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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency released a report finding that the demand for water is skyrocketing. The report cited competing needs between industrial centers and agriculture. “We're all individual entities, but we all exist in the same circumstance. And we all ought to be partnering together, working together,” said Jim Roberts, [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- This week President Trump voiced negative comments about the Somali community. Now many people, including city leaders, are taking action, pushing back against his words. Community members and elected officials like Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin gathered at city hall today all with the same mission, showing support for Somali [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- One person is dead after a shooting in the North Linden neighborhood of Columbus Saturday afternoon. According to a Columbus police media release, officers responded to a shooting in the 2600 block of Osceola Avenue just before 1 p.m. Columbus police say the victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced [...]

AMSAT News Service ANS-341
December 7, 2025

In this edition:

* KSLV-II Mission Deploys 13 Satellites, Including New Amateur Radio Payloads
* ISS Deployment Added Five New Education-Focused Amateur Radio Missions
* ARISS Moves Series 30 SSTV Transmissions to RS-38S After Equipment Issue
* GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers December 2025 Rankings
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 5, 2025
* 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 https://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

You can 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/

KSLV-II Mission Deploys 13 Satellites, Including New Amateur Radio Payloads

South Korea recorded another significant achievement in its growing domestic space program with the successful nighttime launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), also known as Nuri, from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Korea. Liftoff occurred at 16:13 UTC on 26 November 2025 after a brief delay caused by an abnormal pressure-sensor signal in the rocket’s umbilical system. After the anomaly was resolved, Nuri ascended smoothly and became South Korea’s first orbital launch conducted during nighttime operations.

The vehicle performed nominally throughout ascent, completing stage separations on schedule and surpassing the 500 km mark roughly seven minutes after liftoff. Orbit insertion occurred approximately twelve minutes into the flight, followed one minute later by the deployment of CAS500-3, a 500-kilogram scientific satellite designed for highly light-sensitive Earth-observation missions. Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) officials confirmed multiple ground-station contacts with CAS500-3 during its first day on orbit, including passes over the King Sejong Station in Antarctica.

Following the primary payload, Nuri deployed twelve CubeSats, nine of which operate in the amateur UHF bands. Of these, three satellites were fully IARU-coordinated. The twin SNUGLITE-III CubeSats—HANA (436.460 MHz) and DURI (436.788 MHz)—developed by Seoul National University, each carry a 9600-bps GMSK AX.25 digipeater, UHF beacons, and an S-band imaging payload at 2405.000 MHz. These spacecraft support amateur-radio training, GPS-RO technology demonstrations, and formation-flying experiments. The third coordinated payload, SPIRONE (436.650 MHz / 2425.100 MHz) from Sejong University, combines an environmental mission to detect marine plastic with a GMSK beacon and an S-band transponder intended for amateur-radio experimentation.

Student-built SNUGLITE-III HANA and DURI CubeSats are shown before their November 2025 launch. [Credit: Seoul National University]Six additional CubeSats on the mission also used amateur-band downlinks but were not coordinated through the IARU. These include JACK-003, JACK-004 (both 436.300 MHz), BEE-1000 (436.500 MHz), PERSAT01 (437.125 MHz), K-HERO (437.165 MHz), and INHA-RoSAT (437.665 MHz). While uncoordinated, they remain of interest to amateur-radio satellite observers, particularly during early beacon activity and commissioning efforts as teams work to establish first contact.

This launch also reflects South Korea’s broader strategy of strengthening its commercial aerospace ecosystem. For the first time, primary launch-operation responsibility was handled by Hanwha Aerospace, marking a transition toward greater private-sector involvement in national space access. Despite a two-and-a-half-year gap since the previous Nuri flight, Hanwha and its partners maintained launch readiness and executed the mission successfully—an encouraging sign for Korea’s long-term space-industry development.

KASA plans at least two additional Nuri launches through 2027, with the goal of supporting annual flights thereafter and ultimately developing a next-generation booster capable of heavier payloads and deep-space missions. For the amateur-satellite community worldwide, the KSLV-II program’s demonstrated ability to deploy large numbers of small spacecraft—including coordinated amateur payloads—is a promising development, expanding future rideshare opportunities and adding new signals to monitor across UHF and S-band.

