Message:23753 In: AMSAT.WW
From: I0OJJDate: Sun, 07 Jun 26 04:56:00 Z
Newsgroups: AMSAT.WW
Subject: ANS-158 AMSAT News Service
Message-ID:
Path: N2NOV|KC2NJV|VE3CGR|IR0AAB|I0OJJ
R:260607/0500z @:N2NOV.#RICH.NY.USA.NOAM $:A5P2I_I0OJJ
R:260607/0459Z 6587@KC2NJV.#NASS.NY.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.25
R:260607/0459Z 80700@VE3CGR.#SCON.ON.CAN.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.25
R:260607/0457Z 17370@IR0AAB.ITA.EU LinBPQ6.0.25
R:260607/0456z @:I0OJJ.ITA.EU [Rome] $:A5P2I_I0OJJ
>From i0ojj@i0ojj.ampr.org Sun Jun 7 06:56:13 2026
Received: from i0ojj.ampr.org by i0ojj.ampr.org (JNOS2.0q.1) with SMTP
id AA17061930 ; Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:56:13 +0200
Message-Id: <17061928@i0ojj.ampr.org>
>From: i0ojj@i0ojj.ampr.org
X-JNOS-User-Port: Telnet (i0ojj @ 44.134.109.10) -> Sending message
From: Paul Stoetzer via ANS
Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2026 20:25:22 EDT
Reply-To: Paul Stoetzer
To: space@ww
*AMSAT *News Service *ANS-158*
*June 7, 2026*
In this edition:
- Deadline for Candidate Nominations for 2026 AMSAT Board of
Directors Election is June 15
- HADES-SA / SpinnyOne Designated Spain-OSCAR 127 (SO-127)
- AMSAT Submits Letter of Intent for NASA SLS CubeSat Opportunity on
Artemis III, IV, and V
- OscarWatch Tracker: A New Satellite Tracking Program from MM9SQL
- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for June 5, 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 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/
------------------------------
Deadline for Candidate Nominations for 2026 AMSAT Board of Directors
Election is June 15
The nomination period for the AMSAT 2026 Board of Directors election,
which will take place during the third quarter of the year, ends on
*June 15,2026*.
Three director positions are set to expire in 2026. The current board
members whose seats are up for election are:
- *Mark Hammond, N8MH*
- *Bruce Paige, KK5DO*
- *Paul Stoetzer, N8HM*
In addition to these three full Director roles, up to two Alternate
Directors may also be elected to serve one-year terms.
To nominate a candidate, a written submission is required. Nominations
must include the nominee’s name, call sign, and contact information,
alo ng with the same details for either five AMSAT members in good
standing or one Member Society endorsing the candidate.
Nominations should be directed to the AMSAT Secretary:
Douglas Tabor, N6UA
1133 Verlan Way
Cheyenne, WY 82009
Per AMSAT’s bylaws, all nominations must follow the format specifie d
by the Secretary. Doug Tabor has indicated that nominations will be
accepted in both hard copy (via postal mail) and digital formats
(including email or scanned documents). However, fax submissions are
not permitted.
Email nominations should be sent to: *dtabor [at] amsat [dot] org*
All nomination petitions must be received by the Secretary no later
than June 15. After the submission deadline, the Secretary will confirm
the eligibility of each candidate and the supporting members or
societies, with final notification to candidates provided by the end of
June.
*[ANS thanks Doug Tabor, N6UA
the above information]*
------------------------------
*LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!*
*AMSAT is offering a limited-time promotion for new and renewing members
that includes a free digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur
Satellites. The promotion is being offered as AMSAT begins the 2026
membership year.*
[image: Getting Started]
*Anyone who joins or renews their AMSAT membership during the
promotional period will receive a download link for the latest edition
of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites in their membership
confirmation email. JOIN TODAY at https://launch.amsat.org/
------------------------------
HADES-SA / SpinnyOne Designated Spain-OSCAR 127 (SO-127)
On March 30th, 2026, the HADES-SA/SpinnyONE satellite was launched on a
Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Developed by AMSAT-EA, the satellite carries an SSDV and CODEC2 payload
for reception by amateur radio enthusiasts around the world. The
satellite is actively transmitting images and messages now.
At the request of AMSAT-EA, AMSAT hereby designates HADES-SA/SpinnyONE
as Spain-OSCAR 127 (SO-127). We congratulate AMSAT-EA, thank them for
their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them
continued success on this and future projects.
SO-127 (Courtesy AMSAT-EA)[/caption]
*[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT President / OSCAR Number
Administrator, 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 FoxPlus Satellite Includes First
Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only) Order Today at
https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
------------------------------
*AMSAT Submits Letter of Intent for NASA
SLS CubeSat Opportunity on Artemis III, IV, and V*
On May 31, 2026, AMSAT submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center in response to a Sources Sought Notice for
CubeSat secondary payload opportunities aboard the Space Launch System
(SLS) on the Artemis III, IV, and V missions.
