In this edition:
* BOTAN Digipeater Schedule a Challenge for U.S. Hams
* Launch Scrubbed Due to ‘Highly Elevated Solar Activity’
* Alarm Over Reductions at Goddard Space Flight Center
* Comet Photos Plagued by Satellite Streaks
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS SSTV Event Continues
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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 https://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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
BOTAN, a 1U cubesat built by students of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan, was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on October 10 via the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) “Kibo” module. The satellite carries an earth-observation camera downloading images upon ground station command at 437.375 MHz. These downloads occur primarily when the satellite is over Japan.
Information on the satellite may be found at
https://sites.google.com/p.chibakoudai.jp/gardens-04/home-english?authuser=0
BOTAN also carries an APRS digipeater operating on 146.825 MHz. The digipeater is also activated by ground station command. Although the original design specifications called for the digipeater to remain active for 720 minutes (12 hours) after activation, observations have shown that it currently times out after 480 minutes (8 hours).
As a result, when the digipeater is activated by the command station in Japan, it has timed out before passing over portions of North America. Although the Chiba Institute has asked amateurs around the world for telemetry downloads, the attempts to make use of the satellite’s services have been frustrating for North American amateurs.
BOTAN is next scheduled for digipeater activation on 2025-11-16 at 08:53 UTC (although current Keplerian data does not show the bird over Japan until approximately half an hour after that time). Far west coast U.S. and Mexican stations would be in the footprint briefly in the first hour thereafter. The eight hour activation would end at 16:53 UTC. During that period the satellite will pass over Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and South America — but not over Central or North America. Interested operators are encouraged to watch for schedule changes.
Masahiro Sanada, JI1IZR, has posted a nice blog about the station setup he is using for BOTAN operation. The post may be found at https://ji1izr.cocolog-nifty.com/
[ANS thanks Chiba Institute of Technology and Masahiro Sanada, JI1IZR, for the above information.]
After terrestrial weather forced Blue Origin to scrub its Sunday attempt to launch its 98-meter-tall (321 ft) New Glenn rocket, unacceptable space weather prevented a launch attempt on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In a post on social media, the company said NASA made the call to stand down “due to highly elevated solar activity and its potential effects on the ESCAPADE spacecraft.”
On Tuesday afternoon, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecast a G4 Severe Watch connected to a coronal mass ejection first detected on Sunday, Nov. 9. It noted that this is just the fourth G4 Watch issued this solar cycle, making it “very rare,” and added that impacts are expected “about midday on Nov. 12.”
Aurora were visible across North America on the evening of November 11. Photo credit: Doug Arntson, KØPX
A severe (G4) geomagnetic storm lit up skies across the Northern Hemisphere overnight (Nov. 11-12), with vivid northern lights visible across Canada, the U.S, and as far south as Mexico.
The incredible display followed the arrival of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — eruptions of magnetic field and plasma from the sun — launched by sunspot AR4274, one of the most energetic sunspot groups of the current solar cycle. The ongoing storm ranks among the strongest of Solar Cycle 25 and last night’s peak at G4 clocked in as the third strongest geomagnetic storm this solar cycle. The first two CMEs struck in quick succession last night, compressing Earth’s magnetic field and unleashing spectacular aurora shows that lasted well into the night.
New Glenn lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, carrying twin Mars probes for NASA. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now.
Blue Origin finally launched its second heavy-lift New Glenn rocket Thursday, Nov. 13, putting two small NASA satellites onto a long, looping course to Mars to learn more about how the sun has slowly blown away the red planet’s once thick atmosphere.
[ANS thanks spaceflight now and space.com for the above information. Read the full articles at:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/11/11/live-coverage-blue-origin-targets-nov-12-new-glenn-launch-following-weekend-weather-scrub/
https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/severe-geomagnetic-storm-sparks-northern-lights-across-north-america-and-as-far-south-as-mexico-photos.]
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Alarm is growing among federal workers at NASA’s iconic Goddard Space Flight Center’s main campus in Greenbelt, Maryland — the nerve center for groundbreaking missions like the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes — as more than a dozen buildings on the campus are being emptied and padlocked during the federal shutdown, with very little notice to employees, said four sources who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. NASA leadership has pushed back against those concerns.
In one instance, furloughed employees were given just days to temporarily return to work and help empty entire buildings of highly specialized equipment, according to sources and internal emails obtained by CNN. In the communications, NASA managers wrote that equipment not moved in time — including one-of-a-kind hardware — could be thrown away or donated.
A Hubble Space Telescope composite image shows a supernova explosion designated SN 2014J in the galaxy M82.
Photo Credit: NASA Goddard
In a statement, a NASA spokesperson said the building closures are part of a “strategic consolidation” plan mapped out by Goddard leaders that should not impact ongoing projects.
One document reviewed by CNN, which was compiled by more than a dozen Goddard workers concerned about the steps taken at the campus, states that 13 buildings are being shuttered, including about 100 laboratories. The roughly 1,270-acre campus includes more than 30 large buildings and dozens of smaller structures.
The changes described by sources have the space agency’s engineers concerned they could permanently lose access to equipment and facilities that are crucial to keeping current and future projects on track.
[ANS thanks the CNN for the above information. Read the full story at https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/science/nasa-goddard-building-closures-government-shutdown]
Recent months have seen space fans revel in a wealth of spectacular astrophotography depicting the evolution of Comet Lemmon’s glowing coma and twisting tail as it journeyed through a Northern Hemisphere night sky swarming with satellites.
While many photographers opted to post sanitized views of Comet Lemmon, others intentionally compiled their images to reveal the incredible number of satellites that crossed the night sky over the course of multiple exposures.
A composite image of Comet Lemmon revealing where bright pixels were rejected by an image-stacking algorithm. (Image credit: Dan Bartlett via Space.com)
“Photographically, if someone is attempting to take a single image of a target and needs the image to be ‘clean’ — free of manmade objects — well, that image is nearly impossible to obtain,” astrophotographer Dan Bartlett told Space.com in an email. “Every single subframe I take (prior to stacking) now contains at least one, and usually more than one satellite streak.”
There are currently about 13,000 operational satellites orbiting Earth, of which about 8,900 are SpaceX Starlink craft. This number is set to exponentially increase, with SpaceX alone aiming to orbit up to 42,000 of its internet-beaming spacecraft, while competing companies aim to add thousands more satellites to their own “megaconstellations.”
Astrophotographers combat satellite streaks by capturing a multitude of short exposures over the course of a single session. The images are then combined and subjected to an algorithm that determines a median value for each pixel before rejecting outlier pixels with values that exceed set parameters.
[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.space.com/stargazing/astrophotography/comet-lemmon-photos-are-plagued-by-satellite-streaks-heres-how-amateur-astronomers-face-the-problem .]
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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/.
The following satellite has been removed from this week’s AMSAT distribution:
ENSO — NORAD Cat ID 58470 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 November 2025
The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT distribution:
CEVROSAT1 — Provisional ID 98526 Note: Resource constraints at USSF 18SDS evidently are preventing generation of TLE for this satellite. The element set provided is unusally poor, expect the satellite to pass a minute or more away from predictions.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
The worldwide Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team and the global family of ham radio enthusiasts celebrated 25 years of continuous amateur radio operations on the International Space Station (ISS) on November 13, 2025.
Only eleven days after the Expedition 1 crew took up residence on ISS the crew turned on the ham radio system and began speaking with teams in Star City Russia, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Throughout it all volunteer ARISS team members have worked side by side with space agencies and astronauts and cosmonauts around the world to develop, certify, launch and operate the ham radio systems that enable creation of an amateur radio bridge between people on earth and spacefarers in orbit.
During 25 years of continuous operations, ARISS has connected 1 million kids in classrooms and information educational settings to the ISS through nearly 1,800 ham radio contacts. It’s all about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational opportunities. Maximum value is added by working with educators to ensure that their students learn about space science, living and working in space, ISS research and radio communications. This educational element starts 4-6 months before the ARISS contact.
When the time comes for their once-in-a-lifetime radio contact with the ISS, they use an amateur radio ground station at their host organization or one of our international ground stations to talk directly to the astronauts and cosmonauts on ISS—LIVE!
There are two amateur radio stations on ISS, one in the Columbus Module and one in the Service Module, supporting 24/7 communications with hams on the ground via voice and digital repeaters in space. ARISS also provides opportunities for youth and radio amateurs to downlink pictures, called Slow Scan Television (SSTV), from ISS as well as standard Television downlinks using our HamTV system and our L/S-Band antennas.
It’s important to note that these amateur radio systems are completely independent from the ISS communications systems. Because of that, they also serve as a pivotal ISS backup communications capability. If the main ISS communications systems fail or are rendered unusable, our flight hardware and ground operations team is ready to spring into action 24/7.
As we cross the threshold of 25 years of continuous operations on ISS and look forward to many more, ARISS will begin a one-year commemoration of its achievements. Several interactive initiatives for youth, educators, ham radio operators and the public are planned. Stay tuned to the ARISS website and social media channels to find out what what is planned. As reported in AMSAT News Service bulletins last week, the first commemorative event is already underway—an SSTV (picture downlink) event that started November 12 and runs through November 19.
[ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, ARISS-USA Executive Director, for the above information.]
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.
Colegio Del Faro, Benavídez, Tigre, Argentina, direct via LU4BB
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD
Contact was successful: Tue 2025-11-11 18:18:56 UTC 51 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the Colegio Del Faro students, Mike, mentor VE3TBD, and ground station LU4BB!
SPACE Academy of Azercosmos, Baku, Azerbaijan, direct via 4K4AZE
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE
Contact is go for: Sun 2025-11-16 14:53:03 UTC 28 degrees maximum elevation
Russian school TBD, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Platonov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Tue 2025-11-18 10:10 UTC
Escuela Jose Marti, Mexico City, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-11-19 15:34:03 UTC 55 degrees maximum elevation
Russian school TBD, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Platonov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2025-11-20 14:50 UTC
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
Packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) suspended for SSTV (145.800 MHz down) until November 20.
Ham TV is configured for scheduled digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz).
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
None currently scheduled.
Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ Amazon is rebranding its “Project Kuiper” constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. The program will now be known as “Amazon Leo.” There are now 153 Kuiper satellites satellites in orbit, intended to provide high-speed internet connections worldwide. (ANS thanks Amazon for the above information.)
+ LambdaVision, a biotech company, has flown nine missions to the ISS, where it produced a 200-layer protein thin film as a precursor to an artificial retina implants. Most recently, the company won a NASA Phase 2 In Space Production Applications award in September to continue developing the company’s in-space manufacturing process — in this case, in partnership with microgravity research firm Space Tango. (ANS thanks PayloadSpace.com for the above information. See the full article at https://payloadspace.com/lambdavision-closes-7m-seed-round-to-make-retinas-in-leo/.)
