ARLA/CLUSTER: Fox-2 to have 145 to 435 MHz transponder

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

*Tony Monterio AA2TX* and the *AMSAT News Service* (ANS) have released this
update on the Fox CubeSat program

The main point of *Fox-2* is to develop and fly an advanced, software
defined transponder (SDX.) An SDX can be programmed to be any kind of
transponder. It will be a linear [SSB/CW], inverting mode-J [VHF uplink UHF
downlink] transponder by default.

We would also like to try some new and interesting digital modes perhaps
including digital voice which would be my personal favorite.
That is the tremendous flexibility you get with an SDX. You can change the
transponder in software.

ARISSat-1 was our first attempt at an SDX and it worked very well.
It could only be programmed on the ground though. The SDX for Fox-2 will be
programmable in orbit.

Fox-2 will be a 3U CubeSat (three times the size of Fox-1) providing a lot
more power and space for the electronics.

The source of confusion may be because we are building four Fox-1 flight
units. The idea is to have them available and ready to fly so we can easily
team up with universities that want to fly science missions and get free
launches. Building them all at once is also a much cheaper way to build
satellites.

All four Fox-1 units will have the same hardware and avionics.
The universities will supply their experiment cards and the software can be
customized for each satellite as needed.

Once the Fox-1 flight models are built, the engineering team can begin
working on Fox-2. That should start this year [2014].

The status of the Fox-1 satellites is as follows:

Fox-1 (Fox-1A) is scheduled to fly on NROL-55.

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) is a joint project with Vanderbilt University. It has
already been accepted into the NASA ELaNa program but it has not been
assigned a launch yet.

Fox-1C and Fox-1D are not currently assigned.

Fonte: ANS
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