New object identified near SSETI

Taft DeVere from Headquarters Airforce Space Command, (HQ AFSPC) reports that the Air Force has discovered a new object that is quite close to the SSETI payload. This new object has been cataloged as 28897.

They believe that this object was ejected on 15 Dec 2005 at about 1640Z. Additional tracking data indicates that it is slowly moving away from SSETI.

This leads to the conclusion that the object is not a lightweight piece of foil or Mylar type material, since these decay more quickly. It seems that this is likely an object with some mass, and radars report it is quite small.

Below is the two-line element set for the new object.

1 28897U 05043H 05356.70226803 .00000182 00000-0 48118-4 0 58
2 28897 098.1779 252.6230 0017791 005.4499 354.6921 14.59489332 382

The initial speculation is that this new object could be NCube-2 satellite although no postive reception reports have been received yet.

NCube-2's downlink is as follows:

Downlink: 437,305MHz
Bitrate: 9600b/s
Modulation technique: GMSK

The message:
"DE=LA1CUB=NCUBE2=FF=LA1CUB===" is morsed using a 2400Hz tone, 26 words
per minute" where FF is a hex number [00=3,0V - FF=4,5V]

If battery voltage is above 3,8V, every 2 minutes
If battery voltage is below 3,8, every 5 minutes

In the end of the message an unnumbered AX.25 packet is attached containing the string:
DE=LA1CUB=NCUBE2=NORWEGIAN CUBESAT - WWW.NCUBE.NO

In the header of the AX.25: Callsign: NCUBE Destination: EARTH

The satellite will transmit at a power of 1.5W at full battery charge

Reception reports will be welcome email to ncube@rocketrange.no and to
missioncontrol@sseti.org

Thanks to Taft DeVere HQ AFSPC and Graham, G3VZV for the above information