+ Three Chinese astronauts returned from their nation’s space station Friday after more than a week’s delay because the return capsule they had planned to use was damaged, likely from being hit by space debris. The team left their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit and came back using the recently arrived Shenzhou-21, which had ferried a three-person replacement crew to the station, China’s Manned Space Agency said. The original return plan was scrapped because a window in the Shenzhou-20 capsule had tiny cracks, most likely caused by impact from space debris, the space agency said Friday. (ANS thanks the Associated Press for the above information. Read the full story at https://apnews.com/article/china-space-station-stranded-crew-shenzhou-e266f7106491b587e60d303068973761)
+ SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink broadband satellites November 10 on a Falcon 9 rocket. It was the 94th orbital mission so far this year from Cape Kennedy, breaking 2024’s record of 93 launches. A SpaceX executive said at a conference recently that he expected the company to finish the year with 165 to 170 Falcon 9 launches, which would also be a record. The total number of Starlink satellites launched so far in 2025 is 2,600. And the year’s not over yet. (ANS thanks SpaceNews Editor’s Choice newsletter for the above information.)
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Mark Johns, KØJM
mjohns [at] amsat.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.
In this edition:
* SpaceX Bandwagon-4 Mission Places CEVROSAT-1 in Orbit with Rideshare Payloads
* CatSat to Open Microwave Linear Transponder Access for Amateur Radio Community
* ARISS to Mark 25 Years of ISS With Special Worldwide SSTV Event in November
* Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications Adds AMSAT Publications
* AI Fix from Earth Restores James Webb Telescope Clarity, No Astronauts Needed
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 7, 2025
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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 https://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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
SpaceX launched its Bandwagon-4 rideshare mission on November 2 at 0509 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, deploying eighteen satellites into a mid-inclination low Earth orbit. The flight is part of SpaceX’s dedicated mid-inclination rideshare program, complementing the Transporter series that serves sun-synchronous orbit customers. All spacecraft were successfully released from the Falcon 9 upper stage approximately seventy-five minutes after liftoff.
The manifest included CEVROSAT-1, an amateur radio satellite built by CEVRO University in the Czech Republic in partnership with Mendel University in Brno and Brno University of Technology. The 48-kilogram microsatellite carries a 9k6 G3RUH GFSK digipeater and AX.25 telemetry on 436.025 MHz, coordinated through the IARU. First signals were received shortly after deployment, with amateur operators reporting telemetry and digipeated packets and uploading frames to the SatNOGS network. The satellite supports student research, hands-on engineering education, and amateur radio experimentation, including an Earth-imaging payload and an optical reflector system for laser technology trials.
The largest spacecraft on the mission was a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite for South Korea’s Project 425 defense reconnaissance program. This continues South Korea’s partnership with SpaceX to deploy a constellation of independent surveillance satellites, following earlier launches on previous Bandwagon missions. The spacecraft is expected to provide high-resolution radar imagery to support national security and intelligence activities.
Commercial space station developer Vast deployed its Haven-Demo spacecraft, a 500-kilogram technology demonstrator designed to validate systems for the upcoming Haven-1 private station. The satellite will test avionics, communications, propulsion, and power systems in orbit. In addition, Starcloud launched Starcloud-1, a technology demonstration spacecraft billed as the first on-orbit artificial-intelligence compute node, featuring an advanced Nvidia processor intended to run large language models in space.
The Bandwagon-4 mission demonstrates the increasing diversity of spacecraft utilizing commercial rideshare launches, spanning defense, scientific, commercial, and amateur radio missions. With CEVROSAT-1 now active on orbit, radio amateurs are encouraged to monitor 436.025 MHz and submit reception reports as commissioning continues.
Read the full article at: https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-fourth-bandwagon-rideshare-mission/
[ANS thanks Jeff Foust, SpaceNews, and the Libre Space community, for the above information]
The CatSat team has announced that preparations are underway to open public operation of the spacecraft’s linear transponder, offering the amateur-radio community a new microwave-band satellite resource. CatSat, a 6U CubeSat developed and flown by students, faculty, and staff at the University of Arizona in partnership with FreeFall Aerospace and Rincon Research, has been on orbit since July 2024 and is now entering the phase of its mission focused on community engagement and technology demonstration.
CatSat was launched aboard a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Measuring roughly the size of a family-size cereal box, the spacecraft carries a suite of experimental payloads, including a novel inflatable antenna capable of enabling large-aperture communications from a small satellite platform. In addition to ionospheric monitoring via high-frequency (HF) radio measurements and imaging of the Earth, CatSat includes a linear transponder for amateur radio, extending the University of Arizona’s long legacy in space science down to hands-on student involvement.
The satellite orbits Earth in a nearly sun-synchronous polar orbit, circling the globe approximately every 90 minutes. As part of its student-driven mission, CatSat is demonstrating how cutting-edge antenna systems and commercial-off-the-shelf radio hardware can support meaningful research and amateur communications from a compact form factor. The mission is funded by the University of Arizona Office of the Vice President for Research and the Arizona Space Institute, with additional support from industry partners.
Early on-orbit demonstrations used a 1-meter C-band uplink dish and a 6.1-meter X-band downlink dish to confirm transponder functionality, successfully relaying Morse code. The CatSat team is now constructing a more accessible ground station using 1-meter-class commercial antennas to show that amateur access is practical with reasonably sized equipment. Operators will be able to monitor schedule updates — informally known as the “five and dime” plan — through the CatSat mission website.
Commissioning passes targeting the CatSat ground stations in Tucson took place on October 29 and November 2, with one final activation scheduled for November 9 at approximately 7:50 PM MST (UTC-7) — just hours after this bulletin’s publication. As testing continues, dates may shift as the team evaluates performance and power-budget constraints. Operators can follow activation plans and future opportunities at https://catsat.arizona.edu.
Read the full announcement at: https://catsat.arizona.edu/news/catsat-team-preparing-public-linear-transponder-operations
[ANS thanks the CatSat Team and the University of Arizona for the above information]
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will commemorate the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station with a special worldwide Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) event in mid-November. The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000, marking a major milestone in human spaceflight and international cooperation. ARISS, the first educational payload on the station, continues to play a key role in inspiring students, supporting STEM engagement, and connecting the global amateur radio community with astronauts in orbit.
The Series 30 SSTV event, titled “ISS at 25 and Scouts!” will feature 12 SSTV images celebrating the station’s 25-year milestone and Scouting. Transmissions are scheduled to begin Wednesday, November 12 around 1730 UTC and continue through Thursday, November 20 (time TBD). Downlink will occur on 145.800 MHz FM using the PD120 mode, following the standard ARISS pattern of approximately two minutes of transmission followed by two minutes off. A planned pause in images will occur to support an ARISS school contact with Azerbaijan on November 16 at 1450 UTC.
Radio amateurs and listeners worldwide are encouraged to participate, as ISS SSTV events are accessible to stations with a broad range of equipment. Many operators successfully receive images using only a handheld VHF radio and a phone-based decoding app, while more advanced satellite stations can produce particularly clean results. SSTV events continue to be a popular entry point for newcomers interested in amateur space communication.
In keeping with past ARISS activities, operators may also request a traditional ARISS QSL card to confirm SSTV reception. QSL requests must be mailed to the appropriate regional bureau with a self-addressed stamped envelope or sufficient return postage. Details and mailing addresses for each world region are available at https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html, and operators should include date, time, frequency, and mode with their report.
Additional updates and operating details will be posted on www.ariss.org and ARISS social media channels as the event approaches. AMSAT congratulates ARISS and the ISS program on 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the station and encourages radio amateurs everywhere to join in this special commemorative SSTV celebration honoring the ISS legacy and the role of amateur radio in space education.
[ANS thanks Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) for the above information]
The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications recently added publications provided by AMSAT from 1969-2013 to the Internet Archive. These include the vast majority of issues of the AMSAT Newsletter, AMSAT Satellite Report, AMSAT’s ORBIT magazine, and The AMSAT Journal for that time period.
The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications is a library of materials and collections related to amateur radio and early communications. The DLARC is funded by a significant grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications, a private foundation, to create a digital library that documents, preserves, and provides open access to the history of this community.
The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications can be accessed at https://archive.org/details/dlarc
AMSAT publications can be found at https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22AMSAT%22
Issues of The AMSAT Journal from 2014 to the present can be accessed by AMSAT members at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal
[ANS thanks the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications for the above information]
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has received a remarkable upgrade — not from astronauts or hardware, but from artificial intelligence. Researchers at the University of Sydney developed a software-based solution that corrected subtle image blurring in one of JWST’s most sensitive instruments, restoring the telescope’s precision without the need for any on-orbit servicing mission.
The issue affected JWST’s Aperture Masking Interferometer (AMI), a specialized instrument designed to resolve extremely fine features when observing stars and exoplanets. Soon after operations began, scientists noticed faint distortions caused by tiny electronic effects within the infrared detector. Rather than planning a complex repair mission, similar to how astronauts serviced the Hubble Space Telescope decades ago, the team pursued a software-only approach.
Two PhD researchers, Louis Desdoigts and Max Charles, created a new calibration system called AMIGO that uses artificial intelligence to model the behavior of JWST’s detector in space. By correcting a phenomenon known as the “brighter-fatter effect,” where electrical charge slightly spreads between pixels, their software restored AMI’s ability to produce extremely sharp, high-contrast images from millions of miles away.
The effort highlights a growing era where software and artificial intelligence can enhance or even “repair” spacecraft from the ground. “Instead of sending astronauts to bolt on new parts, they managed to fix things with code,” said Professor Peter Tuthill of the University of Sydney, whose group originally contributed the AMI instrument design for JWST. The achievement underscores both the telescope’s flexibility and Australia’s strong role in cutting-edge astronomical instrumentation.
The research has now been publicly released and peer-review is underway. The software tools are being prepared for use by the broader JWST science community, ensuring the telescope continues delivering unmatched views of the universe — all thanks to a clever fix developed on Earth, with no spacewalks or hardware intervention required.
Read the full article at: https://scitechdaily.com/how-ai-saved-nasas-10-billion-webb-telescope-from-blurry-vision/
ANS thanks University of Sydney and SciTechDaily for the above information]
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.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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.
+ Recently Completed
Petőfi Sándor Evangélikus Gimnázium, Kollégium és Általános Iskola, Mezőberény, Hungary, Telebridge via K6DUE
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-11-07 08:13:22 UTC
Watch the Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/share/16x7e1jvTv/ and https://www.facebook.com/mpseg/live_videos/
+ Upcoming Contacts
Colegio Del Faro, Benavídez, Tigre, Argentina, direct via LU4BB
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD
Contact is go for: Tue 2025-11-11 18:18 UTC
SPACE Academy of Azercosmos, Baku, Azerbaijan, direct via 4K4AZE
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE
Contact is go for: Sun 2025-11-16 14:53 UTC
Russian school TBD, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Platonov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Tue 2025-11-18 10:10 UTC
Russian school TBD, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Platonov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2025-11-20 14:50 UTC
Many times a school may make a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last-minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
Packet operations continue to be active (145.825 MHz up & down). HamTV is configured (2395.00 MHz).
