AMSAT Maryland Lab progress report

Recently, at the 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium, Robert Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Lab Manager and Assistant Vice-President of Engineering discussed the progress of building out the new AMSAT Satellite Integration Laboratory in Pokomoke, Maryland.

This laboratory is a collaborative effort between AMSAT and the Hawk Institute for Space Sciences (HISS), a division of the Maryland Hawk Corporation which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization affiliated with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). HISS is located in
Pocomoke, Maryland, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. This facility is about two and a half hours southeast of Washington, D.C. and is also near the NASA Wallops Facility.

The clean room walls have been cleaned and are currently being assembled. The contractor for the fire sprinkler system is expected to complete work in early November. The office walls have been completed and the laboratory, electrostatic workstations, soldering equipment, and machine shop are nearing final stages of construction.

The 5000 square foot facility will also house a satellite earth station expected to be installed in February, 2008. The laboratory will begin to be used with a university Cubesat project in accordance with AMSAT’s agreement. The Eagle satellite will be built and integrated at this facility also.

AMSAT’s Lab was also utilized for a university student project called the HAWK High Altitude Student Platform (HASP). This was an interdisciplinary program with fourteen students which built and launched a balloon project to 120,000’. The program will continue at the AMSAT Lab in 2008 and will be able to handle higher capacity payloads.

Robert, KF4KSS
AMSAT Lab Manager