[amsat-bb] HuskySat

[Jerry Buxton]

Zach,

The Part 97 license that AMSAT will operate under does not include or
allow the use of any of the experiments on board.  As those experiments
were not able to conform to the Part 97 so called 'educational
exemption', including the K-band radio, that is ultimately why two
licenses were required.  Part 5 Experimental is operated by UW for
everything including the telemetry downlink of the AMSAT transponder
module, and the transponder must remain off during that operation.  Part
97 operation by AMSAT will solely be the AMSAT transponder module.

This was the first partnership with an educational institution where an
AMSAT radio was flown on a non-AMSAT (UW in this case) CubeSat.  In the
process of working with the FCC and NASA to obtain a single Part 97
license that was not complicated or restricted by "pecuniary interest",
the experience developed an understanding with FCC as to how a mission
such as HuskySat-1 could be fully licensed under Part 97.  There were
delays and difficulties in executing all of the requirements to qualify
Part 97 and that ultimately carried on up to the mission deadline
requirement for having a license in hand in order for HuskySat-1 to be
integrated on the LV.  The only way forward at that time, in order for
UW to make the launch, was to do the separate licensing.

It was lots of work and some good frustration along the way and I thank
and commend our partners at University of Washington as well as the FCC
for their work to make it happen, and our friends at NASA for giving us
the opportunity to push for a path to amateur radio licensing for more
of the CubeSat launches they sponsor.  I believe that it has resulted in
a known path toward fully Part 97 licensed educational (e.g. university)
CubeSats.  That should in turn offer more opportunities for AMSAT radios
to fly as the communications package for a mission as well as an
operating amateur radio satellite, in the same way as the CubeSats we
produce.

Jerry Buxton, NØJY

On 11/4/2019 15:07, Leffke, Zachary via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> I too am very interested in the K-band system.  Did some googling, wish there was more about it on the web, but get that we might not be able to bug them for a bit as things are busy.  Will they be formally turning the system over to AMSAT for command and control after completion of their mission.......will there be a chance in the future to turn the K-Band system on when not over Washington?  Any info on the ground systems they are using to demonstrate the K-band radio?  I'm wondering about feasibility of follow on experiments with microwave.  Seems like a good candidate mission to pair up with the 6.1m antennas brought up at the Symposium for University of Arizona / Rincon (useable up to ~250 GHz).....maybe useful to demonstrate their ground systems are working (if the K-band TX can be turned on over Arizona/Colorado).....