*AMSAT *News Service *ANS-067* ? *March 8, 2026*

In this edition:

* Kairos No. 3 Launch Failure Destroys NUTSAT-3
* Ten-Koh 2 to be Deployed Soon
* GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers March 2026 Rankings
* VUCC Satellite Standing March 2026
* Cambodian Students Blast Off With Satellite Training
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* NASA Reveals Astronaut Who Required Evacuation From ISS
* ARISS News
* AMSAT Ambassador Activities
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes
news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities
of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active
interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog
and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in
Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

*Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org <http://amsat.org>*

Sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via
the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ------------------------------
Kairos No. 3 Launch Failure Destroys NUTSAT-3

The third time was not the charm for Space One?s Kairos rocket.

Kairos launched for the third time ever on Thursday, March 5, lifting off
from Space One?s Spaceport Kii in Wakayama Prefecture at 02:10 UTC
(11:10
a.m. local time in Japan). But it was all over about two minutes later.


*Space One?s Kairos rocket launches on its third-ever mission on Ma
rch 4,
2026 from Spaceport Kii. *
*Space One terminated the flight about two minutes after liftoff. (Image credit: Space One)*

?Kairos No. 3 was launched on March 5, 2026, at 11:10:00 a.m., but
we
determined that mission success was difficult and implemented flight termination measures,? Tokyo-based Space One said via X on Wednesda
y
evening (in Japanese; translation by X).

Among the Kairos No. 3 payloads was NUTSAT-3, a 3U CubeSat created with
support from National Formosa University and dedicated to amateur radio service. The satellite, was designed to provide FM voice repeater, APRS,
and telemetry services to the global amateur satellite community.

In addition to the amateur radio mission, the NUTSAT-3 project was to have actively engaged students in mission data analysis, RF design performance
of satellite radio communications, and community participation by
encouraging public engagement through open telemetry data.

*[ANS thanks Space.com and The International Amateur Radio Union for the
above information. Read the full Space.com story at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/japan-startup-s pace-one-kairos-third-launch <https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/japan-startup- space-one-kairos-third-launch>.]*
------------------------------

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Ten-Koh 2 to be Deployed Soon

A Japanese amateur radio satellite, launched to the International Space
Station (ISS) last October, will soon be deployed in a higher orbit.

After delivering about 12,000 pounds of supplies, scientific
investigations, hardware, and other cargo to the ISS for NASA and its international partners, JAXA?s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
?s)
uncrewed HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft departed the ISS on Friday, March 6. The spacecraft arrived at the space station on Oct. 29, 2025, after launching
Oct. 25 on an H3 rocket from Japan?s Tanegashima Space Center.

The HTV-X1 spacecraft will boost itself to a 500km circular orbit where it
will remain for more than three months acting as a scientific platform for JAXA?s experiments.

After attaining this higher orbit, HTV-X1 will deploy Ten-Koh 2, a 6U
cubesat constructed by Nihon University carrying a variety of amateur radio experiments. These will include:

- A linear transponder, developed by JAMSAT, that will operate two days
each week (schedule to be announced). Transponder frequencies that have
been coordinated with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) featu
re
an uplink in the range 145.895-145.935 MHz with downlink 435.875-435.915
MHz.
- Digitalker with pre-loaded audio to be transmitted at 435.895 MHz.
- Transmission of pre-loaded digital images created in cooperation with
students from the Faculty of Arts, also at 435.895 MHz.
- Demonstration of microwave band communication technology at 5.8 GHz in
the microwave band.
- Tests of high-speed data transmission at 38.4 kbps in 4FSK.

Following the deorbit command, HTV-X1 will dispose of several thousand
pounds of trash from the ISS during re-entry into Earth?s atmospher
e, where
it will burn up harmlessly. However, Ten-Koh 2 is expected to remain in
orbit and active for approximately one year to 18 months.

*[ANS thanks NASA and IARU for the above information.]*

------------------------------
GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers March 2026 Rankings

The March 2026 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in
satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on X (formerly
Twitter), have been released. The ranking is determined by the number of
grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids
where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have
been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the
exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload
their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide
more accurate data.

