[TCARC-NTx] Saudi Satellite joins OSCAR list

[david johnson]

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001
ARLS001 New Saudi satellite gets OSCAR designation

ZCZC AS01  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 001  ARLS001
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  January 7, 2003
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS001
ARLS001 New Saudi satellite gets OSCAR designation

A third satellite in the SaudiSat series has earned an
OSCAR
designation from AMSAT, SO-50. The Amateur Radio
payload was
successfully placed into orbit December 20 from Russia
atop a
modified SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. The
German-made
SAFIR-M Amateur Radio payload went into orbit during
the same
launch. SaudiSat-1C is a project of the Space Research
Institute of
the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
(KACST).

SaudiSat-1C follows the 2000 launch of SaudiSats 1A
and 1B. Now in a
650-km orbit, SaudiSat-1C carries several experiments,
including a
new Mode J FM amateur repeater. The downlink frequency
is 436.775
MHz. The uplink frequency is 145.850 MHz. A 67 Hz
CTCSS tone is
required for access. The repeater will be available to
amateurs
worldwide as power permits.

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, said
SaudiSat-1C will
require activation on each pass by a designated
control operator. ''A
worldwide network of designated control operators is
now being
developed so that radio amateurs may begin using the
satellite
immediately,'' he said. The NORAD identifier for
two-line Keplerian
elements is 27607.

The new satellite is also equipped with capabilities
to provide
vital data concerning weather conditions and oil
exploration as well
as to monitor the movement of vehicles in remote
regions of Saudi
Arabia.
NNNN
/EX


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