Amateur Radio News

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued public advisories for Tropical Storm Isaias, which is forecast to pass north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, October 8, 2026, and approach the U.S. northern Gulf Coast on Friday. Landfall is anticipated late Friday night into Saturday morning. ARRL North Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Arc Thames, W4CPD, who also serves as the Amateur R...

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is closely monitoring Invest 92L, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Isaias in the next 24 hours. According to HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, the potential area of concern for this storm is a wide swath of the Gulf coast, extending from Louisiana to Florida. Graves says there is no HWN activation at this time, but the net will go into operation if offici...

October 4, 2026

In this edition:

• T-4 Days Until Jacksonville Gathering
• 44th AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Schedule
• ERMINAZ-2 Satellites in Orbit
• HADES-L and UNNE-1B will Launch in October
• AO-73 Mode Change
• Volunteer with ARDC in 2027!
• VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing October 2026
• FCC and HHS Initiate New Proceedings on RF Exposure
• Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution
• Ambassador Events
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

The AMSAT(R) 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. Join this list at: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

T-4 Days Until Jacksonville Gathering

The 44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting is less than one weeks away, October 8-11, 2026, at the Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel & Conference Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

Registration remains open at https://launch.amsat.org/event-6789663

The weekend opens with the AMSAT Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, October 8, continuing Friday morning, at which the Directors elected in the recently concluded election (see ANS-263) will take their seats.

Symposium presentations begin Friday afternoon and continue through Saturday with the Annual General Meeting at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. The evening banquet (complete with grilled salmon, roasted chicken, green beans, new potatoes and salad) awards, and ham radio door prizes.

Sunday brings the Members Breakfast and optional tours of the USS Orleck and the Jacksonville Zoo, with admission paid at the door.

Although AMSAT’s group code for rooms has expired attendees may still make direct hotel reservations at the Wyndham Jacksonville may be made by phone at 1-800-227-6963.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Symposium Team 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/

44th AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Schedule

This year’s Symposium has schedule packed with great presentations by the people who make things happen for AMSAT – and You!

All presentations will be livestreamed. You can watch them as they happen on the AMSAT You Tube channel. Dial in https://youtube.com/@amsatna and click on the “Live” to enjoy the show. Presentations will also be saved and available for viewing thereafter.

Thursday, October 8

• 9:00AM to 5:00PM Board of Directors Meeting
• 6:00PM to 8:00PM Pre-Registration Check-in

Friday, October 9

• 9:00AM to 12:00PM Board of Directors Meeting (Closed Session)
• 12:00PM – 1:00PM Lunch Break
• 1:00PM to 5:00PM Presentations (Education session)
• 1:00PM AMSAT Education and CubeSat Simulator Project Update 2026 – Alan Johnston, PhD KU2Y
• 1:30PM New CubeSatSim Features: Pacsat, Simulated Doppler, Dashboard, and Hotspot – Alan Johnston, PhD KU2Y
• 2:00PM Using the CubeSatSim as Command Station Learning Tool – Josh Tate, KF4EAG
• 2:30PM Teaching Technology to Middle/High School Students Using An Amateur Radio Foundation & ARISS Competition As The Goal – Gordon L. Gibby, MD KX4Z
• 3:00PM How to Get 20 High Schools to LEO – Nick Pugh K5QXJ
• 3:30PM ARISS: Celebrating 25 Years of Continuous Operations on ISS—and Beyond! – Frank Bauer KA3HDO
• 6:00PM to 9:00PM Reception and Auction

Saturday, October 10

• 9:00AM to 12:00PM Presentations (Operating session)
• 9:00AM Satellite Observation Station: Keeping Track of Radio Amateur Satellites – Joseph A. DiVerdi, PhD, MBA K0NMR
• 9:30AM CardSat and OrbitDeck – Paul Stoetzer N8HM
• 10:00AM Introducing OsTrax – Orbiting Satellite Tracking for the Next Generation – Jim McCullers WA4CWI
• 10:30AM The Modern OSCARLOCATOR – Paul Stoetzer N8HM
• 11:00AM AMSAT Operations Update – Mark Hammond N8MH
• 11:30AM AMSAT Youth Initiative Progress Report – Frank Karnauskas N1UW
• 11:30AM – 1:30PM Lunch Break
• 1:30PM to 4:00PM Presentations (Engineering session)
• 1:30PM Jovian-1 and FUNcube+ Updates – David Bowman G0MRF
• 2:00 PM Amcom 2.0: Modernizing AMSAT Satellite Command and Control – Heimir Thor Sverrisson W1ANT
• 2:30 PM SDR-Gen2 Status – Ray Roberge and Nick Grabbs WA1CYB / KI5YNG
• 3:00 PM AMSAT Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton N0JY
• 4:00PM to 5:00PM AMSAT Annual Meeting
  
• 6:00PM to 7:00PM Attitude Adjustment (Social)
• 7:00PM to 10:00PM AMSAT Banquet and Awards Ceremony

Sunday, October 11

• 7:30AM-9:00AM AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast (All are welcome)

[ANS thanks the Symposium Team for the above information.]

ERMINAZ-2 Satellites in Orbit

AMSAT-Deutschland (AMSAT-DL) launched three ERMINAZ-2 nanosatellites on October 2026 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellites were developed, built, and certified for spaceflight at the satellite laboratory located in the radome of the Bochum Observatory.

Each is a PocketQube 1PQ form factor, 50 x50 x 50 mm, weighing about 250 grams. They are in sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km and an apogee of 600 km

Their goal is o promote space knowledge and amateur radio via open-source protocols, telemetry, and image transmissions.

The frequencies and callsigns for the three satellites are as follows:

• ERMINAZ-2U: Operates in the UHF band on 435.900 MHz (Callsign: DP0PQA).
• ERMINAZ-2V: Operates in the VHF band on 145.920 MHz (Callsign: DP0PQB).
• ERMINAZ-2X: Operates in the VHF band on 145.960 MHz (Callsign: DP0PQC).

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL 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

HADES-L and UNNE-1B will Launch in October

Felix Paez, EA4GQS reports that AMSAT-EA is launching UNNE-1B and HADES-L on SpaceX’s Transporter 18 mission.
UNNE-1B (HADES-E2) is an improved version of UNNE-1, which is still awaiting launch from the UK with RFA. It implements our usual VHF-to-UHF FSK/FM repeater. The repeater will be active 24/7 once the satellite has been checked and commissioned.

The name UNNE-1 comes from Universidad Nebrija, a private university that has developed a small Arduino-based computer with a guessing game. More details about the game will be published by the university, and we will also add a link to it on our website.

The UNNE-1 frequencies are:

• Uplink: 145.925 MHz FM (no subtone), FSK up to 2400 bps
• Downlink: 436.888 MHz FM voice, FSK 200 bps

HADES-L has a different approach. As has happened to us several times, this has been a very quickly developed satellite, taking advantage of an available launch opportunity. HADES-L implements a 29 MHz USB to 436 MHz FM repeater. The main challenge with this satellite is that, due to the space occupied by the experiment it carries, it only has three solar panels, so power availability is a concern.

Because of this, the repeater is only active for 4 minutes every 12 minutes, and if the energy level is very low, it may remain switched off during some passes. Nevertheless, we think having an uplink in the 29 MHz band is very interesting.

The best way to know whether the repeater is active is to listen to the downlink for the typical FM noise. It is currently configured to activate automatically even without an uplink signal, to make operation easier. This configuration may be changed if circumstances require it.

The HADES-L frequencies are:

• Uplink: 29.472 MHz USB (not 28.472 MHz; there was a typo in the first version of the document sent to IARU)
• Downlink: 436.665 MHz FM voice, FSK telemetry at 800 bps

The HADES-L coordination request was sent to IARU rather late, but we expect to receive the coordination document in the coming days.

Software for both satellites is available here, thanks to Andy UZ7HO:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/proyectos/

[ANS thanks Felix Paez, EA4GQS for the above information.]

AO-73 Mode Change

Following nearly 1 year of continuous operation of the U/V transponder, AO-73 / FUNcube-1 will be switched to transmitting higher power telemetry from apx 14.30 UTC on Sunday 4th October.

The mode change coincides with World Space Week and will allow easier reception of satellite telemetry. Information on World Space Week can be found at https://www.worldspaceweek.org/ .

At present, the eclipse periods experience by AO-73 are quite short, with only 20 minutes per orbit without sunlight. This will allow The AMSAT-UK FUNcube team to assess the state of the battery and electrical power system without significant risk to the satellite.

Launched in Nov 2013, AO-73 is approaching 13 years of successful operations on orbit.

Normal transponder operation will resume on Monday 12th October.

[ANS thanks David Bowman, G0MRF for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.

When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the
proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

Volunteer with ARDC in 2027!

ARDC, Amateur Radio Digital Communications, is now accepting applications for their 2027 volunteer cohort. They’re looking for qualified individuals to contribute their time and expertise across several committees and teams:

• Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) – reviews grant applications.
• Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) – works on 44Net-related projects and policies.
• Grants Evaluation Team (GET) – evaluates and analyzes grant reports.
• Grants Communications Team (GCT) – writes about grant results for the public to learn from.
• Conduct Review Committee (CRC) – helps to evaluate Code of Conduct incident reports. Must concurrently serve in another volunteer role.

Interested in applying? Please complete their application form by October 30, 2026: https://forms.gle/sWBt8TZdKc3VgNgA9. Please also be prepared with a PDF file of your resume or CV.

Alternatively, you can send a message to hr@ardc.net with the requested application information.

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a private foundation that exists to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology. We do this through making grants (including support for scholarship programs and research & development projects) and managing 44Net.

For complete information, go to https://www.ardc.net/volunteer-with-ardc-in-2027/ .

[ANS thanks Rebecca Key, KO4KVG ARDC Communications Manager for the above information.]

VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing October 2026

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for September 01, 2026 to October 01, 2026.

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-baqh{text-align:center;vertical-align:top} KO4MA 2100 2126 W5CBF 1895 2002 JN2QCV 1180 1286 KG0D 900 1023 KQ4DO 983 1003 IK1IYU 900 1002 N0GVK 899 922 N8MR 809 830 KJ7DZ 700 809 F6GLJ 701 805 WD9EWK 781 791 EA3TA 681 700 K3HPA 453 484 N4BAA New 471 N4QWF 376 400 KB9DAK 278 290 KT8O 201 216 I3VFJ New 202 IK2TPX 101 178 MM0INH New 107 IU2VUD New 105 HS8MOM New 103

Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders.
N4BAA
I3VFJ
MM0INH
IU2VUD
HS8MOM

I3VFJ is first VUCC-Satellite holder from JN65.
HS8MOM is first VUCC-Satellite holder from NJ99.

DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for September 01, 2026 to October 01, 2026.

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-c3ow{border-color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} IZ1ERR 113 161 LA0FA 138 151 WC7V 125 135 TF1A 119 121 N8MR New 100

Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders.
N8MR
VE6LQ
W2RS

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ for the above information.]

FCC and HHS Initiate New Proceedings on RF Exposure

The ARRL is following two new federal proceedings concerning radio frequency (RF) exposure. On September 17, 2026, the FCC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiated parallel comment periods on RF safety issues. Neither inquiry changes the current FCC RF exposure rules that apply to all radio amateurs but could lead to changes in later proceedings if the current rules are found to be deficient.

The FCC’s Public Notice is narrowly focused on specific RF exposure issues remanded to the Commission in 2021 by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The Commission emphasizes that it will give particular weight to submissions reflecting specialized expertise in health and safety matters. The HHS Request for Information broadly seeks evidence and information concerning the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), RF

The Request for Information (RFI) calling on Americans, scientists, physicians, industry, and public health experts to submit evidence and information on the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and wireless radiation exposure.

The RFI will help HHS evaluate the state of the science, compare U.S. and international safety standards and regulatory approaches, identify critical research gaps, and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, families, schools, communities, and public health professionals.

“Wireless technologies are part of daily life, and our science must keep pace,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “The MAHA Strategy directed HHS to examine electromagnetic radiation and health research, and we are acting on that directive. I encourage scientists, physicians, industry, public health experts, workers, parents, and citizens to bring us the best available evidence so we can identify the gaps and focus federal research where it is needed most.”

HHS is seeking information on RF/EMF exposures associated with mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, wireless infrastructure, wearable technologies, wireless medical devices, 5G, 6G, satellite communications, Internet of Things devices, smart homes, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and other emerging technologies.

The Department is requesting information across several key areas:

• Health experiences and clinical observations.
• Exposure standards and risk assessment.
• Potentially sensitive populations.
• Existing scientific evidence.
• Federal research priorities.

HHS asks respondents to identify the basis for their submissions, including peer-reviewed research, government reports, industry data, clinical observations, or other sources. The Department encourages respondents to submit supporting research, datasets, technical reports, citations, and other relevant evidence whenever available.radiation, and wireless technologies.

Comments on the HHS inquiry are due October 21, with comments on the FCC issues due by October 22.

The current rules governing RF exposure took effect on May 3, 2021, and are discussed in the September 2021 and May 2023 issues of QST. The ARRL website features additional information, including an RF exposure calculator, the RF Safety section from the 100th Edition of The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, an explanatory video, FAQs, and more. ARRL has made these resources available to everyone in the amateur radio community without regard to membership. ARRL urges all licensees to stay compliant and safe.

[ANS thanks the ARRL and the HHS for the above information.]

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 2, 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 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.]

ARISS NEWS

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.

Scheduled Contacts
University Heights School of Medical Arts, Jonesboro, AR, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Joshua Kutryk, KJ5BFU.
The ARISS mentor is Charlie Sufana, AJ9N
Contact is go for: Mon 2026-10-05 15:27:07

Wick High School, Wick, United Kingdom, direct via GB4WHS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Joshua Kutryk, KJ5BFU.
The ARISS mentor is Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD
Contact is go for: Tue 2026-10-06 13:00:34 UTC 25

Successful Contacts
Scuola Media Pio X Artigianelli, Firenze, Italy, direct via IW5CWC, joint contact with Istituto Comprensivo Statale Rita Levi Montalcini Campolongo Maggiore e Campagna Lupia, Campolongo Maggiore – Venezia, Italy, direct via IQ3RW.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN.
The ARISS mentor was Francesco de Paolis IK0WGF.
Contact was successful Tuesday, 9/29/ 2026 at10:28:57 UTC.

City of Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia direct via R4PT.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Anna Kikina, KJ5BFU.
The ARISS mentor was A.R.C. ENERGIA, RV3DR.
Contact was successful Wednesday, 9/30/ 2026 at 11:25 UTC.

Schedule of Radio Power Downs
COL=Columbus omdule; SM=Service Module HamTV is also known as Ham-Video

Fri 2026-10-02 09:00 UTC Expedition 75 – ARISS Series 33 Student Education SSTV Event start
Tue 2026-10-06 15:55 UTC Expedition 75 – ARISS Series 33 Student Education SSTV Event end
Frequency is 437.550 MHz (+/- Doppler)
Mode is Robot36
Transmission 36 seconds on 2 minutes off

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.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

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.]

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.

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/
(Remember! Students join for FREE!)

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.

October 8-11, 2026
44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Membership Meeting
Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel and Conference Center
14670 Duval Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/

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

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• The next AMSAT Students on the Air activity day is Tuesday, October 6. StOTA encourages licensed student operators to make satellite contacts on the first and third Tuesdays of each month and asks the wider amateur satellite community to make a special effort to welcome young operators onto the satellites. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
  
• On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Spanish launch service provider PLD Space signed a bilateral agreement with the French Space Agency, Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), to advance commercial launch infrastructure at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The partnership establishes a joint technical framework to assess the feasibility of adding a second launch pad at the ELM-Diamant complex to support flight operations for PLD Space’s MIURA 5 and MIURA 9 orbital launch vehicles. The joint initiative aligns with European Space Agency (ESA) efforts under the European Launcher Challenge to diversify access to orbit by integrating commercial launch providers into Europe’s primary spaceport. By expanding launch capacity at ELM-Diamant, CNES and PLD Space aim to increase mission throughput, lower spaceport operational bottlenecks, and establish a multi-user gateway capable of handling both European government payloads and commercial constellation deployments. [ANS thanks satnews.com for the above information.]
  
• On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 2-1 to codify an order confirming that satellite licensing operations are categorically excluded from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The ruling formally establishes that licensing commercial space systems does not constitute a major federal action requiring environmental impact assessments. The regulatory update applies broadly across the commercial satellite lifecycle. Under the newly approved order, the environmental exclusion covers spacecraft manufacturing launch authorizations, orbital deployment, on-orbit operations, spectrum authorizations, and ground station earth terminals. [ANS thanks satnews.com for the above information.]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
• Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW.
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] 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.

Get ready to contact college and university radio clubs during this weekend’s Collegiate QSO Party, 0000 UTC October 3 through 2359 UTC ImageOctober 4 (Friday evening through Sunday in the US). Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be on the air using the call sign of a college, university, or other post-secondary academic institution. Look for stations on CW, phone, and digital modes on an...

We are saddened to report this week on the passing of four well-known amateurs, including two members of the extended “ARRL family.” 

 

Longtime ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager Robert George “Bob” Beaudet, W1YRC, became a Silent Key on September 10, 2026, at age 88. An ARRL Life Member, Gold-Level Diamond Club member, and Maxim Society member in the President Class, Beaudet served as Rhode Isla...

AMSAT News Service ANS-270
September 27, 2026

In this edition:

• ARISS SSTV Series 33 to Feature Student Education Images October 2-6
• UNNE-1B Coordinated as Transporter-18 Prepares to Loft New Amateur Payloads
• AMSAT-DL’s ERMINAZ-2 PocketQube Trio Set for October 1 Launch on Transporter-18
• OrbitDeck for iOS Brings Full-Featured Satellite Tracking to iPhone and iPad
• Recent IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Activity
• IARU Region 1 General Conference Concludes in Vienna; New Executive Committee Elected
• 44th AMSAT Space Symposium Less Than Two Weeks Away
• ARICA-2 Opens Amateur Message-Relay Mission September 29
• Jim Hart, WD5RGW, Earns AMSAT Reverse VUCC Award #21
• Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 25, 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/

ARISS SSTV Series 33 to Feature Student Education Images October 2-6

Get the SSTV decoders ready. ARISS has announced that its next Slow Scan Television event, SSTV Series 33, will be transmitted from the International Space Station beginning Friday, October 2, at 09:00 UTC and concluding on Tuesday, October 6, at a time to be determined. This special Expedition 75 event will feature a series of images focused on the theme of student education.

Images will be transmitted on 437.550 MHz FM using the Robot 36 mode, on a schedule of 36 seconds of transmission followed by a two-minute pause. Because the downlink is on 70 centimeters, Doppler shift is significant – stations should expect the signal to sweep from approximately 437.560 MHz at acquisition of signal down to 437.540 MHz at loss of signal – and should plan to tune accordingly. A Doppler correction summary sheet for the 437.550 MHz SSTV system is available at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/SSTV_Event_437.550_MHz.pdf

As with previous events, SSTV transmissions may be paused briefly to accommodate scheduled ARISS school contacts, and the schedule remains subject to change based on station operations. The event’s dates overlap the start of World Space Week, October 4-10, whose theme this year is “Rocket Revolution.”

Received images may be posted to the ARISS SSTV gallery, and participants who receive and submit images are eligible for a commemorative electronic award certificate. Details on the gallery, the award, and any schedule updates will be posted at https://www.ariss.org/upcoming-sstv-events.html and on the ARISS social media channels.

[ANS thanks ARISS for 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.

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/ (Remember! Students join for FREE!)

UNNE-1B Coordinated as Transporter-18 Prepares to Loft New Amateur Payloads

AMSAT-EA’s UNNE-1B (also known as HADES-E2) has moved to the list of completed coordinations on the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel’s status pages, with a downlink on 436.888 MHz and an uplink on 145.925 MHz now coordinated – just in time for a launch that could put three new amateur payloads in orbit next month.

Last covered in ANS-214, UNNE-1B is a 1.5P PocketQube built on the same hardware and software as the original UNNE-1, which continues to await a Rocket Factory Augsburg launch from the United Kingdom. The satellite provides an SDR-based FM voice and FSK digital repeater, opened by squelch level with no tone required, along with FSK data at 50-1200 bps, telemetry at up to 1600 bps, a CW beacon, and a CODEC2 digital voice message. AMSAT-EA has positioned it as the successor to the FM repeater service of SO-124 and SO-125, both of which have since re-entered the atmosphere. An educational payload developed by students at Universidad de Nebrija in Madrid will send one clue per week in the telemetry as part of a guessing game for amateurs to solve.

