STARS-NT Spacecraft

Robotic satellite operated by amateur radio, which aims to develop the technology for space debris capture by a net tether.

Robotic satellite operated by amateur radio, which aims to develop the technology for space debris capture by a net tether.
STARS-NT consists of three cubesats that have each own bus system. Each cubesat transmits/receives radio wave independently. Also, three cubesats are connected by two tethers. STARS-NT has two different mission stages: Experimental stage and sharing stage.

The mission of STARS-NT is as follows. Experimental Stage:

1. Release from the ISS.
2. STARS-NT turns on, a timer starts counting.
3. Open its paddies 30 mins after the release, CW starts to be transmitted.
4. After stabling the attitude, STARS-NT extends the tether by commands from the ground station.
5. Cut one of the two tethers. One cubesat is separated.
6. The separated cubesat is regarded as dummy debris, and the net is released from the middie cubesat toward the dummy debris and entwined. (Dummy debris will eventually re-enter the atmosphere while being captured on the net.)
7. Take a picture of the situation at the time of net release and dummy debris capture with the camera.

Sharing Stage: After the experimental phase, the uplink frequency will be disclosed so that amateur radio operators can download pictures stored on the STARS-NT. The Shizuoka University Amateur Radio Club manages information sharing with amateur radio operators. It is expected that many amateurs get interested in this mission, and technical data and knowledge are exchanged.

Also, STARS-NT encourage amateur radio operators to receive picture data saved in the satellite memories after the experimental phase. In addition to existing amateur radio operators, we also provide opportunities for people who have never been directly involved in radio communication to learn radio communication through satellite missions.

The satellite mission is a trigger to increase the amateur radio population. In fact, students in Shizuoka University have obtained amateur radio licenses, and also there are a certain number of junior high school students who learned about satellite system & operation in the “Top Gun Project” and are interested in radio communication.