Spacecraft

For radio amateurs

Aalto Satellites works closely with local radio amateurs and wants to open up new space-hobby possibilities for all the radio amateurs around the world.
Image of antenna erection on the aalto ground station

Aalto ground station

All the satellites from Aalto University are operated from the Aalto Ground Station, located on the roof of a campus building on Otaniemi.

Callsign: OH2AGS

Frequency capabilities: VHF, UHF and S-band

Station supervisor: Tatu Peltola

Aalto-1

HAM radio information for contacting Aalto-1 satellite (OH2A1S)

UHF Telecommand uplink / Telemetry downlink / CW beacon

  • Frequency: 437.220 MHz

  • Bandwidth: 13 kHz

  • Max TX power: 1.2 W (dBm 30.8)
  • Modulation: GFSK, deviation 3 kHz
  • 6-second long beacon every 180 s CW beacon followed by an AX.25 data message

Where is the satellite now?

Aalto-2

HAM radio information of Aalto-2 satellite (ON01FI)

  • The satellite was launched with 18.4.2017 with Atlas V rocket and deployed from International Space Station on 25.5.2017. 
  • The satellite is not active any more. 

UHF Telecommand uplink / Telemetry downlink / CW beacon

  • Center frequency: 437.335 MHz
  • Max TX power: 1.2 W (dBm 30.8)
  • CW beacon every 60 s
    • Information contained in CW beacon:
      • Callsign: AALTO2

Where is the satellite now?

Suomi100-satellite

HAM radio information of Suomi100 satellite

Suomi100 was launched with Falcon 9 December 3rd, 2018. The first signal was received at Aalto ground station the day after on the first overpass.

Suomi100 transmits a beacon signal every 60 seconds. Beacon contains basic telemetry from electrical power system, communications radio and on-board computer.

TLE catalog name: SUOMI100

Frequency: 437.775 MHz

Bandwidth: 14.4 kHz

Max. TX power: +30 dBm

Modulation: GMSK, deviation 4.8 kHz

Data/symbol rate: 9600 bit/s

Aalto-3

Aalto-3 is in the design phase, and all the information is preliminary. The launch date is TBD.

Foresail-1

Foresail-1 is in the detailed design phase, and the details might change. The launch date is TBD, as well as some parameters of the transmission.

Foresail-1 carries a scientific payload and transmits the science data on 70 cm HAM band. While the satellite is not transmitting data, it serves as a packet repeater.

Working principle:

Space station receives messages from amateur ground stations, stores them and sends these stored messages as a part of its beacon transmission. Thanks to storage of messages, this allows slow communication even between stations which do not see the satellite simultaneously.

The details of the space station packet repeater will be published on this site when they are verified.

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