Nanosatellites

24 II-4bNew Radio Technologies¹

Andrew Barron (ZL3DW)

Christchurch, New Zealand

24.10 Introduction

University and amateur radio groups have been building nanosatellites and more recently CubeSats since the early 1960s. They have always been at the forefront of innovation and have achieved many firsts over the years. OSCAR 1 was the first nongovernment satellite ever launched and it also was the very first satellite to be ejected as a secondary payload from a primary launch vehicle and then enter a separate orbit. OSCAR 3 was the first amateur radio satellite to carry a linear transponder. The satellite was used for the first trans-Atlantic amateur radio contacts via satellite. And UoSAT-1 (UO-9) was the first amateur-built but nonamateur radio satellite. It was also the first amateur-built satellite to carry an S-band (2.4 GHz) beacon and the first with an on-board computer, the IHU “integrated housekeeping unit,” that could be reprogramed from the ground [1].

The high-cost to nonprofit, noncommercial construction of launching satellites has continued to drive innovation to ensure that amateur nanosatellites are as small and light as possible while the scientific, educational, and occasionally amateur radio project goals are achieved. The relentless trend to miniaturize electronic components so that ever more complex circuits can be incorporated into integrated circuits means that the computers and digital signal processing power of modern nanosatellites are many times more ...