IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination
 
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FACSAT Updated: 23 Jul 2018   Responsible Operator Jose Fernando Betancourt Vasquez HK5SIW
Supporting Organisation Colombian Air Force Academy  
Contact Person HK5SIW@yahoo.com.nospam  
Headline Details: FACSAT is a 3U satellite of the Colombian Air Force. The goal of this mission is to educate the students cadets on the process of designing a satellite, mission and in orbit operation. FACSAT is an earth observation satellite is a camera in the visible range that will take pictures of Colombia. The expected resolution is about 27m/pixel. The telemetry and the images will be downloaded using the UHF of 437.35 MHz. The emphasis of the radio amateur activity on practical research and experimentation make it an ideal tool to allow cadets of the Colombian Air Force Academy understanding technical topics related to electricity, electronics and telecommunications, as well as facilitating teachers to develop innovative curriculums based on practical and theoretical application. The use of these technologies from the point of view of formative research provides the tools t hat facilitate the development of solid foundations in multiple fields of science. As a teaching and hobby tool, it has proven to be a great motivating influence in students for the selection of professions related to computer sciences, electronics, broadcasting Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Request — Page Rev. 38. 1 August 2017 3 engineering, research sciences, telecommunications, among others. Beyond that, this praiseworthy practice encourages the participation of the community, while it crosses social, political, cultural, geographic and physical disability limits, helping to train more integral professionals; even more so considering that research conducted by amateur radio operators has facilitated the founding of new industries, built economies, empowered nations and saved lives in emergency situations. It is important to highlight the role of amateur radio groups and the ability to participate in the progress made by the Colombian Air Force in the aerospace field; a ll this due to the acquired knowledge in satellite systems, which is projected to be used in the short term for the launch of FACSAT-1, as well as FACSAT- 2 in the mid-term, a satellite that will be integrated into the Military School of Aviation (EMAVI) and will be placed in orbit in the second semester of the year 2019. In this project officials, teachers and cadets have attended workshops developed by the company Gomspace of Denmark, which have allowed the military academy to promote new academic activities, where students staff of the different academic programs have been involved. Additionally, once the satellite is placed in orbit, the necessary expertise in the personnel will be gained thanks to the regular operation of the ground station. Therefore, the quality of the images taken by the satellite that are going to be used for academic purposes, will be refined to complement the information sources for undergraduates’ thesis, which will be related to the recovery of areas deg raded by illegal land use, surveillance of national parks as well as protected areas. This project, which within a few months will be in operation, was carried out with the cooperation of the Colombian Amateur Radio League, a requirement required by the Colombian Ministry of Communications in order to comply with the request to the International Amateur Radio Union IARU; Once all these steps have been completed and the satellite placed in orbit, it will be possible to begin working in network with other universities and entities that promote science and education in the aerospace field. Working as a team in an agreement and the creation of strategic alliances will allow establishing a roadmap that will not only connect antennas in the control segment, but also design, development and integration of nanosatellites, low orbit launch systems and monitoring and control stations. Proposing 9k6 GMSK downlink and planning a H2 PSLV launch into a 505 km sun syncronous orbit. **A downlink on 437.350 MHz has been coordinated**
Application Date: 21 Jun 2018   Freq coordination completed on 23 Jul 2018

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