Here is a brief history of the amateur satellites that have and are presently circling the globe. They are listed in chronological order by launch date.
For information on the OSCAR Numbers Policy see http://www.amsat.org/amsat/amsat-na/oscar.html.
See also the joint IARU and AMSAT Information for Prospective Owners and Operators of Satellites Utilizing Frequencies Allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service.
General References - For an excellent coverage on the history of amateur satellites, please refer to:
1961 |
OSCAR IThe first amateur satellite, OSCAR I was launched December 12, 1961 by a Thor Agena B launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. OSCAR I was launched piggyback with Discover 36, a United States Air Force satellite. Orbit 372 x 211 km. Inclination 81.2 degrees. Period 91.8 minutes. OSCAR I was the first of the phase I satellites.A group of enthusiasts in California formed Project OSCAR and persuaded the United States Air Force to replace ballast on the Agena upper stage with the 4.5 kg OSCAR I package. The satellite was box shaped with a single monopole antenna and battery powered. The 140 mW transmitter onboard discharged its batteries after three weeks. 570 Amateurs in 28 countries reported receiving its simple "HI-HI" morse code signals on the VHF 2 meter band (144.983 MHz) until January 1, 1962. The speed of the HI-HI message was controlled by a temperature sensor inside the spacecraft. OSCAR I re-entered the atmosphere January 31, 1962 after 312 revolutions. From The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook, Martin Davidoff writes: "OSCAR I was an overwhelming success. More than 570 amateurs in 28 countries forwarded observations to the Project OSCAR data reduction center. The observations provided important information on radio propagation through the ionosphere, the spacecraft's orbit and thermal satellite design. The OSCAR I mission clearly demonstrated that amateurs are capable of (1) designing and constructing reliable spacecraft, (2) tracking satellites and (3) collecting and processing related scientific and engineering information. Because of its low altitude, OSCAR I only remained in orbit for 22 days before burning up as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere."OSCAR I led to the creation of The Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) in 1969. Listen to OSCAR I's "HI-HI" from the Sounds from the First Satellites page. References:
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1962 |
OSCAR IIOSCAR II was launched June 2, 1962 by a Thor Agena B launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. OSCAR II was launched piggyback with a United States Air Force satellite. Orbit 384 x 206 km. Inclination 74.2 degrees. Period 89.8 minutes. OSCAR I was the second phase I satellite.OSCAR II was very similar to OSCAR I. Differences included (1) changing the surface thermal coatings to achieve a cooler internal spacecraft environment, (2) modifying the sensing system so the satellite temperature could be measured accurately as the batteries decayed, and (3) lowering the transmitter power output to 100 mW to extend the life of the onboard battery [from The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook]. OSCAR II lasted 18 days ceasing operation on June 20, 1962 and re-entered June 21, 1962. References:
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OSCAR*Designed, built, and tested, OSCAR* was never launched. Similar in design to OSCAR I and II, OSCAR* contained a 250 mW beacon with phase-coherent keying. OSCAR* was never launched as the workers decided to focus their efforts on the first relay satellite -- OSCAR III.