Read the full article at: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10624440 and Libre Space discussion at: https://community.libre.space/t/kslv-2-cas500-3-mission-2025-11-26-16-13-utc/14043

[ANS thanks Kan Hyeong-woo, The Korea Herald, and the Libre Space community, for the above information]

ISS Deployment Added Five New Education-Focused Amateur Radio Missions

Seven satellites were deployed from the International Space Station on December 2, 2025, with release times spanning 08:10 UTC to 09:50 UTC in three batches using the Voyager Space NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD) system. Five of the deployed spacecraft—SilverSat, RHOK-SAT, Content-Cube, EagleSat-2, and Foras Promineo—operate on amateur radio frequencies and represent a broad collection of university, student-led, and educational missions. SatNOGS stations scheduled more than 700 observations during the first 24 hours as the satellites drifted away from the ISS to form their initial orbits, requiring careful Doppler evaluation and coordinated tracking during the early identification phase.

The first release at 08:10 UTC deployed the 6U DUPLEX satellite, which does not carry an amateur-radio payload. A second deployment window at 08:20 UTC released four 1U spacecraft: SilverSat, RHOK-SAT, Content-Cube, and CU-Alpha. Of these, CU-Alpha operates outside the amateur bands using LoRa at 915 MHz. The final release at 09:50 UTC deployed the two 3U amateur missions, EagleSat-2 and Foras Promineo, completing the NRCSD-29 sequence.

SilverSat, a 1U open-source CubeSat designed to inspire student interest in space science and engineering, was the first amateur satellite from NRCSD-29 to be positively heard on orbit. The spacecraft automatically relays images and telemetry to its ground network, which posts them to social-media platforms whenever a pass is received. European stations reported early carrier traces shortly after deployment, and the first confirmed CW beacon—sent at 16 WPM under the callsign “WP2XGW”—was received at approximately 14:46 UTC. SilverSat uses a UHF turnstile antenna oriented perpendicular to its magnetically stabilized axis, producing LHCP reception for most northern observers.

EagleSat-2, a 3U satellite, was successfully deployed early Tuesday morning from the NRCSD-29 system. [Credit: Voyager Space]

The 08:20 UTC deployment batch also included RHOK-SAT, Content-Cube, and a 1U CubeSat from Cornell University carrying a brief-duration light-sail experiment designed by students at the Space Systems Design Studio. The sail will be released during a later activation sequence following the CubeSat’s deployment and carries several ChipSat flight computers intended to transmit LoRa telemetry in the 70 cm amateur band during a short operational period. Because the timing of the sail’s release depends on mission conditions, additional details about the project and its ChipSat technology are available at alphacubesat.cornell.edu. Telemetry downlinks for this group include 435.425 MHz for RHOK-SAT (9600 FSK), 437.020 MHz for Content-Cube (9600 GMSK), and 437.400 MHz for the ChipSats, which may remain active only for hours to a few days before re-entry.

The two 3U satellites, EagleSat-2 and Foras Promineo, completed the deployments at 09:50 UTC. EagleSat-2, developed by undergraduate students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, carries two scientific experiments: the Cosmic Ray Payload, designed to track high-energy particle interactions across three observation phases, and the Memory Degradation Experiment, which compares radiation-induced error rates in several CMOS memory technologies. EagleSat-2 transmits on 437.165 MHz using 19k2 2-GFSK. Foras Promineo supports a public-outreach mission based on an interactive robotic-arm game that operates autonomously or under real-time command during ground passes, transmitting LoRa telemetry on 437.400 MHz.

As of the first day of operations, SatNOGS contributors reported active tracking of all five amateur satellites using preliminary TLEs derived from ISS deployment vectors. With the objects initially clustered closely together, early identification required coordinated Doppler measurements and community-supported observation campaigns. As tracking continues to refine and the satellites separate further, operators can expect more reliable beacon reception and additional opportunities for amateur participation as the missions begin their operational phases.

Read the NRCSD29 ISS Satellites Deployment Libre Space discussion at: https://community.libre.space/t/nrcsd29-iss-satellites-deployment-2025-12-02-08-28-utc/14045

[ANS thanks AMSAT-Francophone and the Libre Space community for the above information]

Only 3 Weeks Left to Get Your Coin!
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Help Support GOLF and FoxPlus.