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
None currently scheduled.
For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ AMSAT proudly recognizes two new operators who have earned the prestigious GridMaster Award. David Fisher, KG0D, achieved GridMaster Award #77 on October 19, 2025, followed by Gene Eighmy, KJ4M, who earned Award #78 on October 22, 2025. The GridMaster Award honors amateur satellite operators who successfully confirm contacts from all 488 Maidenhead grid squares across the continental United States — a challenge requiring exceptional operating skill, patience, and commitment. These accomplishments reflect not only the determination of the recipients but also the strong support and activity of the portable operators who make rare grid contacts possible. With only a small number of amateurs having reached this milestone, each new award represents a significant achievement within the satellite community. Congratulations to David and Gene on reaching this elite level of satellite operating excellence. (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests & Awards, for the above information)
+ Elon Musk’s Starlink has made satellite internet service free to residents in Jamaica and the Bahamas following widespread communications outages caused by Hurricane Melissa. Starlink says the temporary measure is intended to support emergency response and recovery efforts as infrastructure repairs continue. Although service fees are waived through the end of November, new users would still need to purchase a Starlink terminal if they don’t already have one. The company also enabled direct-to-cell service in Jamaica via Liberty Caribbean, allowing compatible phones to connect directly to Starlink satellites during terrestrial network disruptions. Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit constellation provides lower latency than traditional geostationary satellite internet, making it useful in disaster environments where real-time communication is critical, especially for first responders and emergency coordinators. SpaceX has offered similar emergency access before, including after major flooding in Texas and during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, reflecting an ongoing pattern of deploying satellite support during major disasters. (ANS thanks USA Today for the above information)
+ A historic 26-meter radio dish in Rosman, North Carolina—now part of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)—once served NASA’s Space Tracking and Data Acquisition network and later supported U.S. intelligence operations during the Cold War. Established in 1962, the site tracked early NASA satellites, supported Apollo recovery communications, and later hosted NSA signals-intelligence missions before being decommissioned in the 1990s. PARI’s nonprofit owners have since preserved the facility as an education and research campus, hosting camps, astronomy programs, and university instruments while maintaining operational deep-space-capable antennas. The institute recently listed portions of its 192-acre campus for sale or lease, seeking a partner who will continue its STEM outreach mission rather than convert the property to private development. PARI maintains real tracking capability, recently receiving signals from Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lunar lander and preparing to listen for NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft regardless of official involvement. Leaders stress that PARI is not shutting down, and they aim to secure support from the growing commercial space sector to keep the iconic “26 West” dish operating as a public educational and scientific asset. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)
+ Prusa Research has introduced Prusament PC Space Grade Black, a 3D-printing filament engineered for aerospace projects and developed in cooperation with TRL Space. The material meets European Space Agency (ESA) outgassing standards and provides electrostatic-dissipative protection, making it suitable for satellite components and electronics housings used in space environments. Mechanical testing shows it exceeds key strength and temperature requirements for CubeSat structures, demonstrating potential for lightweight printed parts on future missions. Unlike traditional space-qualified plastics that require expensive industrial printers, this filament can be printed on standard Prusa desktop systems with a hardened nozzle. That makes high-reliability parts and space-hardware prototyping significantly more affordable and accessible to universities, labs, and advanced hobbyists. With strong performance in vacuum, thermal, and ESD conditions, the material opens exciting possibilities for low-cost satellite development and electronics protection on Earth and beyond. (ANS thanks Prusa Research for the above information)
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.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.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — This year, Tuesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, and several central Ohio businesses will be offering special deals and discounts to honor and thank members of the U.S. military.
Most deals require a valid military ID or a dine-in purchase. Participation and details can vary by location. Readers are encouraged to check with their local restaurant or business to confirm availability.
Applebee’s
• Free special Veterans Day meal for veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11, dine-in only.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
• Receive a free Chocolate Chunk Pizookie when dining in with a valid military ID on Nov. 11. In addition, guests will receive a coupon for a free appetizer to use on a future visit, valid Nov. 12 through Dec. 31.
Bob Evans
• All veterans and active-duty military can receive a free dine-in meal from a special menu of farm-fresh favorites.
Buffalo Wild Wings
• Ten free boneless wings and fries for veterans and active-duty military with valid ID, available for dine-in or walk-in orders at GO locations on Nov. 11.
California Pizza Kitchen
• All veterans and active-duty service members in uniform or with a valid ID receive a free meal on Veterans Day. Dine in on Nov. 11 and choose one entrée from a special Veterans Day menu.
Chicken Salad Chick
• Free meal with one side and drink to all veterans and active-duty military on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. This offer is valid in-restaurant or drive-thru only at all locations for service members with a valid military ID.
Chili's
• All veterans and active military members can get a free meal on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at all participating Chili's Grill & Bar restaurants. The offer is available in-restaurant only for select items.
Denny’s
• Free Original Grand Slam breakfast for veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11 from 5 a.m. to noon at participating locations. To redeem this offer, veterans and active-duty military personnel must present a valid military ID or a DD-214.
Dunkin’
• Free donut for veterans and active military on Nov. 11, while supplies last.
El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant
• Dine-in meals are 20% off, available to all veterans and active-duty military members.
Golden Corral
• Free dine-in “thank you” meal on Military Appreciation Night, for any person who has served in the U.S. military (retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard or Reserves) on Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to close.
IHOP
• Free red, white and blue pancake combo for veterans and active military on Nov. 11, dine-in from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Logan’s Roadhouse
• On Nov. 11, active-duty military and veterans can receive a free meal from a Veterans Day menu with proof of service. The offer is valid from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for dine-in customers.
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
• Menchie's is offering all veterans their first 6 ounces of frozen yogurt free on Veterans Day.
Red Robin
• Veterans and military members who dine in enjoy a free Red’s Big Tavern Burger served with bottomless steak fries on Veterans Day.
Sheetz
• On Nov. 11, Sheetz invites all veterans and active duty military personnel to enjoy a free half-turkey sub and a regular-size fountain drink at any of Sheetz’s 800-plus store locations. The offer includes extras and add-ons to the sub. Sheetz will also offer a free car wash to veterans and active duty military. This offer applies to the $9 car wash option and is available at Sheetz stores with a car wash. Military ID or proof of service must be presented to qualify.
Starbucks
• Veterans, military servicemembers and military spouses can enjoy a free tall, 12-ounce brewed hot or iced coffee. The offer is valid on café and drive-thru orders on Nov. 11 at participating U.S. stores.
Torchy’s Tacos
• Torchy’s is offering a free taco and nonalcoholic beverage to all veterans and active U.S. military members at its locations nationwide. The offer is available on Nov. 11. Veterans and active military members must present a valid military ID or proof of service.
Twin Peaks
• On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, all veterans and active-duty service members can enjoy a free lunch from a select menu between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A valid military ID is required for these discounts and promotions. Many Twin Peaks locations offer 20% food discounts every day to military veterans and first responders. Some locations also feature additional promotions, including Military Mondays with special offerings.
White Castle
• White Castle is celebrating Veterans Day by offering a free individual combo meal or a breakfast combo meal to all veterans and active-duty service members with ID on Nov. 11. White Castle will also serve its Sliders in specially designed patriotic packaging.
Connell’s Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts
• Veterans and current service members are invited to stop by on Nov. 11, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to receive a complimentary bouquet as a thank-you for their service. Guests are asked to show a valid military ID or veteran card to receive their bouquet.
Great Clips
• On Nov. 11, veterans and active service members can visit any Great Clips salon and get a free haircut or a free haircut card to use at a later date. Non-military customers who get a haircut at Great Clips on Veterans Day will also receive a free haircut card to give to an active service member or veteran in their life as a token of thanks. The cards can be redeemed through Dec. 5.
Home Depot
• Active service members, veterans and their spouses enjoy 10% off eligible purchases every day. Participants must register to verify their military status through Home Depot's third-party vendor.
Rack Room Shoes
• Military personnel can present their valid U.S. military ID to receive a 10% discount on in-store purchases every Tuesday and a 20% discount every Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.
Target
• With Target Circle Military Appreciation, customers can get 10% off two storewide purchases. Customers must verify as military personnel, a veteran, or a family member to begin.
Tractor Supply Co.
• Hometown Heroes receive a 10% discount on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. To enjoy Hometown Heroes benefits, participants can join Neighbor’s Club and verify their status through ID.me. Current and former military service members and first responders who have enrolled in Neighbor’s Club can verify their Hometown Hero status through ID.me by visiting Tractorsupply.com/hometownheroes and clicking “verify.”
In this edition:
* AMSAT President Outlines Future Directions
* Symposium Videos Available on YouTube
* Is AO-7 Still the Oldest Satellite?
* Amateur Radio Receiver Reveals Global Satellite Privacy Issue
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Russian Cosmonauts Conduct Spacewalk Outside ISS
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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 https://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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
At the Annual General Meeting of AMSAT members, held as part of the AMSAT Symposium in Phoenix, Ariz. last weekend, newly elected AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, outlined some future directions for the organization.
Noting that membership in organizations and voluntary associations of all types has been declining across the board, in all areas of society, Glasbrenner suggested a two-pronged approach.
First, reduce the cost per member. AMSAT has already made major steps in that direction, by closing the office and changing to an all-volunteer administration, and also by changing the AMSAT Journal from print to a digital publication. The organization should seek more opportunities to economize.
Second, increase membership by creating a strategy to actively seek and invite new hams. The Board has just approved a free student membership to bring young hams into the organization. Reinstating a College Activity Night on the satellites, an AMSAT Youth Net, and publicizing youth satellite activities are priorities. Another possibility might be a two-tiered membership structure with a low-fee introductory membership.
AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, addresses the 2025 Annual General Meeting in Phoenix (Credit: David Vine, WA1EAW, AMSAT Director of Public Relations)
Glasbrenner also noted that government budget cuts have caused NASA to eliminate the CubeSat Launch Initiative program (CSLI), which provided free launch opportunities to educational projects. AMSAT has benefited from CSLI, but has also purchased commercial launches in the past. He indicated that AMSAT should not wait to see if CSLI is reinstated or replaced with a similar program, but that the organization should move forward to fund commercial launches for GOLF-Tee and Fox Plus satellites that are nearing readiness in coming months.
Another challenge facing AMSAT is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). While orbital debris regulations forbid launches to higher orbits without meeting stringent technical requirements for deorbiting, reentry devices are largely unavailable or unproven. The GOLF program is meant to address this, but launches to higher orbits are also difficult to find. Future rules may mandate propulsion for collision avoidance in LEO.
