AMSAT-UK will be providing a 1260/145 MHz FM transponder and a 145
MHz BPSK telemetry beacon for the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO).
This is the third mission within the European Space Agency’s Education
Satellite Programme.
The satellite, which has a mass of 40 kg and measures 33x33x63 cm, is planned to launch in 2015-16 into a low Earth orbit.
Nine European universities will be working with the prime contractor
ALMASpace, Italy, on the mission. Cranfield University in Bedfordshire
will be supplying a small sail that will be deployed to demonstrate the
de-orbiting of spacecraft at the end of the mission.
The primary purpose of the AMSAT-UK payload is to provide a downlink
telemetry that can be easily received by schools and colleges for
educational outreach purposes. The data will be displayed in an
attractive format and provide stimulation and encouragement for students
to become interested in all STEM subjects in a unique way.
The target audience is primarily students at both primary and
secondary levels and the project includes the development of a simple
and cheap “ground station” operating on VHF frequencies in the Amateur
Satellite Service. This station is an omni-directional antenna feeding a
FUNcube DonglePRO+ SDR receiver which will receive the signals direct
from the satellite and transfer the data to specially developed
graphical software running on any Windows laptop.
(Source : AMSAT-UK)
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