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I0OJJ > AMSAT 06.04.25 04:09l 690 Lines 29746 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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From: "Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) via ANS" <ans@amsat.org
Subject: [ANS] ANS-096 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2025 20:08:31 EDT
Reply-To: "Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ)" <mahrenstorff@amsat.org>
To: space@ww
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-096
In this edition:
* Fram2 Mission Blends Polar Orbit, Amateur Radio, and Private Spaceflight
* Spectrum's Fiery Debut Marks Bold First Step for Isar Aerospace
* LuGRE Demonstrates Viability of GPS Navigation on the Moon
* VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings for April 2025
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 4, 2025
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information se
rvice 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 digita
l Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in S
pace 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>
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletin
s via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postor
ius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-096 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
>From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2025 Apr 06
________________________________
Fram2 Mission Blends Polar Orbit, Amateur Radio, and Private Spaceflight
SpaceX launched the Fram2 private astronaut mission on Monday, March 31st,
marking a new chapter in commercial spaceflight. The Crew Dragon spacecraft
Resilience carried four private astronauts into a polar orbit-making it th
e first crewed mission to fly directly over both the North and South Poles.
After three and a half days in orbit, the spacecraft splashed down safely
in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, April 4th.
One of the mission's standout features was Fram2Ham, an amateur radio initi
ative led by mission pilot Rabea Rogge (LB9NJ/KD3AID), a robotics researche
r from Germany. On April 1st, just hours after reaching orbit, Rogge conduc
ted the first amateur radio contact ever made from a Crew Dragon spacecraft
. Speaking on 437.550 MHz, she answered questions from students at Technisc
he Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) during a live-streamed session focused
on STEM topics.
The mission also featured slow-scan television (SSTV) transmissions sent by
Rogge using an ICOM IC-705 transceiver. Amateur radio operators around the
world tuned in and successfully decoded images sent from orbit. The images
were submitted to an online gallery maintained by ARISS (Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station), with over 1,100 general entries and more
than 110 from student STEM teams submitted during the mission.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-SpaceX-Dr
agon-Rabea-Rogge-Jannicke-Mikkelsen.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp
-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-SpaceX-Dragon-Rabea-Rogge-Jannicke-Mikkelsen
.jpg>
Framonauts Rabea Rogge and Jannicke Mikkelsen pictured inside Crew Dragon R
esilience. [Credit: SpaceX<https://x.com/SpaceX> / Fram2<https://x.com/fram
onauts>]
The Fram2Ham experiment demonstrated that meaningful amateur radio operatio
ns can be carried out from commercial crew vehicles using compact, battery-
powered equipment. ARISS called the effort a breakthrough for ham radio in
human spaceflight, noting that the success of Fram2Ham opens the door to fu
ture communications experiments aboard non-governmental orbital missions an
d commercial space stations.
Fram2 also included operational tests with future exploration goals in mind
. Following splashdown, the astronauts exited the spacecraft without extern
al help to simulate autonomous egress procedures that may be necessary on l
unar or Martian surfaces. The hands-on, self-directed nature of the Fram2Ha
m project paralleled this emphasis on independence, with Rogge managing tra
nsmissions without ground crew assistance.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-Mission-E
arth-View-from-Dragon-Cuploa-1024x541.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/
wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-Mission-Earth-View-from-Dragon-Cuploa.jpg>
The Fram2 crew shared stunning views of Earth from the SpaceX Dragon capsul
e in videos posted on X<https://x.com/>. [Credit: Framonaut Chun Wang<https
://x.com/satofishi>]
The mission saw strong participation from the amateur radio community. The
Live OSCAR Status Page on the AMSAT web site received a record 496 receptio
n reports during the mission, more observations than any other spacecraft i
n a 4-day period since the page's inception. Although several operators att
empted to receive signals during the reentry phase, none succeeded, as the
capsule entered a plasma blackout. Still, engagement across the amateur rad
io world was described as historic.
Fram2 was organized and funded by Chun Wang, a Malta-based cryptocurrency e
ntrepreneur originally from China, who also served as the mission commander
. He was joined by Rogge, Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen as v
ehicle commander, and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips as mission spe
cialist and medical officer. The team conducted 22 research experiments in
orbit, including medical imaging, materials testing, and biological studies
.
As the first crewed mission to reach a 90-degree orbital inclination, Fram2
provided rare views of polar auroras and remote Arctic landscapes. For Wan
g, the mission fulfilled a childhood curiosity about the polar regions; for
the broader space community, it demonstrated how private spaceflight can c
ombine scientific research, technical innovation, and public outreach-inclu
ding a successful amateur radio experiment that brought signals from orbit
to Earthbound listeners around the globe.