UNNE-1B is manifested on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 dedicated rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with the launch brokered by UARX. Transporter-18 is currently scheduled to launch on Thursday, October 1, at 18:18 UTC.

Two more amateur payloads are planning to share the ride. AMSAT-EA’s HADES-L, an experimental 10 x 5 x 5 cm PocketQube reported in ANS-214, proposes a transponder with an uplink at 28.472 MHz USB – or alternatively on 145 MHz – and a 436.665 MHz FM downlink, capable of carrying a single FM voice channel or multiple simultaneous CW, FT4, or FT8 signals. And UTNH-Sat, from the Universidad Tecnologica Nacional Regional Haedo in Argentina, will transmit LoRa telemetry and a CW beacon on 436.850 MHz and offer an automatic LoRa ping-response service: amateurs who transmit a ping request to the satellite will receive a reply containing their own callsign. Both remain in the coordination process (see the coordination roundup below).

[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA, the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel, and Exolaunch for the above information]

AMSAT-DL’s ERMINAZ-2 PocketQube Trio Set for October 1 Launch on Transporter-18

It’s official: AMSAT-DL’s three ERMINAZ-2 PocketQubes – ERMINAZ-2U, ERMINAZ-2V, and ERMINAZ-2X – are set to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday, October 1, at 18:18 UTC (20:18 CEST), AMSAT-DL announced on September 25. The three spacecraft will be deployed from UARX’s OSSIE mission using a PocketQube deployer provided by the Libre Space Foundation into a 500 x 600 km polar orbit.

The trio shares an identical design derived from AMSAT-DL’s ERMINAZ-1 spacecraft, which were built on the Libre Space Foundation’s QUBIK platform and still await the first flight of Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA One from SaxaVord Spaceport in the United Kingdom. That makes the ERMINAZ-2 satellites the first of the ERMINAZ family to reach orbit. AMSAT-DL describes the build as its shortest satellite campaign to date: when the launch opportunity arose in early 2025, the flight models had to be ready for integration into the deployer within a matter of weeks. The satellites were originally manifested on Transporter-14, then Transporter-16, before settling on Transporter-18.

The ERMINAZ program is a syndicated multi-PocketQube mission led by AMSAT-DL in collaboration with AMSAT-EA, ESERO-Germany at the Bochum Observatory, and the Libre Space Foundation, with the goal of promoting, advancing, and developing knowledge about space and amateur radio. Each of the three ERMINAZ-2 spacecraft will transmit telemetry and science data from onboard radiation sensors and triaxial accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, downlink SSDV images, and provide a digipeater and store-and-forward function allowing licensed amateurs to use the satellites as relays to communicate with one another worldwide. Only non-proprietary, open-source, and documented protocols will be used, including CCSDS telemetry, a CW beacon with callsign identification, SSDV, and AX.25, along with in-flight experiments using GFSK, GMSK, and BPSK modulation at data rates from 600 to 19,200 bps and both CCSDS and IEEE 802.15.4 framing.

The IARU has coordinated the following frequencies: ERMINAZ-2U will operate in the UHF amateur satellite band on 435.900 MHz, while ERMINAZ-2V and ERMINAZ-2X will operate in the VHF band on 145.920 MHz and 145.960 MHz, respectively. AMSAT-DL notes that these frequencies are to be used only for amateur purposes. Operators wishing to decode the satellites will find that Daniel Estevez, EA4GPZ, added a decoder for the ERMINAZ family’s QUBIK-derived communications stack to gr-satellites in 2024, and telemetry reports via the SatNOGS network will be welcomed.

Transporter-18 is shaping up as a banner flight for amateur radio: AMSAT-EA’s UNNE-1B and HADES-L and Argentina’s UTNH-Sat are also manifested on the mission (see story above). Further details on the ERMINAZ program are available at https://amsat-dl.org/en/erminaz/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL and the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel for the above information]

OrbitDeck for iOS Brings Full-Featured Satellite Tracking to iPhone and iPad

OrbitDeck for iOS, a comprehensive amateur satellite tracking application for iPhone and iPad, is now available on the Apple App Store. Developed by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, the app runs natively on both iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, and its source code is published on GitHub.

At its core, OrbitDeck computes live look angles, range, range rate, sub-point, and footprint for any satellite, along with next-pass predictions featuring quality scoring and elevation profiles, a daily schedule of every favorite satellite’s passes ordered by AOS, multi-day pass progressions, a full ground-track map, an all-sky radar showing every favorite at once, an animated 3D globe, and a polar sky plot marking AOS, LOS, and direction of travel. Orbital elements are pulled from CelesTrak and AMSAT and refreshed automatically, with cached data keeping core tracking features working offline.

For operating, the app offers a four-dial DX Doppler display and a single-station Doppler playbook, per-satellite calibration shared across every Doppler screen with CSV import and export, a link budget with a per-elevation margin curve, the SatNOGS transponder database, an AO-7 Mode A/B timer, and mutual-visibility windows with paired sky plots for those chasing distance records. Full rig control lets the app Doppler-tune a transceiver over a BLE serial adapter or an Icom network connection, supporting Icom CI-V, Yaesu, and Kenwood radios – including the TS-2000 and TS-790 satellite modes and the TH-D74 and TH-D75 via the B.B. Link – as well as any Hamlib radio via rigctld, in single full-duplex, single uplink/downlink, or two-radio configurations. Rotator control follows the pass with support for GS-232, Easycomm, SPID Rot2Prog, SAEBRTrack, rotctld, PstRotator, and OZ9AAR URC protocols, complete with pre-positioning before AOS, slew lead, park on LOS, flip mode, alignment offsets, and magnetic correction.

Logging is built in, with an on-device QSO log, LoTW uploads signed directly on the device from the operator’s own certificate, Cloudlog and Wavelog uploads, and ADIF import and export with automatic LoTW satellite naming. The app can also record a pass, decode SSTV images into an exportable gallery, and work full-duplex FT4 over USB or network audio, decoding the downlink while transmitting with a live Doppler readout, automatic transponder calibration, and PTT via CAT.

Rovers will find the station and grid tools especially handy: the app can operate from a fixed site or follow the device’s GPS, recognizes VUCC grid lines and corners per ARRL rules so that every claimable grid is shown, and includes a Live Grid Finder that guides the operator onto a line or corner with a compass arrow, along with a display of the current DXCC entity, state, and county.

Rounding out the package are an orbital analysis suite covering J2 nodal and apsidal rates, beta angle, eclipse fraction, LTAN, conjunction awareness, and state-vector-to-element recovery; live space weather from NOAA SWPC and N0NBH’s hamqsl.com; a MUF and HF path tool; a classic OSCARLOCATOR simulator with printable overlays and a reference-orbit schedule; more than 60 antenna, feedline, RF, and orbit calculators; a receipt-tape scientific calculator and a graphing calculator; a Tiny BASIC interpreter; and PDF, CSV, and XLSX exports.

OrbitDeck for iOS is available on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/app/orbitdeck/id6802070968. Documentation, including guides to rig control, rotator control, logging, and digital modes, is available at https://orbitdeckios.n8hm.radio/, and the source code may be found at https://github.com/prstoetzer/OrbitDeckiOS. The app encourages users to support AMSAT, which builds and operates many of the satellites OrbitDeck is made to track.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information]

Recent IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Activity

September has been an unusually eventful month on the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel’s status pages, hosted by AMSAT-UK at https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/index.php. In addition to the UNNE-1B coordination reported above, the panel completed four coordinations, declined four requests in a single day, and posted six new applications during the month.

Newly Coordinated (September 7)

+ FramSat-1.5 – Orbit NTNU, Norway. ANS-235 reported that the panel had declined coordination for this 1U CubeSat on August 17. The request now appears on the list of completed coordinations, with a downlink on 435.060 MHz coordinated for its 2FSK 9k6 telemetry. Built by the student organization at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, FramSat-1.5 is planning an Isar Aerospace launch from Andoya in Q4 2026, following its predecessor FramSat-1, which reached orbit on Isar’s “Onward and Upward” mission on September 5.

+ Qubesat-2 – Space Technologies at Cal, University of California, Berkeley. A 2U CubeSat carrying a store-and-forward digipeater that will accept packets of amateurs’ own data and retransmit them at a time of the operator’s choosing, with the open-source TinyGS ground station network used for broad accessibility. Its science payload is a proof-of-concept quantum gyroscope using nitrogen-vacancy center diamonds. The team proposed a UHF LoRa downlink at 1025 baud, with launch arranged through Voyager.

+ UTNH-SAJILO-SAT (SanoSat-3) – AMSAT Nepal. The follow-on to SanoSat-1 (NO-116) and SanoSat-2 carries an amateur digipeater for short messages, a 5-megapixel camera downlinking SSDV images via GFSK, a Morse code identification beacon, and a magnetorquer-based detumbling system, with telemetry openly available through SatNOGS.

+ Solar Flare and Ionosphere Explorer (SoFIE) – Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania. A 3U CubeSat that will observe HF radio bursts from the Sun while collecting ground-based transmissions with a broadband 3-30 MHz receiver, in collaboration with the University of Scranton’s HamSCI initiative, with a 9k6 BPSK AX.25 UHF downlink and a 1 Mbps S-band downlink.

Coordination Declined (September 17)

Four requests were declined on the same day, in each case with the panel’s reasoning noted on the request:

+ AlMunther – Bahrain Space Agency. A 3U CubeSat carrying a camera system, an in-house avionics board with encryption and AI image-processing experiments, and a beacon transmitting the Bahraini national anthem and a quote from the King of Bahrain for amateurs to collect. The satellite was launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 mission in March 2025; coordination was not requested until July of that year.

+ MOI-1 – K J Somaiya Institute of Technology, India. A 6U CubeSat intended to provide AI computation infrastructure in space, with an “OrbitRadio” amateur-band downlink broadcasting telemetry and user-uploaded messages. The panel declined coordination as a commercial project.

+ GenexSat – Genex Space (Space Shaala Pvt. Ltd.), India. A 4P PocketQube proposing a LoRa digipeater and a lab-on-chip biological experiment. The panel declined coordination as a commercial project.

+ MRZN – Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras. A 1U CubeSat measuring hydrometeorological variables to provide flood early warnings for Central American river basins, with SSTV images promised for amateurs in the summer months. The panel declined coordination as an Earth exploration mission.

