IO-117 GreenCube to cease operating on February 5


    IO-117 GreenCube to cease operating on February 5

    At 1622 GMT on Thursday, January 25, 2024 @S5Lab posted on X that the GreenCube IO-117 Digipeater would be permanently deactivated on February 5.


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    AMSAT Responds to Planned Decommissioning of IO-117 (GreenCube)

    We were saddened to learn this morning that S5Lab plans to decommission IO-117 (GreenCube) and execute a passivation operation on February 5, 2024. AMSAT stands ready to leverage our decades of experience and work with S5Lab, AMSAT Italia, other AMSAT organizations, and the amateur satellite community at large to overcome any obstacles, regulatory or otherwise, to keeping IO-117 in service for as long as possible. This afternoon, AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL, sent the following letter to S5Lab expressing our desire to provide any support we can to keep the satellite in operation.

    January 25, 2024


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    The “Amateur Radio Satellites and Systems – Canada” Association has contacted AMSAT-IT and offered our assistance in helping them take over operational control of IO-117 from S5Lab to allow the digipeater to stay operational. We see this as a viable option in line with the IARU frequency coordination based on the secondary amateur radio payload (digipeater) of IO-117. Now, we don’t know at this point the conditions and operational requirements assigned by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and ESA (European Space Agency) for this satellite, which are also partners in this project. We expect that AMSAT-IT will inform the community of possible next steps and options if available in due time. Until then, we encourage everyone to give these organizations the time and opportunity to look into viable options. We will keep you posted.

    Quote
    AMSAT Italia would like to inform the amateur community that its request to the Italian Space Agency, the owner of the GREENCUBE satellite, to reconsider its decision of decommissioning the satellite is under evaluation.
    Waiting for its decision, IO-117 is still operational.
    The GreenCube satellite was born as a scientific experiment placed in MEO orbit which successfully concluded its mission.
    IO-117 is the HAM Radio part of the satellite consisting of a digipeter which was promoted by AMSAT Italia and coordinated by IARU-R1.
    At the moment AMSAT Italia is committed to promoting the continuation of the mission for the HAM Radio part of Greencube.
    AMSAT Italia BoD