AMSAT News Service
ANS-284
October 11, 2026

In this edition:

* AMSAT Board of Directors Re-Elects Senior Officers for 2027
* AMSAT Organizations Launch Six Satellites on Transporter-18
* KENSAT Showcases Individual-Built Amateur Radio CubeSat
* Google's Project Suncatcher Begins Testing AI Computing in Orbit
* Blue Origin Unveils 65-Foot Solar Power Tower for Lunar Operations
* Augusta University Amateur Radio Club, WA4AUG, Earns AMSAT Rover Award
* Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 9, 2026
* 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 n
ews related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities o
f a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest
in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and dig ital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in S pace as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat .org<http://amsat.org>

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletin
s via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postor ius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

________________________________
AMSAT Board of Directors Re-Elects Senior Officers for 2027

Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, on Thursday, October 8, ahead of the 44th
AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, the AMSAT Board of Direc tors re-elected the organization's senior officers for the coming year.

Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, was re-elected President. Also returning are Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, as Executive Vice President; Mark Hammond, N8MH, as Vice Pr esident - Operations; Jerry Buxton, N0JY, as Vice President - Engineering; Alan Johnston, KU2Y, as Vice President - Educational Relations; Frank Karna uskas, N1UW, as Vice President - Development; Steve Belter, N9IP, as Treasu rer; and Douglas Tabor, N6UA, as Secretary.

The vote came at the first meeting of the Board following the 2026 Board of
Directors election, in which members elected three Directors to seats expi ring this year (see ANS-263). The Board now consists of Jerry Buxton, N0JY;
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Rich Gopstein, KD2CQ; Mark Hammond, N8MH; Frank K arnauskas, N1UW; Paul Stoetzer, N8HM; and Douglas Tabor, N6UA, with Bruce P aige, KK5DO, serving as First Alternate.

The re-elected team will lead AMSAT through a busy year, including continue
d development of the GOLF and Fox-Plus satellite programs, the CubeSatSim e ducational program, and the organization's partnership with ARISS. The Boar
d continued its meeting Friday morning before the Symposium's technical ses sions began on Friday afternoon.

A complete list of AMSAT's officers, Directors, and senior volunteer leader
s is available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-officers-and-board-members/.

[ANS thanks Douglas Tabor, N6UA<https://x.com/dtabor>, AMSAT Secretary, for
the above information]

________________________________
AMSAT Organizations Launch Six Satellites on Transporter-18

Six satellites from three AMSAT organizations reached orbit following the l aunch of SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Fo
rce Base in California on October 1. The international group included three
ERMINAZ-2 PocketQubes from AMSAT-DL in Germany, HADES-L and UNNE-1B from A MSAT-EA in Spain, and SanoSat-2 from AMSAT Nepal. The spacecraft traveled a board OSSIE-D, the first orbital transfer vehicle developed by Spanish spac
e transportation company UARX Space. Following separation from the Falcon 9
upper stage, OSSIE-D began deploying its collection of small satellites, g iving the worldwide AMSAT community a particularly strong presence on the m ission.

AMSAT-DL's ERMINAZ-2U, ERMINAZ-2V, and ERMINAZ-2X are 1P PocketQubes measur
ing just 5 cm on each side and were developed and prepared for flight at AM SAT-DL's satellite laboratory at the Bochum Observatory. The three educatio
nal spacecraft are intended to promote amateur radio and space technology t hrough open-source communications, telemetry, and other experiments. ERMINA Z-2U transmits on 435.900 MHz, while ERMINAZ-2V and ERMINAZ-2X transmit on 145.920 MHz and 145.960 MHz, respectively. The trio traveled inside Libre S pace Foundation's open-source PICOBUS v2 PocketQube deployer aboard OSSIE-D
. AMSAT-DL reported on October 5 that the ERMINAZ-2 satellites were transmi tting their first signals, with receptions also recorded through the worldw
ide SatNOGS ground station network.

