September, 2006

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Massive CubeSat Launch Fails
An attempt to launch 15 CubeSats from 11 universities and one private company failed today [July 26] . California Polytechnic State University, which coordinated the launch, confirmed the failure on its CubeSat Web page. Fourteen of the CubeSats carried Amateur Radio transmit-only payloads. Space Launch Report cites payload users as reporting that the mission went awry sometime after first-stage separation. The Dnepr-1LV rocket lifted off from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1943 UTC today. Originally set for June 28, the launch had been postponed until July 26. The CubeSat project was a collaboration between California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and Stanford University's Space Systems Development Laboratory. All of the CubeSats were designed and built by students at various universities in the US and elsewhere in the world. Thirteen of the satellites were to have downlinks in the Amateur Radio satellite allocation between 435 and 438 MHz, and one was to operate on 145.980 MHz. None of the spacecraft carried a transponder. Transmitter power outputs ranged from 10 mW to 2 W. The Dnepr launch failure reportedly was the first in seven orbital launch attempts. The Dnepr vehicle is a repurposed SS-18 "Satan" three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, originally designed in the 1980s to compete with the US Peacekeeper missile. The START 2 treaty allowed up to 150 of the missiles to be converted for use as space launchers.

In-flight Internet dealt a setback
Boeing announced today that it will pull the plug on Connexion, the company’s in-flight Internet service designed for commercial jets. "Regrettably, the market for this service has not materialized as had been expected," Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Jim McNerney says in a statement. "We believe this decision best balances the long-term interests of all parties with a stake in Connexion by Boeing." The service was used by international carriers, including many that flew trans-Pacific routes, according to Reuters. Lufthansa also was one of the Connexion's bigger subscribers, offering the service on about 50 flights. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Japan Airlines, Korean Air, All-Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines and China Airlines are other Connexion customers. Connexion fees were $26.95 for an entire long-haul flight, or $9.95 for an hour, according to Reuters. It was not yet clear yet what Connexion’s end will mean for the service's current airline customers.

SSTV tests planned from ISS, school contacts set for German astronaut
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program reports that ISS Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, has set up a camera to use for slow-scan television (SSTV) from the ISS. Vinogradov plans to soon test the system over Moscow on 144.49 MHz -- perhaps as early as this weekend -- and radio amateurs within range are encouraged to receive the SSTV images. For now, the SSTV system will only be used to transmit. Due to various issues with 144.49 MHz in Europe, the European and US ARISS teams will be recommending frequencies for use over other countries. Responding to a request from the European Space Agency (ESA), ARISS has scheduled school group contacts at three ESA-organized events for new Expedition 13 astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR . The Greek Minister of Education asked for a QSO with Reiter during the ESA Space Camp in Greece July 29. This is expected to be a major event, with the minister asking an interview question, and Greek national TV covering the occasion. A QSO with visitors at the Museum of the Swiss Air Force is set for September 22, while a contact with visitors to Germany's Mannheim Museum has been rescheduled for November 20, during Expedition 14. Reiter, the first German astronaut to be a part of an ISS crew, likely will use the space station's German call sign, DP0ISS.

September, 2006

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