Fox-1E
American amateur radio satellite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fox-1E, AO-109 or AMSAT OSCAR 109 was an American amateur radio satellite. It was a 1U Cubesat built by the AMSAT-NA and carried a 30KHz linear transponder radio. Fox-1E was the fifth amateur radio satellite of the Fox series of AMSAT North America.
| Names | RadFxSat-2 AO-109 AMSAT OSCAR 109 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | AMSAT[1] |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-002C |
| SATCAT no. | 47311 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Vanderbilt University Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation |
| Launch mass | 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm (3.9 in × 3.9 in × 3.9 in) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 January 2021, 19:38:51 UTC |
| Rocket | Boeing 747-744 LauncherOne R03 |
| Launch site | Mojave Air and Space Port |
| Contractor | Virgin Orbit |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 24 April 2024, 00:00:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Semi-major axis | 6,877.0 kilometres (4,273.2 mi) |
| Perigee altitude | 478.1 km (297.1 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 535.9 km (333.0 mi) |
| Inclination | 60.7° |
| Period | 94.6 minutes |
Mission
The satellite was launched on 17 January 2021, with a LauncherOne rocket. This carrier rocket was launched by the "Cosmic Girl", a converted Boeing 747, from the Mojave Air and Space Port, California, United States, and to an altitude of approx. 35,000 ft (11,000 m). The flight was carried out on behalf of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program and put 10 satellites into orbit as part of the Rideshare ELaNa 20 mission.[3]
While in orbit the telemetry beacon was unable to be received, but the transponder remained partially in operation with reduced signal strength for the duration of the satellite's mission. Despite this, work on commissioning the telemetry beacon and checking the transponder continued with the aim of opening the satellite for general use; but the telemetry beacon never successfully recovered.[4]
The satellite was opened for amateur use on 20 July 2021.[5] It re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 24 April 2024 at midnight. [6][7]