A strategy to meet these orbital challenges is to focus on developing amateur radio payloads that can fly on other satellites. The Italian Greencube satellite, IO-117, was an example. To take advantage of these opportunities, AMSAT engineers must focus on developing payloads as a series, rather than as single projects, so that units are “on the shelf” and available on short notice. The SDR Gen2 transverter board – an updated version of the units flown on HuskySat and MESAT1 – is a major step in this direction, as is the updated PacSat board under development. The GOLF and Fox Plus programs are also being crafted to create satellites in a series with iterative improvements and an up-tempo launch cadence.
Finally, Glasbrenner called for strengthening international collaboration with other AMSAT organizations around the world, as well as establishing mechanisms for strategic planning at the Board of Directors level. His address was received enthusiastically by those in attendance.
[ANS thanks Mark Johns, KØJM, News Service Senior Editor, for the above information.]
Video of presentations at the 2025 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA are now available on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.
Friday, October 17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAC9_Uh2ys4
Saturday, October 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0K9cHCz9Fw
Embedded hyperlinks are provided for direct access to the beginning of each presentation.
| Start | Speaker | Topic |
| 1:00 PM | Introduction/Announcements | Robert Bankston, KE4AL, Outgoing President |
| 1:05 PM | AMSAT President Welcome | Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Incoming President |
| 1:15 PM | Cameron Castillo, KJ7ILB | ASCENT Team Propulsion |
| 1:45 PM | Jim McCullers, WA4CWI | Oscar to OsTrax |
| 2:15 PM | Andrew Robinson, KA3WDW | FoxPlus Mechanical Layout & Design |
| 3:00 PM | Heimir Thor Sverrisson, W1ANT | Extending Command and Control for GOLF |
| 3:30 PM | Frank Bauer, KA3HDO | ARISS |
| 4:00 PM | Frank Karnauskas, N1UW | Youth Initiative |
| 4:30 PM | Jim White, WD0E | ARDC |
| Start | Speaker | Topic |
| 8:00 AM | Alan Johnston, KU2Y | CubeSatSim Update & Demonstration |
| 9:00 AM | Agastya Bose, KJ5MSH | CubeSatSim, UT Dallas – Workshop Reflections |
| 9:15 AM | Larry Ryan, W7DGP | Building the CubeSatSim |
| 9:30 AM | Frederic Raab, KK6NOW | Bridging Orbit and Classroom: SatNOGS/CubeSatSim |
| 10:15 AM | Burns Fisher, WB1FJ | Telemetry for FoxPlus & GOLF CubeSats |
| 10:45 AM | Burns Fisher, WB1FJ | A New Use for Fox & MESAT-1 Whole Orbit Data Algorithm |
| 11:15 AM | Kipton Moravec, AE5IB | GOLF-TEE Electrical Power Supply (EPS) |
| 1:00 PM | Jerry Buxton, N0JY | Engineering / GOLF-TEE Update |
| 2:00 PM | Mike Moore, K4MVM | FoxPlus Update |
| 2:30 PM | Jerry Buxton, N0JY | Future Systems |
| 3:00 PM | Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA | Annual General Meeting |
* All times are U.S. Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7). Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
[ANS thanks David Vine, WA1EAW, AMSAT Director of Public Relations, for the above information.]
AMSAT-OSCAR 7, or AO-7, is the second Phase 2 amateur radio satellite constructed by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). It was launched into Low Earth Orbit on November 15, 1974 and remained operational until a battery failure in 1981. After 21 years of apparent silence, the satellite was heard again on June 21, 2002 – 27 years after launch, and it continues to be used by amateurs daily even now. For a couple decades, AMSAT has been able to proudly boast that this bird is the oldest operating satellite in space.
However, that record has been challenged. After 47 years of silence, LES-1, a satellite launched by the U.S. Air Force and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in 1965, began transmitting again. Its signals were detected by Phil Williams, G3YPQ, from North Cornwall in southwest England on 18 December 2012, verified by other members of Hearsat group, Flávio A. B. Archangelo, PY2ZX, in Brazil on 22 December 2012, and Matthias Bopp, DD1US, in Germany on 27 December 2012.
LES-1 (Illustration courtesy of MIT)
According to Williams, LES-1 was determined to be tumbling with a rotation rate of once every four seconds, as determined by distinctive fading of the signals. It is possible that, after 47 years, the batteries failed in a manner that allows them to carry charge directly through to the transmitter on 237 MHz, allowing the satellite to resume transmissions when it is in sunlight. The satellite continues to be operational as tracked by the SatNOGS network.
[ANS thanks Daily Galaxy for the above information. Read the full article at https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/10/lost-for-50-years-zombie-satellite-signals/.]
The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Here!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!
Imagine that you can buy a device for a few hundred dollars and listen in on private conversations, military negotiations, and even intercept important commands for power systems around the world. This is not a scene from a spy movie, but harsh reality. The vulnerability was accidentally discovered by researchers from the University of California and the University of Maryland. For three years, they listened in on secret military and private communications. The result was astonishing: almost half of all satellite transmissions were completely unencrypted.
Analysis of the intercepted traffic showed that the following was transmitted over the open airwaves:
Governments and corporations rely on these systems, considering them to be reliably secure. In fact, the risks are much more serious than just a breach of confidentiality. This vulnerability can be used as a weapon to track troop movements, sabotage vital infrastructure, and steal data on a massive scale.
The most disastrous aspect is that scientists analyzed only 15% of the total traffic, meaning that the actual scale of the problem could be much greater.
[ANS thanks E.Mike McCardel, AA8EM, and Ivan Hrinko of Universe Space Tech for the above information. Read the full article at https://universemagazine.com/en/amateur-radio-receiver-reveals-global-satellite-communications-disaster/.]
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/.
The following satellites have been removed from this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:
The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
Two Russian cosmonauts are back inside the International Space Station (ISS) after conducting a spacewalk to install a semiconductor materials experiment, as well as retrieve and jettison a no-longer-needed camera from the exterior of the orbiting complex.
Expedition 73 crew from three different space agencies. Seated in the front row are NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman. In the back row from left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov; NASA astronaut Jonny Kim; Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky; and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui. (Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)
Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky, both with Russia’s federal space corporation Roscosmos, marked the end of their first extravehicular activity (EVA) together.
Ryzhikov and Zubritsky installed the drum-shaped unit, ran power cables and mounted a swappable cassette. The experiment is intended to demonstrate the ability to produce very thin materials — too thin to be made reliably on Earth — that can go from the microgravity environment of outer space to being used in semiconductors.
Their primary task completed, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky then made their way to the Zvezda service module to remove and dispose of a high-definition television system that was originally a part of a Canadian commercial payload. Zubritsky then stood a the end of the European Robotic Arm and tossed the camera overboard, toward the rear of the space station, ensuring it would not come back in contact with the outpost.
[ANS thanks space.com for the above information. See the full article at http://bit.ly/4nepOWH.]
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.
RECENTLY COMPLETED
Colegio de Cultura Popular, Bogotá, Colombia, telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor was VE6JBJ
Contact was successful: Thu 2025-10-23 13:46:10 UTC 63 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the Colegio de Cultura Popular students, Zena, mentor VE6JBJ, and telebridge AB1OC!
18th Primary School of Larissa, Larissa, Greece, Telebridge via K6DUE
The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor was IKØWGF
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-10-24 08:04:47 UTC 33 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the 18th Primary School of Larissa students, Mike, mentor IKØWGF, and telebridge K6DUE!
Terre Haute Children’s Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana, direct via W9UUU
The ISS callsign was presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor was KD8COJ
Contact was completed: Sat 2025-10-25 13:45:00 UTC 52 degrees maximum elevation
Watch for Livestream at https://live.ariss.org
UPCOMING
Miejski Dom Kultury w Koło (abrr. MDK), Koło, Poland, Telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-10-29 10:36:06 UTC 49 degrees maximum elevation
Australian Air League, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via VK4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-10-31 09:59:01 UTC 39 degrees maximum elevation
Q-Tech conference – Wavell State High School, Wavell Heights, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via VK4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Sat 2025-11-01 09:10:47 UTC 86 degrees maximum elevation
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol:
Powering OFF Oct 28, 10:15 UTC, Powering ON Oct 29, 09:05 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.
Packet operations continue to be active (145.825 MHz up & down). HamTV is configured (2395.00 MHz).
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, writes:
AMSAT Ambassadors spread the word on amateur satellites – world-wide! If we’re not local to your club or convention, we’ll Zoom a show for you! An email I recently received:
“Clint,
“I wanted to thank you for your presentation. Our audience – both in person and via ZOOM – were all very enthusiastic about both the content and the unique way you presented it. While I had heard about the personalization used in your presentations, you really have to see it to appreciate it! I especially like how you threw in pictures from our club web site and addressed us personally.
“I was also appreciative of how you talked about the things you heard during our opening discussion, such as our recent HF antenna build. And how you gave the club officers kudos for working with the club. We tell our members that the club officers are only the facilitators, that they are the heart and soul.
“Once again, thank you for the great presentation! I hope you keep doing this, as it show great Amateur Radio spirit and a dedication to the hobby that is sorely needed.
“Regards,
“David Chapman – W9DPY
“VP, Williamson County”
Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ AMSAT is pleased to announce two new recipients of the prestigious GridMaster Award. Jean-Pierre Plessis, KQ4DO, earned GridMaster Award #75 on October 6, 2025, and Dwight Fletcher, N1RCN, became recipient #76 on the same date. The GridMaster Award is presented to amateur radio operators who confirm all 488 Maidenhead grid squares in the continental United States via satellite, a milestone that requires years of persistence and dedication. This accomplishment highlights both the operating skill of the awardees and the vital role of portable operators who activate rare grids. Only a very small group of amateurs have achieved this distinction, making it one of the highest honors in satellite operating. Congratulations to Jean-Pierre and Dwight on their outstanding achievements. (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests & Awards for the above information)
+ AMSAT-UK is 50 years old! To celebrate, they will use the callsign GB50AUK from 1st to 28th November 2025 on the satellites. QSLs via eQSL and QO-100 DX Club (qrz.com and LoTW pending). (ANS thanks Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, Hon Sec, AMSAT-UK, for the above information.)
+ A giant radio telescope in Crimea used in the past to support missions to Mars and Venus and attempt to contact alien civilizations has been destroyed in a drone attack. Ukrainian defense forces took down the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna dish to prevent Russian forces from using it to guide attacks on its territory. The RT-70 radio telescope has been under Russian control since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. According to Defense Express, Russians carried out major upgrades to the 5,000 metric ton structure to use it for military communications. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.space.com/astronomy/drone-destroyes-rt-70-radio-telescope-crimea.)
