Amateur radio satellite

Type of satellite that transmits over amateur radio frequencies

"OSCAR" redirects here. For other uses, see OSCAR (disambiguation).

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Amateur radio

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An amateur radio satellite is an artificial satellite built and used by amateur radio operators. It forms part of the Amateur-satellite service.[1] These satellites use amateur radio frequency allocations to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations.

Many amateur satellites receive an OSCAR designation, which is an acronym for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. The designation is assigned by AMSAT, an organization which promotes the development and launch of amateur radio satellites. Because of the prevalence of this designation, amateur radio satellites are often referred to as OSCARs.

These satellites can be used free of charge by licensed amateur radio operators for voice (FM, SSB) and data (AX.25, packet radio, APRS) communications. Currently, over 18 fully operational amateur radio satellites are in orbit.[2] They may be designed to act as repeaters, as linear transponders, and as store and forward digital relays.

Amateur radio satellites have helped advance the science of satellite communications. Contributions include the launch of the first satellite voice transponder (OSCAR 3) and the development of highly advanced digital "store-and-forward" messaging transponder techniques.

The Amateur Radio Satellite community is very active in building satellites and in finding launch opportunities. Lists of functioning satellites need updating regularly, as new satellites are launched and older ones fail. Current information is published by AMSAT. AMSAT has not been actively involved in the launch and operation of most amateur satellites in the last two decades beyond allocating an OSCAR number.

## History

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### OSCAR 1

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Main article: OSCAR 1

First amateur radio satellite OSCAR 1, launched in 1961 Simple OSCAR beacon signal, 1962

The first amateur satellite, simply named OSCAR 1, was launched on December 12, 1961, barely four years after the launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik I. The satellite had to be built in a very specific shape and weight, so it could be used in place of one of the launch vehicle ballast weights. OSCAR 1 was the first satellite to be ejected as a secondary payload (the primary payload was Discoverer 36) and to subsequently enter a separate orbit. It carried no on-board propulsion and its orbit decayed quickly. Despite orbiting for only 22 days, OSCAR 1 was an immediate success and led to follow-on missions. Over 570 amateur radio operators in 28 countries forwarded observations to Project OSCAR.

### OSCAR 10

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Most of the components for OSCAR 10 were "off the shelf". Jan King led the project. Solar cells were bought in batches of 10 or 20 from Radio Shack, and tested for efficiency by group members. The most efficient cells were kept for the project; the rest were returned to RadioShack. Once ready, OSCAR 10 was mounted aboard a private plane, and flown a couple of times to evaluate its performance and reliability. Special QSL cards were issued to those who participated in the airplane-based tests. Once it was found to be operative and reliable, the satellite was shipped to Kennedy Space Center, where it was mounted in the launch vehicle's third stageWhich one. OSCAR 10's dimensions were: Height: 1.35 m (53 in) Width: 2.0 m (78.75 in) Weight: 140 kg at launch; 90 kg post engine firings.[3]

### Other satellites

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USSR postal stamp depicting amateur radio satellitе RS-2

Other programs besides OSCAR have included Iskra (Soviet Union) circa 1982, JAS-1 (Fuji-OSCAR 12) (Japan) in 1986, RS (Soviet Union and Russia), and CubeSats. (There is a list of major amateur satellites in Japanese Wikipedia).

Es’hail 2 / QO-100 [4] Launched November 15, 2018.In geostationary orbit covering Brazil to Thailand.

Narrowband Linear transponder

2400.050 - 2400.300 MHz Uplink

10489.550 - 10489.800 MHz Downlink

Wideband digital transponder

2401.500 - 2409.500 MHz Uplink

10491.000 - 10499.000 MHz Downlink

## Hardware

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The first amateur satellites contained telemetry beacons. Since 1965, most OSCARs carry a linear transponder for two-way communications in real time. Some satellites have a bulletin board for store-and-forward digital communications, or a digipeater for direct packet radio connections.

## Orbits

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Amateur satellites have been launched into low Earth orbits and into highly elliptical orbits.

## Operations

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### Satellite communications

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Currently, amateur satellites support many different types of operation, including FM voice and SSB voice, as well as digital communications of AX.25 FSK (Packet radio) and PSK-31.

