Microsat launch 15th anniversary

22 January 2005 marked the 15th anniversary of the launch of five OSCAR microsats, UOSAT-4 (UO-15), PACSAT (AO-16), DOVE (DO-17), WEBERSAT (WO-18) and LUSAT (LO-19).

UoSAT-OSCAR 15 (UoSAT-4, UoSAT-E) by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite was launched on the first Ariane ASAP flight V35 with SPOT-2 and four other microsatellites: AO-16, DO-17, WO-18, and LO-19.

Based on the success of UoSAT-OSCAR-11's Digital Communications Experiment, AMSAT-OSCAR-16 was designed to be a dedicated store-and-forward file server in space. A total of 10 megabytes of static RAM was available for message storage and a RAM disk.

DOVE-OSCAR 17 was sponsored by AMSAT-Brazil and lead by Dr. Junior Torres DeCastro, PY2BJO. The primary mission of DOVE was to provide an easily receivable signal for educational institutions. Thus requiring simple equipment like a 2 meter handheld or scanner to receive DOVE's signal. Telemetry was in the familiar terrestrial 1200 baud AFSK AX.25 packet format requiring a common TNC to decode.

WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18 carried a Mode JD digital transponder and had a 1200 baud AX.25 packet system. Additionally WO-18 carried two 70cm beacons.

LUSAT-OSCAR 19 was coordinated by AMSAT Argentina, as a packet radio store-and-forward spacecraft much the same as AMSAT-OSCAR-16. The only difference between the two satellites was that AO-16 supports an S-Band beacon in addition to the mailbox, while LO-19 had an additional 70-cm CW beacon.

More information about these ground breaking satellites can be found at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/history.php

[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK for the above information]

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