Licensed as an amateur radio broadcaster, Serenity can communicate with radios on the ground. Anyone with a ham radio can “talk” to Serenity. With a simple ground station, you can connect with the satellite during its orbital period and can collect data and pictures as they are transmitted back to Earth. Read on for lessons on building an inexpensive radio and tracking system.
Serenity was first launched on September 2, 2021, at 9:59 pm ET aboard Firefly Aerospace’s inaugural Alpha rocket, but was destroyed when the rocket experienced an engine malfunction and lost control. Serenity II has been built and has passed pre-flight testing. It has since been integrated onto Firefly’s second Alpha rocket for another attempt to reach orbit. Launche is expected to be mid July, 2022.
Connecting with a local amateur radio club is the best option to communicate with Serenity. This is because they may have the equipment set up to track satellites. If they don’t, they can help you find one that does.
If you’re interested in locating Serenity, read on for helpful lesson plans. Using these as a guide, you can also send commands to receive information packets that contain experiment data and satellite telemetry.
Connecting to Serenity is similar to making a phone call. The format follows Satellite, Station, Mode, and Command as shown below:
Each command choice requires a specific information packet to be sent back.
Suggest locations for Serenity to photograph.
We can download one photo per day from the satellite while in orbit. We’ll publish the photos here on our website. Take your best shot!