#### Mode designators

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Uplink and downlink designations use sets of paired letters following the structure X/Y where X is the uplink band and Y is the downlink band. Occasionally, the downlink letter is rendered in lower case (i.e., X/y). With a few exceptions, the letters correspond to IEEE's standard for radar frequency letter bands...[5]

Designator  |

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Band  | 15 m | 10 m | 2 m | 70 cm | 23 cm | 13 cm | 9 cm | 5 cm | 3 cm | 1.2 cm | 6 mm
Frequency
(General)  | 21 MHz  | 29 MHz  | 145 MHz  | 435 MHz  | 1.2 GHz  | 2.4 GHz  | 3.4 GHz  | 5 GHz  | 10 GHz  | 24 GHz  | 47 GHz

Prior to the launch of OSCAR 40, operating modes were designated using single letters to indicate both uplink and downlink bands. While deprecated, these older mode designations are still widely used in casual conversation.

* Mode A: 2 m uplink / 10 m downlink
* Mode B: 70 cm uplink / 2 m downlink
* Mode J: 2 m uplink / 70 cm downlink

#### Doppler shift

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Due to the high orbital speed of the amateur satellites, the uplink and downlink frequencies will vary during the course of a satellite pass. This phenomenon is known as the Doppler effect. While the satellite is moving towards the ground station, the downlink frequency will appear to be higher than normal. Hence, the receiver frequency at the ground station must be adjusted higher to continue receiving the satellite. The satellite in turn, will be receiving the uplink signal at a higher frequency than normal so the ground station's transmitted uplink frequency must be lower to be received by the satellite. After the satellite passes overhead and begins to move away, this process is reversed. The downlink frequency will appear lower and the uplink frequency will need to be adjusted higher. The following mathematical formulas relate the Doppler shift to the velocity of the satellite.

Where:

f d {\displaystyle f_{d}} | = | doppler corrected downlink frequency
f u {\displaystyle f_{u}} | = | doppler corrected uplink frequency
f {\displaystyle f} | = | original frequency
v {\displaystyle v} | = | velocity of the satellite relative to ground station in m/s.
Positive when moving towards, negative when moving away.
c {\displaystyle c} | = | the speed of light in a vacuum ( 3 × 10 8 {\displaystyle 3\times 10^{8}} m/s).
Change in frequency | Downlink Correction | Uplink Correction

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Δ f = f × v c {\displaystyle \Delta f=f\times {\frac {v}{c}}}

f d = f ( 1 + v c ) {\displaystyle f_{d}=f(1+{\frac {v}{c}})}

f u = f ( 1 − v c ) {\displaystyle f_{u}=f(1-{\frac {v}{c}})}

Due to the complexity of finding the relative velocity of the satellite and the speed with which these corrections must be made, these calculations are normally accomplished using satellite tracking software. Many modern transceivers include a computer interface that allows for automatic doppler effect correction. Manual frequency-shift correction is possible, but it is difficult to remain precisely near the frequency. Frequency modulation is more tolerant of doppler shifts than single-sideband, and therefore FM is much easier to tune manually.

### FM satellites

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Yagi antenna being used to communicate through an FM satellite.

A number of low Earth orbit (LEO) OSCAR satellites use frequency modulation (FM).[6] These are also commonly referred to as "FM LEOs" or the "FM Birds". Such satellites act as FM amateur radio repeaters that can be communicated through using commonly available amateur radio equipment. Communication can be achieved with handheld transceivers using manual doppler correction.[7] Satellite passes are typically less than 15 minutes long.[8]

## Launches

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### Past launches

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The names of the satellites below are sorted in chronological order by launch date, ascending. The status column denotes the current operational status of the satellite. Green signifies that the satellite is currently operational, orange indicates that the satellite is partially operational or failing.  Red indicates that the satellite is non operational and  black indicates that the satellite has re-entered the Earth's atmosphere (or never successfully left it). The country listing denotes the country that constructed the satellite and not the launching country.

Launches (past and current)