New Applications

+ SCALAR – Washington University in St. Louis (applied September 6). The student club’s first satellite mission, a 1U CubeSat demonstrating three-axis attitude control using custom magnetorquers and torque rods, with members obtaining amateur licenses and building their own ground station along the way.

+ Nyansat – Oakwood School, California (applied September 13). A 2U CubeSat designed, built, and operated by high school students, carrying acoustic structural measurement, radio-based orbit determination, distributed ledger, embedded Ethernet, imaging, and student artwork payloads, plus a materials science experiment that students at approximately 30 schools will follow with control observations. The team proposes a UHF GFSK downlink and a NASA launch to the ISS in June 2027. The responsible operator is Michael Lyle, AE6XM.

+ UTNH-Sat – Universidad Tecnologica Nacional Regional Haedo, Argentina (applied September 15). LoRa telemetry and a CW beacon on 436.850 MHz, an automatic LoRa ping-response service that returns the requesting station’s callsign, and an onboard radiation counter for educational study of the space environment. The team is planning a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg in October 2026. The responsible operator is Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ.

+ RSP-P00 – Rymansat PocketQube, Japan (applied September 16). A 1P PocketQube intended to demonstrate an ultra-small, rapidly iterated satellite platform whose hardware designs and protocols will be open-sourced to the amateur community. The satellite will transmit telemetry, CODEC2 digital voice (FreeDV 2400B), and SSDV images, and will offer an AX.25 echo-back practice mode for newcomers and an APRS repeater, with a downlink combining CW, GMSK at up to 19k2, AFSK, and ME-2FSK. A SpaceX launch from Vandenberg is planned for early 2028. The responsible operator is Takafumi Shimamura, JI1YSC.

+ Space-Ranger 1 and Space-Ranger 2 – Beihang University, China (applied September 22). A pair of 28 kg microsatellites developed from winning projects of the second Space Universities CubeSat Challenge, each carrying an optical camera, a deployable membrane demonstration, a neutron detector, and electric propulsion. Telemetry is to be open to radio amateurs worldwide upon application for authorization, with a UHF BPSK downlink at 4096 bps and an S-band QPSK downlink at 200 kbps proposed. Launch from Jiuquan is planned for January 2027.

Finally, the Slipper2Sat-2 entry from Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal, reported as a new application in ANS-214, no longer appears on the panel’s status pages.

Developers planning a mission are reminded to request coordination as early in the design process as possible – and, as this month’s declines illustrate, well before launch.

[ANS thanks the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel and AMSAT-UK 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   IARU Region 1 General Conference Concludes in Vienna; New Executive Committee Elected

The 27th General Conference of IARU Region 1 concluded on Wednesday, September 23, at the Parkhotel Schoenbrunn in Vienna, Austria, after five days of committee sessions, working group meetings, and plenary votes. Hosted by the Oesterreichischer Versuchssenderverband (OeVSV), the Austrian national society, in the year of its 100th anniversary, the conference drew more than 120 delegates representing 38 member societies, along with the IARU Administrative Council, including representatives from Regions 2 and 3.

In addition to adopting a new budget and a slate of recommendations, the conference elected the region’s officers for the coming three years. Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, was elected President, with Dennis Green, ZS4BS, as Vice President, Achraf “Ash” Chaabane, 3V9A, as Secretary, and Elvira “Vera” Hardmeier Balmer, HB9EYH, as Treasurer. Rounding out the new Executive Committee are Ahmad AlHoli, 9K2DB; Ana Canizares Bejarano, EI5IXB; Joseph Msallam, 5B4APB; Markus Grosser, DL8GM; and Florian Zwingl, OE3FTA. The chairs of the region’s committees and working groups were re-elected.

Delegations worked through roughly 100 conference papers, with proposals debated and refined in the committees and working groups before advancing to the plenary session, where each member society cast its vote. Belgium’s UBA, reporting from Vienna, described the debates as particularly lively.

Satellite spectrum was squarely on the agenda. The RSGB’s paper “UHF Spectrum Situation” (VI26_C5_11) highlighted the increasing international pressures on the 430-440 MHz band, including satellite systems and competing uses, and the need for member societies and IARU specialists to identify threats early and coordinate their response – an issue, as the RSGB noted, that no single country can effectively address alone. The paper’s backdrop is AST SpaceMobile’s plan, disclosed by the FCC in April, to operate 248 satellites of its cellular-broadband constellation in the band on center frequencies of 430.5, 432.3, 434.1, 435.9, and 439.5 MHz. Delegates also received the report of the ARSPEX Working Group (VI26_C3_45), the region’s specialized body for Amateur Radio Space Exploration, and considered the ratification of the Youth Working Group’s elevation to a Permanent Committee along with a proposed new Constitution and Bylaws intended to modernize the region’s governance. IARU Region 1 Satellite Coordinator Graham Shirville, G3VZV, was among the volunteers contributing to the RSGB delegation’s work.

Held every three years, the General Conference sets Region 1’s policy, work agenda, and budget for the following three years. A full report of the final plenary’s decisions is expected to be published on the IARU Region 1 website at https://www.iaru-r1.org/, and the RSGB has said a fuller write-up will follow in RadCom. The complete set of conference papers remains available at https://conf.iaru-r1.org/documents/

[ANS thanks IARU Region 1, the RSGB, and the UBA for the above information]

44th AMSAT Space Symposium Less Than Two Weeks Away

The 44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting is now less than two weeks away, October 8-11, 2026, at the Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel & Conference Center in Jacksonville, Florida – the property formerly known as the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport/I-95 – an easy fly-in location with a free airport shuttle.

Registration remains open at https://launch.amsat.org/event-6789663. Symposium registration is $90 and includes all presentation sessions, the Friday night social and auction, the Sunday morning AMSAT Members Breakfast, and a digital copy of the Symposium Proceedings; the Saturday banquet is $70, and an all-events package is available for $160.

The weekend opens with the AMSAT Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, October 8, continuing Friday morning, at which the Directors elected in the recently concluded election (see ANS-263) will take their seats. Symposium presentations begin Friday afternoon and continue through Saturday, capped by the Annual General Meeting at 3:00 p.m. Saturday and the evening banquet, complete with ham radio door prizes. Sunday brings the Members Breakfast and optional tours of the USS Orleck and the Jacksonville Zoo, with admission paid at the door. Live streaming will be available for members unable to attend in person.

Although AMSAT’s group code has expired, attendees may still make direct hotel reservations at the Wyndham Jacksonville may be made through the booking link on the Symposium page at https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/ or by phone at 1-800-227-6963.

[ANS thanks ARRL and the Huntsville Hamfest for the above information]

It’s August! Time is running out for the 2026 President’s Club Coin!
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Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

ARICA-2 Opens Amateur Message-Relay Mission September 29

The ARICA-2 CubeSat will begin the first full operational phase of its amateur radio mission on Tuesday, September 29, giving radio amateurs an opportunity to exchange messages through the spacecraft.

The Aoyama Gakuin University Sakamoto Laboratory announced September 24 that the mission will run from September 29 through October 13. ARICA-2 operates under the amateur radio call sign JS1YSD. For the first phase of the amateur mission, participants will be able to transmit messages to the spacecraft for subsequent relay. 

Both uplink and downlink are on 436.830 MHz, using 4800 bps GMSK and AX.25. The university notes that transmitted data uses a mission-specific format. Detailed operating software, packet-format information, and a reception-report form are expected to be made available or updated on the ARICA-2 project website as the operating period approaches.

The message-relay experiment is the first of multiple planned amateur radio activities aboard ARICA-2. A later phase is expected to make images taken by the spacecraft available through the amateur radio system. The project continues to encourage reception reports from amateur satellite operators around the world.

Operators interested in taking part should watch the project’s announcements for final operating instructions before transmitting.

[ANS thanks JAMSAT and the Aoyama Gakuin University Sakamoto Laboratory ARICA-2 team for the above information]

 

Jim Hart, WD5GRW, Earns AMSAT Reverse VUCC Award #21

One hundred grids is the goal. Jim Hart, WD5GRW, kept driving. Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, has announced that Jim has earned AMSAT Reverse VUCC (VUCC/r) Award #21, with confirmed satellite contacts made from 111 different Maidenhead grid squares other than his home grid. “That is a lot of driving,” Bruce noted in announcing the award.

The Reverse VUCC turns the familiar ARRL VUCC award on its head. Where a fixed station earns VUCC by confirming contacts with 100 grids, a rover earns VUCC/r by making confirmed contacts from 100 grids, packing up the station and moving on after every activation. The award was created by the Central States VHF Society, through the efforts of Bill Wageman, K5MAT, to recognize the work rovers put into activating grids for everyone else, and AMSAT has administered the satellite version since September 2021. ARRL VUCC rules apply with a few exceptions, contacts dated January 1, 1983 or later qualify, QSL confirmations are required and verified by the program administrator, and each certificate carries a unique serial number, with endorsement stickers available above the basic 100-grid level.

Complete rules and application details for the Reverse VUCC Award are available at https://www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award/. Upcoming rover operations may be found, and publicized, at https://hams.at.

Congratulations, Jim. In Bruce’s words, “Rovers Keep on Rov’in.”

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 25, 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 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 Keps distribution.

General Perturbations Data Support

AMSAT is pleased to announce that modern forms of what are called General Perturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including JSON, XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The reason this change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit catalog numbers and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched after July of this 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 while hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org, and we are very open to community feedback at webmaster at amsat.org. Testers may experience outages and errors while we make improvements. We intend to put this into production on our main web server in July as we expect that satellites launched after this summer will require 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 above information]

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https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/amt-satellites ARISS News

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.

