On Monday evening, August 19, 2024, just a few weeks before the planned launch date of the ERMINAZ payload, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) conducted a “hot fire” test of the first rocket stage at its launch site at SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland Islands, during which all 9 engines were ignited. Unfortunately, this resulted in a serious anomaly that led to the complete loss of the first rocket stage. The repair work, fault analysis, qualification and delivery of a new first rocket stage will take some time, so that RFA now officially expects a launch in 2025.

The ERMINAZ mission is a joint effort between AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA and the Libre Space Foundation, with each organization flying its own satellites and jointly using the PicoBus deployer developed by Libre Space in the ERMINAZ mission.

 

Examples of the payloads include UNNE-1 and MARIA-G 1.5P PocketQubes from AMSAT-EA in Spain. They are both based on the HADES-D (SO-121) hardware currently in orbit and provide a repeater service for voice and data communications in FM and FSK modes. They were developed and built by AMSAT-EA in collaboration with private sector companies and with the participation of universities and educational centers. Both satellites will provide licensed radio amateurs around the world with the ability to conduct FM and FSK QSOs, including FT modes such as FT-4 and FT-8 or AX.25/APRS. The satellites will also transmit telemetry with their status, voice messages and CW. Both satellites have the amateur radio special call sign AM1HAD.

For detailed information on this ambitious and collaborative mission including the capabilities of all the various satellites included in this project, go to https://amsat-dl.org/en/erminaz-mission-postponed-to-2025/.