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1965 |
OSCAR IIIOSCAR III was launched March 9, 1965 by a Thor Agena D launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. OSCAR III was launched piggyback with seven United States Air Force satellites. Orbit 924 x 891 km. Inclination 70.1 degrees. Period 102.7 minutes. Weight 16.3 kg.Firsts: The first amateur satellite to operate from solar power and relay signals from Earth. OSCAR III was the first true amateur satellite relaying voice contacts in the VHF 2 meter band through a 1 W 50 kHz wide linear transponder (146 MHz uplink and 144 MHz downlink). OSCAR III's transponder lasted 18 days. More than 1000 amateurs in 22 countries communicated through the linear transponder. The two beacon transmitters continued operating for several months. References:
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OSCAR IVOSCAR IV was launched December 21, 1965 by a Titan 3C launcher from Cape Canaveral, Florida. OSCAR IV was launched piggyback with three United States Air Force satellites. The launch vehicle had a partial failure and placed the spacecraft in a low orbit preventing widespread amateur use. Orbit 29120 x 168 km. Inclination 26.8 degrees. Period 587.5 minutes. Weight 18.1 kg. Four monopole antennas.OSCAR IV was built by the TRW Radio Club of Redondo Beach, California. It had a 3 Watt 10 kHz wide linear transponder (144 MHz uplink and 432 MHz downlink). In operation until March 16, 1966. Re-entry April 12, 1976. Total operation 85 days. OSCAR IV provided the first US-Soviet amateur link. References:
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1970 |
Australis-OSCAR 5Australis-OSCAR 5 was launched January 23, 1970 by a Thor Delta launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. AO-5 was launched piggyback with ITOS-1 (TIROS-M weather satellite). Orbit 1476 x 1431 km. Inclination 101.8 degrees. Period 115 minutes. Weight 17.7 kg (9 kg of which was battery mass). Box shaped 304 x 431 x 152 mm. 2 meter monopole and 10 meter dipole antennas.Firsts: The first amateur satellite to be remotely controlled. Built by students at The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Battery powered, Australis-OSCAR 5 transmitted telemetry on both 2 meter (144.050 MHz at 50 mW) and 10 meter (29.450 MHz at 250 mW) bands that operated for 23 and 46 days respectively. Passive magnetic attitude stabilization was performed by carrying two bar magnets to align with the Earth's magnetic field in order to provide a favorable antenna footprint. The University of Melbourne compiled tracking reports from hundreds of stations in 27 countries. For more information see:
References:
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1972 |
AMSAT-OSCAR 6AMSAT-OSCAR 6 was launched October 15, 1972 by a Delta 300 launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. AO-6 was launched piggyback with ITOS-D (NOAA 2). AO-6 was the first phase 2 satellite (Phase II-A). Weight 16 kg. Orbit 1450 x 1459 km. Inclination 101.7 degrees. Box shaped 430 x 300 x 150 mm. Quarter-wave monopole antennas (144 and 435 MHz) and half-wave dipole antenna (29 MHz).Firsts: complex control system using discrete logic; satellite-to-satellite relay communication via AO-7; demonstrated doppler-location of ground station for search and rescue; demonstrated low-cost medical data relay from remote locations. Equipped with solar panels powering NiCd batteries, AO-6 provided 24 V at 3.5 W power to three transponders. It carried a Mode A transponder (100 kHz wide at 1 W) and provided store-and-forward morse and teletype messages (named Codestore) for later transmission. AO-6 lasted 4.5 years until a battery failure ceased operation on June 21, 1977. Subsystems were built in the United States, Australia, and Germany. References:
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1974 |
AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (Phase-IIB)Launched November 15, 1974 by a Delta 2310 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California.After being declared dead in mid 1981 due to battery failure, AO-7 miraculously sprung back to life and was first detected by Pat Gowen, G3IOR on June 21, 2002 at 1728 UTC. Jan King, W3GEY reports AO-7 is running off the solar panels only. It will only be on when in sunlight and off in eclipse. Therefore, AO-7 will reset each orbit and may not turn on each time. Status: Semi-operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - AO-7) For more information see: |
