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WG3K > ANS 24.06.25 03:23l 74 Lines 3524 Bytes #53 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS173.1
Read: GAST
Subj: Hamsat to Test New Super-Black Paint That Could Fix Satellit
Path: DB0FFL<OE5XBL<OE6XPE<DB0ERF<IZ3LSV<ED1ZAC<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<WG3K
Sent: 250623/2338Z 19045@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
Pollution
AMSAT-UK is delighted to have been able to accept an opportunity to provide
a FUNcube Lite payload, with a mode U/V FM transponder, for the exciting
Jovian-1 satellite. This 6U CubeSat is being designed and built by Space
South Central which is the largest regional space cluster in the UK.
This is a partnership between industry and academia, designed to accelerate
space business growth, grow the reputation of the south central region of
the UK and foster an environment of innovation.
A collaboration between the universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and
Southampton, JUPITER – the Joint Universities Programme for In-Orbit
Training, Education and Research – will equip participants with invaluable
hands-on space industry experience and training for their future careers.
The FUNcube Lite payload from AMSAT-UK will collect and send telemetry from
Jovian-1 sub-systems for educational outreach to schools and colleges,
using the tried and tested FUNcube data format. Telemetry will include data
from the payloadâ€Ös own radiation sensor, along with GPS information
gathered from the satelliteâ€Ös CAN bus.
These data can be used to map radiation throughout the orbit, identifying
planetary radiation ‘hotspotsâ€Ö such as the polar regions and the South
Atlantic Anomaly. It will also give an accurate measure of how much
radiation reaches the sensitive electronics within the satellite.
While Jovian-1 and its ground station at Surrey University will use
commercial S and X band for primary communication, FUNcube Lite will use
frequencies in the amateur UHF and VHF spectrum. When not sending
telemetry, the payload can be configured as a mode U/V FM voice transponder
for amateurs to use for international communications.
In addition, Jovian-1 will be a testbed for a new technology to reduce the
impact of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites on astronomy.
A new partnership between Surrey NanoSystems and the University of Surrey
is aiming to tackle what has become a major concern for astronomers
worldwide.
They are working on using Surrey NanoSystemsâ€Ös newest product, Vantablack
310, which is a super-black coating. When Vantablack 310 is applied to a
surface, it reflects only 2% of incoming light, meaning it absorbs the
remaining 98%.
This high level of light absorption makes the coated surfaces appear
extremely dark, helping to minimise the unwanted brightness from satellites
that can disrupt the work of stargazers.
More than 8,000 LEO satellites already orbit Earth, and projections
estimate a rise to 60,000 by 2030, partly driven by the development of
mega-constellations.
To combat this problem, satellite operators have begun experimenting with
mitigation strategies, including dark coatings and changes to satellite
position, though the negative impact on ground-based measurement persists.
Surrey NanoSystems, with a heritage in ultra-black technologies, says their
new solution, Vantablack 310, is a handleable, customer-applied coating,
resistant to the challenging LEO environment.
The technology will have its first on-orbit trial on the Jovian-1 mission,
scheduled to launch in 2026. One side of the cubesat will be coated with
the material so that reflection and temperature measurements can be
compared.
More information will be provided at the AMSAT-UK Colloquium taking place
during the weekend of October 11-12, 2025 in Milton Keynes, UK.
https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK, Space South Central, and Talker.com for the above
information]
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