Annual memberships start at only $120
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
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https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ARISS Moves Series 30 SSTV Transmissions to RS-38S After Equipment Issue

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has released final scheduling details for the Series 30 Slow-Scan Television retransmission event, which will take place using the RS-38S satellite rather than the ISS. Transmissions are scheduled to begin on 5 December at 00:01 UTC (4 December at 7:01 PM ET) and continue through 13 December at 23:59 UTC. The images will be broadcast from RS-38S, also known as VIZARD-meteo and listed under NORAD 57189, on a downlink of 437.825 MHz with normal Doppler adjustments. Each image will be sent in Robot 36 mode for approximately 36 seconds, followed by a silence period of two to three minutes. Operators may upload their received images to the ARISS SSTV gallery to obtain a new Series 30-1 certificate tailored for the RS-38S event. The satellite can be monitored on amsat.org/status under its VIZARD-meteo entry, and pass-prediction tools are available at amsat.org/pass-prediction for those planning reception attempts.

The RS-38S retransmission provides amateurs an opportunity to receive all 12 Series 30 images after the ISS-based event in November was interrupted by a hardware issue. ARISS announced on 29 November that the RS-38S spacecraft would transmit the same Series 30 imagery during the period of 5–13 December, offering a complete replacement opportunity. This announcement was well received by participants who were unable to capture images during the short ISS transmission window on 12 November. As with previous SSTV events, stations may submit their best frames to the ARISS gallery and request corresponding certificates. The retransmission preserves the commemorative nature of Series 30 while operating entirely independent of ISS hardware. ARISS encourages operators worldwide to monitor its official channels for updates throughout the event period.

The satellite-based activity follows a series of technical difficulties that prevented completion of the original Series 30 event aboard the International Space Station. The ISS transmissions began on 12 November with approximately two hours of successful downlink activity, during which several stations worldwide decoded and uploaded clean images. Soon afterward, SSTV activity on 145.800 MHz FM abruptly stopped, prompting ARISS to acknowledge the outage and begin checking the system status with operations teams on the ground. Crew schedules and limited immediate access to the Service Module hardware initially slowed the troubleshooting process. Operators monitored the downlink throughout the day, but no additional frames were received. ARISS provided real-time updates confirming the outage and advising listeners that further checks were underway.

SSTV Series 30 images will be transmitted from the RS-38S satellite beginning December 5 throughout the event. [Credit: ARISS]

By 15 November, ARISS reported that the SSTV system had remained offline since the initial interruption and that ongoing solar activity added complexity to assessments of the Service Module equipment. U.S. teams awaited additional information, and only the early decodes from the opening hours of the event appeared in the official SSTV gallery. ARISS thanked operators for their continued patience and reminded them that certificates would still be issued for the initial images. Amateur radio stations worldwide continued to submit signal reports and monitor each ISS pass in hopes of renewed activity. Despite broad interest, no additional transmissions were detected. ARISS stated it would continue providing updates as new information became available.

On 16 November, after three days of analysis, ARISS confirmed that the ISS-based Series 30 event could not continue. The Kenwood D710GA transceiver in the Zvezda Service Module, which supports SSTV operations, appeared to have failed and was taken offline for further review. ARISS reported that the radio functioned normally for approximately two hours before the issue occurred, ending downlink activity for the remainder of the planned 12–20 November window. Operators who received images early in the event were encouraged to upload their frames before the submission deadline to qualify for Series 30 certificates. ARISS emphasized that those certificates would still be honored despite the shortened schedule. No additional transmissions were expected until testing of the affected hardware could be completed.

A follow-on update on 21 November clarified the status of the Service Module radio system. ARISS reported that the faulty Kenwood D710GA had been replaced with the onboard spare Kenwood D710E, which is now supporting scheduled Russian school contacts and required backup communications. Additional in-orbit testing of the original D710GA is planned to determine the cause of the failure and evaluate when APRS or SSTV capabilities might be restored. ARISS also confirmed that the Columbus module radio systems, including the cross-band FM repeater and HamTV equipment, continue to operate normally. Restoration of SSTV service from the ISS will depend on the results of continued hardware assessments. Until those evaluations are complete, ISS-based SSTV remains offline, and the RS-38S retransmission provides the primary means for operators to receive the full Series 30 imagery.