*Gridmaster Top Rovers for March 2026* (Updated: 2026-02-06)
1 ND9M 26 WD9EWK 51 KE0WPA 76 HB9GWJ
2 NJ7H 27 KX9X 52 WD5GRW 77 VA7LM
3 UT1FG 28 KG5CCI 53 KE0PBR 78 DL4EA
4 JA9KRO 29 DJ8MS 54 XE3DX 79 N8RO
5 N5UC 30 N5BO 55 BA8AFK 80 SP5XSD
6 F5VMJ 31 ON4AUC 56 LU4JVE 81 N6UTC
7 DL6AP 32 K8BL 57 W7WGC 82 N4UFO
8 DP0POL 33 KE4AL 58 PR8KW 83 VE7PTN
9 WI7P 34 KB5FHK 59 JK2XXK 84 PT2AP
10 K5ZM 35 AC0RA 60 EA4NF 85 VE1VOX
11 OE3SEU 36 PA3GAN 61 EB1AO 86 AA8CH
12 WY7AA 37 F4BKV 62 XE1ET 87 KB2YSI
13 LU5ILA 38 KI0KB 63 N6DNM 88 KI7UXT
14 N6UA 39 JO2ASQ 64 W8LR 89 AF5CC
15 HA3FOK 40 KI7UNJ 65 W1AW 90 KJ7NDY
16 OH2UDS 41 VA3VGR 66 KI7QEK 91 BI1MHK
17 W5PFG 42 VE3HLS 67 SM3NRY 92 PT9BM
18 AK8CW 43 BG7QIW 68 KE9AJ 93 FG8OJ
19 N9IP 44 LA9XGA 69 F4DXV 94 BG5CZD
20 AD0DX 45 HJ5LVR 70 VE1CWJ 95 YU0W
21 AD0HJ 46 VK5DG 71 AA5PK 96 PU4CEB
22 DL2GRC 47 N7AGF 72 AD7DB 97 W8MTB
23 N4AKV 48 DF2ET 73 PU6JBN 98 N4DCW
24 ND0C 49 K7TAB 74 KM4LAO 99 PS8BR
25 BA1PK 50 JL3RNZ 75 M1DDD 100 WA9JBQ

*[ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information.]* ------------------------------
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------------------------------
VUCC Satellite Standing March 2026

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for February 01, 2026 to February 28, 2026.
Callsign Feb Mar
PY2PIM 1200 1250
MI6GTY 1201 1202
JN2QCV 1159 1180
IK1IYU 508 900
WD9EWK(DM43) 779 781
WA3YDZ 353 401
IN3EQZ 268 316
DH0GSU 204 250
IW3SSA New 217
N6UTC(DM14) 128 150
PT2VM 126 150
LU4FW New 147
WB9PNU 115 121
WD9EWK(DM13) 116 119
AD7OV New 100
BI8SSW New 100
KE5JXC New 100

Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders.

IW3SSA
LU4FW
AD7OV
BI8SSW
KE5JXC

IW3SSA is first VUCC Satellite holder from JN66
AD7OV is first VUCC Satellite holder from DN50
BI8SSW is first VUCC Satellite holder from OL15
KE5JXC is first VUCC Satellite holder from EL39

No DXCC Standings this month, ARRL hasn?t updated it to March yet.

*[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]* ------------------------------


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------------------------------
Cambodian Students Blast Off With Satellite Training

Although space technology may have not been officially introduced into the Kingdom?s standard curriculum, the topic is taking center stage at
the
National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC), at the 2nd Session of
the NPIC SCT Event: QO-100 and LEO Satellite Training, igniting a passion
for space communication among students.

The training, from February 26 to March 3, is transforming the campus into
a hub of innovation.

Building on their past success of a 12,076-kilometre transmission to
Antarctica via the QO-100 satellite, this year?s training elevates
the
challenge by focusing on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

Students are actively engaged in hands-on learning, constructing and
utilizing homemade antenna systems to track these fast-moving satellites
across the sky, according to organizers.

International specialists from Japan, France and Australia are providing mentorship, guiding students through the complexities of installing ground stations and communicating with a variety of satellites, including the geostationary QO-100 and LEO satellites like RS-44 and SO-50.


*Space and satellite training during the first session at NPIC, held last
year. Credit: NPIC and *The Phnom Penh Post*.*

?I wanted to show Cambodian students that space technology is acces
sible.
Watching them successfully track an LEO satellite today proves that our
youth are ready for the future,? said Jorge Paulo, a French Marine
Electronics and Telecommunications System expert.

Mori Mikio, an amateur radio satellite technician from Japan, emphasized
the event?s impact, highlighting how the real success is not just i
n the
technical milestones, but in witnessing the passion of the participants.

