Project

The FUNcube project was started in the UK by AMSAT-UK. The satellite has been developed by a team of volunteers from AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL, and was assembled at Innovative Solutions In Space (ISISPACE) in Delft, Netherlands. It has been designated with OSCAR number 73 by AMSAT and is now also known as AO-73.

Mission

As part of its mission, FUNcube-1 carries a materials science experiment, from which the school students can receive telemetry data and which they can compare to the results they obtained from similar reference experiments in the classroom. This experiment resembles the Leslie's Cube experiment. One of the first schools to use FUNcube-1 in the classroom was Abbeys Primary School in Bletchley which also featured in the BBC breakfast news two days after launch.^[2]

Instruments

FUNcube-1 is equipped with a UHF to VHF linear transponder with approx 300 mW PEP output and which can be used by Radio Amateurs worldwide for SSB and CW communications during the weekends.

Specifications

Frequencies:

• Telemetry down link 145.935 MHz 1200bd BPSK with FEC
• Transponder Uplink 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting)
• Downlink 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB

Maximum uplink power of 5 watts to a 7 dBi gain antenna, more power is not needed to use the transponder. Transponder is SSB/CW Inverting.