[ANS thanks Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) for the above information]

GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers December 2025 Rankings

The December 2025 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has 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.

Updated: 2025-12-02

1 ND9M 26 KX9X 51 KE0PBR 76 SP5XSD 2 NJ7H 27 KG5CCI 52 WD5GRW 77 DL4EA 3 UT1FG 28 DJ8MS 53 XE3DX 78 N6UTC 4 JA9KRO 29 N5BO 54 W7WGC 79 N4UFO 5 N5UC 30 ON4AUC 55 LU4JVE 80 VE7PTN 6 F5VMJ 31 K8BL 56 JK2XXK 81 PT2AP 7 DL6AP 32 KE4AL 57 PR8KW 82 VE1VOX 8 WI7P 33 KB5FHK 58 EB1AO 83 AA8CH 9 K5ZM 34 AC0RA 59 XE1ET 84 KB2YSI 10 DP0POL 35 PA3GAN 60 EA4NF 85 KI7UXT 11 OE3SEU 36 KI0KB 61 N6DNM 86 AF5CC 12 WY7AA 37 F4BKV 62 W8LR 87 KJ7NDY 13 N6UA 38 KI7UNJ 63 W1AW 88 BI1MHK 14 HA3FOK 39 VA3VGR 64 KI7QEK 89 PT9BM 15 LU5ILA 40 JO2ASQ 65 SM3NRY 90 FG8OJ 16 W5PFG 41 VE3HLS 66 KE9AJ 91 YU0W 17 AK8CW 42 BG7QIW 67 F4DXV 92 BG5CZD 18 N9IP 43 HJ5LVR 68 VE1CWJ 93 PU4CEB 19 AD0DX 44 LA9XGA 69 AA5PK 94 W8MTB 20 AD0HJ 45 VK5DG 70 AD7DB 95 N4DCW 21 DL2GRC 46 N7AGF 71 KM4LAO 96 WA9JBQ 22 N4AKV 47 K7TAB 72 M1DDD 97 BA8AFK 23 ND0C 48 DF2ET 73 HB9GWJ 98 VE3GOP 24 WD9EWK 49 JL3RNZ 74 VA7LM 99 JM1CAX 25 BA1PK 50 KE0WPA 75 N8RO 100 PS8BR

[ANS thanks @GridMasterMap for the above information]

AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing! Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite
Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only)
Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 5, 2025

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/.

The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Bulletin:
SPIRONE NORAD Cat ID 66657
K-HERO NORAD Cat ID 66660

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

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.

Scheduled Contacts

+ Recently Completed

Istituto Di Istruzione Superiore “Il Tagliamento” Di Spilimbergo / Istituto Comprensivo “G. Mazzini”, Spilimbergo, Italy, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember was Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentors were IZ2GOJ and IKØWGF
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-11-28 11:40:17 UTC
Congratulations to the Istituto Di Istruzione Superiore “Il Tagliamento” Di Spilimbergo (Pn) and Istituto Comprensivo “G. Mazzini” students, Zena, mentors IZ2GOJ and IKØWGF, and telebridge via IK1SLD!
Watch the Livestream at https://www.ariotti.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/live/MgG7kcYvxWM

Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev, Moscow, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign was RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember was Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-12-05 11:00 UTC
Congratulations to the students of the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Agricultural Academy, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and mentor RV3DR on a successful contact!

Lincoln Magnet School, Springfield, Illinois, direct via K9OK
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember was Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor was AJ9N
Contact was successful: Fri 2025-12-05 15:29:41 UTC
Congratulations to the students of Lincoln Magnet School, Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP, and mentor AJ9N on a successful contact!

+ Upcoming Contacts

None currently scheduled

Many times a school may make a last-minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last-minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication.  You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.

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

The crossband repeater remains configured in the Columbus Module (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If a crewmember decides to pick up the microphone and turn up the volume, you may hear them on the air—so keep listening, as you never know when activity might occur.

The service module IORS is not currently in APRS configuration and is being used only for voice contacts at this time. HamTV in the Columbus Module is configured for scheduled digital amateur television operations on 2395.00 MHz.

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

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

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Scheduled Events

None currently scheduled.

For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!