Name  | Status  | Launched  | Country
OSCAR (OSCAR 1)  | Decayed  | 1961-12-12  |  United States
OSCAR II (OSCAR 2)  | Decayed  | 1962-06-02  |  United States
OSCAR III (OSCAR 3, EGRS-3)  | Non-Operational  | 1965-03-09  |  United States
OSCAR IV (OSCAR 4)  | Decayed  | 1965-12-21  |  United States
Australis-OSCAR 5 (OSCAR 5, AO-5, AO-A)  | Non-Operational  | 1970-01-23  |  Australia
AMSAT-OSCAR 6 (OSCAR 6, AO-6, AO-C, P2A)  | Non-Operational  | 1972-10-15  |  United States
AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (OSCAR 7, AO-7, AO-B, P2B)  | Semi-Operational  | 1974-11-15  |  United States
AMSAT-OSCAR 8 (OSCAR 8, AO-8, AO-D, P2D)  | Non-Operational  | 1978-03-05  |  United States
Radio Sputnik 1 (RadioSkaf-1, RS-1)  | Non-Operational  | 1978-10-26  |  Soviet Union
Radio Sputnik 2 (RadioSkaf-2, RS-2)  | Non-Operational  | 1978-10-26  |  Soviet Union
UoSat-OSCAR 9 (UOSAT 1, UO-9)  | Decayed  | 1981-10-06  |  United Kingdom
Radio Sputniks RS3 through RS8 | Non-Operational  | 1981-12-17  |  Soviet Union
AMSAT-OSCAR 10 (Phase 3B, AO-10, P3B)  | Non-Operational  | 1983-06-16  |  United States
West Germany
UoSat-OSCAR 11 (UoSat-2, UO-11, UoSAT-B)  | Semi-Operational  | 1984-03-01  |  United Kingdom
Fuji-OSCAR 12 (JAS 1, FO-12)  | Non-Operational  | 1986-08-12  |  Japan
Radio Sputnik 10/11 (RadioSkaf-10/11, RS-10/11, COSMOS 1861)  | Non-Operational  | 1987-06-23  |  Soviet Union
AMSAT-OSCAR 13 (Phase 3C, AO-13, P3C)  | Decayed  | 1988-06-15  |  West Germany
UOSAT-OSCAR 14 (UoSAT-3, UO-14 UoSAT-D)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  United Kingdom
UOSAT-OSCAR 15 (UoSAT-4, UO-15, UoSAT-E)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  United Kingdom
AMSAT-OSCAR 16 (Pacsat, AO-16, Microsat-1)  | Semi-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  United States
Dove-OSCAR 17 (Dove, DO-17, Microsat-2)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  Brazil
Weber-OSCAR 18 (WeberSAT, WO-18, Microsat-3)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  United States
LUSAT-OSCAR 19 (LUSAT, LO-19, Microsat-4)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-01-22  |  Argentina
Fuji-OSCAR 20 (JAS 1B, FO-20, Fuji-1B)  | Non-Operational  | 1990-02-07  |  Japan
AMSAT-OSCAR 21 (RS-14, AO-21, Informator-1)  | Non-Operational  | 1991-01-29  |  Soviet Union
Radio Sputnik 12/13 (RadioSkaf-12/13, RS-12/13, COSMOS 2123)  | Non-Operational  | 1991-02-05  |  Soviet Union
UoSat-OSCAR 22 (UOSAT 5, UO-22 UoSAT-F)  | Non-Operational  | 1991-07-17  |  United Kingdom
KitSAT-OSCAR 23 (KITSAT 1, KO-23, Uribyol-1)  | Non-Operational  | 1992-08-10  |  South Korea
Arsene-OSCAR 24 (Arsene, AO-24)  | Non-Operational  | 1993-05-12  |  France
KitSAT-OSCAR 25 (KITSAT B, KO-25, Kitsat-2, Uribyol-2)  | Non-Operational  | 1993-09-26  |  South Korea
Italy-OSCAR 26 (ITAMSAT, IO-26)  | Non-Operational  | 1993-09-26  |  Italy
AMRAD-OSCAR 27 (EYESAT-1, AO-27)  | Non-Operational  | 1993-09-26  |  United States
POSAT-OSCAR 28 (POSAT, PO-28, Posat-1)  | Non-Operational  | 1993-09-26  |  Portugal
Radio Sputnik 15 (RadioSkaf-15, RS-15, Radio-ROSTO)  | Semi-Operational  | 1994-12-26  |  Russia
Fuji-OSCAR 29 (JAS 2, FO-29, Fuji-2)  | Semi-Operational  | 1996-08-17  |  Japan
Mexico-OSCAR 30 (UNAMSAT-2, MO-30, Unamsat-B, Kosmos-2334)  | Non-Operational  | 1996-09-05  |  Mexico
Russia
Sputnik 40 | Decayed  | 1997-11-03  |  France/ Russia
Thai-Microsatellite-OSCAR 31 (TMSAT-1, TO-31)  | Non-Operational  | 1998-07-10  |  Thailand
Gurwin-OSCAR 32 Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine (GO-32, Gurwin-1b, Techsat-1b)  | Non-Operational  | 1998-07-10  |  Israel
SEDSat-OSCAR 33 (SEDSat, SO-33, SEDsat-1)  | Semi-Operational  | 1998-10-24  |  United States
