Fox-1D, AO-92 or AMSAT OSCAR 92
is an American
amateur radio satellite
An amateur radio satellite is an artificial satellite built and used by amateur radio operators. It forms part of the Amateur-satellite service. These satellites use amateur radio frequency allocations to facilitate communication between amate ...
. Fox-1D is a 1U
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
developed and built by
AMSAT-NA. Fox-1D carries a single-channel transponder for mode U/V in
FM. Fox-1D has an
L-band
The L band is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) designation for the range of frequencies in the radio spectrum from 1 to 2 gigahertz (GHz). This is at the top end of the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, at the lower en ...
converter (the AMSAT L-band downshifter experiment), which allows the FM
transponder
In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend word, blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''.
In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a T ...
to be switched on an uplink in the band.
To enable it to launch under
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
's ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) program, the satellite continues to carry the following scientific and technical payloads:
* High Energy Radiation CubeSat (HERCI);
* Camera Experiment;
* MEMS GYRO Experiment.
The satellite has a single whip antenna for the 70 cm and 23 cm bands (uplink), as well as an antenna for the 2m band (downlink).
Mission
The satellite was launched on January 12, 2018 at 03:59 UTC with a
PSLV XL rocket, along with the main payloads
Cartosat-2F
Cartosat-2F is the eighth satellite in the Cartosat-2 Series. It is an Earth observation satellite launched on the PSLV-C40 mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
History
Originally, Cartosat-2E was published as the las ...
,
NovaSAR-S, and 31 other small satellites from the
Satish Dhawan Space Center
Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range - SHAR) is a rocket launch centre (spaceport) operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. At 05:17 UTC, the antennas were deployed over the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
and the satellite began to work. At 05:28 UTC the first telemetry was received and commissioning occurred over approximately two weeks. Currently, Fox-1D is rarely operational, as the AMSAT Engineering team believes that there are serious battery capacity issues. The transponder is occasionally turned on, but will usually default into "Safe Mode" at the next eclipse.
See also
*
OSCAR
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
References
External links
Project OSCAR
{{OSCAR satellites
Satellites orbiting Earth
Amateur radio satellites
Spacecraft launched in 2018