25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ For the first time in its 25-year history, the International Space Station had all eight docking ports occupied following the reinstallation of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft on the Unity module. The visiting spacecraft complement included two SpaceX Dragons, JAXA’s HTV-X1, Cygnus XL, two Soyuz crew vehicles, and the Progress 92 and 93 cargo ships. The Cygnus relocation was coordinated by NASA, Northrop Grumman, and Roscosmos to provide proper clearance for the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, which arrived last week. Cygnus XL will remain attached until no earlier than March 2026, when it is scheduled to depart with approximately 11,000 pounds of trash for a destructive re-entry. Meanwhile, the Expedition 73 crew continued a full schedule of research activities as the newly arrived Soyuz MS-28 crew members began long-duration studies focused on human physiology in microgravity. The station is expected to transition to Expedition 74 on December 8 when three MS-27 crew members—NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky—undock for their return to Earth. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Ham Satting, a new multi-platform satellite-tracking and logging application developed by Yousuf Al Balushi, A46UNX, has officially launched on the Apple App Store, bringing a consolidated suite of real-time visualization, pass-prediction, and operating tools to amateur satellite enthusiasts. The app tracks the ISS and more than 20 amateur satellites using an interactive live map with dynamic icons, integrated N2YO data, and improved reliability features introduced in recent updates. Pass-prediction capabilities include precise AOS/LOS times, duration, azimuth, elevation, and quality indicators, complemented by a timeline view that organizes multiple satellite passes into clear, easy-to-read tables for mission planning. Operators can log QSOs locally, filter and export entries, map both home and mobile QTH locations, and track grid squares for VUCC award progress through built-in location-mapping tools. Additional utilities include smart notifications for upcoming passes, calendar integration, customizable satellite lists, and interface refinements aimed at streamlining portable operating and roving. While iOS marks the first full public release, beta versions are already available for Android, Windows, and macOS, with a Linux edition planned soon via unixeer.com. (ANS thanks Yousuf AL Balushi, A46UNX, for the above information)

+ NASA is once again offering the public a chance to “fly” around the Moon by submitting their names for inclusion on a digital boarding pass that will travel aboard Artemis II. The names will be stored on an SD card inside the Orion spacecraft when four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen—undertake the first crewed flight of the Artemis program in 2026. Participants can sign up by providing a first name, last name, and a 4- to 7-digit PIN, which is needed later to retrieve the boarding pass. Artemis II will be a roughly 10-day mission launching from Kennedy Space Center, first performing system checkouts before sending the crew on a looping figure-eight trajectory around the far side of the Moon. The flight will evaluate Orion’s performance, carry research payloads on radiation and human health, and help prepare for future lunar surface missions. Sign-ups and details are available at https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Time on Mars runs slightly faster than on Earth, according to new calculations by NIST researchers Neil Ashby and Bijunath Patla, who found that clocks on the Martian surface gain about 477 microseconds per day relative to terrestrial time. The difference arises from Mars’ weaker surface gravity, highly elliptical orbit, and changing distance from the Sun and the Earth–Moon system, all of which alter the rate at which clocks tick under general relativity. Although the offset amounts to less than a millisecond per day, modern navigation and communication systems—such as GPS and future Mars-based networks—require timing precision far tighter than a microsecond. The effect is also not constant: depending on Mars’ orbital position, the daily time gain can vary by as much as 226 microseconds. As planning advances for autonomous rover operations, relay satellites, and eventual crewed missions, engineers will need to incorporate these relativistic corrections to prevent timing drift and data inconsistencies. Ashby and Patla’s work, published December 1 in The Astronomical Journal, represents an early step toward establishing accurate and stable time standards for interplanetary operations. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)

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 enrolled in at least half-time status are eligible for free membership 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,

Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ
mahrenstorff [at] amsat.org

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

INDIANAPOLIS (WCMH) -- It's a meeting of the top two teams in the country and the only unbeaten schools left in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana go head-to-head for the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, with the winner likely earning the overall top seed in the [...]

A sprawling academic cheating network turbocharged by Google Ads that has generated nearly $25 million in revenue has curious ties to a Kremlin-connected oligarch whose Russian university builds drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Nerdify homepage.

The link between essay mills and Russian attack drones might seem improbable, but understanding it begins with a simple question: How does a human-intensive academic cheating service stay relevant in an era when students can simply ask AI to write their term papers? The answer – recasting the business as an AI company – is just the latest chapter in a story of many rebrands that link the operation to Russia’s largest private university.