Pansat-OSCAR 34 (PAN SAT, PO-34)  | Non-Operational  | 1998-10-29  |  United States
Sputnik 41 | Decayed  | 1997-11-03  |  France/ Russia
Sunsat-OSCAR 35 (SUNSAT, SO-35)  | Non-Operational  | 1999-02-23  |  South Africa
UoSat-OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12, UO-36)  | Non-Operational  | 1999-04-21  |  United Kingdom
ASU-OSCAR 37 (AO-37, ASUsat-1, ASUSAT)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-01-27  |  United States
OPAL-OSCAR 38 (OO-38, StenSat, OPAL)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-01-27  |  United States
Weber-OSCAR 39 (WO-39, JAWSAT)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-01-27  |  United States
Saudi-OSCAR 41 (SO-41, Saudisat 1A)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-09-26  |  Saudi Arabia
Saudi-OSCAR 42 (SO-42, Saudisat 1B)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-09-26  |  Saudi Arabia
Malaysian-OSCAR 46 (MO-46, TIUNGSAT-1)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-09-26  |  Malaysia
AMSAT-OSCAR 40 (AO-40, Phase 3D, P3D)  | Non-Operational  | 2000-11-16  |  United States
Starshine-OSCAR 43 (SO-43, Starshine 3)  | Decayed  | 2001-09-30  |  United States
Navy-OSCAR 44 (NO-44, PCSat)  | Semi-Operational  | 2001-09-30  |  United States
Navy-OSCAR 45 (NO-45, Sapphire)  | Non-Operational  | 2001-09-30  |  United States
BreizhSAT-OSCAR 47 (BO-47, IDEFIX CU1)  | Non-Operational  | 2002-05-04  |  France
BreizhSAT-OSCAR 48 (BO-48, IDEFIX CU2)  | Non-Operational  | 2002-05-04  |  France
AATiS-OSCAR 49 (AO-49, Safir-M, RUBIN 2)  | Non-Operational  | 2002-12-20  |  Germany
Saudi-OSCAR 50 (SO-50, Saudisat-1C)  | Operational  | 2002-12-20  |  Saudi Arabia
CubeSat-OSCAR 55 Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine (Cute-1)  | Operational  | 2003-06-30  |  Japan
CubeSat-OSCAR 57 (CubeSat-XI-IV)  | Operational  | 2003-06-30  |  Japan
CanX-1 | Non-Operational  | 2003-06-30  |  Canada
DTUSat | Decayed  | 2003-06-30  |  Denmark
AAU Cubesat | Non-Operational  | 2003-06-30  |  Denmark
RS-22 Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine (Mozhayets 4)  | Operational  | 2003-09-27  |  Russia
AMSAT-OSCAR 51 (Echo, AO-51)  | Non-Operational  | 2004-06-28  |  United States
VUSat-OSCAR 52 (HAMSAT, VO-52, VUSat)  | Non-Operational [9] | 2005-05-05  |  India
Netherlands
PCSat2 (PCSAT2)  | Decayed  | 2005-08-03  |  United States
AMSAT-OSCAR 54 (AO-54, SuitSat, Radioskaf)  | Decayed  | 2005-09-08  | International
eXpress-OSCAR 53 (XO-53, SSETI Express)  | Non-Operational  | 2005-10-27  | European Space Agency
CubeSat-OSCAR 58 (CO-58, Cubesat XI-V)  | Non-Operational  | 2005-10-27  |  Japan
UWE-1 | Non-Operational  | 2005-10-27  |  Germany
NCube-2 | Deployment failure  | 2005-10-27  |  Norway
CubeSat-OSCAR 56 (CO-56, Cute-1.7)  | Non-Operational  | 2006-02-21  |  Japan
K7RR-Sat | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
CP2 | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
HAUSAT 1 | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  South Korea
ICE Cube 1 | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
ICE Cube 2 | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
ION | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
KUTESat | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
MEROPE | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
nCUBE 1 | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  Norway
RINCON | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
SACRED | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
SEEDS | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  Japan
Voyager (Mea Huaka'i)  | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  United States
