A Brief History of Amateur SatellitesHere 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.
General References - For an excellent coverage on the history of amateur satellites, please refer to:
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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. References:
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:
AMSAT-OSCAR 7AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched November 15, 1974 by a Delta 2310 launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. AO-7 was launched piggyback with ITOS-G (NOAA 4) and the Spanish INTASAT. The second phase 2 satellite (Phase II-B). Weight 28.6 kg. Orbit 1444 x 1459 km. Inclination 101.7 degrees. Octahedrally shaped 360 mm high and 424 mm in diameter. Circularly polarized canted turnstile VHF/UHF antenna system and HF dipole.Firsts: Satellite-to-satellite relay communication via AO-6; Early demonstrations of low-budget medical data relay and doppler location of ground transmitters for search-and-rescue operations were done using this satellite. Similar to AO-6. Built by a multi-national (German, Canadian, United States, and Australian) team of radio amateurs under the direction of AMSAT-NA. It carried Mode A (145.850-950 MHz uplink and 29.400-500 MHz downlink) and Mode B (432.180-120 MHz uplink and 145.920-980 MHz downlink (inverted)) linear transponders and 29.500 and 145.700 MHz beacons. The 2304.1 MHz was never turned on because of international treaty constraints. Four radio masts mounted at 90 degree intervals on the base and two experimental repeater systems provided store-and-forward for morse and teletype messages (Codestore) as it orbited around the world. AO-7 was operational for 6.5 years until a battery failure ceased operation in mid 1981. References:
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:
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. [Need to research - Now over 15 years old, RS-1 is still giving signals. Its battery open circuited soon after launch, but the spacecraft's 29.401 MHz beacon can still be heard sending "55" when the solar cells are in full sunlight. Sadly, the power is insufficient to provide that needed to operate the Mode-A transponder.] References:
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:
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. 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. For more information see UoSAT & SSTL Satellite Mission Summary and UoSAT-1 Microsatellite Mission. References:
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:
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.
AMSAT-OSCAR 10 (Phase 3B)Launched June 16, 1983. Presently in operation.For more information see: UoSAT-OSCAR 11 (UoSAT 2)Launched March 1, 1984. Still operational after 12 years.For more information see:
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:
Radio Sputnik (RS) 10/11Launched June 23, 1987. Presently in operation.For more information see: 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:
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. Weight 46 kg. Orbit 789 x 804. Inclination 98.7 degrees. Box shaped 350 x 350 x 650 mm. Four solar panels and 6 m gravity gradient boom.Store-and-forward communications transponder (VHF and UHF) with 13 Mbytes of solid state storage and a cosmic particle detector. UoSAT 3 operations continue. All amateur operations were moved from AO-14 to UO-22 in early 1992. For more information see UoSAT & SSTL Satellite Mission Summary and UoSAT-3 Microsatellite Mission. References:
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. 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:
AMSAT-OSCAR 16Launched January 22, 1990. Presently in operation.For more information see: DOVE-OSCAR 17Launched January 22, 1990. Presently in operation.For more information see: WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18Launched January 22, 1990. Presently in operation.For more information see: LUSAT-OSCAR 19Launched January 22, 1990. Presently in operation.For more information see: Fuji-OSCAR 20 (JAS-1b named Fuji-2)Launched February 7, 1990. Presently in operation.For more information see: 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. References:
Radio Sputnik (RS) 12/13Launched February 5, 1991. Presently in operation.For more information see: UoSAT-OSCAR 22 (UoSAT-5)Launched July 17, 1991. Presently in operation.For more information see:
KITSAT-OSCAR 23Launched August 10, 1992. Presently in operation.For more information see:
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:
KITSAT-OSCAR 25Launched September 26, 1993. Presently in operation.For more information see:
Italy-OSCAR 26Launched September 26, 1993. Presently in operation.For more information see:
AMRAD-OSCAR 27Launched September 26, 1993. Presently in operation.For more information see: Radio Sputnik (RS) 15Launched December 16, 1994. Presently in operation.For more information see: 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 second attempt is called TechSat-1b.
Fuji-OSCAR 29 (JAS-2 named Fuji-3)Launched August 17, 1996. Presently in operation.For more information see: Mexico-OSCAR 30 (UNAMSAT-B)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: Mir and SAREXThough not necessarily amateur spacecraft, the Russian Space Station Mir and the U.S. Space Shuttle carry amateur radio communications. Information about Mir is available at http://www.osf.hq.nasa.gov/mir/. 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://www.nasa.gov/sarex/sarex_mainpage.html.
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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Last update July 27, 1997 - N7HPR |