+ The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 mission has been installed on its Space Launch System rocket as preparations for the circumlunar flight continue despite a government shutdown. Orion rolled over to the VAB late Oct. 16 after completing work at another building at the center. That included having its launch abort system attached to the top of the capsule. At the Kennedy Space Center, where Artemis 2 launch preparations are taking place, 989 of the center’s 2,075 civil servants are excepted from furloughs, although they are currently not being paid. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information. See the full article at https://spacenews.com/orion-installed-on-sls-as-artemis-2-preparations-continue-during-shutdown/ [pay walled].)
+ Roughly 4,000 NASA employees — over 20% of the agency — have left in the past six months. Some were fired or retired early. Many took voluntary buyouts. In all cases, the root cause was the same: orders from on high to prepare for devastating budget cuts. The Planetary Society conducted interviews with a number of the former employees. See the interviews at https://www.planetary.org/articles/4000-gone-inside-nasas-brain-drain (ANS thanks The Planetary Society for the above information.)
+ AMSAT’s CubeSat SIM gets a mention in a YouTube video about using Raspberry Pi computers for STEM education. Watch the 29 minute video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvN3sE2Nv4U. Find out more about AMSAT’s CubeSat SIM at https://cubesatsim.com/. (ANS thanks Geeky Gadgets for the above information.)
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Mark Johns, KØJM
mjohns [at] amsat.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.
In this edition:
* AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Officers
* AMSAT Symposium Held in Phoenix
* AMSAT Releases Draft Educators Guide to Using Satellites in the Classroom
* AMSAT Student Memberships Now Offered at No-Cost
* Is Low Earth Orbit Getting Too Crowded?
* Swarm Reveals Growing Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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 https://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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
At its annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., the AMSAT Board of Directors elected Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, President. Glasbrenner succeeds Robert Bankston, KE4AL, who had served as AMSAT’s president since 2020 and earlier this year announced his intention to step down.
Glasbrenner had previously served as AMSAT’s Vice President – Operations since 2006, and as a director for many years. As an enthusiastic operator, Glasbrenner earned Satellite DXCC and WAS, AMSAT Gridmaster, and has over 2100 VUCC Satellite grids. He is also a proud father of two young hams, KO4UYE and KQ4SJM.
Additionally, Glasbrenner serves as a member of the International Amateur Radio Union’s (IARU) Satellite Frequency Coordination panel and advises university CubeSat teams on frequency coordination and licensing issues.
The Board of Directors also elected the following officers for the next year:
Executive Vice President: Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Vice President – Operations: Mark Hammond, N8MH
Vice President – Engineering: Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Treasurer: Steve Belter, N9IP
Secretary: Doug Tabor, N6UA
Additionally, the President appointed the following officers:
Vice President – Educational Relations: Alan Johnston, KU2Y
Vice President – Development: Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors and AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, for the above information]
Approximately 35 AMSAT members gathered at Holiday Inn Phoenix Airport North on Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18, for the 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting. They were joined by more than 50 guests, at any one time, tuning into the livestream online.
Presentations from the AMSAT Engineering teams updated participants on propulsion systems that may be used in the upcoming GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) series of satellites, mechanical design of the FoxPlus series of satellites, command and control, power management, and telemetry systems under development.
Presentations from the AMSAT Educational Relations team focused on the CubeSat Sim and its use in the classroom at various grade levels.
Additional presentations were made by AMSAT’s partner organization, ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), tracking software authors, and the AMSAT Youth Initiative.
The symposium culminated with the Banquet on Saturday evening with keynote delivered by Liam Cheney, PMP. Liam is an aerospace consultant and founder of Footstep Aerospace by AG3, LLC.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Here!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!
At the 2025 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., AMSAT Vice President – Educational Relations Alan Johnston, KU2Y, announced the availability of a draft version of Educators Guide to Using Satellites in the Classroom, a new guide covering AMSAT’s CubeSatSim and other resources available for utilizing satellites in classroom education.
Johnston emphasizes that this guide is a draft document and will be continuously revised with better formatting and more content.
The draft guide is available at https://cubesatsim.org/EducatorsGuide.
[ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President – Educational Relations for the above information]
At its annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., the AMSAT Board of Directors unanimously voted to offer student memberships at no-cost.
Free student memberships are offered for individuals under the age of 25 enrolled in an educational program from primary school through a Master’s degree.
The benefits of an AMSAT student membership include a one-year digital subscription to The AMSAT Journal and discounted prices on certain items in the AMSAT store.
Interested students may sign up for their no-cost membership at https://launch.amsat.org/Membership
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information]
Hundreds of satellites may soon be flying in orbital regions that are already too packed to allow safe and long-term operations, a new study suggests.
The study found that, while in 2019 only 0.2% of satellites in Earth orbit were forced to perform more than 10 collision-avoidance maneuvers per month, that percentage had risen sevenfold by early 2025, to 1.4%. That number might still seem low, but it means that some 340 satellites spend a lot of time dodging debris and other spacecraft.
Moreover, the satellite population is set to keep growing. While in 2019 about 13,700 objects (including space junk) zoomed around the planet in low Earth orbit (LEO), at altitudes below 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers), that number has since risen to 24,185 objects in 2025, an increase of 76%, according to the study. By the end of this decade, some 70,000 satellites may reside in LEO, according to industry growth predictions, representing a more than fivefold increase compared to the 2019 situation.
Artist’s rendering of space junk in orbit
[Image: European Space Agency]
The study, conducted by William E. Parker, Maya Harris, Giovanni Lavezzi, and Richard Linares of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was published September 26 in the journal, Acta Astronautica. The research was sponsored by the Department of the Air Force Artificial Intelligence Accelerator.
The authors selected 10 collision-avoidance maneuvers per month as a threshold at which satellite operation may become too complicated to be beneficial. Different operators choose a different threshold to perform collision-avoidance maneuvers. NASA spacecraft mostly maneuver when the collision risk is greater than 1 in 10,000. SpaceX — the world’s biggest satellite operator, with its Starlink broadband megaconstellation — is more cautious, using its autonomous space dodging system to avoid an object posing a risk greater than 1 in 3.3 million. Frequent maneuvers present a disruption to operations that some satellite handlers are better able to absorb than others.
[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/is-low-earth-orbit-getting-too-crowded-new-study-rings-an-alarm-bell. See the complete academic paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576525006332?dgcid=author.]
Using 11 years of magnetic field measurements from the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation, scientists have discovered that the weak region in Earth’s magnetic field over the South Atlantic – known as the South Atlantic Anomaly – has expanded by an area nearly half the size of continental Europe since 2014.
Earth’s magnetic field is vital to life on our planet. It is a complex and dynamic force that protects us from cosmic radiation and charged particles from the Sun.
It is largely generated by a global ocean of molten, swirling liquid iron that makes up the outer core around 3000 km beneath our feet. Acting like a spinning conductor in a bicycle dynamo, it creates electrical currents, which in turn, generate our continuously changing electromagnetic field – but in reality the processes that generate the field are far more complex.
Swarm, an Earth Explorer mission developed under ESA’s Earth Observation FutureEO programme, comprises a constellation of three identical satellites that precisely measure the magnetic signals that stem from Earth’s core, mantle, crust and oceans, as well as from the ionosphere and magnetosphere.
Thanks to this exceptional mission, scientists are gaining more insight into the different sources of magnetism to help understand how and why the magnetic field is weakening in some places and strengthening in others.
The weak field South Atlantic Anomaly was first identified southeast of South America back in the 19th century.
Today, the South Atlantic Anomaly is of particular interest for space safety, as satellites passing over the region are faced with higher doses of incoming radiation. This can lead to malfunctions or damage to critical hardware, and even blackouts.
Published this month in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, the latest results from the Swarm mission reveal that while the South Atlantic Anomaly expanded steadily between 2014 and 2025, a region of the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Africa has experienced an even faster weakening of Earth’s magnetic field since 2020.
“The South Atlantic Anomaly is not just a single block,” says lead author Chris Finlay, Professor of Geomagnetism at the Technical University of Denmark. “It’s changing differently towards Africa than it is near South America. There’s something special happening in this region that is causing the field to weaken in a more intense way.”
This behaviour is linked to strange patterns in the magnetic field at the boundary between Earth’s liquid outer core and its rocky mantle, known as reverse flux patches.
Prof. Finlay explains, “Normally we’d expect to see magnetic field lines coming out of the core in the southern hemisphere. But beneath the South Atlantic Anomaly we see unexpected areas where the magnetic field, instead of coming out of the core, goes back into the core. Thanks to the Swarm data we can see one of these areas moving westward over Africa, which contributes to the weakening of the South Atlantic Anomaly in this region.”
Swarm’s record-breaking 11 years
The latest model of Earth’s core-generated magnetic field marks a new milestone for ESA’s Swarm satellites, which have now provided the longest continuous record of magnetic field measurements from space.
The satellites were launched on 22 November 2013 as the fourth Earth Explorer mission, pioneering satellites that form a key component of ESA’s forward-looking FutureEO programme.
Conceived as demonstrators of innovative Earth observation technologies, these missions have long outlived their original design lifetime, become integral to long-term records, provided data for critical operational services, and have paved the way for future generations of satellites.
Swarm data underpin the global magnetic models used for navigation, monitor space weather hazards, and allow unprecedented insights into our Earth system from its core through to the outer reaches of Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s magnetic field strengthens over Siberia
The latest Swarm results highlight the dynamic nature of Earth’s magnetism. For example, in the southern hemisphere there is one point where the magnetic field is particularly strong, and in the northern hemisphere there are two – one around Canada and the other around Siberia.
“When you’re trying to understand Earth’s magnetic field, it’s important to remember that it’s not just a simple dipole, like a bar magnet. It’s only by having satellites like Swarm that we can fully map this structure and see it changing,” said Prof. Finlay.
However, since Swarm has been in orbit the magnetic field over Siberia has strengthened while it has weakened over Canada. The Canadian strong field region has shrunk by 0.65% of Earth’s surface area, which is almost the size of India, while the Siberian region has grown by 0.42% of Earth’s surface area, which is comparable to the size of Greenland.
This shift, which is caused by complex processes going on in Earth’s turbulent core, is associated with the northern magnetic pole moving towards Siberia in recent years. This shift is important for navigation, which is affected by the dance between these two areas of strong magnetic field.
ESA’s Swarm Mission Manager, Anja Stromme, said, “It’s really wonderful to see the big picture of our dynamic Earth thanks to Swarm’s extended timeseries. The satellites are all healthy and providing excellent data, so we can hopefully extend that record beyond 2030, when the solar minimum will allow more unprecedented insights into our planet.”
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency (ESA) for the above information.]
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.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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.
1st Radford Semele Scout Group, Radford Semele, United Kingdom, Direct via GB4RSS
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Jonathan (Jonny) Kim, KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor was MØXTD
Contact was successful: Sat 2025-10-18 09:51:59 UTC degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the 1st Radford Semele Scout Group students, Jonny, mentor MØXTD, and ground station GB4RSS!