Search in Google for any terms related to academic cheating services — e.g., “help with exam online” or “term paper online” — and you’re likely to encounter websites with the words “nerd” or “geek” in them, such as thenerdify[.]com and geekly-hub[.]com. With a simple request sent via text message, you can hire their tutors to help with any assignment.

These nerdy and geeky-branded websites frequently cite their “honor code,” which emphasizes they do not condone academic cheating, will not write your term papers for you, and will only offer support and advice for customers. But according to This Isn’t Fine, a Substack blog about contract cheating and essay mills, the Nerdify brand of websites will happily ignore that mantra.

“We tested the quick SMS for a price quote,” wrote This Isn’t Fine author Joseph Thibault. “The honor code references and platitudes apparently stop at the website. Within three minutes, we confirmed that a full three-page, plagiarism- and AI-free MLA formatted Argumentative essay could be ours for the low price of $141.”

A screenshot from Joseph Thibault’s Substack post shows him purchasing a 3-page paper with the Nerdify service.

Google prohibits ads that “enable dishonest behavior.” Yet, a sprawling global essay and homework cheating network run under the Nerdy brands has quietly bought its way to the top of Google searches – booking revenues of almost $25 million through a maze of companies in Cyprus, Malta and Hong Kong, while pitching “tutoring” that delivers finished work that students can turn in.

When one Nerdy-related Google Ads account got shut down, the group behind the company would form a new entity with a front-person (typically a young Ukrainian woman), start a new ads account along with a new website and domain name (usually with “nerdy” in the brand), and resume running Google ads for the same set of keywords.

UK companies belonging to the group that have been shut down by Google Ads since Jan 2025 include:

–Proglobal Solutions LTD (advertised nerdifyit[.]com);
–AW Tech Limited (advertised thenerdify[.]com);
–Geekly Solutions Ltd (advertised geekly-hub[.]com).

Currently active Google Ads accounts for the Nerdify brands include:

-OK Marketing LTD (advertising geekly-hub[.]net⁩), formed formed in the name of Olha Karpenko, a young Ukrainian woman;
–Two Sigma Solutions LTD (advertising litero[.]ai), formed in the name of Olekszij Pokatilo.

Google’s Ads Transparency page for current Nerdify advertiser OK Marketing LTD.

Mr. Pokatilo has been in the essay-writing business since at least 2009, operating a paper-mill enterprise called Livingston Research alongside Alexander Korsukov, who is listed as an owner. According to a lengthy account from a former employee, Livingston Research mainly farmed its writing tasks out to low-cost workers from Kenya, Philippines, Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine.

Pokatilo moved from Ukraine to the United Kingdom in Sept. 2015 and co-founded a company called Awesome Technologies, which pitched itself as a way for people to outsource tasks by sending a text message to the service’s assistants.

The other co-founder of Awesome Technologies is 36-year-old Filip Perkon, a Swedish man living in London who touts himself as a serial entrepreneur and investor. Years before starting Awesome together, Perkon and Pokatilo co-founded a student group called Russian Business Week while the two were classmates at the London School of Economics. According to the Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev, Perkon’s birth certificate was issued by the Soviet Embassy in Sweden.

Alexey Pokatilo (left) and Filip Perkon at a Facebook event for startups in San Francisco in mid-2015.

Around the time Perkon and Pokatilo launched Awesome Technologies, Perkon was building a social media propaganda tool called the Russian Diplomatic Online Club, which Perkon said would “turbo-charge” Russian messaging online. The club’s newsletter urged subscribers to install in their Twitter accounts a third-party app called Tweetsquad that would retweet Kremlin messaging on the social media platform.

Perkon was praised by the Russian Embassy in London for his efforts: During the contentious Brexit vote that ultimately led to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, the Russian embassy in London used this spam tweeting tool to auto-retweet the Russian ambassador’s posts from supporters’ accounts.

Neither Mr. Perkon nor Mr. Pokatilo replied to requests for comment.

A review of corporations tied to Mr. Perkon as indexed by the business research service North Data finds he holds or held director positions in several U.K. subsidiaries of Synergy, Russia’s largest private education provider. Synergy has more than 35,000 students, and sells T-shirts with patriotic slogans such as “Crimea is Ours,” and The Russian Empire — Reloaded.”