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1978 |
AMSAT-OSCAR 8AMSAT-OSCAR 8 was launched March 5, 1978 by a Delta 2910 launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. AO-8 was launched piggyback with LandSat 3 (ERTS 3) and PIX. The third phase 2 satellite (Phase II-D). Weight 27.2 kg. Orbit 903 x 917 km. Inclination 99 degrees. Box shaped, 33 cm high, 38 x 38 cm. Circularly polarized VHF canted turnstile, UHF quarter wave monopole, and HF half-wave dipole antenna system.Another cooperative international effort (United States, Canada, Germany and Japan). AO-8 had a similar store-and-forward service as AO-7 and carried Mode A (145.850-900 MHz uplink and 29.400-500 MHz downlink) and Mode J (145.900-146.000 MHz uplink and 435.100 MHz downlink (inverted)) linear transponders and telemetry beacons on 435.095 MHz and 29.402 MHz. AO-8's primary mission was for educational applications and amateur communications. It was in operation for six years until the battery failed on June 24, 1983. References:
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Radio Sputnik RS-1 and RS-2The first Russian satellites were launched on October 26, 1978 from Plesetsk C1 with Cosmos 1045. Weight 40 kg each. Orbit 689 x 1709 km. Inclination 82.55 degrees. 390 x 420 mm diameter. Inverted Vee VHF antenna and a quarter wave whip HF antenna.RS-1 and RS-2 both contained sensitive Mode A (145 MHz uplink and 29 MHz downlink) linear transponders telemetry beacon and Codestore unit similar to AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Transponders aboard RS-1 and RS-2 could be kept operating for only a few months before battery problems disabled both spacecraft. References:
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1980 |
AMSAT-Phase 3ALaunched May 23, 1980. The Launch failed (Ariane L-02 23) and the satellite never obtained orbit.Weight 92.2 kg. Mode B (435 MHz uplink and 145 MHz downlink) transponder and 145 MHz beacon. VHF and UHF helix wide beam antenna. References:
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1981 |
UoSAT-OSCAR 9 (UoSAT 1)UoSAT-OSCAR 9 was launched October 6, 1981 by a Thor Delta launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. UO-9 was launched piggyback with Solar Mesosphere Explorer satellite. Weight 52 kg. Orbit 538 x 541 km sun-synchronous LEO orbit. Inclination 97.46 degrees. Box shaped 740 x 420 x 420 mm. Deployable gravity gradient boom.Firsts: First on-board computer (IHU - Integrated Housekeeping Unit) for battery and attitude management, remote control, and experiments. S-band beacon. Built by the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, UO-9 was UoSAT's first experimental satellite. It was a scientific and educational low-Earth orbit satellite containing many experiments and beacons but no amateur transponders. UO-9 was fully operational until it re-entered October 13, 1989 from a decaying orbit after nine years of service. UO-9 was the first amateur satellite to carry an S-Band beacon. It was switched on for the first time on May 19, 1983 and heard on the first available pass that day (ref: RSGB Radio Communication, August 1983, p. 713). The S-Band and X-Band beacons on board UO-9 are described in an article in The Radio and Electronic Engineer, Vol. 52, No 8/9, pp. 412-416 August/September 1982. (Thanks G3WDG). For more information see UoSAT & SSTL Satellite Mission Summary and UoSAT-1 Microsatellite Mission. References:
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Radio Sputnik RS-3, RS-4, RS-5, RS-6, RS-7 and RS-8Six new Russian satellites were launched together on a common launch vehicle on December 17, 1981. RS-3 and RS-4 were experimental satellites and did not contain transponders for general use. The remaining satellites contained Mode A linear transponders.RS-5 and RS-7 both contained "autotransponders" called ROBOTS. These ROBOTS made it possible to carry on a CW telegraphy contact with the spacecraft. A typical communication with the ROBOT would be initiated by the radio amateur on the ROBOT uplink frequency and the satellite would respond with a short message and issue a QSO number. References:
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1982 |
ISKRA-2 and 3Both satellites were launched separately from the Salyut 7 space station by the former Soviet Union in 1982. Both weighed 28 kg and were spherical shaped 0.6 m in diameter.