Colegio de Cultura Popular, Bogotá, Colombia, telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ
Contact is go for: Thu 2025-10-23 13:46:10 UTC 63 deg
18th Primary School of Larissa, Larissa, Greece, Telebridge via K6DUE
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke, KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is IKØWGF
Contact is go for: Fri 2025-10-24 08:04:47 UTC 33 deg
Terre Haute Children’s Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana, direct via W9UUU
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jonathan (Jonny) Kim, KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor is KD8COJ
Contact is go for: Sat 2025-10-25 13:45:00 UTC 52 deg
Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/kULT9EvbPwc?feature=share or https://live.ariss.org
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
Packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) is ACTIVE.
Ham TV is CONFIGURED. Default mode is for scheduled digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz).
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
No events are currently scheduled.
Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ SpaceX closed a chapter in its Starship saga on October 13. It launched what appeared to be a nearly flawless suborbital mission with its Version 2 Starship-Super Heavy rocket, the final flight for this iteration of the launch vehicle. This was the final Starship launch of the year and the last mission that will fly from Pad A in its current configuration. SpaceX now turns its attention to completing and testing Version 3 of Starship-Super Heavy, which will begin launch from Pad B. It’s this iteration of the rocket that SpaceX intends to use for launching payloads to orbit and eventually flying missions to the Moon and Mars. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information. Read the full article at https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/10/14/spacex-launches-final-version-2-starship-super-heavy-rocket/.)
+ Approximately 550 employees of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be laid off, according to an announcement made on the agency’s website on October 13. The news comes in the midst of an ongoing U.S. government shutdown and the looming threat of the single largest funding reduction in NASA’s 66-year history. Due to those potential cuts, NASA has been forced to reshape many of its science and space exploration efforts. Scientists at NASA’S JPL oversee a fleet of flagship science missions designed to unravel the mysteries of our solar system. They include the Psyche asteroid probe, the Europa Clipper, the dark-matter-hunting Euclid Space Telescope, the Perseverance Mars rover and, of course, the Deep Space Network — the international array of antennas used to communicate with humanity’s spacefaring robotic explorers. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/nasa-lays-off-550-employees-at-jet-propulsion-laboratory-in-sweeping-realignment-of-workforce.)
+ The Federal Communications Commission, which issues Amateur Radio Service licenses, issued a Public Notice on Tuesday, September 30, indicating that it would suspend most operations following a shutdown. ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said the FCC systems appeared to go off-line around 1 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, and are redirecting to the Public Notice. This means the FCC will not be processing any amateur radio license applications during the shutdown, which includes individual, club, and exam session (new and upgrade) applications. However, Somma urged that Volunteer Examiners continue to promptly forward session results from their exams to the ARRL VEC. ARRL VEC will promptly resume submitting applications to the FCC for processing. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.)
+ A constellation of classified defense satellites built by SpaceX is emitting a mysterious signal that may violate international standards. Satellites associated with the Starshield satellite network appear to be transmitting to the Earth on frequencies normally used for sending commands from Earth to satellites in space. The use of those frequencies to “downlink” data runs counter to standards set by the International Telecommunication Union. Starshield’s unusual transmissions have the potential to interfere with other scientific and commercial satellites, warns Scott Tilley, VA7LF, an amateur satellite tracker in Canada who first spotted the signals. (ANS thanks National Public Radio for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.npr.org/2025/10/17/nx-s1-5575254/spacex-starshield-starlink-signal.)
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Mark Johns, KØJM
mjohns [at] amsat.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.
In this edition:
* AMSAT 2025 Board of Directors Election Results Announced to Membership
* Special Hotel Rate Deadline is September 24 for AMSAT 43rd Annual Symposium
* AMSAT July/August 2025 AMSAT Journal Now Available for Member Download
* Open Letter from AMSAT-SM Highlights Need for Full Duplex Handheld Radio
* Wow@Home Project Builds Worldwide SDR Telescope Network to Monitor the Sky
* Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL Debuts with Record Cargo Delivery to ISS
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 19, 2025
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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 https://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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
The 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election concluded on September 15, 2025, with a total of 330 votes cast. Four seats were up for election this year, with the four candidates receiving the highest number of votes elected to two-year terms on the Board of Directors, and the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes designated as Alternate Director for a one-year term.
The following have been elected to serve on the AMSAT Board of Directors:
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA – 261 votes
Jerry Buxton, NØJY – 254 votes
Barry Baines, WD4ASW – 245 votes
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW – 232 votes
Alternate Director:
Douglas Tabor, N6UA – 213 votes
The AMSAT Board of Directors is responsible for setting the organization’s strategic direction, overseeing satellite projects and operations, supporting educational outreach, and fostering collaboration with partners worldwide. The Board ensures that AMSAT continues to fulfill its mission of advancing amateur radio in space for the benefit of members and the broader amateur-radio community.
[ANS thanks Doug Tabor, N6UA, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
The deadline to reserve a hotel room at the AMSAT special rate for the 43rd Annual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting is Tuesday, September 24. The discounted rate of $129 plus tax is offered at the Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North, located minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
All rooms are two-room suites with a choice of two Queens or one King, and include breakfast, free parking, a free airport shuttle, outdoor pool, brew pub, courtyard, and fully updated rooms. Reservations must be made directly with the hotel using Group Code: P7C, and discounted rooms are limited.
Reservations can be made by calling 877-424-2449 or online at:
https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/phoenix/phxff/hoteldetail
(Select “Group Rate” under Rate Preference and enter P7C before continuing.)
[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP – Development, for the above information]
The July/August 2025 edition of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members. The AMSAT Journal is AMSAT’s bi-monthly digital magazine dedicated to amateur radio in space. Each issue features technical articles, educational initiatives, operating activities, and community news from around the world. Members can access both the latest edition and the full archive through the AMSAT member portal.
Inside the Current Issue: Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL; Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y; AMSAT Field Day 2025 Results – Bruce Paige, KK5DO; An Amateur Radio Eye on AI – Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK; Experimental Validation of the Mexican Network of Amateur Satellite Stations (REMEASAT) – Omar Álvarez Cárdenas, XE1AO, et al.
This issue opens with Robert Bankston, KE4AL, delivering his final Apogee View column as AMSAT President. Bankston reflects on five years of leadership, thanking members and volunteers for their dedication while emphasizing the need to continue pushing forward with higher orbits, expanded communications, and vigilance in protecting amateur frequencies. Educational outreach is another key theme, with Alan Johnston, KU2Y, providing updates on the CubeSatSim project, STEM activity guides, and recent demonstrations in the U.S. and Australia. He also previews educational sessions at both the AMSAT Space Symposium and AMSAT-UK Colloquium this October.
Contest enthusiasts will enjoy Bruce Paige’s, KK5DO, detailed report on the 2025 AMSAT Field Day. This year saw seventeen participating stations with highlights including innovative setups, first-time satellite contacts, and several memorable QSOs with the ISS. Other technical features include Joe Kornowski’s article, An Amateur Radio Eye on AI, exploring practical applications of artificial intelligence for weak-signal decoding, propagation forecasting, and antenna optimization, as well as a comprehensive study on the Experimental Validation of the Mexican Network of Amateur Satellite Stations (REMEASAT), showcasing citizen-science collaboration across Mexico and beyond.
Beyond the feature articles, the issue also highlights upcoming events such as the 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting, scheduled for October 16–19 in Phoenix, Arizona. Members will also find announcements on opportunities to support AMSAT through the President’s Club and eBay for Charity initiatives, reflecting the many ways volunteers and donors continue to strengthen AMSAT’s mission of keeping amateur radio in space.
AMSAT members can access the July/August 2025 edition and archived issues at: https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal
[ANS thanks Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK, Editor-in-Chief of The AMSAT Journal, for the above information]
In August, the AMSAT-SM group in Sweden issued an open letter to several major amateur radio manufacturers calling for the development of a new handheld transceiver with true full duplex capability. The initiative, led by Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU, highlights the strong demand within the satellite operating community for modern equipment that supports simultaneous transmit and receive on different bands without desense.
The letter was sent to a dozen manufacturers, including Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, Alinco, Baofeng, TYT, Wouxun, Retevis, AnyTone, QYT, Radtel, and Verotelecom. These companies represent both long-established Japanese firms and newer Chinese brands that have introduced a wide variety of handhelds in recent years. While today’s radios often feature APRS, GPS, Bluetooth, and USB-C charging, none currently provide the full duplex FM capability needed for effective satellite operation.
AMSAT-SM emphasized that full duplex operation is vital for amateur satellite use, allowing operators to hear their own downlink while transmitting. This feature was present in older, now-discontinued models such as the Kenwood TH-D72, but is missing from all currently produced handhelds. The group argued that satellite operators would be willing to pay a premium for this capability, and that manufacturers could capture a unique market by stepping into this space.
AMSAT-SM further suggested several “nice to have” features that could broaden the radio’s appeal. These included APRS with GPS, Bluetooth support for wireless headsets, and computer connectivity over Bluetooth for channel programming and Doppler control. The group specifically recommended implementing the CAT protocol over Bluetooth, which would allow operators to use existing satellite tracking and Doppler correction software without proprietary apps.
As of August 30, AMSAT-SM reported that three of the twelve manufacturers contacted had responded to their appeal, with one company moving forward in discussions. While details remain confidential, the group encourages operators to stay tuned for updates. The effort reflects both the continuing innovation within the amateur satellite community and the strong desire for modern, purpose-built equipment to support space-based communication.
Read the full letter at: https://www.amsat.se/2025/08/16/open-letter-from-amsat-sm-regarding-development-of-a-full-duplex-handheld/
[ANS thanks Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU and AMSAT-SM for the above information]
The Wow@Home project, inspired by the famous “Wow!” signal detected in 1977, is advancing its effort to establish a global network of small, software defined radio (SDR) telescopes dedicated to searching for transient astrophysical events and potential technosignatures. Testing of hardware and software continues, though progress has been slowed by a shortage of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), a key component expected back in stock later this month. Project organizers note that the original Wow! signal was strong enough to have been detected by a modest home telescope, underscoring the scientific value of a distributed approach.
A worldwide network of small radio telescopes offers distinct advantages compared to professional observatories. These low-cost systems can operate autonomously around the clock, providing continuous sky monitoring that large instruments cannot sustain. Distributed across different time zones, the network allows global coverage, coincidence detection of events, and rapid response to alerts. The approach is scalable, resilient, and accessible, making it ideal for education, citizen science, and wider participation in radio astronomy.
The prototype Wow@Home telescope is a meridian-style system modeled after the Big Ear telescope used in the Ohio State SETI project. With a fixed elevation and a wide 25-degree beam, the telescope surveys a full 360-degree strip of sky each day as the Earth rotates. Over time, multiple passes yield full-sky coverage. While sensitivity is lower than professional instruments, this design provides valuable data on radio frequency interference (RFI) near the hydrogen line and creates a platform for detecting strong transient events.