AMSAT-EA contributed two satellites offering voice communication capabiliti
es. UNNE-1B, also known as HADES-E2, carries a VHF-to-UHF FM/FSK repeater w
ith a 145.925 MHz uplink and 436.888 MHz downlink. The spacecraft also carr
ies an Arduino-based educational experiment developed by Universidad Nebrij
a. HADES-L takes a more unusual approach, providing a 29.472 MHz USB uplink
to a 436.665 MHz FM downlink, giving amateur operators an opportunity to e xperiment with a 10-meter uplink. Because HADES-L carries only three solar panels, available power is limited and its repeater is designed to operate intermittently rather than continuously. The OSSIE-D payload deployment seq uence began on October 2 at 11:48 UTC, earlier than originally planned. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/SanoSat-2_ORION _Space.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Sano Sat-2_ORION_Space.jpg>
AMSAT Nepal's five-centimeter SanoSat-2 PocketQube undergoes pre-launch tes ting ahead of its Transporter-18 mission. [Credit: ORION Space Pvt. Ltd.<ht tps://www.instagram.com/orionspacenepal/>]

AMSAT Nepal's SanoSat-2, also known as UTNH-SAJILO-SAT, continues the work begun with SanoSat-1 and adds several capabilities intended specifically fo
r participation by amateur radio operators. The 5 cm PocketQube carries a c amera capable of transmitting images as SSDV packets using GFSK modulation,
allowing amateurs to receive and reconstruct imagery from orbit. SanoSat-2
can also operate as a digital store-and-forward repeater through which ama teur operators can upload messages for later transmission. A six-axis inert
ial measurement unit and sun sensors will collect attitude data to support development of an active attitude determination and control system for a fu ture mission. The spacecraft also transmits Morse code identification, and
its coordinated amateur downlink is on 436.650 MHz.

Libre Space Foundation also had a significant presence aboard OSSIE-D throu
gh its open-source PICOBUS v2 deployer. In addition to the three ERMINAZ-2 spacecraft and Kazakhstan's NIS-PQ educational satellite, PICOBUS carried f
our Libre Space SIDLOC PocketQubes designated SIDLOC-PQ-03 through SIDLOC-P Q-06. SIDLOC, short for Spacecraft Identification and Localization, is bein
g developed by Libre Space Foundation and the Foundation for Research and T echnology-Hellas as an ESA-funded ARTES activity. The project is exploring
an open standard for identifying and locating spacecraft, while PICOBUS its
elf demonstrates an open-source approach to deploying very small satellites
. Together, the eight PocketQubes aboard PICOBUS represented another demons tration of the open hardware and software ecosystem Libre Space has develop
ed around small-satellite missions and its SatNOGS network.

Transporter-18 carried an unusually broad collection of spacecraft of inter
est to the amateur satellite community. In addition to the six satellites f
rom AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA, and AMSAT Nepal, IARU-coordinated amateur spacecraf
t aboard the mission included GUARANISAT-2 from the Paraguayan Space Agency
, KENSAT from Swordholder Technologies, and SPRITE from the University of C olorado Boulder. The launch therefore placed at least nine IARU-coordinated
amateur satellites into orbit while also carrying Libre Space's four SIDLO
C technology demonstrators. With spacecraft representing AMSAT organization
s in Europe and Asia, university and educational projects, independent amat
eur development, and open-source space technology, Transporter-18 provided
a particularly diverse addition to the growing amateur satellite fleet.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL<https://x.com/amsatdl>, AMSAT-EA<https://x.com/AmsatSp ain>, AMSAT-NP<https://x.com/AmsatNepal>, and Libre Space Foundation<https: //x.com/LibreSpace_Fnd> for the above information]

________________________________
KENSAT Showcases Individual-Built Amateur Radio CubeSat

KENSAT, a 2U CubeSat developed by Malaysian radio amateur Guan Hao Chan, KO 6IKZ, was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission on Octo
ber 1. The spacecraft represents an unusual achievement in the CubeSat comm unity, with Chan describing KENSAT as an end-to-end project developed large
ly by a single individual. "Everything from the satellite hardware, firmwar
e, and ground software is the product of an individual," Chan wrote followi
ng the launch. While he credited several organizations and individuals with
helping bring the project to space, Chan designed and developed the spacec raft and its supporting systems himself.

The project began as an effort to demonstrate how increasingly accessible s atellite technology and launch opportunities can allow individuals to under take projects once limited primarily to governments, universities, and larg
e organizations. Chan has described KENSAT as the first Malaysian satellite
built and launched by a private individual and, to his knowledge, the firs
t CubeSat developed end-to-end by an individual. The completed spacecraft w
as integrated into an Exolaunch deployer ahead of Transporter-18, and Chan subsequently reported successful separation of KENSAT following the October
1 launch.

