FOX Project (Fox-1 and Fox-2)
Why two satellites? The original Fox Engineering Team Study was for a baseline satellite, with several options for enhancements. At that time, AO-51 was functioning well, with no indication that its lifetime would be short enough to impact the Fox Project. With the impending loss of AO-51, it was decided to break the Fox Project up into a quickly deployable baseline FM replacement satellite.
Fox-1, and a second more flexible satellite, Fox-2. Fox-2 will benefit from the development work of the baseline Fox-1, with the addtional time being applied to developing its more sophisticated power and Software Defined Transponder (SDX) communications systems.
FOX-1
Fox-1 will be an easy-to-operate, FM transponder satellite, one with very similar operating characteristics to those of AMSAT OSCAR-51. The project will introduce the concept of designed-in, partial-failure operation. The satellite will be specifically designed so that when the battery fails, the transponder can continue to operate when the satellite is in sunlight. Similarly, the satellite will be designed so that the FM transponder can operate without relying on the IHU. These modes are intended to extend the usable life of the satellite.
Introduction
- 1-Unit CubeSat (10 x 10 x 10)
- Target orbit 650 km
- Magnetically stabilized
- FM transponder
- IHU for telemetry and command
- Science experiment
- FSK Telemetry using subaudio
- ZombieSat
ZombieSat
This function is designed to extend usable life time by using the following technology: FM Transponder will operate with dead cpu, without groundstation intervention, while in sunlight even with dead (shorted) battery.
Downlink
145.xxx MHz FM
Uplink
43x.xxx MHz FM
Status
NASA Elana launch november 2014 (Perigee 470 x Apogee 780 Inclination 64 degree)
RadFXSat/Fox-1B
Amsat-NA announce that the NASA ELaNa proposal for RadFxSat/Fox-1B has been accepted.
Fox-2
Fox-2 will be developed following and using experience gained from Fox-1 and have a sophisticated power and Software Defined Transponder (SDX) communications systems.
Downlink
Uplink
Status
Launch: TBD
Homepage and other references:
Amsat FOX project page: Fox