?Seeing students successfully track LEO satellites with homemade an
tennas
is a powerful reminder of why this event exists,? he said.

Reth Sengvisoth, one of the organising committee members, shared his satisfaction with their efforts. He said the months of planning and coordination went into bringing this international training to life.

*[ANS thanks *The Phnom Penh Post* for the above information. Read the full article at https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodian-students-blast-off-with-sa tellite-training-programme-at-npic <https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodian-students-blast-off-with-s atellite-training-programme-at-npic>.]*
------------------------------


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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 6

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin
files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin
files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available
for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

*URGENT MESSAGE:* From TS Kelso of CelesTrak ?[The US Space Force 1
8th
Space Defense Squadron] will run out of 5-digit catalog numbers at 69999
not 99999, which is estimated to occur around 2026?07?20 (w
e?re currently
at 68014). At that point, newly cataloged objects will have 6-digit catalog numbers of 100000+ and GP data will not be available for them using the TLE format. CelesTrak developed new formats that removed this limitation (and finally fixed the Y2K problem) in May 2020 and immediately began providing
GP data in those formats for software developers. The same limitations
apply to the legacy fixed-field SATCAT. Follow @TSKelso on Bluesky for the latest updates, tutorials, and changes as we approach this transition.
Spread the word!?

AMSAT is presently alpha testing dissemination of orbital data aka ?
?General
Perturbations Data? or ?GP Data? in formats that do
not have the 5 digit
object number limitation and will solicit public help for beta testing in
April 2026. Many software packages used by hams already accept at least one
of the new formats, and we would like to work through any issues before new satellites arrive without TLE sets. AMSAT will continue to disseminate TLE
data for all satellites cataloged below 69999 indefinitely.

NOAA Cat ID 67291 has been *renamed* ?RS95S (QMR-KWT-2)?

The following satellites have been *removed* from this week?s AMSAT
TLE
Distribution:

RSP-03 NORAD Cat ID 65732 Decayed from orbit on or about 16 February 2026
BOTAN NORAD Cat ID 65942 Decayed from orbit on or about 03 March 2026
MO-122 NORAD Cat ID 60209 End of mission, last telemetry 25 August 2025 CEVROSAT1 NORAD Cat ID 66309 End of mission, last telemetry 09 November 202
5
CO-57 NORAD Cat ID 27848 End of mission, date unknown
CO-58 NORAD Cat ID 28895 End of mission, date unknown
EO-80 NORAD Cat ID 40032 End of mission, date unknown
FloripaSat 1 NORAD Cat ID 44885 End of mission, date unknown

*[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the
above information.]*
------------------------------

[image: SDR Gen 2 Ad - 2026]
------------------------------
NASA Reveals Astronaut Who Required Evacuation From ISS

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, Crew-11 pilot and commander of the International Space Station?s (ISS) Expedition 74, has revealed tha
t it was
his medical issue that prompted the evacuation of the four Crew-11
astronauts from the space station in January.

*NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT (Credit: NASA)*

The exact nature of his ailment remains undisclosed, but Fincke?s s
tatement
clarified that the issue, while not considered an emergency, required
?advanced medical imaging not available on the space station.?
? As a result,
Fincke and his crewmates ? NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN, Jap
anese
space agency astronaut Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov ? returned to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon ?Endeav
our? on Jan. 15,
about a month earlier than originally planned.

The issue arose on Jan. 7, while Fincke and Cardman were preparing for an upcoming spacewalk. ?The agency is monitoring a medical concern wit
h a crew
member that arose Wednesday afternoon aboard the orbital complex,?
NASA
officials said in an emailed statement on Jan. 7, declining to elaborate on
the nature of that concern or the astronaut it affected. Then, on Jan. 8,
the agency announced that Crew-11 would end early so the issue could be addressed here on Earth.

Crew-11 splashed down aboard Endeavour in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast
of San Diego, on Jan. 15, leaving a skeleton crew of three aboard the ISS.

SpaceX?s Crew-12 mission was originally slated to launch in mid-Feb
ruary,
with a typical handover period between them and Crew-11 expected after
their arrival in low Earth orbit, allowing the newcomers time to acclimate
to microgravity and life aboard the station. Efforts by SpaceX and NASA
allowed for an earlier target date of their Falcon 9 launch aboard Crew
Dragon ?Freedom,? which lifted off Feb. 13 and returned the
ISS to its
regular crew complement of seven.

