F-1, formally known in Vietnam as Vệ tinh nano F-1 (lit. 'Nano satellite F-1'), was a Vietnamese CubeSat built by FSpace laboratory, FPT University in partnership with Angstrom Space Technology Center (ASTC), Uppsala University, Sweden and Nanoracks, an American company.
Contents
The satellite
Hardware
Structure: aluminium alloy T-6061
Power supply: body-mounted solar cells, rechargeable Li-Polymer battery
PIC16 and PIC18 micro-controllers
Yaesu VX-3R handheld transceivers
C328 low-resolution camera
Temperature sensors
Three-axis magnetometer (ASTC)
2-meter band and 70-cm band dipole antennas
Specifications
Size: 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) (1U CubeSat)
Mass: 1 kg (2.2 lb)
Communication: 2 independent radios using amateur radio Very high frequency (VHF) and Ultra high frequency (UHF) bands, transmission speed 1200 bit/s; AFSK and PWM Morse code modulation, KISS protocol
Payload: low resolution C328 camera (640 × 480 maximum resolution, 8 bit color)
Sensors: temperature sensors and three-axis magnetometer
Targeted orbit lifetime: at least 3 months on orbit (depend on release altitude from the ISS)
Communication subsystem and packet format
Only operational in daylight
Frequency: 437.485 MHz
Modulation: Narrow FM
Power: about 0.2 watt RF output
Antenna: half-wave dipole
Beacon interval: 20 seconds duration, repeated every 90 seconds
Pulse-Width-Modulation Morse code telemetry beacon, as follows:
Operational during night time but may be turned on in daylight later
Frequency: 145.980 MHz
Modulation scheme: AFSK/FM
Power: 1.0 watt RF output
Antenna: half-wave dipole
Baud rate: 1200 bit/s
Telemetry and interval: one burst of 3 telemetry packets in KISS format every 30 seconds (interval configurable)
F-1's KISS packet format was as follows:
Note:
Periodically, F-1 would send a burst of 3 telemetry packets with the same content, to avoid packet loss
Time in UTC, 24 hours format
Year count starting from 2012 (2012 equals 0, 2013 equals 1 and so on...)
Manufacturing process
In late 2008, plans for a small satellite were submitted to FPT Software. In early 2009, FSpace laboratory was founded.
F-1 was initially planned to have a dimension of 10 × 10 × 30 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 11.8 in) and a mass of 3 kg (6.6 lb). Later, the satellite's dimension and mass were revised to be 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) and 1 kg (2.2 lb) respectively.
Mission
F-1 was planned to train young engineers and students about aerospace engineering and evaluate an advanced three-axis magnetometer, Spin-Dependent Tunneling Magnetometer (SDTM) designed in Sweden by ASTC.
Launch and status
Initially, F-1 was planned to be launched in late 2010.
F-1 was launched on 21 July 2012 and delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Kounotori 3 (HTV-3) along with the RAIKO, WE WISH, Niwaka and TechEdSat-1 cubesats. Then, on 4 October 2012, it was deployed into orbit from the ISS using the JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) which was attached to the Kibō module's robotic arm.
As of 2 November 2012, F-1 failed to confirm communication after the orbital deployment.
F-1 decayed on 9 May 2013.
F-2 satellite project
FSpace laboratory had planned a follow-up mission of F-1, called F-2. The F-2 satellite was expected to participate in the QB50 project, with a planned dimension and mass of 10 × 10 × 20 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 7.9 in) and 2 kg (4.4 lb) respectively. However, F-2 was no longer listed in the QB50's website. It is unknown whether what happened with F-2, however, the project was possibly cancelled.