ARLA/CLUSTER: AMSAT-NA pode ter a oportunidade de colocar um satélite em orbita geoestacionária em 2017

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

AMSAT-NA opportunity for Rideshare to geostationary orbit

AMSAT is excited to announce that we have accepted an opportunity to
participate in a potential rideshare as a hosted payload on a
geostationary satellite planned for launch in 2017

An amateur radio payload, operating in the Amateur Satellite Service,
will fly on a spacecraft which Millennium Space Systems (MSS) of El
Segundo, CA is contracted to design, launch, and operate for the US
government based on their Aquila M8 Series Satellite Structure.

A meeting to discuss this potential rideshare took place on April 13
at Millennium Space Systems that included Dr. Bob McGwier, N4HY;
Franklin Antonio, N6NKF, co-founder of Qualcomm; Jerry Buxton, N0JY,
AMSAT Vice President of Engineering and member of the board for
AMSAT-NA; Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Director and President Emeritus of
AMSAT-NA; Phil Karn, KA9Q; and Michelle Thompson, W5NYV.

Hosting the meeting for MSS were Stan Dubyn as founder and chairman of
MSS, Vince Deno as president of MSS, Jeff Ward, K8KA, of MSS as VP for
Product Development, formerly with SSTL and University of Surrey Space
Center, and Ryan Lawrence of MSS as Project Manager on the spacecraft
mission. Attending by telephone were Dr. Jonathan Black, Associate
Research Director of Hume Center for Aerospace Systems and Associate
Professor of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering and Dr. Michael Parker,
KT7D, founder of RINCON Research Corp.

Following the meeting, Dr. Bob McGwier, N4HY, Director of Research at
the Hume Center for National Security and Technology of Virginia Tech,
and former director and former VP Engineering of AMSAT, described this
as an opportunity to go forward with "AMSAT-Eagle" which, in the
2006-2008 timeframe, evolved into a microwave payload to be flown to
geostationary orbit as a hosted payload. It would have provided
digital communications to small terminals on the ground and a linear
bent pipe transponder had it flown. This failed to go forward in part
due to lack of an affordable flight opportunity.

McGwier outlined the next steps toward developing this mission:

1) To organize an effort at Virginia Tech to make a firm proposal
to MSS and its US government sponsor, and organize an effort
to raise sufficient funds to pay for development of the mission.

2) Enable Dr. Jonathan Black to lead the construction project at
Virginia Tech in the Space  VT Center. Sonya Rowe, KK4NLO, Project
Manager at the Hume Center will be the project manager.

3) Work for development of a low-cost microwave ground station for
amateur radio still needs to be determined.

4) Dr. Michael Parker, KT7D, will solicit the cooperation of the
Rincon Research Corp. for development of the software radio
technology for this payload.

The AMSAT Board of Directors has accepted the invitation to
participate in this potential rideshare payload opportunity. AMSAT
expects to be involved in the development of the ground station and
the payload RF development, and will serve as the amateur radio
(hosted) payload operator once the satellite has been launched.

McGwier summarized, "The launch is currently scheduled for 2017 and
the payload must be delivered for testing and integration by Spring of
2016. It is an ambitious schedule and all involved will have to gain
and maintain a serious level of commitment to that which they agree to
undertake." AMSAT President, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said, "The AMSAT
leadership is excited to fly a Phase-IV geostationary amateur
satellite payload. This is an evolving development as we collaborate
with the VT Hume Center with a project that provides technical
challenges to create a new amateur radio capability in space that will
provide a variety of benefits not only for amateurs but also for
emergency communications and STEM educational outreach."

The transponder is expected to support a wide range of voice, digital,
and experimental advanced communications technologies. A decision is
expected soon specifying the microwave uplink and downlink bands.

Additional information on the Aquila M8 Series Satellite can be viewed on-line:
http://www.millennium-space.com/
http://www.millennium-space.com/platforms#aquila

AMSAT has posted a photo of the GEO opportunity team with the
Millennium Aquila satellite at:
http://www.amsat.org.

Thanks Bob McGwier, N4HY and AMSAT-NA for the above information