F-1, formally known in Vietnam as Vệ tinh nano 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.

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: (1U CubeSat) Mass: 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

Backup UHF channel 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:

No1 Data Description Size (bits) Size (chars) 1 F-1's callsign "XV1VN" 5 2 OBC1 reset count Number of OBC1's reset since the beginning 8 3 Temperature 1 °C (temperature inside F-1, OBC board) 8 5 4 Temperature 2 °C (temperature outside F-1, Y- side) 8 5 Checksum bit 0 if summary of items #2 to #4 is even, 1 if it is odd 1 Total 10

Main VHF channel 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: No Data Description Size (bit) 1 Date time Date: dd/mm/y: 5/4/3=12 bits Time: hh/mm/ss: 5/6/6=17 bits 29 2 Battery voltage Battery voltage multiplied by 100 (divide by 100 to get actual value) 11 3 Solar cells voltage Solar cells voltage multiplied by 10 (divide by 10 to get actual value) 8 4 Temperature 1 °C (side 1, Y+) 8 5 Temperature 2 °C (side 2, Y-) 8 6 Temperature 3 °C (side 3, X-) 8 7 Temperature 4 °C (side 4, Z+) 8 8 Temperature 5 °C (side 5, Z-) 8 9 Temperature 6 °C (side 6, X+) 8 10 Temperature 7 °C (inside side 5, Z-) 8 11 Temperature 8 °C (inside, under VX-3R1) 8 Total 112 bits = 14 bytes

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...) Battery voltage reading is accurate to 0.01 volt, values are multiplied by 100. Divide by 100 to get actual value. Solar cells voltage reading is accurate to 0.10 volt, values are multiplied by 10. Divide by 10 to get actual value. Temperature readings from sensors, will be added with 100 before transmission to ensure a positive number so please subtract 100 to get actual value 112 bits, divided into 14 bytes 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 and a mass of . Later, the satellite's dimension and mass were revised to be and 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 and 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.

References

External links

Home page F1: un micro satellite vietnamien dans l'espace fin 2011 (in French) Vietnam Student CubeSat F-1, 24 February 2012