FUNcube-1 is a complete educational single unit

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 ...

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

with the goal of enthusing and educating young people about radio, space, physics and electronics. It is part of a program which aims to launch more of these educational CubeSats. It is the first satellite with outreach as its primary mission.

FUNcube project

Project

The FUNcube project was started in the UK by AMSAT-UK. The satellite has been developed by a team of volunteers from AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL, and was assembled at ISIS in Delft. It has been designated with

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) ...

number 73 by

AMSAT AMSAT is a name for amateur radio satellite organizations worldwide, but in particular the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) with headquarters at Washington, D.C. AMSAT organizations design, build, arrange launches for, and then opera ...

and is now also known as AO-73.

Mission

As part of its mission, FUNcube-1 carries a materials science experiment, from which the school students can receive telemetry data and which they can compare to the results they obtained from similar reference experiments in the classroom. This experiment resembles the

Leslie's Cube Leslie's cube is a device used in the measurement or demonstration of the variations in thermal radiation emitted from different surfaces at the same temperature. Device It was devised in 1804 by John Leslie (1766–1832), a Scottish mathematicia ...

experiment. One of the first schools to use FUNcube-1 in the classroom was ''Abbeys Primary School'' in Bletchley which also featured in the BBC breakfast news two days after launch.BBC Breakfast news item about FUNcube-1
/ref>

Satellite

Instruments

FUNcube-1 is equipped with a UHF to VHF

linear transponder A communications satellite's transponder is the series of interconnected units that form a communications channel between the receiving and the transmitting antennas. It is mainly used in satellite communication to transfer the received signals. ...

with approx 300 mW PEP output and which can be used by Radio Amateurs worldwide for SSB and CW communications during the weekends.

Specifications

Frequencies: * Telemetry down link 145.935 MHz 1200bd

BPSK Phase-shift keying (PSK) is a digital modulation process which conveys data by changing (modulating) the phase of a constant frequency reference signal (the carrier wave). The modulation is accomplished by varying the sine and cosine inputs at ...

with FEC * Transponder Uplink 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) * Downlink 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Maximum uplink power of 5 watts to a 7 dBi gain antenna, more power is not needed to use the transponder. Transponder is SSB/CW Inverting.

Launch

FUNcube-1 was launched at 07:10:11 UTC on 21 November 2013,Kosmotras launch page
/ref>RSGB news announcement
/ref>nasaspaceflight.com report of the launch
/ref> as part of the ISILaunch03 campaign,ISILaunch blog
/ref> aboard a Dnepr rocket, from Yasny Launch Base, Russia. The launch was contracted by ISL, and operated by

ISC Kosmotras The International Space Company Kosmotras or ISC Kosmotras (russian: ЗАО Международная космическая компания “Космотрас”) is a joint project, between Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, established in 1 ...

Distribution

The FUNcube distributed ground station network (DGSN) is used in which radio amateurs receive packets and send these via the internet to the central data collection server, called the data warehouse. To enable easy reception, one of the FUNcube team members, Howard Long G6LVB, has created a USB connected receiver called the FUNcube Dongle.

References

External links

funcube.org.uk

amsat-uk.org

amsat-nl.org

FUNcube Data Warehouse
{{Orbital launches in 2013 Spacecraft launched in 2013 CubeSats Satellites of the United Kingdom Spacecraft launched by Dnepr rockets