ERMINAZ-1V and ERMINAZ-1U

    IARU Sat Coordinator

    The proposed ERMINAZ mission is a syndicated multi-PocketQube mission with a total of 7 PQs under the leadership of AMSAT-Germany, which also holds the launch contract with RFA under DLR support. The project is in collaboration between AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA (Spain), ESERO-Germany (Bochum Observatory) and Libre Space Foundation (Greece). The mission is to promote, advance and develop knowledge about space and amateur radio. ERMINAZ-1U & ERMINAZ-1V will transmit telemetry, images, provide a digipeat/store/forward functionally to all radio amateurs worldwide. ERMINAZ-1U will operate in the UHF amateur satellite band, while ERMINAZ-1V will operate in the VHF amateur satellite band. Only non-proprietary, open source and documented protocols, accessible to radio amateurs, will be used. This includes CCSDS telemetry, CW beacon, SSDV images, digipeater, AX.25 und possibly other modes. Telemetry and sensor data from radiation sensor and triaxial accelerometer / gyroscope / magnetometer will allow any radio amateur to participate by extending his knowledge about space. In addition, a digipeater and store & forward function will allow licensed radio amateurs to use ERMINAZ-1U/1V as a relay to communicate with other radio amateurs worldwide. The mission will conduct several experiments with different types of modulations, bandwidths, data rates and framing schemes: GFSK with data rate from 9600 up to 19200 GFSK with data rate from 9600 up to 19200 bits/s GMSK with data rate from 9600 up to 19200 bits/s BPSK with data rate from 9600 up to 19200 bits/s QPSK data rate from 19200 up to 38400 bits/s Frames will using three different framing schemes configurable upon the mission requirements: CSDS (residual or suppressed carrier) or IEEE 802.15.4 (preamble, sync) or AX.25. Planning a launch by RFA-Rocket Factory Augsburg AG from SaxaVord Spaceport into a 500km polar orbit not earlier than August 2024 together with UNNE-1 (HADES-E) and MARIA-G (HADES-F) from AMSAT-EA and QUBIK 5 from LibreSpace. **Up and downlinks on 145.965 MHz (ERMINAZ-1V) and 435.775 MHz (ERMINAZ-1U) have been coordinated**
    Application Date: 03 Mar 2024 Freq coordination completed on 18 Mar 2024
    • New

    UNNE-1 and MARIA-G Launch Delayed Until 2025

    Due to the significant damage to the RFA’s One launcher stage during the static firing test at SaxaVord’s spaceport in the Shetland Islands, Scotland (UK) on August 19th, AMSAT-EA’s UNNE-1 and MARIA-G satellites launch will be delayed.

    They were originally planned for launch on September 30th, and now it is not expected before 2025. Video of the BBC’s coverage of the incident is available here:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgEn6-8ekJQ

    UNNE-1 and MARIA-G are both based on the currently orbiting HADES-D (SO-121) hardware, providing a repeater service for voice and data communications in FM and FSK-derived modes. They have been designed and built by AMSAT-EA together with private sector companies and with the collaboration of Universities and educational centres.

    Both satellites will offer licensed radio amateurs around the world the opportunity to make FM and FSK QSOs, including FT modes, such as FT-4 and FT-8, or AX.25/APRS. The satellites will also transmit telemetry with their status, voice messages and CW.

    UNNE-1 includes an Arduino-based board with software from Nebrija University of Madrid. The students have developed a small decoding game with a space story as a background. The satellite sends a clue each week in its FSK telemetry so that radio amateurs can solve the challenge. This game will be detailed on the AMSAT EA website and on the Nebrija University one.

    MARIA-G also includes two CW reception games/challenges implemented by students from the María Guerrero high school in Collado Villalba, also from the region of Madrid.

    One of the games consists of receiving the coordinates of a significant place on Earth (for example a city, a monument…) and the other about receiving a code that will correspond to a question about Science. Both games will have a dedicated web page.

    MARIA-G also includes a small experiment, developed by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research center in Germany. It consists of a proof of concept for the transmission of a TS-UNB waveform from a low Earth orbit. Therefore, it will transmit a TS-UNB message according to the ETSI-TS-103-357 standard. It is intended solely as a research and development project with no commercial intention.

    The ITU modulation classification would be 100K W2DWW but the bandwidth will be reduced. The operation of this experiment will be carried out by AMSAT-EA.

    The UNNE-1 and MARIA-G satellites are part of the Erminaz mission, a joint effort of AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA and LibreSpace Foundation, each organization flying its own satellites and using LibreSpace’s PicoBus deployer.

    The mission management with the German Space Agency (DLR) and the launcher (RFA), as well as with the UK authorities, has been carried out jointly, with AMSAT DL leading it.

    [ANS thanks Felix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT EA, for the above information.]