Is SuitSat dead?

Some 9 hours after SuitSat was launched from the International Space Station, it would appear that this novel satellite may have suffered a failure.

The SuitSat website is currently carrying the following statement:

'It appears SuitSat froze without giving off any good data. Unless SuitSat returns to life, this page is closed to further posting. Thanks to everyone that participated, and hopefully the failure will result in knowledge that can be applied to the next attempt'

A NASA-TV announcer also reported that the batteries had 'frozen or died'. 'Suitsat is dead'. They also reported that SuitSat may have failed on its second orbit.

To date, we have not received any confirmed reports of signals being heard during those two orbits.

Unless SuitSat returns to life, this will sadly mark the end of a truly innovative and imaginative project - one that has galvanised the amateur radio community, and captured the imagination of the general public and schoolchildren alike.
To this end, SuitSat has already been a huge success!

Let's hope that this failure (if it does prove to be one) will not deter the organisers from trying a similar experiment again soon.

Please guys, keep up the good work. Amateur radio is in dire need of visionaries like you!

I tip my hat to you all.

Richard - g4tut
(Editor - SARC News)

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