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1983 |
AMSAT-OSCAR 10 (Phase 3B)Launched June 16, 1983.Status: Semi-operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - AO-10) For more information see: |
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1984 |
UoSAT-OSCAR 11 (UoSAT 2)Launched March 1, 1984.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - UO-11) For more information see: |
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1986 |
Fuji-OSCAR 12 (JAS-1a named Fuji)Fuji-OSCAR 12 was launched August 12, 1986 by the first test flight of the H-I launcher. FO-12 was launched piggyback with a Japanese experimental geodetic satellite Ajisai (EGS). Weight 50 kg. Orbit circular 1479 x 1497 km. Inclination 50 degrees. 26-sided polyhedron, 40 x 40 x 47 cm.FO-12 was the first Japanese amateur satellite developed by the Japan Amateur Radio League (English version) with system design and integration performed at NEC. FO-12 was taken out of service November 5, 1989 because of battery failure. (see also Fuji-OSCAR 20 (JAS-1b) and Fuji-OSCAR 29 (JAS-2)). References:
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1987 |
Radio Sputnik (RS) 10/11Launched June 23, 1987.Status: Non-operational Spacecraft is not responding to commands. For more information see: |
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1988 |
AMSAT-OSCAR 13 (Phase 3C)AMSAT-OSCAR 13 was launched June 15, 1988 by the first test flight of the Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Weight 92 kg plus 50 kg fuel. Orbit was a high-altitude, elliptical, synchronous-transfer, Molniya. Inclination 57.4 degrees. Size 600 x 40 x 200 mm.AO-13 is the third in a series of Phase-3 type high-altitude, elliptical orbit amateur communications satellites. It was built by an international team of radio amateurs led by Dr. Karl Meinzer of AMSAT-Germany. It carried four beacon transmitters and four linear transponders. AO-13 also contained a digital communications transponder called RUDAK-1. However attempts to get the experiment operating failed. Operational life span was 8 years. Careful analysis of AO-13's orbit in early 1990 by Victor Kudelka, OE2VKW revealed that resonant perturbations exist which lead the satellite into a negative perigee altitude. The perigee was down to 150 km by August 1996 which drastically increased atmospheric drag on the satellite until it reentered the Earth's atmosphere December 5, 1996. See the AMSAT-DL Press Release dated December 7, 1996. For more information see: |
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1990 |
UoSAT-OSCAR 14 (UoSAT-3, UoSAT-D)UoSAT-OSCAR 14 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites:UO-15, AO-16, DO-17, WO-18, and LO-19. Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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UoSAT-OSCAR 15 (UoSAT-4, UoSAT-E)UoSAT-OSCAR 15 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites: UO-14, AO-16, DO-17, WO-18, and LO-19. Weight 47 kg. Orbit 790 x 805 km. Inclination 98.7 degree orbit. Box shaped 350 x 350 x 650 mm. Four solar panels and 6 m gravity gradient boom.Contained scientific payloads to complement UO-14. On-board electronics failed shortly after UO-15 reached Earth orbit. For more information see UoSAT & SSTL Satellite Mission Summary and UoSAT-4 Microsatellite Mission. References:
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AMSAT-OSCAR 16AMSAT-OSCAR 16 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites:UO-14, UO-15, DO-17, WO-18, and LO-19. Status: Semi-Operational in digipeater mode only (see Weekly Satellite Report - AO-16) For more information see: |
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DOVE-OSCAR 17DOVE-OSCAR 17 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites:UO-14, UO-15, AO-16, WO-18, and LO-19. Status: Non-operation For more information see: |
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WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites:UO-14, UO-15, AO-16, DO-17, and LO-19. Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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LUSAT-OSCAR 19WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18 was launched January 22, 1990 by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and five other microsatellites:UO-14, UO-15, AO-16, DO-17, and WO-18. Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - LO-19)
For more information see: |
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Fuji-OSCAR 20 (JAS-1b named Fuji-2)Launched February 7, 1990.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - FO-20) For more information see: |
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1991 |
Radio Sputnik/AMSAT-OSCAR RS-14/AO-21RS-14/AO-21 was launched on January 29, 1991, the results of a joint venture between AMSAT-U and AMSAT-DL. The amateur equipment rode piggyback on the INFORMATOR-1, an experimental geological satellite. As of September 16, 1994 the spacecraft was switched off, including the amateur equipment onboard. The reasons cited were those of cost in maintaining the craft in space when the usefulness of the primary payload was exhausted. The amateur community lost a valuable asset. RS-14/AO-21 was a very popular satellite with the radio amateurs. The equipment to communicate through RS-14/AO-21 was simple and easy to operate. RS-14/AO-21 functioned as a "repeater in the sky" and routinely transmitted digitally recorded voice messages commemorating events like the 25th anniversary of the first landing on the moon by broadcasting Neil Armstrong's first words as he stepped on the moon.Here is a moving message from UA3CR breaking the news on RS-14/AO-21's shutdown and a memorial to the dedication and hard work that made the amateur equipment a reality. For further information see:
References:
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Radio Sputnik (RS) 12/13RS 12/13 was launched February 5, 1991 on board a Russian Cosmos C launcher. RS-12/13 rode piggyback on a primary spacecraft on a COSMOS 2123 Russian Navigation Satellite. Each satellite had two radio amateur transponders onboard. Only one was switched on at a time.Both satellites had a 40 kHz wide linear transponder allowing for CW and SSB contacts. One unique feature of both these satellites was the ROBOT autotransponder. The autotransponders made it possible to carry on a CW telegraphy contact with the ROBOT computer carried on the spacecraft. Upon calling the satellite on the ROBOT uplink frequency, the computer would return with a short message and issue a QSO number. It is thought that after superpower proton flashes from the Sun about July/August 2002 caused damaged to the COSMOS2123 and RS-12/13 transponders (thanks Jerry, K5OE/3). Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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UoSAT-OSCAR 22 (UoSAT-5)Launched July 17, 1991.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - UO-22) For more information see:
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1992 |
KITSAT-OSCAR 23Launched August 10, 1992.Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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1993 |
Arsene-OSCAR 24Arsene-OSCAR 24 was launched May 13, 1993 by a Ariane V-56A from Kourou, French Guiana. Orbit elliptical, equatorial. Mode B (145.975 MHz downlink (1200 bps FM AFSK)) and Mode S (2446.54 MHz downlink transponders).Arsene was a French packet relay satellite built by French Radio Amateur Club de l'Espace. The packet system was never implemented because the 2 meter transponder failed soon after launch. Arsene was then used to relay SSB and CW signals on 2.4 GHz for several months until this transponder failed as well. References:
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KITSAT-OSCAR 25KITSAT-OSCAR 25 was launched September 26, 1993 by a Ariane V59 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.KITSAT-OSCAR 25 was a South Korean experimental microsatellite based on the SSTL UoSAT bus built by the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). KO-25 was operated from The Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) in South Korea. KITSAT-2 was one of three amateur satellites that was launched together on a Arianne V59 rocket from French Guiana at approximately 0147 UTC, 26 September 1993. It was later designated KITSAT-OSCAR-25 once in orbit. The other two amateur spacecraft were Italy-OSCAR-26 (IO-26) and AMRAD-OSCAR-27 (AO-27) (aka Eyesat-A). KO-25's mission was to take CCD pictures, process numerical information, measure radiation, and receive and forward messages. The Infrared Sensor Experiment (IREX) was designed to acquire I/V characteristics of IR sensors. A passive cooling structure was devised for this experiment where ground controllers monitored the temperature of the experiment. Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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Italy-OSCAR 26Launched September 26, 1993.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - IO-26) For more information see: |
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AMRAD-OSCAR 27Launched September 26, 1993.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - AO-27) For more information see: |
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PoSAT-OSCAR 28 (PoSAT-1) - PortugalLaunched September 25, 1993.Status: Unknown For more information see: |
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1994 |
Radio Sputnik 15Launched December 16, 1994.Status: Semi-operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - RS-15) For more information see: |
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1995 |
UNAMSAT-1 (Mexico) and TechSat-1a (Israel)Both satellites were launched from Plesetsk, Russia on March 28, 1995. Unfortunately the Russian Start-1 launcher failed and destroyed both spacecrafts.In a second attempt, UNAMSAT-B was launched September 5, 1996 and was designated as Mexico-OSCAR 30 (see below). Unfortunately, it failed after about a day of transmitting due to a dead uplink receiver. Israel's successful second attempt is called TechSat-1b.(see below)
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1996 |
Fuji-OSCAR 29 (JAS-2 named Fuji-3)Launched August 17, 1996.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - FO-29) For more information see: |
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Mexico-OSCAR 30 (UNAMSAT-B) - National University of Mexico (UNAM)Launched September 5, 1996. MO-30 is the twin spacecraft of UNAMSAT-1 (see above). Unfortunately, it failed after about a day of transmitting due to a dead uplink receiver.MO-30 was constructed at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). The UNAMSAT web pages are http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/unamsat/unameng.htm For more information see: |
