Satellite communication remains another fast-growing area of amateur radio experimentation. On October 1, six amateur radio-related satellites from organizations in Germany, Spain, and Nepal reached orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. The spacecraft included small satellites designed to support radio communications and other technical experiments. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, commonly known as AMSAT, reported the launch as part of its continuing coverage of amateur radio activities in space.
Additional student-built satellites were launched toward the International Space Station on October 13 as part of a NASA commercial resupply mission. The two CubeSats, PROVES-Maia and PROVES-Taygeta, are part of an educational project involving university students. Texas State University participated in the Maia project, which is designed to test digital message relay systems using UHF and S-band radio communications. The Taygeta spacecraft includes amateur radio equipment, a camera, and a radiation sensor. The projects are intended to investigate low-cost space technology and ways small satellites can communicate with one another. More information is available through AMSAT’s October 18 news bulletin.