Fox-1Cliff, AO-95 or AMSAT OSCAR 95 is an American amateur radio satellite. Fox-1Cliff is a 1U CubeSat built by AMSAT-NA that carries a single-channel transponder for mode U/V in FM.[1]

Fox-1Cliff
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorAMSAT
COSPAR ID2018-099N Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.43770
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass1.3 kg (2.9 lb)
Dimensions10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm (3.9 in × 3.9 in × 3.9 in)
Start of mission
Launch date3 December 2018, 13:34 (3 December 2018, 13:34) UTC
RocketFalcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5)
Launch siteVandenberg SLC-4E
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Semi-major axis6,960 kilometres (4,320 mi)
Eccentricity0.0013176
Perigee altitude580.6 kilometres (360.8 mi)
Apogee altitude599 kilometres (372 mi)
Inclination97.7217°
Period96.3 minutes
RAAN108.0793°
Argument of perigee289.6601°
Mean motion14.94902621
Epoch3 February 2020

The satellite carries several student experiments:[2]

It also carries a VGA camera provided by Virginia Tech.

Mission

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Waterfall capture of Fox-1Cliff safe mode beacon, commonly called the "Veronica" beacons.
Beacon transmitted by Fox-1Cliff (AO-95) every 2 minutes.

Fox-1Cliff was launched on 3 December, 2018 via Falcon 9 Block 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, United States.[3]

Receiver failure

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Shortly after deployment, AO-95's receiver suffered a failure due to unknown reasons.[4]

Name

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The satellite is the third of five Fox-1 satellites, and was originally named Fox-1C. In 2016, it was renamed Fox-1Cliff in honor of Cliff Buttschardt, a long time member of AMSAT and a contributor to the project, who died earlier that year.[5] After its launch, Fox-1Cliff was renamed AO-95.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IARU Sat Coordinator". www.amsatuk.me.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  2. ^ "Fox-1Cliff Ready for Launch". AMSAT. 30 September 2018.
  3. ^ "AMSAT's Fox-1Cliff Amateur Radio CubeSat Launched Successfully". www.arrl.org. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  4. ^ "Fox-1Cliff/AO-95 Receiver Suffers Apparent Failure". www.arrl.org. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  5. ^ "Fox-1Cliff Designated AMSAT-OSCAR 95 (AO-95) – AMSAT". 14 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-17.