PicPot | Launch Failure  | 2006-07-26  |  Italy
HITSat-OSCAR 59 (HITSat, HO-59)  | Decayed  | 2006-09-22  |  Japan
GeneSat-1 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine | Decayed  | 2006-12-16  |  United States
Navy-OSCAR 60 (RAFT, NO-60)  | Decayed  | 2006-12-21  |  United States
Navy-OSCAR 61 (ANDE, NO-61)  | Decayed  | 2006-12-21  |  United States
Navy-OSCAR 62 (FCAL, NO-62)  | Decayed  | 2006-12-21  |  United States
FalconSAT-3 | Decayed  | 2007-03-09  |  United States
Libertad-1 | Non-Operational  | 2007-04-17  |  Colombia
CAPE-1 | Non-Operational  | 2007-04-17  |  United States
CP3 | Non-Operational  | 2007-04-17  |  United States
CP4 | Non-Operational  | 2007-04-17  |  United States
Pehuensat-OSCAR 63 (PEHUENSAT-1, PO-63)  | Decayed  | 2007-10-01  |  Argentina
Delfi-OSCAR 64 (Delfi-C3, DO-64)  | Decayed  | 2008-04-28  |  Netherlands
Cubesat-OSCAR 65 (Cute-1.7+APD II, CO-65)  | Operational?  | 2008-04-28  |  Japan
Cubesat-OSCAR 66 (SEED II, CO-66)  | Operational  | 2008-04-28  |  Japan
COMPASS-1 | Semi-Operational  | 2008-04-28  |  Germany
RS-30  Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine (Yubileiny, RS-30)  | Operational  | 2008-05-23  |  Russia
PRISM  Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine (HITOMI)  | Operational  | 2009-01-23  |  Japan
KKS-1  Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine (KISEKI)  | Operational  | 2009-01-23  |  Japan
STARS (KUKAI)  | Unknown  | 2009-01-23  |  Japan
Aggiesat2 | Decayed  | 2009-07-30  |  United States
PARADIGM (BEVO-1)  | Decayed  | 2009-07-30  |  United States
Sumbandila-OSCAR 67 (SumbandilaSat, SO-67)  | Decayed  | 2009-09-17  |  South Africa
SwissCube | Operational  | 2009-09-23  |  Switzerland
ITUpSAT1 | Operational  | 2009-09-23  |  Turkey
UWE-2 | Operational  | 2009-09-23  |  Germany
BEESAT | Operational  | 2009-09-23  |  Germany
Hope Oscar 68 Archived 2013-05-28 at the Wayback Machine (XW-1, HO-68)  | Beacon-Operational  | 2009-12-15  |  China
AubieSat-1 Archived 2012-04-18 at the Wayback Machine (AO-71)  | Non-Operational  | 2011-10-28  |  United States
Masat-1 (MO-72)  | Decayed  | 2012-02-13  |  Hungary
ESTCube-1 | Non-Operational  | 2013-05-07  |  Estonia
CAPE 2 (LO-75)  | Decayed  | 2013-11-20  |  United States
FUNcube-1 (AO-73) [1] | Operational  | 2013-11-21  |  United Kingdom
Netherlands
CubeBug-2 (LUSAT-OSCAR 74)  | Operational  | 2013-11-21  |  Argentina
$50SAT | Non-Operational  | 2013-11-21  |  United States
DELFI-N3XT | Non-Operational?  | 2013-11-21  |  Netherlands
ARTSAT INVADER (CO-77)  | Decayed  | 2014-02-27  |  Japan
Lituanica SAT-1 (LO-78)  | Decayed  | 2014-02-27  |  Lithuania
FunCube-2 (UKube-1)  | Non-Operational  | 2014-07-08  |  United Kingdom
QB50P1 (EO-79, FUNcube-3)  | Non-Operational  | 2014-07-19  |  Belgium
QB50P2  | Semi-Operational  | 2014-07-19  |  Belgium
ARTSAT2-DESPATCH | Non-Operational  | 2014-12-03  |  Japan
Shin’en-2 (FO-82)  | Non-Operational  | 2014-12-03  |  Japan
BRICSat-P (OSCAR 83)  | Decayed  | 2015-05-20  |  United States
ParkinsonSAT (OSCAR 84, NO-84, PSAT)  | Decayed  | 2015-05-20  |  United States
LilacSat-2 (CAS-3H)  | Operational  | 2015-09-19  |  China
XW-2 (CAS-3)  | Non-Operational  | 2015-09-19  |  China
Lapan-A2 (IO-86)  | Operational  | 2015-09-28  |  Indonesia
Fox-1A (OSCAR 85, AO-85)  | Non-Operational  | 2015-10-08  |  United States
HORYU-IV | Non-Operational  | 2016-02-17  |  Japan
CHUBUSAT-3 | Non-Operational  | 2016-02-17  |  Japan
ÑuSat-1 (LUSEX OSCAR 87, LO-87)  | Decayed  | 2016-05-30  |  Argentina
Nayif-1 (EO-88)  | Decayed  | 2017-02-15  |  United Arab Emirates
ITF 2 | Decayed  | 2016-12-09  |  Japan
LilacSat-1 (QB50, LO-90)  | Decayed  | 2017-04-18  |  China
ZHUHAI-1 01/02 (CAS 4A/B)  | Non-Operational  | 2017-06-15  |  China
