MAREX-NA News
Manned Amateur Radio Experiment, North American Division
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Kolibri-2000 satellite  (RS-21) Launch Scheduled for March 19, 2002 at
22:00 UTC
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In a telecon today with RSA engineer Sergej Samburuov (RV2DR) we were
informed the PROGRESS-M17 supply vehicle will launch a new Amateur Radio
Sub satellite called the Kolibri-2000 satellite  (RS-21).  The
Progress-M17 supply vehicle, is currently docked with the International
Space Station Alpha.  The supply vehicle will Undock from ISS at
approximately 17:43 UTC and will fly away from ISS to make room for the
next Progress supply vehicle later this month. NASA Television will
broadcast the undocking of a Russian Progress supply vehicle from the
International Space Station (ISS) and the arrival of a new Progress
craft to the station on Tuesday, March 19, and Sunday, March 24.
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After the Progress-M17 is a safe distance away from ISS, the Kolibri
RS-21 will then be remotely launched into space from the Progress supply
vehicle.  The Kolibri RS-21 satellite will then fee-fall back to Earth
over the next 2-4 months.  During the Kolibri's free-fall, it will send
back telemetry and digital voice recordings.  Part of the RS-21 mission
will include analyzing particles, with an flux-gate magnetometer.
For the first 4 days after launch, the automated computer program will
instruct RS-21 to transmit on 435.335 FM.  It will be transmitting both
telemetry data and pre-recorded voice recordings.
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Who will be the first to hear RS-21?
At the time of the Release (approximately 22:00 UTC), Progress M17 will
be over the Atlantic ocean near Ascension Island, heading towards
Europe.  Amateur Radio stations in Europe and Australia will be the
first to hear the signals coming from RS-21.  North America will come in
range of RS-21 on March  20 at 04:18 UTC (March 19 11:18 PM EDST)
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Kolibri-2000 satellite  (RS-21) also has a back up radio frequency on
145.825.  This channel is not expected to be used at the present time.
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I was able to locate an active web page for this project, the ISS
"Kolibri-2000" - Russian-Australian School Scientific-Research
Microsatellite.  This web page is a little out of date, if anyone knows
of a more current web page, please forward the information to MAREX.
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http://www.iki.rssi.ru/kollibri/mission1_e.htm
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Position Data:
Below is position data for the Progress M17 supply vehicle.  Since the
M17 supply vehicle is currently docked with ISS, the position data is
the same.  After Progress M17 undocks, the position data will change a
little every hour.  The position information for ISS/M17 will be close
enough for you to track the position of RS-21 for the first week of
operation.  Then next week, NORAD will publish new position data, and
they will need to include the specific position data for RS-21.
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ISS (ZARYA)
1 25544U 98067A   02077.53009817  .00057385  00000-0  75536-3 0  2001
2 25544  51.6370 148.4061 0003812 281.9806 211.4993 15.57883457189893
SOYUZ-TM 33
1 26955U 01048A   02076.99309761  .00072707  00000-0  95503-3 0  1641
2 26955  51.6349 151.0974 0003782 280.9619  78.8887 15.57839804 23066
PROGRESS-M1 7
1 26983U 01051A   02076.99309761  .00072707  00000-0  95503-3 0  1321
2 26983  51.6349 151.0974 0003782 280.9619  78.8887 15.57839804 17385
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73 Miles WF1F MAREX-NA