Why is the GreenCube (Italy-Oscar IO-117) Called So?

Why is the GreenCube (Italy-Oscar IO-117) Called So?

Most of the Ham Radio operators interested in satellite communications would be knowing GreenCube IO-117 as a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite with a digipeater on board. Frequency is the same as that of the telemetry channel, 435.310 MHz and the digipeater is scheduled to be activated every week during the weekends from Friday to Sunday. But that is not the ‘green’ part of it! The GreenCube orbiting at around 6000 km altitude is carrying microgreens (Brassicaceae) seeds for an experiment on cultivation of plants in microgravity. Brassicacaee is the family of plants which includes cabbage and broccoli familiar to us. The GreenCube’s pressurised compartment will autonomously monitor air composition, pressure, humidity, lighting conditions as well as plant growth using visible and infra red cameras.

From the Ham Radio point of view, the high altitude of GreenCube ensures longer time for communication than LEOs or low earth orbit satellites. IO-117 thus enables communication at distances of up to 12,500 km. Cubesats are satellites built of several cubical units.