Fox-1B (OSCAR 91, AO-91, RadFxSat)  | Semi-Operational  | 2017-11-18  |  United States
Fox-1D (OSCAR 92, AO-92)  | Decayed[10] | 2018-01-12  |  United States
K2SAT | Non-Operational  | 2018-03-12  |  South Korea
DSLWP-A (OSCAR 93, LO-93)  | Non-Operational  | 2018-05-20  |  China
DSLWP-B (OSCAR 94, LO-94)  | Operational  | 2018-05-20  |  China
Diwata-2 (Philippines-OSCAR 101, PO-101)  | Operational  | 2018-10-29  |  Philippines
Es'hail 2 (Qatar-OSCAR 100, QO-100, P4A)  | Operational  | 2018-11-15  |  Qatar
Fox-1Cliff (OSCAR 95, AO-95)  | Semi-Operational  | 2018-12-03  |  United States
ExseedSat-1 (VUsat-OSCAR 96, VO-96)  | Operational  | 2018-12-03  |  India
JY1Sat (Jordan-OSCAR 97, JO-97)  | Operational  | 2018-12-03  |  Jordan
D-Star ONE Sparrow | Operational  | 2018-12-27  |  Germany
D-Star ONE iSat | Operational  | 2018-12-27  |  Germany
OrigamiSat (Fuji-OSCAR 98, FO-98)  | Decayed  | 2019-01-18  |  Japan
NEXUS (Fuji-OSCAR 99, FO-99)  | Decayed  | 2019-01-18  |  Japan
AISAT-1 (ExseedSat-2)  | Decayed  | 2019-04-01  |  India
AztechSat 1 | Non-Operational  | 2019-05-12  |  Mexico
CAS-7B (BIT Progress-OSCAR 102, BO-102)  | Decayed  | 2019-07-25  |  China
BricSat-2 (Navy-OSCAR 103, NO-103)  | Decayed  | 2019-06-25  |  United States
PSAT-2 (Navy-OSCAR 104, NO-104)  | Decayed  | 2019-06-25  |  United States
HuskySat-1 (HO-107)  | Decayed  | 2019-11-02  |  United States
SMOG-P (Magyar-OSCAR 105, MO-105)  | Decayed  | 2019-12-06  |  Hungary
ATL-1 (Magyar-OSCAR 106, MO-106)  | Decayed  | 2019-12-06  |  Hungary
Taurus-1 (Jinniuzuo-1)  | Decayed  | 2019-12-09  |  China
Tianqin-1 (CAS-6, TO-108)  | Operational  | 2019-12-20  |  China
DOSAAF-85 (RS-44)  | Operational  | 2019-12-26  |  Russia
BY70-2 | Decayed  | 2020-07-03  |  China
International Space Station (ISS)  | Operational  | 2020-09-02  |  United States
RadFxSat-2 (AmSat Fox-1, AO-109)  | Decayed  | 2024-01-17  |  United States
UVSQ-Sat | Rarely  | 2021-01-24  |  France
SDSAT (Satish Dhawan Sat)  | Decayed  | 2021-02-28  |  India
SMOG-1 (Magyar-OSCAR 110, MO-110)  | Decayed  | 2021-03-22  |  Hungary
DIY-1 (DIY-OSCAR 111, DO-111)  | Decayed  | 2021-03-22  |  Argentina
GRBAlpha | Operational  | 2021-03-22  |  Slovakia
MIR-Sat 1 (MIRSAT-OSCAR 112, MO-112)  | Decayed  | 2021-06-03  |  Mauritius
LEDSAT | Operational  | 2021-08-17  |  Italy
CAMSAT XW-3 (HO-OSCAR 113, HO-113, CAS-9)  | Operational  | 2021-12-26  |  China
BDSat-2 | Operational  | 2022-01-03  |  Czech Republic
EASAT-2 (Spain-OSCAR 114, SO-114)  | Operational  | 2022-01-13  |  Spain
HADES (Spain-OSCAR 115, SO-115)  | Operational  | 2022-01-13  |  Spain
SanoSat-1 (Nepal-OSCAR 116, NO-116)  | Decayed  | 2022-01-13  |  Nepal
Tevel 1-8  | Decayed  | 2022-01-13  |  Israel
Planetum-1 | Operational  | 2022-05-25  |  Czech Republic
ForeSail 1 | Failure  | 2022-05-25  |  Finland
GreenCube (Italy-OSCAR 117, IO-117)  | Operational  | 2022-07-13  |  Italy
Fengtai Shaonian 2 (CAS-5A, Fengtai-OSCAR 118, FO-118)  | Operational  | 2022-12-09  |  China
XiWang-4 (Hope-OSCAR 119, HO-119, XW-4, CAS-10)  | Operational  | 2022-11-12  |  China
EOS–07 (APRSDP-BTN)  | Operational  | 2023-02-10  |  Bhutan
INSPIRE-Sat 7 | Decayed  | 2023-04-15  |  France
RoseyCubesat-1 | Operational  | 2023-04-15  |  Switzerland Monaco
IRIS-C | Operational  | 2023-04-15  |  Taiwan
MAYA-6 | Decayed  | 2023-07-19  |  Philippines
Veronika | Operational  | 2023-11-11  |  Slovakia
HADES-D (SO-121)  | Operational  | 2023-11-11  |  Spain
SONATE-2 | Operational  | 2024-03-04  |  Germany
Kashiwa (柏)  | Decayed  | 2024-03-23  |  Japan
MESAT 1 (MO-122)  | Operational  | 2024-07-04  |  United States
KUBE/QUBE | Operational  | 2024-08-16  |  Germany
SAKURA | Future  | 2024-08-29  |  Japan