Scheduled Contacts

Liceo Bicentenario Mary Graham, Valparaíso, Chile, direct via CE2CQ 

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS 
The scheduled crewmember is Jack Hathaway KJ5NIV  
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD  

Contact is go for: Mon 2026-09-28 12:24:10 UTC 48 deg

Scuola Media Pio X Artigianelli, Firenze, Italy, direct via IW5CWC, joint contact with Istituto Comprensivo Statale Rita Levi Montalcini Campolongo Maggiore e Campagna Lupia, Campolongo Maggiore – Venezia, Italy, direct via IQ3RW

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS 
The scheduled crewmember is Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN  
The ARISS mentor is IKØWGF  

Contact is go for: Tue 2026-09-29 10:28:57 UTC 27 deg

Watch for Livestream at:

Venezia: http://www.youtube.com/@SezioneARIRivieraDelBrenta

Firenze: https://www.youtube.com/@scuolepercrescere1068

City of Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia direct via TBD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS 
The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR   

Contact is go for Wed 2026-09-30 11:25 UTC

Schedule of radio power downs and power ups

COL=Columbus module  SM=Service Module  HamTV is also known as Ham-Video

Mon 2026-09-28 12:20 UTC      Ham-Video power up

Fri 2026-10-02 09:00 UTC      Expedition 75 – ARISS Series 33 Student Education  SSTV Event start

Tue 2026-10-06 TBD UTC        Expedition 75 – ARISS Series 33 Student Education  SSTV Event end

Frequency is 437.550 MHz (+/- Doppler)

Mode is Robot36 

Transmission 36 seconds on  2 minutes off

The crossband repeater remains configured in the Columbus Module (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If a crewmember decides to pick up the microphone and turn up the volume, you may hear them on the air—so keep listening, as you never know when activity might occur.

​Kenwood D710GA in the Zvezda Service Module – Call sign RSØISS. 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/.

Ham TV is currently transmitting a test signal at 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]

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25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space 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.

Bored Net uExpo and ARRL Santa Barbara Section Convention – October 3, 2026
Cal State University Channel Islands
1 University Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
https://www.theborednet.net/index.php/2026/06/22/2026-microexpo-is-on/
K6KH

Tucson Area Autumn Hamfest – October 3, 2026
Radio Society of Tucson
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
9252 East 22nd Street
Tucson, AZ
https://k7rst.club
N1UW

44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Membership Meeting – October 8-11, 2026
Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel and Conference Center
14670 Duval Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/

Southern Arizona Fall Hamfest – November 14, 2026
Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club
Marana Middle School
11285 W. Grier Rd.
Marana, AZ

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]

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

For the 44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 8-11, 2026, in Jacksonville!

https://launch.amsat.org/event-6789663

Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ Amateur Radio Newsline reports that students at India’s Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering have completed flight-ready builds of EagleSat A and EagleSat B, the pair of 1U CubeSats whose IARU coordination request was reported in ANS-214. Part of the first batch of India’s 75 Student Satellites Mission, the EagleSats will each carry a real-time AX.25 digipeater with a 435.170 MHz uplink and 436.547 MHz downlink, command-activated Robot36 SSTV demonstrations, and a beacon on 436.645 MHz, with a launch planned aboard a Skyroot Vikram launch vehicle from Sriharikota. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information]

+ Papers for the second annual Zero Retries Digital Conference are due Monday, September 28, at 23:59 UTC. The one-day conference, which lists digital satellite communication among its topic areas, takes place Friday, October 16, in San Ramon, California, on the eve of Pacificon. Submission details and registration are at https://www.zeroretries.org/p/conference. [ANS thanks Zero Retries for the above information]

+ Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet (JOTA-JOTI), the annual worldwide Scouting event promoting friendship and global citizenship via amateur radio and the internet, will be held October 16-18, 2026. Satellite demonstrations have long been a crowd favorite at JOTA stations – a handheld, an Arrow antenna, and a pass of an FM bird can introduce a whole troop to amateur radio in space in under fifteen minutes. Details are at https://www.jotajoti.info/. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]

+ Amateur Radio Daily’s “DXing at Galactic Scale” (September 22) looks at a new testable hypothesis dubbed Behavioral SETI, which seeks to explain the apparent radio silence of the cosmos through the behavior of hypothetical civilizations rather than their absence – food for thought for anyone who has spent a long night listening to noise on a quiet band. Read it at https://daily.hamweekly.com/. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Daily for the above information]

+ The next AMSAT Students on the Air activity day is Tuesday, October 6. StOTA encourages licensed student operators to make satellite contacts on the first and third Tuesdays of each month and asks the wider amateur satellite community to make a special effort to welcome young operators onto the satellites.  [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
• Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [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.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, was a guest on episode 103 of The DX Mentor, which aired September 19, 2026. Hosted by Bill Salyers, AJ8B, with Joe Pater, W8GEX, the discussion covered highlights from the ARRL Board of Directors’ annual Second Meeting, held July 17; the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU); the August ARRL National Convention hosted by the Huntsville Hamfest, and recent supp...

It’s been a half century since single sideband (SSB) supplanted amplitude modulation (AM) as the most popular voice mode on HF, due largely to its spectrum efficiency, occupying roughly half the bandwidth of an AM signal. Now, there’s a new digital voice mode from FreeDV called Radio Autoencoder, or RADE, that occupies half the bandwidth of an SSB signal and reportedly provides more natural-sou...

ARRL with ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is following two new federal proceedings concerning radio frequency (RF) exposure. On September 17, 2026, the FCC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiated parallel comment periods on RF safety issues. Neither inquiry changes the current FCC RF exposure rules that apply to all radio amateurs but could lead to ...

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels with isolated to
occasional C-class flare activity, along with a slight chance for
R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) M-class flare events, through September 25,
according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The SWPC reports
that nine sunspot regions are on the visible disk, including a new
Region 4541. There were three solar flares observed in the past ...

AMSAT News Service ANS-263
September 20, 2026

In this edition:

* AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results
* Call for Presentations: 44th AMSAT Space Symposium
* AO-7 Again Captures Attention
* Binar-567 CubeSat Trio Prepared for Launch
* LEO.space Free Platform for Tracking Satellites
* NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots ‘Once-in-Century’ Crater 
* Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for Sept. 18, 2026
* Three U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
* 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/

AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results

The following were elected to the three expiring seats of the Board of Directors:

• Paul Stoetzer
• Rich Gopstein
• Mark Hammond

The following were elected as noted:

• Douglas Tabor, First Alternate
• Bruce Paige, Second Alternate

On September 16, 2026, Barry Baines formally tendered his resignation from the Board for personal reasons.

The Board officially consists of the following 7 members:

• Jerry Buxton
• Drew Glasbrenner
• Rich Gopstein
• Mark Hammond
• Frank Karnauskas
• Paul Stoetzer
• Douglas Tabor

By my hand on September 19, 2026,

Douglas Tabor
AMSAT Secretary

Call for Presentations: 44th AMSAT Space Symposium

Do you have a story to tell the amateur satellite community? AMSAT invites proposals for presentations at the 44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, to be held October 8-11, 2026, at the Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel & Conference Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

Presentations are welcome on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. Suggested subjects include current and future satellite projects such as the GOLF program and the CubeSatSim; ARISS and human spaceflight activities; ground station, antenna, and portable station design; software-defined radio; telemetry collection and analysis; satellite operating techniques and achievements; educational programs and youth outreach; and reports from DXpeditions and roving operations. Whether you have built it, flown it, coded it, taught it, or worked it through a satellite, your fellow attendees want to hear about it.

Prospective presenters should email a tentative presentation title and a brief abstract to symposium [at] amsat.org as soon as possible. Presentation time slots are limited, so early submissions are encouraged, and information on submitting final papers and presentation materials for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings will be provided to presenters. A digital copy of the Proceedings is included with every Symposium registration.

Symposium presentations begin Friday afternoon, October 9, and continue through Saturday, October 10, leading into the Annual General Meeting. Live streaming will bring the sessions to members unable to attend in person – all the more reason to make sure your work is on the program.

Registration for the Symposium is now open at https://launch.amsat.org/event-6789663, with early bird pricing available through September 8. Hotel reservations at the Wyndham Jacksonville – the property formerly known as the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport/I-95 – may be made through the booking link at https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/ or by phone at 1-800-227-6963 using group code AMS.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information.]

Registration is Now Open!

AO-7 Again Captures Attention

AMSAT OSCAR 7, the amateur satellite launched in 1974 but operational yet today, has once again gained the attention of the media. Historians and fans of space lore have often focused on the story of AO-7, one of the oldest — if not the oldest — satellite of any type to remain in operation a half century after its commissioning. Yet another space journalist has discovered the story and published an article about our venerable repeater in the sky.

Lachlan Brown, Editor-in-Chief and a Co-Publisher of Space Daily, an online technical news outlet that has published continuously since 1995, posted a new article on September 17 that recounts the history of the satellite. The full article is available at https://spacedaily.com/t-ao-7-amateur-radio-satellite-returned-after-21-years/.

As Brown notes, “AO-7 worked for more than six years, well beyond the two-year design life commonly given for the mission. Then it went silent in mid-1981.” As was typical of satellites designed and built in that era, the bird had succumbed to a shorted battery pack.

Radio amateur Pat Gowen, G3IOR, happened to hear a CW transmission in June of 2002 that was later confirmed to be the telemetry beacon of OSCAR 7. Apparently the repeated cycles of heating and cooling satellites experience when moving between sunlight and eclipse had cause the shorted batteries to become an open circuit. This allowed the solar panels to supply current to the satellite’s electronics directly. Experiments proved that not only the beacon, but also the transponders, could be operational.

AO-7 continues to be “semi-operational.” That is, when it is in sunlight one or the other of its transponders becomes active. Control of the satellite is limited, and overly strong signals on the uplink can create power drains that cause the satellite to change modes, and could potentially do more permanent damage.

An article in the recent, July/August 2026 issue of The AMSAT Journal, written by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, documents that mode timers and other basic functions of AO-7 continue to operate as designed. It is only abuse by careless operators transmitting excessively strong signals to the satellite that cause the mode changes that have been observed. AMSAT members can access the Journal by logging into the Member Portal on the AMSAT website, https://launch.amsat.org/.

The lengthy Space Daily retrospective is only one of a number of articles celebrating AMSAT OSCAR 7 in recent years, particularly since the 50th anniversary of its launch in 2024. The old bird continues to inspire the awe of space fans, the interest of journalists, and the attention of radio amateurs. With care and responsible operating, amateur will hopefully be able to continue to enjoy the use of AO-7 for many years.

[ANS thanks Space Daily and The AMSAT Journal for the above information.]

It’s August! Time is running out for the 2026 President’s Club Coin!
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/

Binar-567 CubeSat Trio Prepared for Launch

Binar-567, a group of three 1U satellites known as Binar-5, Binar-6 and Binar-7, is scheduled to launch no earlier than Q4 2026. The satellites are intended to support research, technology development and STEM engagement in low-Earth orbit.

Operation of student payloads will take place from high schools with ground stations built by students. Schools will be encouraged to constantly operate a downlink only station and (with support from a licensed amateur) uplink from their station or from the university ground station. The Binar team will support students who pursue an amateur license and start clubs at their schools.

