Bird NPL (NepaliSat-1)

Nepal

Spacecraft nº:

Nepal spacecraft nº: 1

Launch data:

Designation	44329 / 98067QE
Launch date	17 Apr 2019 - 20:46 UT
Launch site	MARS, LA-0B
Launch vehicle	Antares-230
Mission	Technology
Launch platform	ISS, LEO
Deployment date	17 Jun 2019 - 10:15 UT
Earth orbit:
Perigee / Apogee	405 x 417 km
Inclination	51.6°
Period	min

Launched together with: Cygnus CRS-11 - SASSI-2 - ThinSat 1A/1L - AeroCube 10A/10B - Seeker - VCC A/C - Bird JPN - Bird LKA - Bird NPL - IOD-GEMS - EntrySat - Swiatowid - KrakSat

Spacecraft data:

Prime manufacturer
Platform	1U CubeSat
Operator	Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (Kathmandu)
Mass at launch	kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Equipment
Solar array
Stabilization
Propulsion
DC power
Design lifetime

Description:

NepaliSat-1 is a 1U cubeSat and will be the first satellite of Nepal and is a part of the BIRDS-3 CubeSat constellation of three satellites, along with Raavana-1 from Sri Lanka and Uguisu from Japan. All of these CubeSats shall have the same design, shall be launched at the same time and shall use the same radio frequency to communicate. The main mission of the constellation is to provide ciphered short messages in its beacon in the 437MHz band; giving the opportunity for amateur radio community to decipher the messages through the publicly available key that will be provided in the BIRDS-3 official website. Successful individuals who are able to decipher the message will be enlisted in the official website and will also be given a special QSL CARD from the BIRDS-3. Besides this mission, BIRDS-3 will have remote Data Collection Mission based on low powered LoRa modulation for demonstration of remote data collection and processing onboard CubeSat, for an example, to monitor water level in flood prone areas. LoRa remote station will operate in unlicensed 433MHz (for Sri Lanka and Nepal) and 920MHz (for Japan) bands. The collected data will be published in BIRDS-3 website as completely open information. Amateur radio individuals who contributed to receiving the processed data will be given a special QSL CARD (different from the decipher mission) showing the nature of data collected. BIRDS-3 will also have imaging mission for public outreach and awareness, Earth Magnetic Field measurement, Glue Mission: to find COTS alternative to expensive space glue and Active Attitude Stabilization as precursor to active pointing control for future CubeSat missions. All the above missions are envisioned to promote awareness of amateur radio communication and amateur satellites among the general public and students all around the world. Proposing a CW beacon and 9k6 GMSK telemetry downlink on UHF.

External links:

Amateur Radio Union: Satellite Information
Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking

Ref.: #7(JR766) - update: 21.10.19

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