KENSAT also carries an unusual artificial-intelligence experiment. An NVIDI
A Jetson Orin Nano computer aboard the spacecraft is intended to run a larg
e language model and perform AI inference in space. The satellite's primary
PIC24 flight computer remains powered continuously while the considerably more power-hungry Jetson is normally switched off. When an AI inference is requested, the flight computer powers the Jetson, waits for it to boot, sen
ds a prompt to it over a serial connection, receives the generated response
, and then powers the Jetson down again. Results can subsequently be transm itted to stations on the ground. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/KENSAT_Transpor ter_18-1024x682.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/202 6/10/KENSAT_Transporter_18.jpg>
Ken, KO6IKZ, stands with the Exolaunch deployer carrying his KENSAT 2U Cube
Sat ahead of launch. (Awesome job, Ken!) [Credit: Guan Hao Chan<https://x.c om/kenchangh>]

Amateur radio is an integral part of the KENSAT mission. The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) coordinated a 437.080 MHz UHF downlink for the s pacecraft on October 7, 2025. KENSAT uses the amateur radio call sign KO6IK
Z and is intended to transmit spacecraft telemetry and experimental data, i ncluding results from its onboard AI system, for reception by radio amateur
s. Mission documentation describes the downlink as using GFSK modulation wi
th AX.25/G3RUH framing. Telemetry formats and decoding information are bein
g made publicly available so amateur operators can receive, decode, analyze
, and share KENSAT data.

In keeping with that open approach, Chan released the KENSAT project public
ly on GitHub in June 2026. The repository includes spacecraft firmware, ele ctrical schematics, printed circuit board designs, ground-station software,
and documentation covering many of the satellite's subsystems. The materia
l provides an unusually detailed look inside a privately developed CubeSat
and gives other experimenters an opportunity to study both the spacecraft a
nd its ground infrastructure. Chan said his goal in releasing the project w
as to make the technology accessible to anyone interested in learning how a
satellite can be designed, built, and operated.

Following KENSAT's deployment, Chan reflected on how rapidly access to spac
e has changed. He noted that an individually developed satellite would have
been extraordinarily difficult only a few years ago and said he hopes proj ects such as KENSAT eventually make building and launching a satellite achi evable even for young experimenters. For the amateur radio community, KENSA
T offers both an opportunity to follow an unusual independently developed s pacecraft and, as commissioning progresses, to listen for its IARU-coordina
ted UHF transmissions.

### For More Information

KENSAT project website:
https://www.kensat.com/

KENSAT open-source GitHub repository:
https://github.com/kenchangh/kensat

KENSAT entry in the SatNOGS Database: https://db.satnogs.org/satellite/VIOO-5580-9038-4016-1832/

[ANS thanks Guan Hao Chan, KO6IKZ<https://x.com/kenchangh>, for the above i nformation]

________________________________
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Annual memberships start at only $120.

[Presidents' Club 2026 Coin]<https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-president s-club/>

Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________
Google's Project Suncatcher Begins Testing AI Computing in Orbit

Google has taken its first step toward testing whether artificial intellige
nce computing could someday move beyond terrestrial data centers and into s pace. A refrigerator-sized satellite called MVP reached low-Earth orbit on October 1 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The spacecraft is the first real-world test
of Project Suncatcher, Google's research effort exploring whether solar-po wered satellites carrying artificial intelligence hardware could eventually
support large-scale computing in orbit. Rather than demonstrating a functi oning orbital data center, MVP is deliberately modest, with Google describi
ng the spacecraft as a minimal test intended to answer some of the basic en gineering questions behind the concept.

MVP carries four of Google's Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, specialized processors developed to accelerate artificial intelligence and machine-lear ning workloads. Together, the four processors provide computing capability roughly comparable to a single data-center server, making the spacecraft fa
r smaller than the thousands of interconnected processors used in terrestri
al AI facilities. The primary objective is to determine whether the process
ors can survive launch vibration and continue operating reliably amid the r adiation and other environmental challenges encountered in low-Earth orbit.
The experiment will provide Google with real-world data before the company
attempts more ambitious demonstrations.