### In development

[edit]

* KiwiSAT \- A microsatellite built by AMSAT-ZL. Flight-ready, but no launch provider found yet.[11]

## Facts

[edit]

### Multinational effort

[edit]

Currently, 30 countries have constructed a launched OSCAR satellite. These countries, in chronological order by date of launch, include:

1. United States
2. Australia
3. Spain
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
6. Brazil
7. Argentina
8. Pakistan
9. Russia
10. France
11. Portugal
12. South Korea
13. Italy
14. Mexico
15. Israel
16. Thailand
17. South Africa
18. Malaysia
19. Saudi Arabia
20. Germany
21. India
22. Colombia
23. Netherlands
24. Indonesia
25. United Arab Emirates
26. China
27. Qatar
28. Jordan
29. Philippines
30. Hungary

### Related names

[edit]

SuitSat, an obsolete Russian space suit with a transmitter aboard, was officially known as "AMSAT-OSCAR 54". Coincidentally, "Oscar" was the name given to an obsolete space suit by its young owner in the 1958 novel Have Space Suit—Will Travel, by Robert A. Heinlein. This book was first published a year after the launch of Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite.

## International regulation

[edit]

This section may need to be cleaned up. It has been merged from Amateur-satellite service.

|

First amateur-satellite station OSCAR 1, 1961

Amateur-satellite station OSCAR 10, 1983

Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, flight engineer of the Expedition 24, uses a ham radio system in the Zvezda Service Module of the ISS, 2010

FASTRAC-A and FASTRAC-B amateur satellite, University of Texas at Austin

Amateur-satellite service (also: amateur-satellite radiocommunication service) is – according to Article 1.57 of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR)[12] – defined as «A radiocommunication service using space stations on earth satellites for the same purposes as those of the amateur service.»

### Classification

[edit]

This radiocommunication service is classified in accordance with ITU Radio Regulations (article 1) as follows:
Radiocommunication service (article 1.19)

* Amateur service (article 1.56)
* Amateur-satellite service (article 1.57)

### Frequency allocation

[edit]

The allocation of radio frequencies is provided according to Article 5 of the ITU Radio Regulations (edition 2012).[13]

In order to improve harmonisation in spectrum utilisation, the majority of service-allocations stipulated in this document were incorporated in national Tables of Frequency Allocations and Utilisations which is within the responsibility of the appropriate national administration. The allocation might be primary, secondary, exclusive, and shared.

