SSETI Express launched


I, JE9PEL received the signal from SSETI as follows.

SSETI
Oct 27, 2005
12:10-12:19 UTC
21:10-21:19 JST
437.250 MHz
9600 bps FSK
7 max elevation

SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:14:50] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:15:26] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:15:44] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:16:20] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:16:38] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:17:14] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:17:32] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:18:08] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....
SSETI1>UI [10/27/05  21:18:26] <UI>:*_www.sseti.net * SSETI-Express.....


SSETI
1 288XXU 0503XC   05300.28641000 -.00000001  00000-0  10000-4 0    16
2 288XX  98.1900 197.1500 0001920   0.0000  50.5000 14.60850000 00017


Satellite   Country   Downlink   Emission          Callsign
-----------------------------------------------------------
SSETI       EU        437.250    9600 FSK AX.25    SSETI1
                     2401.835    38K4 FSK AX.25
                                 or U/S FM Voice
XI-V        Japan     437.465    CW TLM
                      437.345    1200 AFSK AX.25   JQ1YGW
UWE-1       Germany   437.505    9600 FSK AX.25    DP0UWE
nCUBE-2     Norway    437.305    9600 FSK AX.25    LA1CUB
                     2407.250    9600 FSK          LA1CUB


[Correction]
Sat.    Beacon   Mode         Callsign
--------------------------------------
SSETI   437.250  9600bd FSK   SSETI1
SSETI  2401.835  38K4   FSK
XI-V    437.465  1200bd CW
XI-V    437.345  1200bd AFSK  JQ1YGW
UWE-1   437.505  1200bd AFSK  DP0UWE
NCUBE2  437.305  9600bd FSK   LA1CUB
NCUBE2 2407.250  9600bd FSK   LA1CUB
RS-25   435.325  CW

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/satslist.htm


It seems that...

OBJECT A = RS-25 (Mozhayets-5)
OBJECT D = SSETI
OBJECT E = UWE-1
OBJECT F = XI-V

or,

OBJECT A = RS-25 (Mozhayets-5)
OBJECT C = UWE-1
OBJECT E = SSETI
OBJECT F = XI-V


The german Satellite RUBIN-5 is fix attached on the payload adapter.
It contains also an amateur radio unit "SAFIR-S" that is used for
downlink speech beacon and 9600 baud AX.25 data packets on 2401,9 MHz
as coordinated by IARU.

 Sat.    Beacon  Mode              Callsign
SAFIR-S  2401.9  9600bd FSK AX.25  DP1AIS
SAFIR-S  2401.9  FM Speech 15 sec  DP1AIS

                                                                            bottom top


Subject: SSETI Express Power Problems
From: GRAHAM SHIRVILLE
Date: 2005, 10.31 23:55

Here is a report that has just been issued by
the SSETI Express Project Manager.
It gives the latest up-to-date situation regarding
the satellite.
73 Graham++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The SSETI Express student microsatellite mission has been a remarkable
success, achieving its two first mission objectives and a number of
important milestones. Due to a failure in the electrical power system
on board the spacecraft is inoperable and mission control is on "standby".
There is a small but significant possibility of recovery, the likelihood
of which is being ascertained by ongoing testing. The educational goals of
the project continue to be met by the student teams who are still working
hard to analyse and understand all available data, such that the lessons
learned can be applied to future missions.

Detailed statement:

Despite the brevity of the initial mission a number of important milestones
were achieved:

1) Objective 1 is fulfilled: Reaching the launch pad after progressing
through the challenging and rigorous acceptance process is a major
milestone demonstrating the capability and applicability of the SSETI
Programme itself and all of the student teams involved.

2) Objective 2 is fulfilled: All evidence suggests that the three Cubesat
passengers were successfully deployed into orbit by SSETI Express, and were
hence able to begin their own independent missions. The Cubesats Xi-V and
UWE-1 are alive and well, the status of NCube-2 has yet to be confirmed.

