AREG will be launching a high-altitude balloon for the International Space University’s South Hemisphere Space Studies program, conducted by the University of South Australia again this year. The planned launch date is Saturday the 2nd of February, with liftoff around 10-10:30AM. The launch site will be the usual Mt Barker High School Oval location.
UPDATE 2019-01-31: Due to poor launch-day weather, this launch has been re-scheduled to 11AM on Saturday the 9th of February.
Payload Plans
While some details are still to be worked out, it’s looking like the following payloads will be flying:
- RTTY – 434.650 MHz
- 4FSK – 434.640 MHz
- Wenet – 441.200 MHz (downward facing images)
There may be a second Wenet payload on 443.5 MHz capturing outward-facing imagery, though this is yet to be confirmed.
As always, amateurs from across the state are encouraged to take part, by collecting the telemetry data and relaying it to HabHub on the Internet. This data is used to help fill in any missing data the chase teams fail to capture, which they can use to help maximize their landing zone prediction accuracy. In that way, everyone taking part is adding to the success of the mission.
WENET PAYLOAD NEWS
There have been some updates made to the Wenet HD imaging payload and receiver software, however all changes are backwards compatible. If you have a functioning Wenet receiver system, you *do not need to update for this launch*.
However, if you’re a bit more adventurous, the latest updates are on Github here: https://github.com/projecthorus/wenet
You will likely need to wipe your existing Wenet directory and follow the setup instructions from the start.
Stay tuned for further updates as we get closer towards the launch date…
73 Mark VK5QI