Middle School Students’ Tancredo-1 “TubeSat” Set for Deployment from ISS: The cargo ship carrying the Tancredo-1 “TubeSat” — so called because of its cylindrical form factor — launched on schedule from Japan on December 9. Built by 10- to 14-year-old middle schoolers in Brazil, Tancredo-1 carries an Amateur Radio payload. Tancredo-1 went into space inside the TuPOD TubeSat deployer, which is expected to be ejected into space by the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) on December 19. It will, in turn, eject Tacredo-1 into orbit on December 21. Once in space, Tancredo-1 should start transmitting telemetry.

Tancredo-1 is the first satellite of the UbatubaSat Project, a STEM initiative at Tancredo Neves Public School in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The project is supported by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research and the Brazilian Space Agency. Tancredo-1 will initially have the same orbit as the ISS. The UbatubaSat project team and AMSAT-BR has asked for reception reports. Tancredo-1 will transmit on 437.200 MHz using 1,200 bps AFSK AX.25.

Submit reports via e-mail. Tancredo-1 has an onboard voice recorder that will transmit a message chosen through a competition among students from schools in Ubatuba, according to information provided to IARU coordinators.

The December 9 launch also carried Turkey’s UBAKUSAT CubeSat. Equipped with a 145/435 MHz (V/U) SSB/CW Amateur Radio transponder, UBAKUSAT also will be deployed from the ISS. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service, IARU