3) SSETI Express booted up in orbit and transmitted its first data back to
earth precisely on schedule. This data was received and decoded by the
primary groundstation and several others. This confirmed that SSETI Express
survived its journey into space and was successfully separated from the
launcher.

4) The primary groundstation established reliable two-way communication
with SSETI Express. This was a remarkable achievement further demonstrating
the capability of the SSETI Programme and all the students involved.

5) A significant amount of house-keeping data was downloaded from the
spacecraft, allowing for a detailed analysis of the situation on board.
This also involved the global network of radio amateurs, who have given
us invaluable support and additional data during this mission.

The problem:

6) In order to ensure the safety of the other spacecraft on the same launch
vehicle, SSETI Express remained inactive and coasted for 65 minutes before
deploying the three Cubesat passengers.

7) During this time all the energy gathered by the solar panels was to be
dissipated within the spacecraft. Evidence strongly suggests that this
dissipation system failed by fusing on, therefore not allowing any energy
to charge the spacecraft batteries.

8) The battery charge steadily declined during the mission, causing the
spacecraft to enter safe mode after approximately 6.5 hours, and
eventually shutting it down altogether.

The outlook:

9) Careful analysis of the data received, coupled with ground-based
computer simulations and hardware tests, strongly support the proposed
theory of a specific component failure in the excess power dissipation
system.

10) Ground-based hardware tests confirm the possibility of a further
failure mode of the specific component, which would allow the batteries
to charge and the spacecraft to operate once again.

11) Testing is ongoing to ascertain the specific likelihood of (10),
and to investigate other possible alternative explanations.

12) Given that the spacecraft is currently inoperable, the mission cannot
continue as planned. It is therefore on indefinite "standby", pending the
technical possibility of re-activation of the spacecraft, as in (10).

13) The team remain hopeful and vigilant. The primary groundstation and
mission control centre are being configured for autonomous monitoring of
the spacecraft, such that if it reactivates the team will be immediately
alerted and ready to resume the mission.

14) The educational goals of the mission continue to be met daily as
we try to analyse and understand the events since the launch.

Neil Melville - Project Manager


ARRL Amateur Radio News (Nov 1, 2005)

SSETI Express team "hopeful" as troubleshooting continues (Nov 1, 2005)
-- Ground controllers are continuing efforts to get the Student Space
Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) Express satellite back in
working order. The spacecraft, sent aloft from Russia October 27, went
silent after about five orbits. Telemetry has indicated power problems.
"Due to a failure in the electrical power system on board the spacecraft
is inoperable and mission control is on standby," said SSETI Express
Project Manager Neil Melville. "There is a small but significant
possibility of recovery, the likelihood of which is being ascertained by
ongoing testing." ESA and the SSETI Association are asking radio
amateurs around the world to continue to check for signals on 437.250
MHz at the appropriate pass times. These signals may be short bursts of
9k6 data every 18 secs or bursts of pulse telemetry every 30 secs.
E-mail details to SSETI Express Mission Control, which is posting a
daily report of the launch campaign on its Web site. Melville said the
team remains "hopeful and vigilant." The SERACC telemetry software and
some audio files of 9k6 signals are available on the ESA SSETI Express
Web page. The AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NA Web sites have additional
information. More details are on the SSETI Express Web site. AMSAT-NA
reports that, in addition to successful communication with SSETI Express
in the hours after its launch, two of its CubeSat passengers--UWE-1 and
Xi-V--also have been heard from. The UWE-1 CubeSat team in Germany
urgently needs beacon data in order to characterize subsystem status and
decide how to continue the mission. UWE-1 is sending one beacon per
minute on 437.505 MHz, 1200 baud AFSK.
E-mail data to the UWE-1 CubeSat team. 


Cf.
http://sseti.gte.tuwien.ac.at/WSW4/
http://www.esa.int/esaED/SEMARJ7X9DE_index_0.html
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/SSETI.php
http://www.uk.amsat.org/
http://amend.gmxhome.de


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