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1997 |
Sputnik-40 / Radio Sputnik 17RS-17 was a scale model satellite built by high school students to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the launching of Sputnik I. It was launched by hand on November 4, 1997 by Russian cosmonauts from the MIR space station.RS-17 broadcast its bip-bip signal for 55 days. The last known recordings were made on December 29, 1997, at about 2100 UTC by an American radio amateur from Washington State, USA and by FR1AJ from Reunion Island, France. For more information see: |
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1998 |
Thai-Microsatellite-OSCAR 31 (TMSAT-1)Launched July 10, 1998 from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome.Status: Non-operational For more information see |
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Gerswin-OSCAR 32 (TechSat-1b) - Haifa, IsraelLaunched July 10, 1998 from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - GO-32) The GO-32 is a micro-satellite project conducted at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel by an academic group of scientist and students. The Israel Amateur Radio Club is involved in the TechSat project. The first picture taken by GO-32 of the French
Riviera near Saint-Tropaz. |
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SEDSat-OSCAR 33 (SEDSAT) - University of Huntsville, AlabamaLaunched October 24, 1998.Status: Semi-Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - SO-33) The University
of Huntsville, Alabama, in conjunction with Students
for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) USA, designed and
constructed SEDSAT-1. |
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PANSAT-OSCAR 34 (PANSAT) - Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CaliforniaLaunched October 30, 1998. PANSAT is a microsatellite design that will provide an amateur radio store-and-forward message system. Designed and built at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. This amateur satellite is unique among the PACSAT style satellites in that it will employ direct sequence spread-spectrum communications.Status: Telemetry downloads only (see Weekly Satellite Report - PO-34) For more information about PANSAT and the Space Systems Academic Group at NPS, visit the web page at http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/
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Sputnik-41 / Radio Sputnik 18Launched by hand November 10, 1998 from the MIR space station.For more information see: |
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1999 |
SUNSAT-OSCAR 35 (SUNSAT) - University of Stellenbosch, Matieland, South AfricaLaunched February 23, 1999. SUNSAT is a micro-satellite designed and built by post-graduate engineering students in the Electronic Systems Laboratory, in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch.Status: Non-operational For more information see: |
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UoSAT-OSCAR 36 (UoSAT-12)Launched April 21, 1999 by a Russian launcher from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Unknown |
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2000 |
Arizona State-OSCAR 37 (ASUSat1) - Arizona State University, Tempe, ArizonaLaunched January 27, 2000 from Vandenburg AFB in California. ASUSat-1 contained an amateur packet hardware system and a 2-meter/70-cm FM voice repeater. Status: Non-operational ASUSat1 was a project of the Aerospace Research Center at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
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OPAL-OSCAR 38Launched January 27, 2000 from Vandenburg AFB in California. Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics - Stanford University, Stanford, California Satellite Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL) SQUIRT - Satellite QUIck Research Testbed
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StenSATLaunched January 27, 2000 from Vandenburg AFB in California. Was launched by OPAL on February 10, 2000. StenSat was developed by a group of amateur enthusiasts in the Washington DC area as part of Stanford University's OPAL Orbiting Picosatellite Automated Launcher project. Stensat was one satellite out of a cluster of six picosatellites that were ejected from the OPAL platform. StenSat is a small (12 cubic inch, 8.2 ounce) satellite which was intended for use by amateur radio operators world wide and operate as a single channel mode "J" FM voice repeater. The uplink frequency was 145.84 MHz and the downlink 436.625 MHz. StenSat would periodically transmit 1200 baud AX.25 for broadcasting telemetry. Additionally, amateur radio operators would be able to "PING" the satellite by transmitting a six digit DTMF command to the receiver uplink. For more information see: |
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Thelma and Louise (a.k.a. Thunder and Lightning) - Santa Clara University ParaSat Program Artemis Picosatellite ProjectLaunched January 27, 2000 from Vandenburg AFB in California. Was launched by OPAL on February 12, 2000. For more information see: |