The president of Synergy is Vadim Lobov, a Kremlin insider whose headquarters on the outskirts of Moscow reportedly features a wall-sized portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the pop-art style of Andy Warhol. For a number of years, Lobov and Perkon co-produced a cross-cultural event in the U.K. called Russian Film Week.

Synergy President Vadim Lobov and Filip Perkon, speaking at a press conference for Russian Film Week, a cross-cultural event in the U.K. co-produced by both men.

Mr. Lobov was one of 11 individuals reportedly hand-picked by the convicted Russian spy Marina Butina to attend the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington D.C. just two weeks after President Trump’s first inauguration.

While Synergy University promotes itself as Russia’s largest private educational institution, hundreds of international students tell a different story. Online reviews from students paint a picture of unkept promises: Prospective students from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and other nations paying thousands in advance fees for promised study visas to Russia, only to have their applications denied with no refunds offered.

“My experience with Synergy University has been nothing short of heartbreaking,” reads one such account. “When I first discovered the school, their representative was extremely responsive and eager to assist. He communicated frequently and made me believe I was in safe hands. However, after paying my hard-earned tuition fees, my visa was denied. It’s been over 9 months since that denial, and despite their promises, I have received no refund whatsoever. My messages are now ignored, and the same representative who once replied instantly no longer responds at all. Synergy University, how can an institution in Europe feel comfortable exploiting the hopes of Africans who trust you with their life savings? This is not just unethical — it’s predatory.”

This pattern repeats across reviews by multilingual students from Pakistan, Nepal, India, and various African nations — all describing the same scheme: Attractive online marketing, promises of easy visa approval, upfront payment requirements, and then silence after visa denials.

Reddit discussions in r/Moscow and r/AskARussian are filled with warnings. “It’s a scam, a diploma mill,” writes one user. “They literally sell exams. There was an investigation on Rossiya-1 television showing students paying to pass tests.”

The Nerdify website’s “About Us” page says the company was co-founded by Pokatilo and an American named Brian Mellor. The latter identity seems to have been fabricated, or at least there is no evidence that a person with this name ever worked at Nerdify.

Rather, it appears that the SMS assistance company co-founded by Messrs. Pokatilo and Perkon (Awesome Technologies) fizzled out shortly after its creation, and that Nerdify soon adopted the process of accepting assignment requests via text message and routing them to freelance writers.

A closer look at an early “About Us” page for Nerdify in The Wayback Machine suggests that Mr. Perkon was the real co-founder of the company: The photo at the top of the page shows four people wearing Nerdify T-shirts seated around a table on a rooftop deck in San Francisco, and the man facing the camera is Perkon.

Filip Perkon, top right, is pictured wearing a Nerdify T-shirt in an archived copy of the company’s About Us page. Image: archive.org.

Where are they now? Pokatilo is currently running a startup called Litero.Ai, which appears to be an AI-based essay writing service. In July 2025, Mr. Pokatilo received pre-seed funding of $800,000 for Litero from an investment program backed by the venture capital firms AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks, Smart Partnership Capital, and I2BF Global Ventures.

Meanwhile, Filip Perkon is busy setting up toy rubber duck stores in Miami and in at least three locations in the United Kingdom. These “Duck World” shops market themselves as “the world’s largest duck store.”

This past week, Mr. Lobov was in India with Putin’s entourage on a charm tour with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although Synergy is billed as an educational institution, a review of the company’s sprawling corporate footprint (via DNS) shows it also is assisting the Russian government in its war against Ukraine.

Synergy University President Vadim Lobov (right) pictured this week in India next to Natalia Popova, a Russian TV presenter known for her close ties to Putin’s family, particularly Putin’s daughter, who works with Popova at the education and culture-focused Innopraktika Foundation.

The website bpla.synergy[.]bot, for instance, says the company is involved in developing combat drones to aid Russian forces and to evade international sanctions on the supply and re-export of high-tech products.

A screenshot from the website of synergy,bot shows the company is actively engaged in building armed drones for the war in Ukraine.

KrebsOnSecurity would like to thank the anonymous researcher NatInfoSec for their assistance in this investigation.

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