IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination

 
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Ex-Alta 2 Updated: 24 Sep 2021   Responsible Operator Charles Nokes VE6CNK
Supporting Organisation AlbertaSat, University of Alberta  
Contact Person cnokes@ualberta.ca.nospam  
Headline Details: This application is for a constellation consisting of 3 satellites: Ex-Alta 2, YukonSat, and AuroraSat. Together, they form a common mission referred to as the Northern SPIRIT Consortium. This project is part of the Canadian Cubesat Project (CCP), and has received funding from the Canadian Space Agency as part of this program. The primary objective of this program is the training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP), and to inspire students to pursue future careers in the space sector. Throughout the project students will receive training on the design and building of a cube satellite, as well as learning how to operate the satellite while it is in orbit; to participate in these operational activities, many students will also obtain their amateur radio certificates. A large portion of the cubesat will be designed and built by students, with the exception of a few off-the-shelf components, such as the attitude determination and control system. A secondary objective of this project is the collection of science data, with each satellite being equipped with a Digital FluxGate Magnetometer (DFGM) and an earth observation payload. Ex-Alta 2 is a 3U cube satellite that will be imaging Canada to obtain scientific data for wildfire research and prevention by means of a multispectral imaging payload called Iris. Iris will house two optical sensors for gathering scientific data in the blue, red, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared wavelength bands. Through this instrument, we aim to demonstrate the capability to gather scientifically useful data for wildfire research in the visible + near-infrared and short-wave infrared bands from a CubeSat platform. It will also include a Digital FluxGate Magnetometer, to gather magnetic field data of the ionosphere, and a MIDI digital audio transmission setting which will be used for amateur radio and outreach activities. AuroraSat is a 2U cube satellite whose primary payload is an education outreach project, aimed at transmitting Northern Canadian stories and games to amateur radio operators across the globe. There will also be a TTL imager onboard with the goal of taking low resolution images of northern artistry shown on a display with the Earth as its backdrop. The outreach missions concentrate on expanding STEM outreach opportunities to include arts and languages. It will also include a Digital FluxGate Magnetometer to gather magnetic field data of the ionosphere and a MIDI digital audio transmission setting for use in other outreach activities. YukonSat is a 2U cube satellite whose primary payload consists of a sensor array that is to collect general data related to attitude determination, and a robotic camera arm which will be taking images of the satellite, the Earth, Moon and other desired celestial objects. It will also include a Digital FluxGate Magnetometer to gather magnetic field data of the ionosphere and is to be equipped with a digital audio transmission setting for use in outreach activities . The satellites will also feature an amateur S-band transmitter for the downlinking of payload data. This capability was achieved through a donation by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), in an effort to give students a better experience and achieve outreach objectives that are very similar to those for the amateur community. This donation comes with the purchase of S-band transmitter hardware. Proposing a CW beacon on UHF together with GMSK/GFSK or 4GFSK telemetry downlinks using 9k6 data rate with capability to operate between 0.05- 32.8kbps. Planning a NanoRacks deployment from the ISS in Q1 Q2 2022 or later. More info from https://www.albertasat.ca and https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pU9IT8GjBgeMilvYDGRtantfSwqBxrafs36pOSknkxc/edit?usp=drivesdk **Downlinks on 437.875 MHz and 2428.000 MHz have been coordinated**
Application Date: 10 Aug 2020   Freq coordination completed on 02 May 2021

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