SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS021 ARLS021 Phase 3D is In Orbit!

ZCZC AS21 QST de W1AW Space Bulletin 021 ARLS021 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington, CT November 16, 2000 To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS021 ARLS021 Phase 3D is In Orbit!

In what was described as a ''spectacular nighttime launch,'' the next-generation AMSAT Phase 3D Amateur Radio satellite blasted off from Earth on schedule November 16 at 0107z. Hitching a ride aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle, Phase 3D was among four satellite payloads heading off into orbit from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana--just five degrees north of the equator.

''It was a textbook launch,'' said Phase 3D Mission Director and AMSAT-DL Executive Vice President Peter Guelzow, DB2OS. Guelzow, who's filling in for Phase 3D Project Leader Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, said that from launch through separation about 45 minutes later, ''all received telemetry indicates the launch went perfectly, and our satellite appears to be in very good health.''

When Phase 3D was successfully deployed by the Ariane 5 launcher at 0153z, cheers erupted from the AMSAT team monitoring the flight's progress from the Arianespace control room.

Newly elected AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, hailed the news of the launch. ''You know, this really is the start of a new era in ham radio,'' Haighton said. He called the design, building and financing of P3D by international volunteers ''a great achievement.''

A ''general beacon'' was said to be transmitting on approximately 435.450 MHz. Earlier today, the Phase 3D PSK beacon turned up on 145.898 MHz--slightly different from the expected frequency. It was monitored by Norbert Nothoff, DF5DP, transmitting telemetry--including text blocks. ''We had some concern earlier this morning because the satellite didn't show up on the expected frequencies and hence missed any sign of life from the bird,'' Nothoff said.

The Ariane 5 placed Phase 3D into geostationary transfer orbit, from where it will be nudged into its final elliptical orbit. It was the last of the four payloads to be ejected into orbit by the launch vehicle. The satellite is not expected to be ready for general use for about nine months. Initial housekeeping tasks were under way in the hours following the launch and separation. To move P3D from the geostationary transfer orbit, the satellite's onboard arcjet motor will burn intermittently at perigee over a 270-day period, with final inclination and apogee adjustments made by the spacecraft's 400 Newton motor. Once these maneuvers are completed and three-axis stabilization is achieved, the solar panels will be deployed. At that point, Haighton said, it's anticipated the satellite will be fully operational for use by Amateur Radio operators around the world.

The satellite's initial orbit puts it some 585 miles above Earth at the closest point. Phase 3D's final elliptical orbital configuration will put the satellite some 2500 miles away from Earth at its nearest point, and some 29,500 miles at its farthest.

At 630 pounds and some 20 feet across when the solar panels are deployed, Phase 3D is the largest Amateur Radio satellite ever put into space. The launch culminates years of planning, design and construction as well as an ambitious fundraising campaign. The ARRL was among the major contributors to the Phase 3D project. Three other satellites--the giant PanAmSat PAS-1R communications satellite and the smaller STRV-1C and 1D satellites--joined AMSAT Phase 3D for the ride.

Haighton's immediate predecessor as AMSAT-NA president, Keith Baker, KB1SF, told AMSAT News Service that he was ''delighted'' by the news of the Phase 3D launch. ''I have no doubt that today will be regarded as one of the greatest days in the history of Amateur Radio,'' he said.

AMSAT-NA Board Chairman and past AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, was among those keeping a close ear on the launch activities and participating in the AMSAT Launch Information Service. ''I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see P3D in orbit,'' said Tynan. ''It's been a long time, a long road--a bit rough at times,'' Tynan observed.

For more information, visit the AMSAT-NA Web site, http://www.amsat.org. NNNN /EX

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