The LOI expresses strong interest in developing and flying an
AMSAT-designed CubeSat payload on one or more of these missions. It
highlights the strategic alignment between the opportunity and AMSAT’s
ongoing *GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint)* program, which is
building the technologies and operational experience needed for amateur
radio satellites in progressively higher orbits—from LEO through MEO to
HEO.
A high-Earth deployment would provide an outstanding environment to
qualify key GOLF technologies—particularly radiation-tolerant
electronics, advanced Software-Defined Radio (SDR) transponders,
three-axis attitude determination and control, and deployable/steerable
solar arrays—in the demanding thermal, radiation, and trajectory
conditions beyond low Earth orbit. Such a mission would significantly
expand amateur radio’s “larger footprint,” deliver critical flight
heritage, and create clear synergies with NASA’s exploration,
technology demonstration, and public engagement goals.
The LOI emphasizes AMSAT’s long heritage of successful CubeSat missions
(including the Fox series flown via NASA CSLI/ELaNa) and its robust
portfolio of educational and university partnership programs. These
include the CubeSat Simulator Program used worldwide in schools and
universities, collaborations such as the radiation experiment from
Vanderbilt University and imaging payloads from Virginia Tech on Fox
satellites, broader STEM outreach through live satellite contacts and
telemetry projects, and active mentorship of student teams and
early-career professionals.
AMSAT is prepared to deliver a flight-ready CubeSat payload, leveraging
its proven engineering pipeline, dedicated volunteer technical team,
and sustainable funding model of membership support, targeted
donations, and grants. AMSAT proposes a 6U-class spacecraft (<14 kg)
featuring deployable solar arrays and an AMSAT-developed amateur radio
communications system supporting VHF uplink/UHF downlink plus 5 GHz
uplink and 10 GHz downlink. A precursor 3U technology demonstrator,
GOLF-TEE, is under construction with completion targeted by the end of
the year; if selected, AMSAT would pivot development toward the 6U
configuration in collaboration with partners. Ground operations would
leverage the global amateur radio community for telemetry reception via
AMSAT’s analysis tools, supported by dedicated AMSAT command stations.
The organization is genuinely excited about the prospect of
contributing an AMSAT-developed CubeSat to the Artemis
program—advancing amateur radio’s historic role in space exploration,
qualifying technologies for future HEO and lunar missions, and
inspiring students and the global public through meaningful educational
partnerships.
*[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]*
------------------------------
*The 2026 President's Club Coin is Now Here!* *Help Support GOLF and
FoxPlus.*
*Annual memberships start at only $120*
*Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help* *Keep Amateur Radio in
Space!* *https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/*
------------------------------
*OscarWatch Tracker: A New Satellite Tracking Program from MM9SQL*
A new multi-platform desktop satellite tracking application for amateur
radio operators, *OscarWatch Tracker*, has been released and is under
active development. Developed by Peter Goodhall, MM9SQL, and hosted on
GitHub, OscarWatch provides an integrated environment for tracking
AMSAT and other amateur satellites, predicting passes, managing
Doppler-corrected frequencies, and optionally automating rotator and
radio control—all from a single map-centered interface. Key Features
OscarWatch is tailored for VHF/UHF satellite operators working FM
cubesats (e.g., SO-50, ISS), linear transponders (e.g., RS-44, FO-29),
and similar modes. It assumes familiarity with basic concepts like
azimuth, elevation, and Doppler but automates the calculations and
hardware interactions to let operators focus on making contacts.
- *Visual Tracking*: World map with satellite subpoint, ground
track, and footprint overlays (with optional motion arrows and
greyline terminator). Includes a polar sky plot relative to your
QTH. Support for time scrubbing to preview passes without affecting
live hardware. Optional DX station grid marker with live Az/El from
the remote location. - *Pass Predictions*: List of upcoming passes
with TCA (time of closest approach/max elevation), filters for
minimum elevation and duration. Features include a pass planner with
multi-station profiles and .ics calendar export, plus a mutual pass
finder for two-station coordination. - *Frequency Management*:
Built-in transponder database with live Doppler-corrected
uplink/downlink frequencies. Supports RX offsets (separate for
Voice/CW on linear modes), CTCSS tones, and easy toggling between
modes. Includes a transponder database editor for custom additions
and updates from the published JSON source. - *Hardware
Integration*: Optional serial CAT control for supported radios
(including Icom IC-910/9100/9700/705, Yaesu FT-847/817/818/991
series, Kenwood TS-2000 beta) with Doppler tracking, satellite/split
modes, and CTCSS handling. Dual-radio support for full-duplex
setups. Rotator control for Yaesu GS-232 and EasyComm-compatible
controllers (including SPID), with manual park and smart azimuth
options for 450° rotators
Return To Bulletin List