02/02/2022

At AMSAT's request, NASA has "de-manifested" the GOLF-TEE CubeSat from the
ELaNa-46 mission. ELaNa is NASA's Educational Launch of Satellites[1] program.
ELaNa-46 was expected to launch no earlier than 2022. AMSAT said COVID-related
restrictions and supply chain disruptions affecting both AMSAT's vendors and
team have put AMSAT's ability to meet the mission integration timeline at high
risk. Puns aside, GOLF acronym stands for Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint,
while "TEE" stands for Technology Exploration Environment.

AMSAT Vice-President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, said the situation facing
AMSAT is similar to what other payloads and space-industry providers are
experiencing. The worldwide pandemic and supply chain shortages are threatening
everyone's ability to properly and successfully deliver for launches.

"Out of respect for NASA, the launch provider, and other payloads, it is
important to withdraw now, rather than later or, even worst, missing a launch
integration deadline, which has possible financial penalty implications. Launch
integration is the step of installing the payload on the spacecraft.

Buxton said both GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 have been selected to participate in
NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative program (CSLI[2]), and NASA will continue to
look for another launch opportunity for GOLF-TEE.

AMSAT says its GOLF program plays an important role in its return to highly
elliptical orbits. "In addition to proving the maneuverability capabilities
required by current and proposed orbital debris regulations, the GOLF program
will work through a series of increasingly capable spacecraft to develop skills
and learn systems for which we do not yet have the necessary low-risk
experience," AMSAT said. "Among these are active attitude control,
deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation tolerance for commercial off the
shelf (COTS) components in higher orbits, and propulsion."

The GOLF-TEE mission goal to test two critical systems needed for higher
orbits. The first is an Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) that
will allow active pointing of high gain satellite antennas, provide accurate
attitude adjustments in future missions with maneuverability systems, and allow
pointing the fixed solar panel array for best solar power in any given orbit
type," AMSAT explained. "The second is the Radiation-Tolerant Integrated
Housekeeping Unit (RTIHU), which will allow AMSAT to gain initial orbit and
space radiation exposure for radiation event-induced fault tolerant systems
designed using COTS components."

GOLF-TEE will carry a modified Ettus E310 commercial software-defined radio
(SDR) as an experimental package, to test the high speed data downlink at 10
GHz and a parrot V/x mode linear transponder to provide users with an
opportunity to experiment with the 10 GHz microwave downlink. GOLF-TEE will
also carry a legacy V/u linear transponder, AMSAT said.

AMSAT says GOLF-1 will build on technology and lessons learned from the
GOLF-TEE mission, but it will be a return to science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) based educational missions, including hosted student
radiation and imaging experiments in collaboration with AMSAT's educational
partners.

GOLF-1 will require a more comprehensive de-orbiting plan and hardware, in in
compliance with NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris in
order to be manifested on an ELaNa launch to the high altitude AMSAT is
seeking.

AMSAT invites donations[3] to its GOLF program. - AMSAT President Robert
Bankston, KKE4AL, via AMSAT News Service 

[1] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/index.html
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative
[3] https://www.amsat.org/donations/amsat-golf-program-donations/

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