[ANS thanks SpaceNews<https://spacenews.com/>, ARISS<https://x.com/ARISS_In
tl>, and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, for the above information]
________________________________
Spectrum's Fiery Debut Marks Bold First Step for Isar Aerospace
The inaugural flight of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket ended just 40 seco
nds after liftoff on Sunday, March 30th, with the vehicle crashing into the
sea off Norway's Andøya Spaceport. The rocket, intended to be the first
orbital-class launcher developed by a private European company, lost contro
l shortly after takeoff and triggered its flight termination system before
plummeting into the Arctic waters in a fiery explosion.
Isar Aerospace officials acknowledged the failure but emphasized the value
of the flight. "Today, we know twice as much about our launch system as yes
terday before launch," said Daniel Metzler, Isar's co-founder and CEO. The
company released multiple replays of the short flight, including a drone-ca
ptured video, underscoring a level of transparency uncommon in the space la
unch industry. Metzler praised the team's achievement, framing the test as
a crucial step forward in a long-term development process.
The Spectrum rocket lifted off at 1030 UTC, generating over 150,000 pounds
of thrust from its nine engines fueled by liquid propane and liquid oxygen.
Trouble emerged about 15 seconds into the flight as the rocket began to os
cillate and tumble, eventually flipping upside-down. With the rocket's prop
ellant tanks still nearly full, its impact created a massive fireball visib
le from the snowy Andøya landscape. No injuries were reported, and the la
unch pad remained intact.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Isar-Aerospace-
Spectrum-Initial-Launch-Attempt-1024x576.png]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpre
ss/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Isar-Aerospace-Spectrum-Initial-Launch-Attemp
t.png>
Isar Aerospace's first Spectrum rocket climbs away from Andøya Spaceport
in Norway. [Credit: Isar Aerospace<https://isaraerospace.com/>/NASASpacefli
ght.com<https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/>]
The mission carried no commercial payload, a deliberate decision given the
anticipated risk. The goal was to gather performance data during Spectrum's
first powered flight. Officials at Isar Aerospace had long signaled that r
eaching orbit on the first attempt was unlikely. By preserving the launch s
ite and capturing valuable telemetry, the company achieved what it describe
d as a successful test despite the dramatic conclusion.
Founded in 2018, Isar Aerospace has raised over 400 million euros in privat
e and institutional funding, making it the most well-capitalized among Euro
pe's emerging private launch companies. Supporters include the European Spa
ce Agency, Germany's government, and the NATO Innovation Fund. ESA director
general Josef Aschbacher praised the flight as a vital learning opportunit
y, while German vice chancellor Robert Habeck hailed the launch as evidence
of Europe's growing technological independence.
Isar is already building its next two rockets and plans to iterate quickly,
following a strategy modeled after SpaceX's fast-paced test-and-repair cyc
le. While the loss of the first Spectrum rocket marks a setback, company of
ficials maintain that success lies not in perfection but in progress. "We'r
e super happy," Metzler said. "Now it's time to analyze all data, learn, it
erate, and be back on the launch pad as soon as possible."
"We're super happy," Metzler said in a press call after Sunday's flight. "I
t's a time for people to be proud of, and for Europe, frankly, also to be p
roud of."
[ANS thanks the Stephen Clark, Ars Technica<https://arstechnica.com/>, for
the above information]
________________________________
The 2025 AMSAT President's Club Coins Have Just Arrived!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-PC-Coin-2-
Sided-Color-Web-300x148.jpg]
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join<https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT Presi
dent's Club today!
________________________________
LuGRE Demonstrates Viability of GPS Navigation on the Moon
NASA and the Italian Space Agency have achieved a historic milestone with t
he successful conclusion of the Blue Ghost mission, which delivered the Lun
ar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) to the Moon. LuGRE became the first tec
hnology demonstration to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals f
rom the lunar surface, proving that Global Navigation Satellite System (GNS
S) signals-including GPS and Galileo-can be used to support autonomous navi
gation on the Moon.
The ability to receive and process GNSS signals approximately 225,000 miles
from Earth opens new possibilities for future lunar and deep space mission
s. By reducing reliance on Earth-based tracking, missions like NASA's Artem
is program could benefit from real-time, onboard navigation systems similar
to those used on Earth.
LuGRE was delivered by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which touched
down on the Moon on March 2nd. Science operations began shortly after land
ing, and by 2 a.m. EST on March 3rd, the LuGRE payload had successfully acq
uired and tracked GNSS signals from the Moon's surface, achieving a navigat
ion fix and |