*[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information. See the full article at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasa-reveals-the- astronaut-who-required-1st-medical-evacuation-from-the-international-space- station <https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasa-reveals-the -astronaut-who-required-1st-medical-evacuation-from-the-international-space -station>.]*
------------------------------
ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between
amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with
astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The
downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

*RECENTLY COMPLETED*
Escola Naval (Brazilian Navy Academy), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, direct via
PY1AA
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN
The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD
Contact was successful: Mon 2026-03-02 12:17:25 UTC 49 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the Escola Naval students, Sophie (her first ever ARISS contact), mentor VE3TBD, and ground station PY1AA!
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/5mA2OppSV5w?si?osjCk9Ckv0qcvs

St Joseph?s Primary School, Bombala, NSW, Australia, telebridge via
VK6MJ
The ISS callsign was TBD
The scheduled crewmember was Jack Hathaway, KJ5NIV
The ARISS mentor was VK4KHZ
Contact was successful: Thu 2026-03-05 08:53:18 UTC 32 degrees maximum elevation
Congratulations to the St Joseph?s Primary School students, Jack (h
is first
ever ARISS contact), mentor VK4KHZ, and telebridge VK6MJ!

*UPCOMING*
TBD

*The crossband repeater* continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

Currently running *packet* operations at 437.825 MHz. Please note we?
?re
still in the process of troubleshooting and testing this radio. Feel free
to check out status reports at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_APRS/.

*Ham TV* is currently transmitting a test signal at 2395.00 MHz. For more information, visit the ARISS Ham TV Live site at
https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
------------------------------
AMSAT Ambassador Activities

[image: AMSAT Ambassador News Logo]

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

*March 21, 2026*
Midwinter Madness Hamfest 2026
Maple Grove Radio Club
Buffalo Civic Center
1306 County Rd 134
Buffalo, Minnesota 55313
https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/
K?JM, AD?HJ, KE?PBR

*April 11, 2026*
Tucson Area Spring Hamfest
Radio Society of Tucson
Calvary Tucson Church
8711 East Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85710
https://k7rst.club/
N1UW

*[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director ? AMSAT Ambassador Program,
for the
above information.]*
------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ In a statement on March 3, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said that
its engineers have repaired a badly damaged launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome ahead of schedule, averting a potentially longer-term problem
for supplying the International Space Station (ISS). The agency said a
Progress cargo capsule is now scheduled to blast off to the ISS on March
22. The facility suffered a still unexplained mishap last November during
the launch of a Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American to the orbiting station. The pad is the only location where Russia can launch its manned Soyuz capsules, which are a mainstay transport and cargo vehicle for
the station. *(ANS thanks Radio Free Europe for the above information.)*

+ SpaceX launched the 600th Starlink satellite of 2026 during predawn
Falcon 9 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral on March 4. The Starlink 10-40 mission added another 29 broadband internet satellites into low Earth
orbit. *(ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information. See the full article at https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/03/03/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-29-sta rlink-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral-10/ <https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/03/03/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-29-st arlink-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral-10/>.)*

+ NASA announced on February 19 that it has reclassified Starliner?
s Crew
Flight Test (CFT) as a ?Type A mishap? ? the most s
erious kind, in the same
category as the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies. CFT
launched on June 5, 2024, sending NASA astronauts Suni Williams, KD5PLB,
and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) for a planned
10-day stay. Starliner reached the orbiting lab safely. On the way,
however, the spacecraft suffered multiple thruster failures and temporarily lost ?six degree of freedom? control ? the ability
to precisely maintain
its desired orientation and trajectory. NASA prolonged the orbital stay of Williams and Wilmore multiple times to study Starliner?s thruster i
ssues.
In the end, the agency decided to bring the capsule home uncrewed, which occurred on Sept. 6. Williams and Wilmore, meanwhile, stayed aboard the
ISS. They came home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in March 2025, having
spent about nine months in space instead of the originally planned 10 days. Both have since retired from the agency. *(ANS thanks Space.com for the
above information. Read the full article at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/we-almost-did-hav e-a-really-terrible-day-nasa-now-says-boeings-1st-starliner-astronaut-fligh t-was-a-type-a-mishap <https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/we-almost-did-ha ve-a-really-terrible-day-nasa-now-says-boeings-1st-starliner-astronaut-flig ht-was-a-type-a-mishap>.)*
------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

- Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
- Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
- Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week?s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K?JM
mjohns [at] amsat.org

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002


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