The satellites also carry packet store and forward capability for general amateur engagement. UHF downlinks for Beacon and Telemetry will be OQPSK for 100 and 38.4kbps GFSK for 19.2, 9.6 and 1.2 kbps, and intermittent CW.

Binar-5 will carry student-designed payloads developed through the BinarX Student Payload Development Program, aimed at giving Western Australian high school students the chance to run experiments in space as part of a satellite mission. A downlink frequency of 437.750 MHz has been coordinated for Binar-5.

Binar-6 is intended to test technologies for future spacecraft developed under the Binar Space Program. The global amateur radio community is invited to transmit a command to Binar-6 on the UHF band, with the frequency yet to be announced, to attempt to activate an LED payload that would flash the mission call sign in Morse code. A downlink frequency of 437.850 MHz has been coordinated for Binar-6.

Binar-7 will carry an Earth imaging payload intended to capture data and imagery for environmental monitoring, including potential applications such as bushfire awareness, as well as outreach and public engagement. A downlink frequency of 437.725 MHz has been coordinated for Binar-7.

The mission builds on previous Binar efforts and is positioned as supporting Western Australia’s space sector through research, education and industry collaboration.

According to a recent update, on August 25, 2026 the team took the satellites to JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, with launch services support from Space BD Inc. The following day, the satellites were integrated with JAXA’s J-SSOD deployment system.

From Tsukuba, the satellites are expected to be transported to the United States for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 (NG-25) cargo mission to the International Space Station. Once aboard the ISS, the J-SSOD deployment hardware is expected to be prepared in the Japanese Experiment Module before the satellites are released into low-Earth orbit at about 400km altitude.

[ANS thanks Space & Defense magazine for the above information. Read the full article at https://spaceanddefense.io/binar-567-cubesat-trio-set-for-launch-in-q4-2026/.]

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.

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/ (Remember! Students join for FREE!)

LEO.space Free Platform for Tracking Satellites

Thousands of satellites are orbiting overhead, but discovering what they are, where they are going and what they are doing often requires navigating specialized databases and technical websites.

LEO.space is changing that.

LEO.space logo (Image credit: LEO.space)

The newly launched free online platform brings together satellite information, orbital data, amateur radio resources, space weather, news and interactive tools designed to make low Earth orbit easier for anyone to explore.

Available free at LEO.space, the platform is built for satellite enthusiasts, amateur radio operators, students, educators and anyone who has looked into the night sky and wondered what is passing overhead.

Explore What Is Orbiting Earth

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has become one of the most active areas of modern technology. Thousands of satellites support communications, Earth observation, scientific research, navigation and rapidly expanding satellite internet networks.

LEO.space provides a starting point for exploring this increasingly busy environment.

Visitors can discover satellites and learn about their missions, orbital characteristics and the larger constellations and systems operating around Earth. Interactive tools and visualizations are designed to make orbital information understandable while preserving the technical detail useful to more experienced users.

The objective is simple: turn complex space data into something people can explore.

Discover Amateur Radio Satellites

LEO.space also focuses on one of the most accessible ways individuals can directly interact with spacecraft: amateur radio.

Amateur radio satellites carry beacons, telemetry systems, repeaters and transponders that allow people on Earth to receive signals from space and, with an amateur radio license and appropriate equipment, communicate through satellites.

LEO.space helps licensed HAM radio operators discover amateur radio satellites and explore information about passes, frequencies and operating capabilities.

For someone interested in satellite radio but unsure where to begin, the platform provides a path from discovering a spacecraft to understanding how it can be heard or used.

Understand Space Weather and Propagation

Satellites operate within a dynamic environment influenced by the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere.

Solar activity can affect radio propagation, satellite communications and spacecraft operations. Conditions in Earth’s upper atmosphere can also influence spacecraft traveling through Low Earth Orbit.

LEO.space brings space weather and propagation information alongside satellite resources, helping users understand how conditions around Earth affect both spacecraft and radio communications.

This combination is particularly useful for amateur radio operators while providing students and space enthusiasts with a practical way to explore the relationship between the Sun, Earth and satellites.

Space Exploration From a Web Browser

LEO.space is designed around the idea that exploring space should not require specialized software or an aerospace background.

A visitor might arrive wanting to identify a satellite and leave having explored orbital mechanics, radio communications, space weather, satellite constellations or the technology behind modern spacecraft.

The platform will continue expanding with new interactive tools, satellite data, visualizations and educational resources.

As the number of spacecraft surrounding Earth continues to grow, LEO.space aims to provide an accessible place for people to understand and participate in the rapidly changing world of Low Earth Orbit.

Explore what is happening above Earth at LEO.space.

About LEO.space

LEO.space is a free, independent online platform dedicated to Low Earth Orbit. It brings together satellite information, interactive tools, amateur radio resources, space weather, news and educational content to make satellites and the environment surrounding Earth easier to discover and understand.

Visit https://LEO.space to start exploring.

[ANS thanks EIN Presswire 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 NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots ‘Once-in-Century’ Crater

It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his computer screen, an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo caught his eye, as it implied that surface material in that area had been shaken up.

“I just stopped, dropped everything, and started looking into what that spot was,” said Wagner, an image-processing specialist from Intuitive Machines who works with data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) system.

Side view (55 degrees away from straight down) of McGetchin – Image: NASA

By comparing before and after images of the Moon, Wagner realized he had discovered the largest, newly formed crater ever found in the solar system, as scientists reported Wednesday in Science Advances. This discovery highlights the value of NASA’s Moon orbiter data in studying a dynamic landscape as the agency advances a sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity on the Moon.

Officially named McGetchin after pioneering lunar scientist Tom McGetchin, the crater formed on the Moon’s eastern edge sometime between April 11 and May 22, 2024, after a comet or asteroid the size of a three- to six-story building hit the surface.

The crash left a crater, 728 feet wide, that spans the length of two football fields. And at 141 feet deep, the crater could fit three vertically stacked yellow school buses.

Scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude happens on the Moon about once in a century or even longer.

The LROC system collects images from about 60 miles above the Moon as LRO loops from pole to pole. The system includes two cameras that capture high‑resolution black‑and‑white images and one camera for moderate‑resolution multispectral images. Over the years and thousands of passes, scientists have built maps detailed enough to spot not only new craters, but also landslides, landers, seismic faults, and even hints of lava tubes.

LROC scientists regularly analyze close-up images of small portions of the Moon’s surface taken by the Narrow-Angle Camera. Using these images, they look for changes that are typically less than 30 feet across. But every few years the team searches for large (wider than 150 feet) features by creating global Moon maps and comparing them to older versions.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information. Read the full story at https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/nasas-moon-orbiter-spots-new-once-in-century-moon-crater/.]

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for Sept. 18, 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 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.

General Perturbations Data Support

AMSAT is pleased to announce that modern forms of what are called General Perturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including JSON, XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The reason this change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit catalog numbers and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched after July of this 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 while hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org, and we are very open to community feedback at webmaster at amsat.org. Testers may experience outages and errors while we make improvements. We intend to put this into production on our main web server in July as we expect that satellites launched after this summer will require 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 above information.]

Three U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce that 3 additional US schools have been selected for ARISS contacts in 2026 and 2027. These schools submitted proposals during the recent proposal window and have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

ARISS USA is announcing selections for ham radio contacts with the ISS crew during the Fall 2026 through June, 2027. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

 

The schools are:

• The Archdiocese of Atlanta Catholic Schools
• Dresden Elementary in Dresden, Ohio
• The University of Texas at Austin’s Women in STEM – STEM Girls Day event

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.

[ANS thanks the Dave Jordan, AA4KN, of the ARISS PR Team for the above information.]

Buying from DX Engineering?
Add AMSAT’s Getting Started With Amateur Satellites to your order. Available for $30 from DX Engineering (free shipping on most orders over $99)
https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/amt-satellites ARISS News

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.

Upcoming Contacts

MAOU “School No. 200, Belogorsk, Russia, direct via TBD  
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS 
The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR   
Contact is go for Tue 2026-09-22 08:15 UTC

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital, Charlotte, NC, telebridge via ON4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Jack Hathaway KJ5NIV
The ARISS mentor is K4RGK
Contact is go for: Wed 2026-09-23 16:51:34 UTC 80 degrees maximum elevation

Collège Roger Martin du Gard, Belleme, France, direct via F6KCO
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN
The ARISS mentor is F6ICS  
Contact is go for: Fri 2026-09-25 13:38:43 UTC 38 degrees maximum elevation

Many times, a school makes a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or runs 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 remains configured in the Columbus Module (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If a crewmember decides to pick up the microphone and turn up the volume, you may hear them on the air—so keep listening, as you never know when activity might occur.

​Kenwood D710GA in the Zvezda Service Module – Call sign RSØISS. 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/.

Ham TV is currently scheduled to power up Wed 2026-09-23 17:10 UTC at 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]

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. Keep Amateur Radio in Space — and your lunch in the box! https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_round_logo_metal_lunchbox-256761530568368967

 

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.

October 3, 2026
Bored Net μExpo and ARRL Santa Barbara Section Convention
Cal State University Channel Islands
1 University Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
https://www.theborednet.net/index.php/2026/06/22/2026-microexpo-is-on/
K6KH

October 3, 2026
Tucson Area Autumn Hamfest
Radio Society of Tucson
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
9252 E. 22nd St.
Tucson, AZ
https://k7rst.club
N1UW

October 8-11, 2026
44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Membership Meeting
Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel and Conference Center
14670 Duval Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/

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

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]

Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ A50QO was actived in Bhutan on GEO and LEO last month, and the website with the operation report will be online soon on QSL dot net page. Feng, BA7LVG, and Taka, JK2XXK, operated as A50QO from NL47VL Thimphu, Bhutan, from August 15-20, 2026, on QO-100 and LEO satellites. Total 1564 QSOs with 841 stations in 306 grids, including 1057 on QO-100 and 507 on LEO satellites. Paper QSL direct or via OQRS. LoTW confirmation is free. (ANS thanks Ma Zhiwei, BG7ZDQ, for the above information.)

+ Russia launched a cargo mission toward the International Space Station (ISS) on September 16, delivering about three tons of food, propellant and other supplies for the astronauts aboard. The robotic Progress 96 spacecraft lifted off atop a Soyuz rocket from the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1333 UTC. The freighter docked with the station on Saturday, September 19 and will remain docked to the orbiting lab for about five months. As is the usual protocol, amateur radio activity aboard the ISS was suspended during the docking, but should be restored later Saturday. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. See the full story at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/russia-progress-96-cargo-launch-international-space-station.)

