Phase 3D Information

Phase 3D will be inserted into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by an Ariane booster launched from the European Space Agency (ESA) facility in Kourou, French Guiana. Following deployment from the Ariane booster, AMSAT controllers will begin a series of orbital maneuvers to establish the desired final orbit.

The Phase 3D design concept is different from all previous amateur radio spacecraft. All receivers and transmitters are connected to a common Intermediate Frequency (IF) matrix that allows interconnection of the various receivers and transmitters in different combinations. Each combination forms the counterpart to the "transponders" on previous amateur satellites. It is possible, in theory, for the spacecraft to use multiple transmitters and receivers simultaneously. The extent to which this can be done in practice will be determined by on-orbit experimentation by the controllers.