SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS016   
   ARLS016 More Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites are Aloft   
      
   ZCZC AS16   
   QST de W1AW   
   Space Bulletin 016  ARLS016   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington, CT  September 29, 2015   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB SPACE ARL ARLS016   
   ARLS016 More Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites are Aloft   
      
   Quick on the heels of the September 19 launch of nine satellites carrying   
   Amateur Radio transponders comes word that three more satellites were launched   
   on September 25 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia's   
   Gobi Desert.   
      
   The CubeSats, identified as Tianwang-1A (TW-1A; SECM-1), Tianwang-1B (TW-1B;   
   NJUST-2), and Tianwang-1C (TW-1C; NJFA-1), were developed by students at the   
   Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in collaboration with the   
   Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites. TW-1A and TW-1B are 2 U   
   CubeSats, while TW-1C is a 3U CubeSat.   
      
   The mission's main goal is to experiment with software defined radio   
   technology in space. The Amateur Radio payloads, which do not include any   
   transponders, will serve to exchange telemetry, tracking, and command   
   information with the ground control station. Telemetry data will be made   
   public, so that radio amateurs around the world may track and monitor the   
   health of the satellites.   
      
   Other payloads include a video camera, along with receivers for dual-band   
   GPS/BeiDou, Maritime Automatic Identification System, and Aeronautical   
   Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast. Using MEMS based cold-gas   
   micropropulsion, it is planned to demonstrate formation flying by two of the   
   CubeSats along with inter-satellite communication using GAMALINK 2.4 GHz   
   spread spectrum technology from Portugal.   
      
   According to Michael Chen, BD5RV, of CAMSAT, the satellites have downlinks in   
   the 435-438 MHz Amateur-Satellite Service allocation.   
      
   TW-1A transmits on 435.645 MHz (GMSK 4800/9600 baud, 10 second transmit   
   interval); TW-1B on 437.645 MHz (GMSK 4800/9600 baud, 20 second transmit   
   interval), and TW-1C on 435.645 MHz (GMSK 4800/9600 baud, 10 second transmit   
   interval).   
      
   Note that TW-1A and 1C use the same frequency. The satellites also may have   
   downlink frequencies in the VHF range.   
      
   TW-1A is object 40928, 2015-051D; TW-1B, (NJUST-2) is object 40927, 2015-051C,   
   and TW-1C is object 40926, 2015-051B.   
      
   On the same launch was the technology demonstration satellite Pujian-1, which   
   includes WiFi technology for intra-satellite communication.   
      
   Trevor, M5AKA, said it's believes that Beijing plans another launch of Amateur   
   Radio payload satellites on October 5.   
      
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
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