+ Russia’s planned alternative to Starlink is encountering severe operational setbacks, with satellites deployed in orbit losing altitude while newly launched units fail to reach their designated positions. Commercial operations were set to launch in 2027, with plans to expand the constellation from 250 to 900 satellites in orbit by 2035. Deploying the intended satellite group requires at least 18 Soyuz-2.1b rocket launches. However, Russia conducts only six to eight such launches per year. On the night of August 15, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Progress Space Center in Samara—the sole facility manufacturing the Soyuz-2.1b rockets. According to orbital tracking data, the first spacecraft are already beginning to lose altitude earlier than anticipated, while several others were unable to enter their assigned orbits. (ANS thanks United24 Media for the above information. See the full article at https://united24media.com/world/russia-wanted-its-own-starlink-now-its-satellites-are-falling-before-the-network-even-takes-off-22100.)

+ Yaogan 50-02 — a Chinese reconnaissance satellite that had been flying in an unusual retrograde orbit about 590 miles above Earth — has broken up. Experts speculate that the failure was due to a battery explosion or an impact by space debris. The U.S. Space Force is tracking 43 fragments from the breakup in orbits ranging from 372 to 683 miles. Fragments at those heights can stay in orbit for extraordinarily long periods, so a single satellite failure can create a pollution problem that endures for generations. (ANS thanks Yahoo News for the above information. See the full story at https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/china-satellite-breaks-unusual-orbit-132200637.html.)

 

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (recognized groups, clubs or organization).
• Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

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.

Solar flare activity is expected to remain at very low levels, with a
chance for isolated C-class flares through September 19, according to
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Solar wind speed was
steady near 530 km/s, and negative polarity CH HSS (coronal hole
high-speed stream) effects are anticipated to persist through September
18, with additional enhancements likely today due to flan...

The Yagi-Uda beam antenna was invented 100 years ago, in 1926, and Contest University (CTU) is celebrating its centennial with a live Zoom webinar this Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 1600 UTC (noon Eastern). The free webinar, titled “The Yagi Turns 100,” will be available online at https://w3lif.org/yagi. There is no pre-registration. Click on the link before 1600 Zulu on Saturday to watch. Q...

Solar flare activity was at low levels in the past week with
isolated C-class flare activity, according to NOAA’s Space Weather
Prediction Center. The largest flare of the period was a C3.4 on
September 8 from otherwise stable Region 4528. Region 4530 developed
asymmetric penumbra on both its leading and trailing poles while
undergoing consolidation in its intermediate area. New flux
emergence in the...

AMSAT News Service ANS-256
September 13, 2026

In this edition:

* Frank Hoonhaut, KJ7DZ, Sweeps AMSAT Award Ladder
* AMSAT Youth Initiative Adds “Satellite and Astronomy” Course
* ISAR Launches 2 Ham Band Satellites
* The Addictive World of Amateur Radio Satellites – An OARC Member Talk
* World Radio Broadcast & “Send Your Name into Space” Campaign
* Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 4, 2026
* Global ARISS Contact Window- Submit Your Proposals and Applications
* 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/

Frank Hoonhout, KJ7DZ, Sweeps the AMSAT Awards Ladder

Some operators apply for an award. Frank Hoonhout, KJ7DZ, applied for the whole shelf. Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, has announced that Frank, having decided to apply for “a few” AMSAT awards, has been awarded five of them at once: the Satellite Communicators’ Club Award, Oscar Satellite Communication Achievement Award #660, Oscar Satellite Sexagesimal Award #205, Oscar Satellite Century Award #64, and South Africa AMSAT Satellite Communication Achievement Award #US262.

Taken together, that is the complete AMSAT operating awards ladder in a single submission. The Satellite Communicators Club recognizes an operator’s first satellite QSO. From there, the Communication Achievement, Sexagesimal, and Century Awards recognize confirmed satellite contacts with stations in 20, 60, and 100 different U.S. states, Canadian call areas, or DXCC entities, respectively; the awards aggregate, so each rung’s contacts count toward the next, and all contacts must be made from locations within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of one another. The South Africa Satellite Communication Achievement Award, meanwhile, recognizes contacts with 25 unique stations via satellite. The serial numbers tell the story of just how steep the ladder gets near the top: 660 operators have claimed the 20-entity award, but Frank is only the 64th ever to reach 100.

Frank is no stranger to the awards desk. He earned GridMaster Award #66 in 2024 for confirming satellite contacts with all 488 grid squares in the contiguous United States, and satellite rovers know him for the “grids needed by the top grid chasers” map he compiled to help activators target the squares that matter most.

Operators looking to start climbing the ladder themselves will find complete rules for all of AMSAT’s operating awards at https://www.amsat.org/awards/.

Congratulations, Frank!

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information.]

AMSAT Youth Initiative Adds “Satellites and Astronomy” Course

The AMSAT Youth Initiative has added its fifth online course, Satellites and Astronomy, to the Satellites in Space Help Us Live a Better Life on Earth series. The new course is now available at www.BuzzSat.com.

Satellites and Astronomy [Credit: NASA]

The course curriculum is broken down into three main sections:

• Part One: An introduction to the formation of the universe and the properties of its heavenly bodies, providing a necessary starting point for understanding what satellites measure.

• Part Two: A review of Earth-orbiting satellites used to investigate planets in our solar system and objects in interstellar space.

• Part Three: An exploration of space-faring satellites that look beyond our solar system and galaxy to the edges of the universe.

Two additional chapters are also under consideration to familiarize learners with satellites that study the Moon and Mars.

Course Authors and Team Expansion

This new curriculum was written by AMSAT member Eric Sonnenwald, N2XS, a Montclair State University M.S. graduate in Geosciences and former Science Curriculum Coordinator for Hardyston Middle School. Eric has authored the complete existing library of courses, which includes:

• Satellite Meteorology

• Satellites and Climate Change

• Satellites and Pollution Control

• Satellites and Natural Resources

Eric is currently finishing a course on Satellites and Fighting Wildfires and has begun work on two additional courses: Satellites and Communications and Satellites and Navigation.

At the same time, Vidya Gopalakrishnan, K4VGK, has joined the Youth Initiative as a fellow course writer and editor. Vidya helped edit the newly added course and is beginning work on her first courses, Introduction to Satellites and Amateur Radio Satellites – Communications and Telemetry.

Inspiring Future STEM Careers

Designed for junior high and high school students, these survey courses aim to interest youth in STEM subjects and careers in aerospace and engineering. ANS readers are encouraged to try out any of the courses at www.BuzzSat.com.

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP of Development, for the above information.]

ISAR Launches 2 Ham Band Satellites

Isar Aerospace became the first commercial space company from Europe to successfully deliver satellites into orbit on its second flight. Mission ‘Onward and Upward’ lifted off from Isar Aerospace’s dedicated launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway at 20:12 UTC on Saturday, Sept. 5, deploying payloads in orbit. The payload included  two CubeSats coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

The mission Onward and Upward proved Isar Aerospace’s orbital launch capability. In parallel, the company has advanced its global network of available launch sites and is nearing completion of Europe’s largest integrated production facility for launch vehicles. In addition to the above developments, Isar Aerospace is constructing a launch complex in Nova Scotia, Canada, covering mid- to high-inclination orbits critical for Earth observation and communications.

The launch vehicles used to transport these satellites are developed, manufactured, and tested almost entirely in-house. Headquartered near Munich, Germany, Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 and has grown to over 400 employees, working across five international locations. Spectrum launch vehicles 3-7 are already in production.

The mission’s payloads were selected through the Microlauncher Competition of the German Space Agency at DLR, which provides educational institutions and start-ups with low-cost access to space. The Microlauncher Competition is funded through the European Space Agency (ESA) Boost! program. The two amateur radio projects chosen were SpaceTeamSat1 and FramSat-1.

SpaceTeamSat1:  SpaceTeam is a project of the Technical University of Wien, Austria, (TU Wien) that aims to get undergraduate students interested in space technologies, RF and amateur radio.  This satellite is a 1U CubeSat equipped with a range of sensors connected to a Raspberry Pi. The processor  runs code written by participating students. Young amateurs and students accompanied by an amateur operator will be able to – in coordination with TU Wien – upload and schedule their code themselves. There are also plans to open timeslots where the CubeSat acts as a data relay for amateur operators. A downlink on 437.395 MHz has multiple modes available from CW to up to 115200 baud using 2GFSK.

FramSat-1: Orbit NTNU is a project of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim, Norway. It is Norway’s largest student-led technical organization, and has been successful with a number of high-altitude balloon and sub-orbital launches, as well as SelfieSat, a 2U cubesat launched in 2022. FramSat-1 is a student-built 1U CubeSat engineered to develop certain satellite subsystems in-house and a functioning satellite bus capable of supporting a sun sensor payload. A downlink 435.141 MHz has been coordinated for 9600 bps AX.25 G3RUH FSK telemetry.

Both satellites are in sun-synchronous orbits of approximately 500 km altitude.

[ANS thanks Isar, IARU, SpaceTeam, and Orbit NTNU 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. Keep Amateur Radio in Space — and your lunch in the box! https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_round_logo_metal_lunchbox-256761530568368967 The Addictive World of Amateur Radio Satellites – An OARC Member Talk

The Online Amateur Radio Community (OARC) has published the video recording of a recent member talk exploring amateur satellite operations. Titled Chasing Birds: The Addictive World of Amateur Radio Satellites and presented by John Stringer, M5JFS, the presentation is now available to watch on YouTube.

Drawing on six years of operating experience, Stringer’s presentation provides a comprehensive entry point for operators interested in working amateur satellites. The talk traces his progression from using modest, readily available equipment to developing a more advanced station, offering a practical roadmap for newcomers.

Key topics covered in the presentation include:

• Getting Started: Practical advice on utilizing basic equipment without requiring high-end initial investments.

• Satellite Landscape: An overview of the various types of amateur satellites currently in orbit.

• Station Requirements: Guidance on the essential gear needed to successfully access space-based transponders.

• Operating Etiquette: Best practices for maintaining discipline, clarity, and courtesy during high-demand passes.

• Software and Networks: Useful digital tools, tracking software, and social networks designed to support satellite operators.