* primary allocation: is indicated by writing in capital letters (see example below)
* secondary allocation: is indicated by small letters (see example below)
* exclusive or shared utilization: is within the responsibility of national administrations

Example of frequency allocation

Allocation to services

Region 1 |  Region 2  |  Region 3
135.7–137.8 kHz

FIXED
MARITIME MOBILE
Amateur
| 135.7–137.8

FIXED
MARITIME MOBILE
Amateur
| 135.7–137.8

FIXED
MARITIME MOBILE
RADIO NAVIGATION
Amateur
7 000–7 100  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
14 000–14 250  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
18 068–18 168  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
21 000–21 450  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
24 890–24 990  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
28–29.7 MHz AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
144–146  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
5 830–5 850

FIXED-SATELLITE

(space-to-Earth)
RADIOLOCATION
Amateur
Amateur-satellite

(space-to-Earth)
| 5 830–5 850

RADIOLOCATION
Amateur
Amateur-satellite

(space-to-Earth)
10.5–10.6 GHz AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
24–24.05  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
47–47.2  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
76–77.5  RADIO ASTRONOMY

RADIOLOCATIONY
Amateur
Amateur-satellite
Space research (space-to-Earth)
77.5–78  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
Radio astronomy
Space research (space-to-Earth)
78–79  RADIOLOCATION

Amateur
Amateur-satellite
Radio astronomy
Space research (space-to-Earth)
79–81  RADIOLOCATION

RADIO ASTRONOMY
Amateur
Amateur-satellite
Space research (space-to-Earth)
134–136  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
Radio astronomy
136–141  RADIO ASTRONOMY

RADIOLOCATION
Amateur
Amateur-satellite
241–248  RADIO ASTRONOMY

RADIOLOCATION
Amateur
Amateur-satellite
248–250  AMATEUR

AMATEUR-SATELLITE
Radio astronomy

### Additional allocations

[edit]

In addition to the formal allocations in the main table such as above, there is also a key ITU-R footnote RR 5.282 that provides for additional allocations:-

5.282 In the bands 435-438 MHz, 1 260-1 270 MHz, 2 400-2 450 MHz, 3 400-3 410 MHz (in Regions 2 and 3 only)
and 5 650-5 670 MHz, the amateur-satellite service may operate subject to not causing harmful interference to other
services operating in accordance with the Table (see No. 5.43). Administrations authorizing such use shall ensure that
any harmful interference caused by emissions from a station in the amateur-satellite service is immediately eliminated
in accordance with the provisions of No. 25.11. The use of the bands 1 260-1 270 MHz and 5 650-5 670 MHz by the
amateur-satellite service is limited to the Earth-to-space direction.

Of these, the 435-438 MHz band is particularly popular for amateur/educational small satellites such as Cubesats.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.57, definition: amateur-satellite service / amateur-satellite radiocommunication service
2. ^ "AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Status". Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
3. ^ John A. Magliacane, KD2BD. "AMSAT Spotlight". Archived from the original on 1996-10-28.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Es'hail 2 / QO-100". AMSAT-UK. 2015-06-05. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
5. ^ Standard Radar Frequency Letter-Band Nomenclature (IEEE Standard 521-1984, IEEE Std 521-2002(R2009))
6. ^ "FM Satellite Frequency Summary". AMSAT. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
7. ^ "Fox-1 Operating Guide" (PDF). AMSAT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
8. ^ "FM Satellites: Good Operating Practices for Beginning and Experienced Operators" (PDF). AMSAT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
9. ^ "VO-52 "Hamsat" end of mission". AMSAT. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
10. ^ "AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Status". www.amsat.org. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
11. ^ "KiwiSAT, Status". Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
12. ^ ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.57, definition: amateur-satellite service / amateur-satellite radiocommunication service
13. ^ ITU Radio Regulations, CHAPTER II – Frequencies, ARTICLE 5 Frequency allocations, Section IV – Table of Frequency Allocations

* Martin Davidoff: The Radio Amateur's Satellite Handbook. The American Radio Relay League, Newington, ISBN 978-0-87259-658-0.

## Notes

[edit]

* "Space Satellites from the World's Garage -- The Story of AMSAT". The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Archived from the original on 2006-10-05. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

* "The Extraordinary History of Amateur Radio Satellites". Space Today Online. Archived from the original on 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

* "A Brief History of Amateur Satellites". N7HPR. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

* "Satellite Development Programs". The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Archived from the original on 2006-08-23. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

* "Amateur (ham) Radio Satellites". Colorado State University. Archived from the original on 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2006-09-07.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amateur radio satellites.

* AMSAT Corporation \- a nonprofit corporation that coordinates construction and launch of amateur radio satellites
* Project OSCAR Archived 2015-01-25 at the Wayback Machine \- club commemorating the original Project OSCAR group
* Work-Sat \- Private site with instructions for using amateur radio satellites

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