The motivation behind Project Suncatcher is the enormous amount of electric
al power required by increasingly large AI computing systems. Google's long -term concept would place computing hardware where abundant solar energy is
directly available, potentially reducing dependence on terrestrial electri
cal grids and the infrastructure required to supply large data centers. The
idea differs from traditional space-based solar power proposals, which env isioned collecting energy in orbit and transmitting it to Earth. Instead, S uncatcher would perform the computing in space and transmit the resulting d
ata back to users on the ground. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Project_Suncatc her_Planet_Demo_Satellites-1024x576.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp -content/uploads/2026/10/Project_Suncatcher_Planet_Demo_Satellites.jpg>
Google and Planet are developing two Project Suncatcher demonstration satel lites based on Planet's Owl satellite platform. [Credit: Planet<https://www .planet.com/>]

One of the largest technical challenges will be connecting processors distr ibuted among multiple spacecraft. Google envisions using free-space optical
communications, employing laser links between satellites rather than conve ntional radio links. Large AI systems require enormous amounts of data to m
ove rapidly between processors, something accomplished in terrestrial data centers through short fiber and copper connections. SpaceX has already demo nstrated that inter-satellite laser communications can operate across large
constellations with Starlink, but Project Suncatcher would need optical li
nks capable of supporting the particularly demanding communication requirem ents of tightly interconnected AI processors.

The space environment presents other significant challenges. Commercial AI processors were not originally designed for long-term exposure to space rad iation, where energetic particles can corrupt data or eventually damage ele ctronic components. Thermal management is another concern because spacecraf
t cannot use conventional air cooling and must ultimately radiate excess he
at into space. Any future orbital computing constellation would also need t
o operate reliably for long periods without the routine repairs and hardwar
e replacements possible inside terrestrial data centers. MVP is intended to
begin determining whether these obstacles can be overcome before Google co mmits to substantially larger systems.

Google has already identified a more ambitious follow-on experiment. The ne
xt Project Suncatcher milestone is expected to involve two prototype satell ites developed in cooperation with Planet, allowing researchers to explore technologies needed for multiple computing spacecraft to operate together. Ultimately, Google's concept could involve clusters of solar-powered satell ites linked optically to create distributed computing systems in orbit, alt hough the company has not announced plans for an operational constellation.
For now, MVP represents a much smaller first step: placing four AI process
ors in space and determining whether the fundamental hardware can survive a
nd operate there.

Read the full article at: https://shattered.io/google-suncatcher-planet-2-s atellites-2027-2026/

[ANS thanks Marcus Bell, Shattered.io<https://shattered.io/>, for the above
information]

________________________________
Blue Origin Unveils 65-Foot Solar Power Tower for Lunar Operations

Blue Origin has unveiled a towering solar power system designed to help pro vide electricity for future operations near the Moon's south pole. Called t
he Power Tower, the vertically deployed solar array stands approximately 20
meters (65 feet) tall and is designed to generate more than 10 kilowatts o
f electrical power. The company envisions the system supporting future luna
r surface infrastructure, where reliable electrical power will be needed fo
r scientific instruments, communications equipment, rovers, thermal control
systems and eventually crewed facilities.

Generating solar power near the lunar south pole presents challenges unlike
those encountered by conventional solar installations on Earth. The Sun re mains low on the horizon in the polar regions, while crater rims, ridges an
d other terrain can cast long shadows across nearby areas. By raising its s olar arrays high above the lunar surface, the Power Tower is designed to re
ach sunlight that could otherwise be blocked by surrounding terrain. The ve rtical arrangement also reduces the amount of valuable surface area occupie
d by the power system.

Blue Origin released an animation showing how the system could deploy after
reaching the lunar surface. A central mast extends vertically from its bas
e before supporting structures unfold to deploy the solar arrays. The compa
ny has also demonstrated deployment hardware on Earth, including a successf
ul test conducted earlier this year. Blue Origin says the system's modular architecture could eventually distribute electricity beyond the lander itse
lf, allowing multiple surface assets to draw power as part of a larger luna
r power network. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Blue_Origin_Pow er_Tower-1024x576.jpg]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2 026/10/Blue_Origin_Power_Tower.jpg>
Blue Origin's 20-meter-tall Power Tower could provide more than 10 kilowatt
s of power for future lunar surface operations. [Credit: Blue Origin<https: //x.com/blueorigin>]

Technology behind the Power Tower builds on work performed by Honeybee Robo tics, a Blue Origin company, on the Lunar Array Mast and Power System, or L AMPS. Developed through NASA's Vertical Solar Array Technology program, LAM
PS uses a deployable mast and flexible solar arrays that can rotate to trac
k the Sun. In 2024, Honeybee successfully completed thermal-vacuum testing
of the 20-meter system at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The proto type was designed to produce up to 10 kilowatts of continuous power and col lapse into a package roughly the size of a refrigerator for transportation.