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Weber-OSCAR 39 (JAWSAT - Joint Air Force Weber Satellite)Launched January 27, 2000 from Vandenburg AFB in California. JAWSAT served as a bus for several deployable payloads and the Plasma Experiment Satellite Test experiment -- called PEST. The telemetry stream from JAWSAT, including data from the PEST project, was to be transmitted on Amateur Radio frequencies. For more information see:
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AMSAT-OSCAR 40 (P3D)Launched November 16, 2000. Status: Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - AO-40) For more information see: |
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SaudiSat-OSCAR 41 (SaudiSat-1a)Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. SaudiSat-1a was one of three Amateur Radio satellites on the same launch. Status: Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - SO-41) SaudiSat-1A can operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. For more information see: |
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SaudiSat-OSCAR 42 (SaudiSat-1b)Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. SaudiSat-1b was one of three Amateur Radio satellites on the same launch. Status: Unknown (see Weekly Satellite Report - SO-42) SaudiSat-1B can operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. For more information see: |
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Malaysian-OSCAR-46 (TiungSAT-1)[Editors note: MO-46 was launched prior to SO-43, NO-44, and NO-45 but received its OSCAR designation after them.] Launched September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. TiungSAT-1 was one of three Amateur Radio satellites on the same launch. Status: Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - MO-46) MO-46 is Malaysia's first micro-satellite and in addition to commercial land and weather imaging payloads will offer FM and FSK amateur radio communication. TiungSat-1, named after the mynah bird of Malaysia, was developed as a collaborative effort between the Malaysian government and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. For more information on TiungSat-1, see |
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2001 |
Starshine-OSCAR-43 (Starshine-3)Launched September 30, 2001 from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska aboard Athena I. Orbit: 500 km, 67 degree circular. Status: Non-Operational Starshine 3 is nearly a meter in diameter (37 inches), weighs 91 kilograms (200 pounds) and carries 1,500 aluminum mirrors polished by an estimated 40,000 student volunteers in the United States and 25 other countries. Project Starshine is currently seeking volunteer amateur radio operators and students worldwide to monitor and report telemetry from the Starshine 3 satellite. Science data supporting an experimental solar cell experiment mounted on the surface of the satellite is being downlinked in a manner that allows students and radio amateurs to participate in collecting the data. Starshine 3 transmits 9600 bps AX.25 packet telemetry at 145.825 MHz every 2 minutes. An attractive QSL card is available to all those reporting telemetry to Project Starshine. Starshine 3's primary mission is to involve and educate school children from around the world in space and radio sciences. In addition to helping build Starshine 3, students will also visually track the satellite during morning and evening passes by recording its telltale mirror flashes and reporting their observations to Project Starshine. Almost every child on earth is within visual and radio range of Starshine 3 thanks to the high inclination orbit provided by the Kodiak launch. Visual Data gathered by Project Starshine will be used to determine the effects of the atmospheric drag on the spacecraft. To report Starshine 3 telemetry to Project Starshine, and to learn more about Starshine 3 telemetry, please visit http://epulation.com/starshine/starshine3/. To learn more about Project Starshine or any of the Starshine satellites, please visit http://www.azinet.com/starshine/
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Nav-OSCAR 44 (Prototype Communications Satellite - PCSat)Launched September 30, 2001 from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska aboard Athena I. Status: Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - NO-44) Kodiak Star was the first planned orbital launch from the new Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska was a NASA collaborative mission with the Department of Defense (DoD). The payload consisted of four small satellites, Starshine 3, PICOsat, PCSat, and SAPPHIRE, were launched aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle. (NASA News) PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater designed for use by stations using hand-held or mobile transceivers. Downlinks feed a central web site http://pcsat.aprs.org. The APRS-equipped PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy. The second DoD spacecraft is a Prototype Communications Satellite (PCSat), operating in the amateur radio band, designed and manufactured by Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy. It will become part of the amateur radio community's Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) in low earth orbit receiving digitized identity and position data from amateur radio operators and transmitting it to one or more ground stations. For more information see: References:
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Nav-OSCAR 45 (Sapphire)Launched September 30, 2001 from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska aboard Athena I. Status: Non-operational SAPPHIRE is a micro-satellite designed and built by students at Stanford University and Washington University-St. Louis. The primary mission of Sapphire is to space-qualify two sets of "Tunneling Horizon Detector" infrared sensors designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Stanford University. Secondary experiments include a digital camera and voice synthesizer. For more information see:
References:
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2002 |
Radio Sputnik 21 (Kolibri-2000 - The International School Space Program)Launched March 20, 2002 from Russian Progress M-1-7 launcher after undocking from the International Space Station (ISS). The formal name is Russian-Australian Scientific and Educational Microsatellite KOLIBRI-2000 (RS-21). Main design was done by Special Workshop of Space Research Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tarusa, Kaluga region. Radio Complex of RS-21 was created by the team of previous RS satellites leaded by Alexander Papkov, UA3XBU. The following message from Alex Papkov at Kaluga Ground Control is confirmation that RS-21 has re-entered:
For more information see: |
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BreizhSAT-OSCAR 47 and 48 (IDEFIX CU1 and CU2)Launched May 3, 2002 from Kourou, French Guiana on an Ariane 4 flight V151 carrying SPOT 5 as the primary payload. Two picosats, designed and built by AMSAT-France, were battery powered and estimated to operate approximately 40 days. They remained fastened to the Ariane 4 third stage with an orbit of 800 km. Both picosats transmitted NBFM voice recorded messages and digital telemetry data. BO-47 on 145.840 MHz and BO-48 on 435.270 MHz. Telemetry data was transmitted in 400 bps BPSK, similar to AO-40's telemetry beacon. BO-47 (CU1) stopped transmitting after 32 days of operation. Final reports came from Japan. BO-48 (CU2) stopped transmitting after 14 days of operation. Final reports came from Japan indicating that the battery voltage had dropped to 7V and the RF output dropped to -6dB of its normal level. Both satellites were equipped with 600 Watt-hour batteries. BO-48, transmitting on 435 MHz, had an output power 10 times higher that BO-47. The IDEFIX B0-47/48 team would like to thank everyone who spent time listening to the picosats and submitted telemetry data. The whole set of collected telemetry data is available upon request for educational purposes. Contact Jean-Louis F6AGR, President AMSAT-F. For more information see: |
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AO-49 AATiS OSCAR-49 (SAFIR-M)AO-49 was launched December 20, 2002 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Non-Operational AO-49 (SAFIR-M) is a German amateur radio payload onboard the small German scientific satellite "RUBIN-2". AO-49 was built by the German amateur radio association "AATiS e.V." (German acronym for "Arbeitskreis Amateurfunk und Telekommunikation in der Schule", which means: 'working group for amateur radio and telecommunications in schools'). AO-49 is designed as a "store and broadcast" system for APRS based messages, dedicated for the use of schools in combination with the existing WX-Net and planned buoy experiments in Germany. For more information see:
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SO-50 SAUDISAT-1CSO-50 was launched December 20, 2002 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational (see Weekly Satellite Report - SO-50) SO-50 carries several experiments, including a mode J FM amateur repeater experiment operating on 145.850 MHz uplink and 436.800 MHz downlink. The repeater is available to amateurs worldwide as power permits, using a 67.0 Hertz PL tone on the uplink, for on-demand activation. For more information see: |
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2003 |
CubeSAT ProjectOn June 30, 2003, six CubeSat satellites were launched by a ROCKOT launch vehicle by EUROCKOT Launch Services GmbH from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. The CubeSats were launched into a sun-synchronous orbit of 820 km. Also on this launch was the Czech Republic's MIMOSA and the Canadian Space Agency's MOST spacecrafts. The table below summaries each of the CubeSats. Each of the CubeSats contain transponders with frequencies allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service by the International Telecommunication Union - ITU.
For more information see: |
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2004 |
Amateur satellites continue to be designed and built in countries around
the world. There are several new amateur satellites that will soon join
the ranks above. The Future Amateur Satellites
web page contains more information about these projects. |
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SAREX
When a Space Shuttle mission is equipped with amateur radio it is called
SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment). Information about SAREX is available
at http://sarex.gsfc.nasa.gov/. |
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Amateur Radio onboard the International Space Station (ARISS)For more information see: |
Last update December 30, 2003 - N7HPR