The Israeli student satellite Duchifat-1 is an experimental and educational spacecraft developed and built by students of secondary schools at the Space Laboratory of the Herzliya Science Centre (HSC). It is built to the 1U CubeSat standard.
The main mission of the satellite is to transmit real-time information via radio amateur packets from a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) using the Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) protocol. Duchifat-1 allows remote traveler's to access the satellite for worldwide position/status reporting and messaging even in the case of using simple handheld or mobile radios with Omni-directional whip antennas. Duchifat-1 satellite augments the existing worldwide terrestrial Amateur Radio APRS by joining a number of Leo's satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) currently capable of relaying APRS data. Real-time reporting of station position for mobiles is facilitated using the Global Positioning System (GPS). APRS can be very useful to SAR (Search and Rescue) and CAP (Civil Air Patrol) missions.
Duchifat-1 satellite transmits a wide variety of data including short text messages and telemetry data. The reports are combined with a computer and mapping software to display the transmitted data superimposed on maps at a HSC Ground Station. The telemetry beacon can be received at 145.981 MHz.