The Wow@Home network is not an interferometer and does not measure polarization at this stage. Its strength lies in continuous, distributed monitoring for signals lasting from seconds to days. Coordinated observations across multiple sites can confirm weak or short-lived events, eliminate local interference, and provide complementary coverage to large observatories. Recent discoveries of Fast Radio Bursts and long-period transients illustrate the types of phenomena that modest instruments may detect if deployed widely.
Looking ahead, organizers estimate that at least 114 telescopes are required for basic sky coverage, with about 342 needed for effective redundancy and RFI rejection. At a cost of roughly $500 per station, the full network could be established for under $200,000—far less than a single professional facility. A public version of the Wow@Home software is expected by late 2025 or early 2026. Volunteers with expertise in RFI mitigation, graphical interfaces, or app development are encouraged to contribute. More information is available from project lead Abel Méndez at the University of Puerto Rico (abel.mendez [at] upr.edu).
Project details and updates are available at: https://phl.upr.edu/wow/outreach
[ANS thanks Abel Mendez, University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, and RTL-SDR.com for the above information]
Northrop Grumman’s newest cargo spacecraft, the Cygnus XL, successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 18 following its debut launch. The capture took place at 7:24 a.m. EDT (1124 UTC) as NASA astronaut Jonny Kim operated the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the freighter while the complex orbited about 260 miles (420 kilometers) above the Democratic Republic of Congo. The arrival came one day later than originally planned after the spacecraft overcame a thruster issue during rendezvous preparations.
The mission, designated NG-23, lifted off on September 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This launch marked the 23rd Cygnus resupply flight for NASA, continuing Northrop Grumman’s role in commercial cargo delivery. The company partnered with SpaceX to provide launch services after previously relying on its Antares rocket.
A thruster anomaly initially delayed Cygnus XL’s approach, requiring mission planners to rework the trajectory for a safe capture. “It’s a very intricate planning exercise that we have to go through to arrive at Space Station and rendezvous in a very specific point in space,” explained Bill Spetch, NASA ISS operations integration manager. Engineers resolved the issue, allowing the spacecraft to complete its final maneuvers and reach the station safely.
Cygnus XL represents the largest and most capable version of the cargo vehicle to date. The freighter delivered approximately 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) of supplies, science experiments, and hardware, compared to about 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) on earlier flights. The debut also ended a year-long gap in Cygnus operations, caused by delays to the NG-22 mission, which was ultimately canceled following transport damage.
The NG-23 vehicle was christened the S.S. William “Willie” McCool, honoring the NASA astronaut who lost his life in the 2003 space shuttle Columbia tragedy. “To see a ship bearing his name safely arrive at the station is a reminder that his courage and kindness are still circling our beautiful planet Earth,” said Kim after completing capture operations.
On board are materials to advance research in multiple disciplines, including semiconductor crystal growth, pharmaceutical manufacturing, cryogenic fuel tank technology, and microbial control systems. NASA highlighted a specialized ultraviolet light unit to improve water system safety and crystal-growth experiments that could lead to new cancer treatments. The S.S. McCool was berthed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port at 10:10 a.m. EDT (1410 UTC) on September 18 and is scheduled to remain at the ISS until March 2026 before deorbiting to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
[ANS thanks Mike Wall, Space.com for the above information]
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.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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.
+ Recently Completed
Taka Town Board of Education Children’s Future Division, Taka Town, Japan, direct via JA3YRL
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Kimiya Yui KG5BPH
The ARISS mentor was 7M3TJZ
Contact was successful: Thu 2025-09-11 09:22:34 UTC
Congratulations to the Taka Town Board of Education Children’s Future Division students, Kimiya KG5BPH, mentor 7M3TJZ, and ground station JA3YRL!
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, Nigeria, telebridge via ZS6JON
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor was IN3GHZ
Contact was successful: Sat 2025-09-20 09:37:23 UTC
Congratulations to the NASRDA students, Zena KJ5CMN, mentor IN3GHZ, and ground station ZS6JON!
+ Upcoming Contacts
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Platonov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for: Wed 2025-09-24 10:00 UTC
Many times a school may make a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last-minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
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.
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
Radio Society of Tucson Autumn Hamfest – September 27, 2025
Calvary Lutheran Church
8711 East Speedway Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85710
https://k7rst.club/2025/08/rst-autumn-hamfest-2025/
N1UW
North Star Radio Convention – October 11, 2025
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
https://northstarradio.org/
ADØHJ
43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting – October 16 thru 19, 2025
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Details at https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/
Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ A recent experiment demonstrated that a Bitcoin Lightning payment invoice can be relayed through the amateur radio satellite QO-100, showcasing a new use of its wideband digital transponder. The test employed the AMSAT-DL Multimedia High-Speed Modem to convert a BOLT11 Lightning invoice into an image file, modulate the data, and uplink it to QO-100 at 25.5°E in geostationary orbit. After rebroadcast to Earth, the file was decoded by ground stations, the QR code was scanned, and the Lightning Network completed the payment settlement over the internet. For amateur satellite operators, the project highlights QO-100’s ability to serve as a versatile platform for high-speed digital and multimedia experimentation. By carrying a novel real-world application such as a cryptocurrency invoice, the satellite demonstrates how amateur payloads can support resilience testing for communications under censorship, outages, or disaster conditions. Though still limited to technically capable stations within the satellite’s footprint, the milestone illustrates the expanding scope of amateur radio satellite experimentation. (ANS thanks The Currency Analytics for the above information)
+ Astronomers have observed a collision between two black holes, GW250114, in unprecedented detail, confirming long-standing predictions made by Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Detected by the twin LIGO observatories in Louisiana and Washington, the event produced gravitational waves first theorized by Einstein in 1915, generated as the two black holes — each about 30–35 solar masses — spiraled inward and collided. Their violent merger created a remnant roughly 63 times the mass of the Sun, spinning at 100 revolutions per second, while sending a powerful burst of gravitational energy across the universe. For the first time, researchers clearly detected the “ringing” tones of the new black hole, validating Roy Kerr’s theory that such objects can be fully described by just mass and spin. The observation also confirmed Hawking’s 1971 surface area theorem, which states that black hole area can never decrease after a merger, a cornerstone concept in modern physics. Improved LIGO sensitivity, now more than three times greater than a decade ago, made this high-clarity detection possible. The findings mark a milestone in gravitational-wave astronomy and offer scientists a sharper tool for probing the fundamental nature of space and time. (ANS thanks CNN for the above information)
+ SpaceX is preparing to begin testing direct-to-device satellite communications late next year, following its $17 billion acquisition of S-band spectrum from EchoStar. Company president Gwynne Shotwell told attendees at World Space Business Week in Paris that this spectrum will support an entirely new generation of Starlink satellites designed for global handheld connectivity. SpaceX is already working with chip manufacturers to embed compatibility into consumer smartphones and with mobile network operators to deliver wholesale satellite capacity to their subscribers. Shotwell emphasized that owning globally cleared spectrum avoids the “clunky” process of negotiating national rights and provides a more streamlined way to cross international borders. She called the effort the beginning of a major technical push, requiring new payload designs and close partnerships across the telecom sector. These larger Starlink satellites are planned for future launches aboard Starship, which is now progressing toward its next test flights as the platform for next-generation payloads. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)
+ Federal funding is set to expire September 30 for 19 active NASA science missions, including New Horizons and Juno, raising fears of shutdowns. The White House FY2026 budget proposal calls for a 25% cut to NASA overall and nearly 50% to the Science Mission Directorate, potentially terminating dozens of operating spacecraft. Among the missions at risk are the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Mars orbiters, and New Horizons, which remains healthy and could operate into the 2040s while continuing to study the Kuiper Belt. Juno, currently orbiting Jupiter, continues to deliver science despite radiation damage and is pioneering “annealing” techniques that could benefit future deep-space missions and even Earth satellites. Scientists warn that turning off these spacecraft would permanently end their data return and erase decades of investment. Such cuts would not only jeopardize unique scientific opportunities but also weaken U.S. leadership in planetary exploration at a time of growing international competition. Congressional action this fall will determine whether these missions survive or are shut down permanently. (ANS thanks Ars Technica for the above information)
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.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.
In this edition:
* CubeSats to Deploy from ISS on September 19
* Register Now – AMSAT Symposium Prices Increase September 16
* AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ends September 15, 2025
* FCC Grants AST SpaceMobile Limited Use of Amateur Radio Band
* ARRL Lab Helps Radio Amateurs Avoid Interfering With US Space Force Radar
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Space Station’s Silver Jubilee Celebrated with Silver Research
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® 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
Sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, has announced that five Japanese CubeSats will be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on September 19 (though the date and time of the deployment are subject to change due to the ISS schedule modification). The deployment event for those satellites will be broadcast via YouTube JAXA Channel. Four of the CubeSats, carrying scientific and educational payloads, will operate in the amateur bands, and radio amateurs around the world are invited to participate in the projects:
GHS-01 is a 2U size CubeSat equipped with a camera for photographing the earth, a sensor for checking the state of the satellite, and an attitude control device. In response to commands from the ground station, the satellite-mounted camera photographs the earth from space and transmits the image data to the ground. In order for amateur radio users around the world to voluntarily acquire image data taken by this satellite by radio, the date and time of image transmission will be published on the website https://gifuhs2022.wordpress.com/. Also, the satellite carries a digitalker mission. Audio data is transmitted from a ground station and stored in the satellite. The voice data is transmitted from the satellite as an analog FM voice signal, and a message is broadcast from space. The date and time the message will be sent will be published on the website. The satellite was built by Gifu University with technical cooperation for using satellite radio waves with sister schools of universities and high schools such as Lithuania, Australia, Kenya, South Korea, and Taiwan. A downlink on 437.090 MHz has been coordinated with 20 wpm CW, 1k2 AFSK, 9k6 GMSK and digitalker voice.
DRAGONFLY, coordinated by Kyushu Institute of Technology, is part of the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project, BIRDS-X, and funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications in the U.S. The 2U CubeSat will carry APRS digipeaters on 145.825 MHz, as well as a Store and Forward messaging system. In addition to the VHF APRS frequency, a UHF downlink for CW beacon and telemetry using 4k8 GMSK will transmit at 437.375 MHz. A ground terminal competition will be held on DRAGONFLY. More information is available at https://birds-x.birds-project.com/
STARS-Me2, a 1U CubeSat built by Shizuoka University features an earth observation camera, but the real experimentation takes place on the AX.25 radio downlinks on which those photos are transmitted back to earth. Reception success rates at receiving ground stations will be measured at baud rates of 1.2kbps, 9.6kbps and 115.2kbps. The coding gain of the error correction scheme will be measured on the downlinks. And the reception performance with polarization diversity at multiple terrestrial receiver stations (developed by amateur radio operators) will be evaluated. The goal is to learn more about how large data sets, such as images, are best transmitted from space. UHF downlinks with CW, 1k2 AFSK, 9k6 FSK and 115.2 bps GMSK are coordinated for 437.350 MHz, 437.400 MHz and 437.200 MHz.