• Milestones: Notable achievements and experiences from Stringer’s six years on the birds.

In tandem with the video release, OARC highlights its ongoing community infrastructure for satellite enthusiasts. The organization maintains dedicated channels on its Discord server for general satellite discussions, weather satellite discussions, and specific regional or transponder projects such as QO-100.

Operators looking to engage with the community or explore further resources can access the following links:

• Watch the talk: OARC YouTube Channel

• Join the community: OARC Membership

• Explore documentation: OARC Wiki Directory

• Connect on X: Follow John Stringer M5JFS and AMSAT-UK

[ANS thanks OARC and AMSAT-UK for the above information.]

World Amateur Radio Broadcasting & “Send Your Name into Space” Campaign Amateur Radio Broadcasting Event

From September 11 to 20, 2026, amateur radio digital broadcasts of postcards will be conducted almost worldwide from the Geoscan-2, Geoscan-4, and Geoscan-5 satellites using Geoscan’s own protocol.

These postcards feature the upcoming Ioffe-1 satellite. It is scheduled to launch in the winter of 2026–2027. Ioffe-1 is a scientific and educational nanosatellite. It is built by specialists from Geoscan and the ANO “Space Education Development.” The project operates within the Space-π framework. It is backed by the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE). The satellite’s payload includes a high-resolution camera. It also carries a scintillation gamma-ray detector developed jointly with the Ioffe Institute.

Amateur radio enthusiasts can independently receive and decode images from the CubeSats. To do this, follow the instructions here.  Postcard transmissions will continue until September 20, 2026. Stations within the SONICS open network will decode postcards automatically. These images are gathered directly in the portal’s gallery section. As a reminder, Geoscan’s QSL program for radio amateurs remains active. For more information, see https://spacepi.space/news/vsemirnaya-radiolyubitelskaya-translyacziya/.

Observers can submit a report on the spot a satellite feature at the bottom of the AMSAT Status page.

 Name Submission Deadline

The Send Your Name into Space campaign for the Ioffe-1 is active. Participants have until October 15, 2026, to register online. Submissions can include a name, photograph, or drawing. All materials will be saved on a physical digital storage device and will be loaded onto the Ioffe-1 satellite. Once in orbit the nanosatellite will join the Supernova Hunters constellation.

This campaign builds on previous successes—such as the 2025 campaign where 7,887 names and over 3,500 images from 117 countries were uploaded. Sixty-seven top entries were selected for regular transmission from the 239Alferov satellite. For the current campaign, Mission Control Center specialists will select the 100 best hand-drawn works. These will be broadcast to Earth via amateur radio after launch. For more information, see https://spacepi.space/news/stante-chastyu-kosmicheskoj-missii-akcziya-otprav-svoyo-imya-v-kosmos-prodolzhaetsya/

[ANS thanks Spacepi for the above information.]

The 2026 Coins Are Here! Help Support GOLF-TEE and Fox-Plus.
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/
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 11, 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 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/.

Bulletin format elements for all satellites of interest to radio amateurs.  This file is updated at least every 24 hours.

Bare elements are derived from the bulletin, but contain no header or footer.  These data are used as input to the AMSAT Pass Predictions page.

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 Perturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including JSON, XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The reason this change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit catalog numbers and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched after July of this 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 while hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org, and we are very open to community feedback at webmaster [at] amsat.org. Testers may experience outages and errors while we make improvements. We intend to put this into production on our main web server in July as we expect that satellites launched after this summer will require 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 above information.]

 

Global ARISS Contact Windows: Submit Your Proposals and Applications ARISS Contact Proposals (U.S. only)
 The proposal window opened on July 1, 2026, and closes on September 30, 2026,  for contacts to be held from January to June 2027.To find more information and proposal instructions, visit this website: https://www.ariss.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-us.htmlARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April.
Please refer to details and the application form at https://www.ariss-eu.org/index.php/school-contacts.ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia)
Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application.  Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator.For the application, click here.

• ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD

• ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Shizuo  Endo, JE1MUI,   Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL)
• ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR)

[ ANS thanks ARISS.org for the above information.]

ARISS News

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateur radio operators at schools and astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Scheduled Contacts

+ Recently Completed

No ARISS educational contacts were completed during the last week.

+ Upcoming Contacts

MAOU School No. 200, Belogorsk, Russia — direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmembers are Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Tue 2026-09-22 08:15 UTC

Many times, a school makes a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or runs into a last-minute glitch requiring a change of the URL, but 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.

+ Schedule of ISS radio power downs and power ups
Friday 2026-09-18 15:20 UTC Columbus module radio power down
Friday 2026-09-18 15:25 UTC Service module radio power down
Saturday 2026-09-19 13:46:39 UTC Progress 96P docking
Saturday 2026-09-19 19:05 UTC Columbus module radio power up
Saturday 2026-09-19 19:10 UTC Service module radio power up
Progress Cargo Resupply: Postponed

ISS HAM TV Outage [Credit: ARISS.org]

The crossband repeater remains configured in the Columbus Module (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If a crewmember decides to pick up the microphone and turn up the volume, you may hear the crew member on the air—so keep listening, as you never know when activity might occur.

Kenwood D710GA in the Zvezda Service Module – Callsign RSØISS. 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 that 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 Ambassador Activities

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker fairs, 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 to its audiences.

Scheduled Events

Greater Louisville Hamfest – September 12, 2026
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre
395 Paroquet Springs Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6007
https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest
W4FCL

Bored Net µExpo and ARRL Santa Barbara Section Convention – October 3, 2026
Cal State University Channel Islands
1 University Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
https://www.theborednet.net/index.php/2026/06/22/2026-microexpo-is-on/
K6KH

Tucson Area Autumn Hamfest – October 3, 2026
Radio Society of Tucson
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
9252 East 22nd Street
Tucson, AZ
https://k7rst.club
N1UW

44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Membership Meeting – October 8 –11, 2026
Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel and Conference Center
14670 Duval Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
https://www.amsat.org/2026-amsat-symposium/

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
N1UW

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

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

Buying from Ham Radio Outlet?
Add AMSAT’s Getting Started With Amateur Satellites to your order. Available for $29.95 from HRO (free shipping on most orders over $100)
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-019238 Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully checked in following its 29th perihelion, transmitting a normal system beacon tone on September 7, 2026. During the close approach on September 4, the spacecraft matched its record-breaking performance, sweeping within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface at a top speed of 430,000 miles per hour. Operating autonomously during the intense nine-day encounter window, the probe trained its cameras on structures near the Sun’s north pole and sampled nearly 40% of the solar circumference while diving deep into the corona. Detailed telemetry transmission begins September 11, with science data downlinks running from September 13 through September 27. Recently extended into 2029 by the Heliophysics Senior Review, the mission continues to capture vital insights into solar wind and space weather as the Sun transitions toward the declining phase of its solar cycle. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]

+ Astronomers at MIT and international institutions discovered a brand-new type of astrophysical object in the early universe known as a black hole star, using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Designated MoM-BH*-1 and existing just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, the object resembles a solar-system-sized star but shines 100 billion times brighter than any known star, producing an energy output typically associated with a black hole. Simulations indicate the object consists of a central black hole roughly 100,000 times the mass of the Sun enshrouded by an extremely dense, dust-free cocoon of hydrogen gas, mimicking a stellar appearance through its gaseous pseudo-photosphere rather than being powered by nuclear fusion. Published in Nature, the discovery could solve the mystery of the enigmatic “little red dots” frequently captured in deep-space JWST imagery. [ANS thanks MIT News for the above information.]

+ In a recent study analyzing a sample of about 100 fast radio bursts (FRBs), a Caltech research team led by Kritti Sharma and Professor Vikram Ravi used the data to directly measure the impact of galactic feedback on the clumpiness of intergalactic matter. Because normal matter acts as a scaffolding for dark matter, mapping this distribution enhances experiments tackling major cosmic puzzles, including the nature of dark matter, dark energy, and the mass of ghostly neutrinos. As researchers note, using FRBs as a leading cosmic probe is only just beginning. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.]

+ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05 aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket on September 4, 2026. Blasting off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2:55 a.m., the 19th flight of the GSLV precisely placed the 2,367-kilogram satellite into its intended sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit about 18 minutes later. Marking India’s first imaging satellite designed to monitor the Earth from a geosynchronous orbit roughly 36,000 kilometers above the surface, the milestone mission represents the 107th launch from the Sriharikota spaceport. [ANS thanks The Hindu for the above information.]

+ The Republic of Djibouti will formally sign the Artemis Accords during an in-person ceremony at NASA Headquarters on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EDT. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Djibouti’s Ambassador to the U.S., Mohamed Siad Douale, alongside U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Frank Garcia at the signing, making Djibouti the 72nd nation to join the framework. Established in 2020 by the U.S. and seven founding nations, the Artemis Accords set practical principles for safe, transparent, and cooperative civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Media representatives wishing to cover the event in person must RSVP to hq-media@mail.nasa.gov by 8:00 a.m. EDT on September 14. Further information and details on the accords are available on the NASA Artemis Accords page.  [ANS thanks SciTechDaily for the above information.]

+ Adding to the vast array of new tracking programs now available, Avinstar, LLC announces the general availability of OsTrax, a satellite tracking and operating platform for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu. For more information, please view the OsTrax web site at https://www.ostrax.com or contact Jim McCullers at jmccullers@avinstar.com. [ANS thanks Jim McCullers, WA4CWI, for the above information.]

 

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
• Students enrolled in at least half-time status are eligible for free membership to age 25.
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor,

Vidya Gopalakrishnan, K4VGK

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.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will be making a special transmission on 9.11 MHz at 0030-0035 UTC on September 12, 2026 (8:30-8:35 PM eastern time Friday evening). The transmission will consist of a Morse code QST, followed by a slow-scan ...

Educator Everton Henriques, KD2ZZT, shared his experience using amateur radio to inspire students and bring engineering and technology to life in the classroom during his keynote at the 2026 ARRL New England Division Convention, hosted by Northeast HamXposition in Massachusetts on August 15. A video recording is available on ARRL’s YouTube channel.

Everton is an Engineering and Technology Teache...

Ed. Note: Details in this article were culled from the November 2001 QST article, “9/11/01: ‘This is Not a Test’ ” by Rick Lindquist, N1RL, and Diane Ortiz, K2DO. The original article is available here (PDF).

Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, the United States came under attack from al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked passenger planes and flew them into buildings in New York City and Wa...