Dear all,
I would like to inform the GNURadio community that tomorrow 27 December
2024 is scheduled the launch of CASAA-Sat, a student nanosatellite from
Marseille.
Bernard Repetti, CASAA-Sat project manager, informs us that the
satellite will be launched by the Kinetica-1 rocket from the Jiuquan
launch base (Inner Mongolia, China). The launch is scheduled for 27
December 2024 at 1.03 UTC.
The CASAA-Sat project of the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
(LAM), supported by CNES, began in 2013. It involved more than 200
Master's students from Aix-Marseille University's IUT and engineering
schools (ISAE, ESEO, etc.).
Designed in CubeSat 2U format (10 x 10 x 20 cm), this 2-litre
nanosatellite carries a suite of sophisticated instruments:
*
A dosimeter to measure the flow of charged particles
*
A precision magnetometer
*
A high-resolution camera
The aim of these instruments is to map the South Atlantic Magnetic
Anomaly (SAA), an area where the Earth's magnetic field is particularly
weak, with unprecedented precision.
In addition to the amateur radio mission, there are 3 other objectives:
*
CASAA-Sat's first objective is to measure the doses deposited by
this radiation, particularly at the poles and in the South Atlantic
Anomaly (SAA) where a higher flux is expected. To do this, it has
six dosimeters, two in each axis, capable of recording the
irradiation they receive over time.
*
The second objective of CASAA-Sat is to measure the local magnetic
field and correlate it with the irradiations. This field will then
be compared with existing models such as IGRF 13.
*
The third objective of CASAA-Sat is to capture the aurora borealis
(to the north) and aurora australis (to the south) by taking photos
and correlating them with the irradiance and magnetic field.
On the amateur radio side, AMSAT-Francophone helped Bernard Repetti with
the amateur radio mission. An appeal was made to the Bouches-du-Rhône
amateur radio community. Jean-François IOSCA (F1LVO) and Fabien PELLET
(F4CTZ) responded. Together with AMSAT-Francophone, they contributed to
the submission of the satellite frequency coordination request. Their
strong commitment enabled the operating mode to evolve to the benefit of
radio amateurs. Jean-François and Fabien, thanks to their proximity,
have made improvements to the ground station and have also contributed
their expertise to the development of the satellite.
The satellite will broadcast telemetry and images captured by the satellite.
The satellite uses the following amateur service frequencies:
Downlink frequency: 436.500 MHz, modulation 9600 baud BPSK G3RUH
The satellite uses AX.25 UI (Unnumbered Information) protocol frames.
Call sign is: CASAA-1
Uplink frequency for sending commands: 145.900 MHz
The document ‘TM/TC specifications for the CASAA-Sat nano-satellite’
describes the protocol used. :
_https://site.amsat-f.org/download/120557/?tmstv=1735157767_
IARU link: _IARU Sat Coordinator
<https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/finished_detail.php?serialnum=958>_
Link to the project :_Nanosats - LAM
<https://www.lam.fr/formations/nanosats/>_
_Amsat-Francophone article on CAASAT
<https://site.amsat-f.org/2024/12/23/casaa-sat-un-nanosatellite-etudiant-de-marseille-a-lassaut-de-lanomalie-de-latlantique-sud-lancement-prevu-le-26-decembre-2024/>
_
Every ham radio operator are invited to try to receive CASAA-Sat and
report to the LAM any successfull reception.
Thanks,
Best regards,
Fabien, F4CTZ.
