Current February 27th, 2025 By-Laws DRAFT. now posted. Click link below to read.
ARISS Completes Successful FRAM2Ham Simulation Event Using ISS Radio
The FRAM2Ham ISS Simulation event was a success, bringing together amateur radio enthusiasts and educators from around the world. Over five days, participants engaged in a simulated transmissions from the ISS Service Module Radio to mirror real-world conditions aboard a Dragon spacecraft, which will be used for the upcoming FRAM2 mission. This provided valuable practice for the FRAM2Ham competition. The event was organized and run by ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS). The ham radio community followed the request to withhold image postings until the official reveal date of February 20th. By the end of the event, 1,975 images had been submitted, with nearly half coming from students and educators, highlighting the educational impact of the initiative.
The FRAM2 mission will be the first human spaceflight in polar orbit, flying over the North and South poles. Named after the polar exploration ship Fram, the mission aims to highlight exploration, curiosity, and technological progress. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch four astronauts from Europe and Australia into orbit for 3-5 days, with a targeted launch in spring 2025. The crew consists of mission commander Chun Wang of Malta, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and mission specialist Eric Philips of Australia.
As part of the mission, Rabea Rogge, LB9NJ/KD3AID, will operate the onboard amateur radio system, transmitting SSTV images for a high school and university student competition. These images will also be available to the general public. The FRAM2Ham competition is an experimental radio challenge open to high school and university students, where teams receive SSTV images of three geographical locations transmitted via the onboard ham radio. However, these images will be fragmented and scrambled, requiring participants to piece them together and determine their significance in polar history.
While anyone can receive the images, forming an international team may help solve the puzzle. Participants must correctly identify at least two of the three locations to qualify for prizes, which include QSL cards with space-flown FRAM2 mission stickers. The competition is open to members of educational institutions between the ages of 16-25 years from eligible countries, including Europe (CEPT), the US, Canada, and Australia. The ARISS International team has supported the event by organizing the FRAM2Ham ISS Simulation to help participants develop skills in acquiring images for the competition. For more information, visit the FRAM2HAM website at https://fram2ham.com and the ARISS website at https://ariss.org.
HADES-R FM Repeater Activated
AMSAT-EA has confirmed that the FM repeater aboard the HADES-R satellite has been successfully activated and is now available for amateur radio operators worldwide. The activation took place on February 19th, 2025, following a series of telemetry and command tests to ensure the satellite’s stability and performance. Early reports indicate that the repeater is functioning as expected, providing strong two-way FM voice communications. AMSAT-EA expressed its gratitude to the amateur radio community for submitting telemetry reports, which contributed to the successful commissioning of the satellite.
HADES-R was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on January 14th, 2025, as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission. Developed by AMSAT-EA, the satellite carries an FM and digital repeater payload designed to provide communication services to amateur radio enthusiasts worldwide. It was deployed from the D-Orbit ION-SCV-016 orbital transfer vehicle on January 22nd and has since been transmitting telemetry data while undergoing operational testing. With the repeater now active, operators can use the uplink frequency of 145.925 MHz and the downlink frequency of 436.885 MHz for communication, with additional support for digital modes such as APRS and FSK telemetry at various data rates.
At the request of AMSAT-EA, AMSAT has officially designated HADES-R as Spain-OSCAR 124 (SO-124) in recognition of its contributions to amateur satellite communications. This designation underscores the satellite’s role in expanding access to space-based communications for the amateur radio community. AMSAT congratulates AMSAT-EA on this achievement and looks forward to the continued success of this and future projects. Meanwhile, amateur radio operators eagerly anticipate the upcoming launch of HADES-ICM on the Transporter-13 mission in March 2025, which will further enhance satellite-based communication capabilities.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA and Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations / OSCAR Number Administrator for the above information]
ASTEROID 2024 YR4 IS NO LONGER A THREAT
As always, The ones who say the world is ending, Sorry, not going to happen, the Christmas 2032 might be Merry, after all. New observations of “city-killer” asteroid 2024 YR4 have ruled out an impact with Earth on Dec. 22, 2032. According to JPL, the odds of a strike have plummeted to a miniscule 0.002% — safer than crossing the street or driving a car.
A HOLE IN THE SUN’S ATMOSPHERE
Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 1st when a stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a large hole in the sun’s atmosphere, now squarely facing Earth