01/20/2023

Many amateur radio operators and satellite watchers have been predicting the
date and time of reentry for FalconSAT-3 (FS-3)[1]. While all reentry
predictions are something of a guessing game due to the large number of
variables affecting the upper atmosphere, it is certain that the end for FS-3
will be coming very soon, possibly the week of January 16 - 21, 2023.

Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT[2]) Board Member and FS-3 control
operator, Mark Hammond, N8MH, said he will try to have the satellite
operational for its final hours. The satellite has only been available for
approximately 24 hours each weekend due to weak batteries.

The FalconSAT-3 satellite. [Photo courtesy of AMSAT]

FalconSAT-3 was built in 2005 and 2006 by cadets and faculty in the Space
Systems Research Center at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. It is the fourth in a series of small satellites designed,
built, and operated there as part of a capstone course, which brings together
about 30 cadets each year from several different academic departments.

Nearly 700 cadets at the USAFA obtained their amateur radio licenses as part of
training to operate FalconSAT-3 and other USAFA satellites. They have taken
that knowledge, understanding, and value of amateur radio into their Air Force
service and industry. Since FalconSAT-3, the USAFA Astronautics Department has
built and operated one additional satellite and has two more queued for launch.
The space operations curriculum and the ground station are being rebuilt and
configured for these new space assets.

Since its launch on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in March 2007, the
satellite has been through three mission phases. The first phase was operation
of the science payloads. The second phase was used as a tool for training
cadets in the space operations squadron, students in undergraduate space
training in California, and graduate students at the Air Force Institute of
Technology. The satellite's third phase was an on-orbit resource for amateur
radio and amateur-satellite services operation managed by AMSAT.

Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, AMSAT, logo; blue text with a red
graphical globeFor amateur radio service the downlink is at 435.103 MHz
transmitting 1 W into a quarter-wave whip antenna. The uplink is at 145.840 MHz
and the receiving antenna is a quarter-wave whip antenna on the opposite side
of the satellite. All UHF and S-band equipment on National Telecommunications
and Information Administration licensed frequencies has been disabled. The VHF
receiver is very sensitive. Modulation is 9600 bps GMSK for the uplink and
downlink. The broadcast call sign is PFS3-11, and the BBS callsign is PFS3-12,
Unproto APRS via PFS3-1.

The core avionics were designed and built by Mark Kanawati, N4TPY, and Dino
Lorenzini, KC4YMG at SpaceQuest[3], and have performed remarkably well for
nearly 16 years in orbit. Jim White, WD0E, was the lead engineer for
FalconSAT-3 at the USAFA and managed the design, construction, testing, and
early operations of the satellite.

The success of FalconSAT-3 is an excellent example of how amateur radio can be
integrated into the curriculum of an education institution for the benefit of
the students and the amateur radio service.

-- Thanks to Sasha Timokhov, VE3SVF; Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU; Mark Hammond,
N8MH; AMSAT Operations, and AMSAT News for the information contained in this
story.

[1] https://www.amsat.org/falconsat-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amsat.org/falconsat-3
[2] https://www.amsat.org/
[3] https://spacequestx.com/

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