RSP-03 is also a 1U CubeSat carrying a camera, but in this case the camera will not be aimed at earth, but at the stars. The main mission is to capture the star data by camera, convert it to “audible data,” and deliver the audio to the ground as a “Stellar Symphony.” After acquiring data of stars and constellations captured by the onboard camera an on-board AI will compose sounds from the star data and transmit it to the ground via an FM Digi-talker. In addition, digital data will be sent using various baud rates and modulation modes, and a digital “QSL card,” stored on the satellite before launch will be transmitted via SSTV after amateurs have uploaded their callsigns from the ground. A downlink at 437.050 MHz will be shared by the FM Digi-talker, 1200 BPS (AFSK on FM), 9600 BPS (GMSK), and 24000 BPS (4FSK, OQPSK). Details are at https://rsp03.rymansat.com/en.
[ANS thanks Masa Arai, JN1GKZ, IARU, and JAXA for the above information.]
Your 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coin Is Waiting!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
Discounted registration for the 2025 AMSAT Symposium, to be held October 17-19, 2025 in Phoenix, AZ will be available through September 15th. Prices increase on September 16th.
Credit: Holiday Inn Suites Phoenix Airport North
For details, visit https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/ .
Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your paper or presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 8th for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings.
Proposals for presentations at the Symposium do not require a paper. Presentations will be recorded and made available on AMSAT’s YouTube Channel and transcribed and published with its slides in the Proceedings.
Proposals should be sent to Frank Karnauskas, N1UW via f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org .
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
Four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year. The four candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats and the candidate receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared the First Alternate. Members’ opportunity to vote ends on Monday September 15, 2025. Results will be announced no later that September 30, 2025.
The following candidates who have been duly nominated are as follows:
Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, NØJY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
Douglas Tabor, N6UA
AMSAT members may review the candidate statements and cast their ballots at https://launch.amsat.org/2025-BoD-Election .
[ANS thanks Douglas Tabor, N6UA, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information.]
AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!
Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite
Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only)
Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
The FCC Space Bureau has granted a license to AST & Science LLC (operating as AST Space Mobile) for using the 430 — 440 MHz amateur radio allocation for TT&C operations for 20 additional satellites.
The FCC Space Bureau commented: “At this time, to address the concerns raised by amateur radio operators and the petitioner, we issue a limited grant to AST to conduct emergency operations in the 430–440 MHz bandwhen no other bands are available for the 20 additional satellites authorized herein for a period not to exceed 24 hours.”
This decision is the result of over 2500 comments to the FCC by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and several International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member societies, AMSAT, and individual amateur radio operators. The IARU maintains its view that the use of Article 4.4 of the ITU Radio Regulations is inappropriate in this matter, in particular as there are existing allocations in the UHF spectrum for Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) operations. There are no technical or operational requirements for AST & Science LLC to intrude the 430–440 MHz spectrum which is a primary amateur and amateur satellite service allocation in ITU Region 1 and in several countries in Region 2.
The IARU and its member societies will continue to monitor the further development of this issue. As a sector member of ITU‑R, the IARU will contribute towards improving the respective process concerning Article 4.4.
The IARU is grateful for the support and contributions from our member-societies.
[ANS thanks IARU for the above information.]
US Space Command headquarters is being moved to Huntsville, Alabama, known as “Rocket City USA.” The move was announced in a press conference on September 2, 2025. Huntsville will host the 2026 ARRL National Convention as part of the Huntsville Hamfest, but there’s a bigger connection between U.S. Space Command and amateur radio.
Space Command utilizes forces such as the US Space Force to accomplish its command mission. The ARRL Lab supports the U.S. Space Force’s Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) early warning radar installations which scan the skies for incoming missiles and space junk.
Since 2007, the ARRL Lab has been conducting this crucial analysis using Longley-Rice terrain modeling to determine if an amateur fixed station, repeater, or EME station is eligible for a waiver to be granted by the military to run more than the 50 watts of RF power on the 70-centimeter band currently allowed with a 100-mile radius of either the Cape Cod Air Force Station in Massachusetts, or Beale Air Force Base in California. “We want to ensure that amateurs can exercise as many operating privileges as possible, while understanding the need for the Space Force to operate without interference,” said ARRL Lab Manager George Spatta, W1GKS.
The reports provided to the Space Force advise a “cone of protection” in azimuth and elevation at which the amateur would be limited to a power level which would not interfere with the radar.
Amateurs are secondary users on the 70-centimeter band and the ARRL Lab’s cooperation with the military helps ensure we do not interfere with this vital function of our nation’s security. As of this writing, the Lab is conducting this analysis for two different waiver requests. “It is an important part of the work we do to serve radio amateurs,” said Spatta.
[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]
Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
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/.
EIRSAT-1 NORAD Cat ID 58472 Decayed from orbit on or about 5 September 2025
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.]
This November marks a quarter century of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, which has served as a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including human missions to the Moon and Mars. To kick off the orbiting laboratory’s silver 25th anniversary countdown, here are a few silver-themed science investigations that have advanced research and space exploration.
Antimicrobial properties
Silver has been used for centuries to fight infection, and researchers use its unique properties to mitigate microbial growth aboard the space station. Over time, microbes form biofilms, sticky communities that can grow on surfaces and cause infection. In space, biofilms can become resistant to traditional cleaning products and could infect water treatment systems, damage equipment, and pose a health risk to astronauts. The Bacterial Adhesion and Corrosion investigation studied the bacterial genes that contribute to the formation of biofilms and tested whether a silver-based disinfectant could limit their growth.
Another experiment focused on the production of silver nanoparticles aboard the space station. Silver nanoparticles have a bigger surface-to-volume ratio, allowing silver ions to come in contact with more microbes, making it a more effective antimicrobial tool to help protect crew from potential infection on future space missions. It also evaluated whether silver nanoparticles produced in space are more stable and uniform in size and shape, characteristics that could further enhance their effectiveness.
Wearable tech
Silver is a high-conductivity precious metal that is very malleable, making it a viable option for smart garments. NASA astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory tested a wearable monitoring vest with silver-coated sensors to record heart rates, cardiac mechanics, and breathing patterns while they slept. This smart garment is lightweight and more comfortable, so it does not disturb sleep quality. The data collected provided valuable insight into improving astronauts’ sleep in space.
Silver crystals
In microgravity, there is no up or down, and weightlessness does not allow particles to settle, which impacts physical and chemical processes. Researchers use this unique microgravity environment to grow larger and more uniform crystals unaffected by the force of Earth’s gravity or the physical processes that would separate mixtures by density. The NanoRacks-COSMOS investigation used the environment aboard the station to grow and assess the 3D structure of silver nitrate crystals. The molecular structure of these superior silver nitrate crystals has applications in nanotechnology, such as creating silver nanowires for nanoscale electronics.
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]
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.
RECENTLY COMPLETED
Taka Town Board of Education Children’s Future Division, Taka Town, Japan, direct via JA3YRL
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH
The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ
Contact was successful: Thu 2025-09-11 09:22:34 UTC 45 degrees elevation
UPCOMING
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, Nigeria, telebridge via ZS6JON
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is IN3GHZ
Contact is go for: Sat 2025-09-20 09:37:23 UTC 83 degrees elevation
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.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. Scheduled radio power down and power up times:
Sat 2025-09-13 12:40 UTC Power Down due to Progress 93P Arrival
Sun 2025-09-14 14:05 UTC Power Up due to Progress 93P Arrival
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.]
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, writes…
“My 184th “How to Work the Easy Satellites” presentation was to a wonderful club last night: the Lapeer County ARA in Michigan. Email received this morning:
‘Hi, Clint~I want to thank you for your presentation last night for our club meeting. We had many good comments afterward and I hope it has inspired more of our members to give satellites a try. I was surprised how much research you did on Lapeer and the photos/graphics you put together to personalize your presentation for us. We will be having our annual picnic in a couple of weeks and we will be demonstrating with the Arrow and Elk antennas with a variety of radios and letting members make contacts. Hopefully we’ll get several good runs that afternoon. Again, I appreciate the effort you put into your presentation. Well done! 73, Viki Clark, N8VLC'”
October 11, 2025
North Star Radio Convention & ARRL Minnesota State Convention
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
https://northstarradio.org/
ADØHJ
October 16, 17, 18, 19, 2025
AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting and 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Details at https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
+ Alex Shovkoplyas, VE3NEA, has developed a Windows program — SkyRoof — that combines satellite tracking and SDR functions in one application. Those using SDRs as receivers for satellite downlinks can now see all satellite traces on the waterfall labeled with satellite names and the boundaries of the transponder on screen. The program follows the Doppler shift, and all frequency tuning is done visually, with a mouse. Provision is made for CAT control of a separate external uplink transceiver. Full information at https://ve3nea.github.io/SkyRoof/index.html (ANS thanks Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, for the above information.)
+ Rolling across the rugged, rusty red terrain on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover came upon some rocks with peculiar green, blue, black and white dots. After detailed image analysis, scientists have come to a potentially encouraging conclusion: If those speckled rocks were formed like they are on Earth, they might be evidence of past life on the dusty planet. The rocks “very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars, which is incredibly exciting,” acting NASA administrator Sean P. Duffy said in a news conference Wednesday. The findings were published in the journal Nature on September 10. (ANS thanks The Washington Post for the above information. Full article at https://wapo.st/4mapyHQ.)
+ “The Most Important Satellite You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of,” a video produced as part of the PBS Space Time series, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlNKj0K_3FY (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and PBS for the above information.)
+ Xiamen Radtel Electronics Co., Ltd. of Fujian, China has introduced a 12-watt FM VHF/UHF hand-held transceiver which they claim will operate in full duplex across bands. Full duplex is preferred for satellite operation and is rarely offered in handheld radios. The radio also includes reception of AM aircraft frequencies and wide-band commercial FM broadcast frequencies. The Radtel R8000 sells for less than $120 U.S. Another model, the Radtel RT-69, adds GPS and the 222 MHz band, as well as some shortwave SWL coverage. It sells for less than $200 U.S. Details at http://bit.ly/4ph72QT (ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information.)
+ The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) is a multi-national forum for the development of communications & data systems standards for spaceflight. An announcement about a competition to help develop new CCSDS protocols will be made at the AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2025 by Matt Cosby, CTO of Goonhilly Earth Station. Further details will be provided in his talk on Saturday 11 October from 15:15 to 16:00, titled “Challenges in Deep Space Communications – and how this community can contribute.“ Details will also be posted on social media after the presentation. The event will be streamed by the BATC at https://amsat-uk.org/. (ANS thanks Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, Hon. Sec. AMSAT-UK, for the above information.)
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73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM
mjohns [at] amsat.org
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