Amateur Radio in Space

1
Amateur Radio in Space
By Steve Ford, WB8IMY
2
Overview

• Amateurs have been building satellites since the
  earliest days of space travel.
  
• These satellites are known as OSCARsOrbiting
  Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio.
  
• The first Amateur Radio satellite was OSCAR 1 and
  it reached orbit in 1961.

3
Satellites Relays in the Sky

• Like commercial satellites, Amateur Radio
  satellites are primarily used to relay signals
  from one location to another.
  
• From their vantage points in orbit, satellites
  can see large portions of the Earth. This is
  known as a satellites footprint.
  
• Every station within the footprint can
  communicate through the satellite

4
The Footprint of OSCAR 27

• In this illustration, every station within the
  circular footprint of OSCAR 27 (AO-27) can
  communicate through the satellite.

5
Satellite Orbits

• Most Amateur Radio satellites travel in low Earth
  orbits at altitudes of 800 to 1500 km.
  
• At this altitude, a satellite completes one orbit
  every 90 to 100 minutes.
  
• At the same time, the Earth is turning beneath
  the satellite.
  
• The result is that all stations on the ground
  will enjoy several 15-minute communication
  sessions with each satellite each day.

6
Station Equipment

• Because of the low orbits and sensitive
  receivers, many Amateur Radio satellites can be
  used with simple equipment.

7
Amateur Satellites Today

• Several Amateur Radio satellites are active
  today. All are low-Earth orbiters.
  
• OSCARs 27, 50 and 51 relay FM voice
  transmissions.
  

8
OSCAR 29

• OSCAR 29 relays Single Sideband (SSB) voice and
  CW transmissions.

9
Digital Communication

• OSCARs 32 and 46 relay digital signals. They are
  also capable of capturing images of the Earth and
  sending these images as digital files.

10
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

• There is also a fully equipped amateur facility
  aboard the International Space Station.

11
The Future

• New Amateur Radio satellites are being built now
  and should be in orbit within 5 years.
  
• One of these will be a high-altitude satellite
  known as Eagle.

12
Amateur Radio Operators Pioneers in Space

• Amateur Radio operators continue to explore new
  technology, which includes space communication.
  With the projects currently scheduled, the future
  looks bright indeed!