Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Android in Space Mission. Plans for Launch on February 25 (STRaND-1)

And we're in orbit!  At 785km altitude moving at 7km/s. The question remains: can anyone hear you (12:59 GMT 25 Feb 2013)(STRaND-1)
Estimated time off view 26 Feb at 70cm Receiver SSB/AM only(no FM).

More info at http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/



Here is a Receiver in South of Johannesburg in South Africa if you want to listen to  STRaND-1 on the scheduled times. 

UK Space Mission - STRaND-1 Plans for Launch on February 25

STRaND-1




A UK mission, jointly developed by the University of Surrey's Sur-
rey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
(SSTL), to send the world's first smartphone satellite into orbit,
is due to launch on February 25 from India on PSLV-C20. This launch
will also carry the ocean study spacecraft SARAL as well as satel-
lites carrying amateur radio payloads.

STRaND-1 will be the first UK CubeSat to be launched and has been
developed by talented space engineers and researchers at Surrey with
the majority of the design and developmental work being carried out
in their spare time. The build and test phase of the project has
been completed in just three months. At the heart of STRaND-1 is a
Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system.

During the first phase of the mission, STRaND-1 will use a number of
experimental 'Apps' to collect data while a high-speed linux-based
CubeSat computer developed by SSC takes care of the satellite. During
phase two, the STRaND-1 team plan to switch the satellite's in-orbit
operations to the smartphone, testing the capabilities of a number of
standard smartphone components for a space environment. The satellite
will be commissioned and operated from the Surrey Space Centre's
ground station at the University of Surrey.

Being the first smartphone satellite in orbit is just one of many
'firsts' that STRaND-1 is hoping to achieve. It will also fly inno-
vative new technologies such as a 'WARP DRiVE' (Water Alcohol Resist-
ojet Propulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment) and electric
Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs); both 'firsts' to fly on a nanosatel-
lite. It is also flying a 3D printed part - believed to be the first
to fly in space!

A software-based speech synthesiser will be included to pay homage
to the UOSAT family of satellites OSCAR 9 and 11, that were launched
in 1980 & 1982. There will be an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio
downlink on 437.575 MHz using data rates of 9k6 or 19k2 bps.

On-line articles of the STRaND-1 mission can be found at:
http://www.amsat-uk.org/
http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=43314

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Spaceref.com fo
r the above information]

Live launch broadcast 25 Feb 2013 from about 12:00 GMT http://www.webcast.gov.in/live/

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