Vertical solar arrays could become particularly valuable as NASA and its co mmercial partners develop infrastructure near the lunar south pole. NASA is
working with companies including Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive
Machines and Voyager Lunar Systems on cargo landers and other systems inte nded to establish the foundation for sustained lunar operations. Blue Origi
n's Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander is among the vehicles being developed to deliver science, technology and infrastructure to the region.

For now, the Power Tower remains a developing technology rather than an ope rational lunar power system, and Blue Origin has not announced when the sys
tem will first be deployed on the Moon. Nevertheless, the project illustrat
es how lunar exploration is beginning to move beyond the challenge of simpl
y reaching the Moon toward the infrastructure needed to remain there. Relia
ble power generation and distribution will be essential to that transition,
and towering solar arrays may eventually become part of the landscape of s ustained operations near the lunar south pole.

Read the full article at: https://www.techspot.com/news/114093-blue-origin- reveals-65-foot-solar-tower-designed.html

[ANS thanks Skye Jacobs, TechSpot<https://www.techspot.com/>, for the above
information]

________________________________
Augusta University Amateur Radio Club, WA4AUG, Earns AMSAT Rover Award

The AMSAT Rover Award has gone to the head of the class. Bruce Paige, KK5DO
, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, has announced that AMSAT Rover Awa
rd #97 has been earned by the Augusta University Amateur Radio Club, WA4AUG
, of Augusta, Georgia - with the points racked up by the club's professor, Anthony, NR1Z, who took the club callsign on the road to activate grid squa
res for satellite operators.

It is a welcome twist on the usual rover story. The Rover Award is issued t
o the station that makes the contacts, so a club callsign operating from a sought-after grid earns credit just as an individual's does - and in this c ase, a faculty member chose to spend his roving miles building up the club'
s award rather than his own. Founded by students in 2019, the Augusta Unive rsity club has spent the years since introducing a campus to amateur radio;
now its callsign is in the logs of grid chasers across the eastern United States, and a university station has a satellite award on the wall to show
new members what the hobby can do.

The Rover Award recognizes operators who take their satellite stations on t
he road, and is granted upon accumulating 25 points from grid squares activ ated outside the rover's home grid: one point per grid via a single-channel
FM transponder, two points via a linear SSB/CW transponder, and three poin
ts via a digital transponder, with a bonus point for each grid activated in
a state, province, or DX entity other than the rover's own. Five-point bon uses reward publicizing an activation at least 24 hours in advance - by tag ging @amsat or #amsat on social media, or via the AMSAT-BB or this bulletin
- and posting photos of the operation afterward, while activating a grid m aritime mobile is worth ten points and a /MM endorsement on the certificate
.

Award #97 continues a remarkable run at the AMSAT awards desk: it is the fi
fth Rover Award issued since August, following recipients in Brazil, the Un ited Kingdom, Colombia, and Wisconsin by way of Hawaii. In announcing the a ward, Paige offered his congratulations along with his customary encouragem
ent to rovers everywhere to keep on rovin'.

College and university clubs looking to follow Augusta's lead will find com plete rules and application details for the AMSAT Rover Award at https://ww w.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/, and upcoming rover operations may be found
- and publicized - at https://hams.at.

Congratulations to Anthony and the Augusta University Amateur Radio Club!

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO<https://x.com/kk5do>, AMSAT Director of Cont ests and Awards, for the above information]

________________________________
Give Your Next Rove a Payload - Put Your Lunch into Orbit!
Pack the rover dogs and hit the grid line with an all-new
AMSAT Round Logo Metal Lunchbox. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AMSAT_Round_Log o_Metal_Lunchbox-300x239.jpg]
Keep Amateur Radio in Space - and your lunch in the box! https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_round_logo_metal_lunchbox-256761530568368967 ________________________________
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 9, 2026

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly u pdates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin fi
les are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new
amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org /keplerian-elements-resources/.

This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution
.

