[amsat-bb] News Release: Satellite Launch

[Michael L Miller]

Please put the following on the bb and on the ANS.

PreSat and NanoSail-D Beacon Alerts

Santa Clara University students invite amateur radio operators worldwide
to participate with them by receiving beacon signals from PreSat and
NanoSail-D, two pioneering cubesat missions that will launch from the
Reagan Test Site (Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of Marshall
Islands) on June 23, 2008 at about 7:00 pm PDT.  Both spacecraft will go
into Low Earth Orbit as secondary payloads aboard a SpaceX Falcon-1 launch
vehicle.  The vehicles will be launched into a 685x330 km, 9 degree orbit,
with line of site communications only possible at low latitudes.  PreSat
is a 10 x 10 x 30 cm. spacecraft, that will evaluate the performance of a
generic biofluidic sample management and handling system for future
advanced in situ spaceborne biology experiments.  NanoSail-D is a 10 x 10
x 30 cm. spacecraft, which will deploy a solar sail that also will be used
as a drag sail to demonstrate orbital debris mitigation technology.  These
missions follow the earlier efforts of Santa Clara U. students in
launching Genesat 1, in 2006.

Of particular interest to the amateur radio satellite community are the
PreSat and NanoSail-D beacons.  The PreSat beacon will operate at 437.318
MHz FM, sending an AX.25 packet every 5 seconds; the packet contains data
about the spacecraft systems operation.  The NanoSail-D beacon will
operate at 437.269 MHz FM, sending an AX.25 packet every 10 seconds; the
packet contains data about the spacecraft systems operation.  The beacons
will initiate transmission as soon as each spacecraft is deployed from
their separate carriers, which are attached to a Ride Share Adapter. 
Amateur radio operators are encouraged to submit received beacon packets
through the mission websites in order to receive a web-based QSL card.

The PreSat mission website at www.presat.org; the NanoSail-D mission
website is at www.nanosaild.org. These sites provide general mission and
spacecraft information, instructions on how to contact the Santa Clara
University PreSat and NanoSail-D Mission Operations teams, and the latest
orbit datam beacon packet format, and other information needed to work the
beacons.

73,

Mike Miller
KE7EGC