The
AMSAT News Service also reports that AMSAT and Spaceflight, Inc. have agreed to
have the Fox-1D amateur satellite share a launch with Fox-1C (recently renamed
Fox-1Cliff in memory of Cliff Buttschardt, formerly K7RR, a longtime AMSAT
supporter who became a Silent Key in 2008). Both satellites will offer FM
repeater capabilities on different frequencies. In addition, Fox-1D will carry the University of Iowa's HERCI (High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) experiment. The launch is scheduled for early next year, and AMSAT is seeking additional donations to help cover the added costs of launching two satellites instead of one.
On
the topic of the Fox-series of satellites, the ARRL Letter reports that AMSAT has released version 1.0
of the Fox Telemetry Decoder software in advance of the scheduled October 8
launch of Fox-1A, which will also carry an FM transponder with an uplink on
435.180 MHz and downlink on 145.980 MHz. The Fox satellites are also supposed
to transmit continuous telemetry as they orbit. The cubesats are intended to be
reachable with a dual-band handheld radio and simple 2m/70cm beam antenna.