General Perturbations Data Support

AMSAT is pleased to announce that modern forms of what are called General P erturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including JSON,
XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The reason thi
s change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit catalog number
s and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched after July of th
is year. See https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php
for details.

These data are presently considered in beta test for the next two months wh
ile hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org<https://newark192.amsat.o rg/>, and we are very open to community feedback at webmaster [at] amsat.or g<http://amsat.org>. Testers may experience outages and errors while we mak
e improvements. We intend to put this into production on our main web serve
r in July as we expect that satellites launched after this summer will requ
ire one of the new formats to accommodate longer object numbers. AMSAT will
continue to publish TLE bulletins for satellites launched before July 2026
indefinitely.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the a bove information]

________________________________
ARISS News

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amat eurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts
and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink freque
ncy on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Scheduled Contacts

+ Recently Completed

University Heights School of Medical Arts, Jonesboro, AR, telebridge via IK 1SLD
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The crewmember was Joshua Kutryk KJ5BFU
The ARISS mentor was AJ9N
Contact was successful: Mon 2026-10-05 15:30:13 UTC
Congratulations to the University Heights School of Medical Arts, Joshua, m entor AJ9N, and telebridge station IK1SLD!
This was Joshua's first ever ARISS contact.
Watch the livestream at https://live.ariss.org/

Wick High School, Wick, United Kingdom, direct via GB4WHS
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The crewmember was Joshua Kutryk KJ5BFU
The ARISS mentor was M?XTD
Contact was successful: Thu 2026-10-08 11:30 UTC
Congratulations to Wick High School, Joshua, mentor M?XTD, and direct sta
tion GB4WHS!

+ Upcoming Contacts

EcoTarium, Worcester, MA telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The scheduled crewmember is Luke Delaney KJ5PPF
The ARISS mentor is AB1OC
Contact is go for: Thu 2026-10-15 15:25:33 UTC
Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/F04UKyV1LIA

Ecole Internationale PACA de Manosque, Manosque, France, direct via F4KKM
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Joshua Kutryk KJ5BFU
The ARISS mentor is F6ICS
Contact is go for: Fri 2026-10-16 11:37:19 UTC

Many times, a school makes a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or run
s 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://l ive.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 remains configured in the Columbus Module (145.990 M
Hz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If a crewmember decides to pick up the m icrophone and turn up the volume, you may hear them on the air-so keep list ening, as you never know when activity might occur.

Kenwood D710GA in the Zvezda Service Module - Call sign RS0ISS. Please note
we're still in the process of troubleshooting and testing this radio. APRS
is currently active on 437.825 MHz. Feel free to check out status reports
at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_APRS/.

HamTV in the Columbus Module (2395.00 MHz) is currently transmitting a test
signal. For more information, visit the ARISS Ham TV Live site at https:// live.ariss.org/hamtv/.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orb ital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ar iss.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 f
or the above information]

________________________________
AMSAT Ambassador Activities

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
"I have three satellite presentations lined up for this month ...
#196 Oregon
#197 Central California
#198 Boston

Didn't think I was going to hit TWO HUNDRED before the holidays, but ...

Think a 75-minute presentation on 'working the easy satellites' would be ap propriate 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+ presentat ions so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Scheduled Events

Southern Arizona Fall Hamfest - November 14, 2026
Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club
Marana Middle School
11285 W. Grier Rd.
Marana AZ
www.tucsonhamradio.org/hamfest<http://www.tucsonhamradio.org/hamfest>
N1UW

For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director - AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]

________________________________
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Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ Orbital Space is conducting a special activation of the QMR-KWT-2 (RS95S)
amateur radio FM voice repeater on October 10-11, 2026, in celebration of World Space Week. The satellite, a 1U CubeSat launched aboard a Russian Soy uz-2.1b rocket on December 28, 2025, carries an Earth-imaging camera and an
amateur radio FM repeater. QMR-KWT-2 follows Kuwait's first satellite, QMR -KWT, which launched in 2021, and continues the project's emphasis on amate
ur radio communications and educational outreach. During the special activa tion, amateur radio operators can access the satellite's FM repeater using
an uplink frequency of 145.920 MHz with a 67.0 Hz CTCSS tone and a downlink
frequency of 436.950 MHz. The satellite also supports telemetry reception
and slow-scan television (SSTV) image transmissions, providing additional o pportunities for amateur radio operators and students to participate in sat ellite communications. The two-day event offers satellite enthusiasts an op portunity to make contacts through the spacecraft while celebrating the rol
e of space technology in connecting people around the world. (ANS thanks Or bital Space<https://x.com/orbital_space> for the above information)

+ NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission arrived at the International Space Station
on October 1, completing the fastest launch-to-docking flight by a U.S. spa cecraft in the station's history. The Dragon spacecraft docked with the orb iting laboratory just 7 hours and 55 minutes after launching from Cape Cana veral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and L
uke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos c osmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov joined Expedition 75 for a six-month mission aboard the station. Their arrival allowed the outgoing Crew-12 astronauts t
o complete their mission handover and prepare for their return to Earth. NA
SA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot,
and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev undocked aboard their Dragon spacecr
aft on October 7. Crew-12 successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean o
ff the California coast on October 8, completing a 237-day mission in space
. (ANS thanks NASA<https://www.nasa.gov/> for the above information)

+ ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) completed a close Earth flyby on
September 28, using the planet's gravity to refine its trajectory toward J upiter while conserving spacecraft propellant. Juice passed just 8,640 km ( 5,369 miles) above the Indian Ocean at 11:45 UTC, with the gravity assist d eflecting its trajectory by 20 degrees and increasing its velocity by 3.5 k
m/s (7,830 mph). Precise navigation allowed controllers to use only one sma
ll trajectory correction during the four weeks leading up to the encounter,
despite six correction opportunities having been reserved. The flyby also provided an opportunity to calibrate several of Juice's ten science instrum ents, while the spacecraft spent several days traversing Earth's magnetotai
l and measuring magnetic fields and charged particles. Juice will return to
Earth for one final gravity assist in January 2029, placing the spacecraft
on its final trajectory for arrival at Jupiter in 2031. Once there, the sp acecraft will conduct 35 flybys of the ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callis
to, and Europa before ultimately entering orbit around Ganymede. (ANS thank
s ESA<https://www.esa.int/> for the above information)

+ Margaret Hamilton, the pioneering computer scientist who led development
of NASA's Apollo flight software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo
gy (MIT), died September 30 at age 90. Joining MIT's Instrumentation Labora tory in 1965, Hamilton eventually led teams responsible for developing the onboard guidance software used by the Apollo Command and Service Module and
Lunar Module spacecraft. Her most famous contribution came during the Apol
lo 11 lunar landing in July 1969, when the Lunar Module's guidance computer
triggered several program alarms as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Ald
rin approached the Moon's surface. The priority-driven software developed b
y Hamilton's team allowed the computer to shed less important tasks while c ontinuing the critical calculations needed for a safe landing. Hamilton hel
ped establish software engineering as a recognized discipline, emphasizing error prevention, fault tolerance, and reliable operation in mission-critic
al systems. Her contributions earned numerous honors, including NASA's Exce ptional Space Act Award in 2003 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 20
16. (ANS thanks MIT News<https://news.mit.edu/> for the above information)

+ The U.S. Department of War's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Honeywell Aerospace have successfully demonstrated a quantum magnetic navigation syst
em that allowed an aircraft to navigate for more than four hours without re lying on GPS. The MagNav system uses quantum sensors to measure subtle vari ations in Earth's natural magnetic field, comparing those signatures with m agnetic maps to determine the aircraft's position without signals from navi gation satellites. Installed aboard an Embraer 170, the system was tested o
n a flight over the Pacific Ocean from the Seattle area to southern Alaska
and back, operating without GPS for four hours and 23 minutes. DIU reported
that MagNav improved position accuracy by 89% compared with traditional ba ckup navigation methods, with navigation information streamed directly to t
he pilots in real time using standard tablets. Because Earth's magnetic sig natures cannot be jammed or spoofed like satellite signals, the technology could provide an important navigation backup for military and civilian airc raft operating where GPS is unavailable or deliberately disrupted. Honeywel
l and DIU plan to demonstrate the technology aboard a U.S. military C-17 Gl obemaster III cargo aircraft later this year. (ANS thanks the Defense Innov ation Unit<https://www.diu.mil/> for the above information)

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73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week's ANS Editor,

Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD?HJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org<http://amsat.org>

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H S treet NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002
AMSAT is a registered trademark of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.

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