AMSAT reports that the pioneering AMSAT-OSCAR 85 (AO-85) CubeSat, also known as Fox-1A, has gone silent.

“Having not been heard throughout the most recent period of full illumination, it is reasonable to believe the batteries have deteriorated to the point of no longer being able to power the transmitter,” AMSAT said this week. “Should some future event cause a cell to open, it is possible the satellite may be heard again, but for now, it is time to declare end-of-mission.

AO-85 was conceived as the first AMSAT CubeSat and designed to be a successor to the popular AO-51 Microsat. AO-85 was launched on October 8, 2015. Its success led to further Fox satellites AO-91, AO-92, AO-95, and RadFxSat2 / Fox-1E, which will be launched later this year.

The Fox-1E transponder was also spun off into a radio system now in orbit on board HuskySat-1, and soon to be in several other university CubeSats. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service