A Dnepr launcher blasts off on June 19 from Russia.

in orbit is FUNcube-3, a transponder-only payload on the QB50 precursor CubeSat, QB50p1. FUNcube-3 carries an inverting 400 mW SSB/CW transponder, with an uplink passband of 435.035-435.065 MHz (LSB) and a downlink passband of 145.935-145.965 MHz (USB).

The otherwise nearly identical QB50p2 package carries an Amateur Radio 435/145 MHz FM voice transponder as well as packet on 145.880 MHz, 1200bps BPSK and 145.840 MHz, 9600 bps FSK. The QB50 satellites will become available to radio amateurs after 6 months of testing. The QB50 program plans to launch a constellation of 50 small science research satellites.

The QB50p1 and QB50p2 satellites. [ISIS photo, courtesy of AMSAT-UK]

TabletSat-Aurora, built in Russia, carries a experimental D-STAR parrot (store-and-forward) repeater running 0.8 W (GMSK) on 437.050 MHz (±10 kHz). It can store a voice message of up to 8 seconds. Two other transceivers on the satellite operate on 435.550 MHz and 436.100 MHz. Their power can be varied by ground-station command from between 0.8 and 2.0 W. They will be used for command and control and transmit GMSK telemetry data.Unofficial reports indicate that the D-STAR repeater could become operational in early July and that when the D-STAR repeater is active telemetry will be turned off.

In the hours immediately following the launch, signals were reported from FUNcube-3, POPSAT, QB50p1, QB50p2, UniSat-6, BugSat-1 — the first satellite to be deployed after launch — NanosatC-BR1, Duchifat-1, TabletSat-Aurora, and DTUsat-2. BugSat-1 contains an Amateur Radio digipeater, which will be activated after the satellite’s primary mission has been completed.

UniSat-6, which transmits on 437.425 MHz (9600 bps GFSK at 2 W) with the call sign II0US, carried Tigrisat, Lemur 1, ANTELSat, and AeroCube 6. ANTELSat is the first Uruguayan satellite. It carries a telemetry downlink and a command uplink (437.575 MHz 1200 bps AFSK) with a 2403.000 MHz (1 Mbit GFSK/MSK) downlink for payload data, and a 437.280 MHz CW beacon.