AMSAT-NA's first cubesat
- formerly known as Fox-1A and now AMSAT-OSCAR 85 - has been formally
commissioned and is now in regular amateur service. It apparently suffers from
a lack of
sensitivity, according to the AMSAT News Service, so AMSAT is
recommending a minimum uplink power level of 200 watts EIRP (effective
isotropic radiated power). Contacts have been made using 5 watts and a gain
antenna such as an Arrow handheld Yagi.
Meanwhile, AMSAT-UK
reports that efforts to deploy the experimental de-orbiting sail on the University of Surrey's DeorbitSail satellite have proven unsuccessful, so the control
team is refocusing on making the best use of what does work aboard the satellite, which was launched last July. One
goal of the project was to demonstrate the use of a deployable sail to quickly
slow the satellite's orbit and speed up a planned re-entry into Earth's
atmosphere.