation email.
*JOIN TODAY at https://launch.amsat.org/ <https://launch.amsat.org/> *
*(Remember! Students join for FREE!)*
------------------------------
AMSAT Ambassador Activities
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.
[image: AMSAT Ambassador News Logo]
November 14, 2026
*Southern Arizona Fall Hamfest*
Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club
Marana Middle School
11285 W. Grier Rd.
Marana AZ
https://www.tucsonhamradio.org/hamfestN1UW
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the
above information.]
------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
- The 2027 CubeSat Developers Workshop (March 30 – April 1, 2027
at
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) is now accepting
abstracts for oral and poster presentations. The Call for Abstracts opens
today and closes Monday, January 11, 2027 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Submissions are open to industry, government, academia, and student teams.
Submissions are peer-reviewed for relevance to CubeSat missions, technical
quality, clarity, and potential impact. We encourage completed results and
well-motivated in-progress work with credible test/validation plans.
Notifications will be sent by the end of January. Complete information at
https://cubesatdw.org . (Look for “Call for Abstracts.â€Ö)
[ANS thanks
cubesat.org for the above information.]
- The Goddard Space Flight Center Technical Career Panel is offering a
live interactive session hosted as part of NASAâ€Ös Career and Technical
Education (CTE) Day. The Goddard Space Flight Center Technical Career Panel
is designed for high school, trade/technical, and college students, the
program connects participants directly with NASA subject matter experts who
build and test real-world spaceflight hardware, optics, and electronics.
Students get a look at what a typical day looks like for technicians,
machinists, and engineers who craft physical flight hardware rather than
just traditional desk-based research. With live Q&A access, registered
classrooms and students can submit questions ahead of time or live during
the broadcast to ask engineers about their unique career paths, trade
credentials, and schooling. The event is held on December 9, 2006 and the
deadline for registration is December 2 at 11:59 PM ET. Educators and
students can review the guidelines and sign up via the official NASA STEM
Gateway Course Offering at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-312-Career-Panel.
[ANS thanks nasa.gov for the above information.]
- A week doesnâ€Öt go by without ANS editors hearing about several new
satellite tracking apps. Besides the above announcement about AmsatDroidâ€Ös
resurrection, here are three more apps recently announced by ambitious
hams. For one, look at https://orbitnight.com/radar/25544 that has the
usual tracking, Doppler correction, rig and rotor control features. It also
provides a unique channel plan with 5kHz channel steps and when to switch
them for FM birds. For yet another way to go, see Deck at
https://deck.map73.com. Deck is a browser based program that controls
Icom handhelds with built in APRS, SSTV and Morse decoding. A third
program, OrbitalRadar is unique in that it provides a sobering look at
space congestion with its mind blowing 3D display of every satellite
currently in orbit. Look for it at https://orbitalradar.com. [ANS thanks
the OrbitNight, Deck and OrbitalRadar respectively for the above
information.]
------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This weekâ€Ös ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW.
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org
ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H
Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002.
AMSAT is a registered trademark of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
