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<H1><IMG
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width=118>SumbandilaSat successfully launched</H1>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><EM>Third time lucky!</EM> <BR></FONT><STRONG><BR><FONT
face=Verdana>SumbandilaSat</FONT></STRONG><FONT face=Verdana> was successfully
launched on 17 September at 17:55:09 CAT (Central African Time) after the launch
had to be postponed twice, once due to heavy winds and the second attempt due to
the fuel pressure in the feed line which was four times too low and thus caused
the fueling process to take too long to be completed in time for
launch.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>From </FONT><A href="http://www.amsatsa.org.za/"
target=_blank><FONT face=Verdana>http://www.amsatsa.org.za/</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Verdana>The satellite was released from the rocket while over the Antarctic
and accessed by the ground station at the Stellenbosch University ten minutes
later when the first command was sent to 'wake up' the satellites. Despite the
low elevation orbit of less than 10 degrees SumbandilaSat responded well with
its first telemetry. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Earlier in September a team of SunSpace Engineers unpacked
the satellite at the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and carried out a
full systems test. All systems performed to specification. The amateur radio
payload was tested from a little distance to check radio signal levels. All
three systems, the voice beacon, the parrot repeater and the VHF/UHF FM repeater
performed flawlessly.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Next SumbandilaSat was integrated on the launch platform
and made ready for launch. Prior to the assembly being transported to the launch
platform, the batteries were given their last top-up.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>An intensive period of payload qualification will now
follow during which each system will be tested. This is expected to take up to 3
months after which the command will shift to the CSIR’s Satellite Application
Centre at Hartebeeshoek, north of Pretoria.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Southern African Amateur Radio Satellite Association (SA
AMSAT)<BR></FONT><A href="http://www.amsatsa.org.za/" target=_blank><FONT
face=Verdana>http://www.amsatsa.org.za/</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Meteor M-N1 was launched with SumbandilaSat, details
at<BR></FONT><A
href="http://planet.iitp.ru/english/spacecraft/meteor-m-n1_eng.htm"
target=_blank><FONT
face=Verdana>http://planet.iitp.ru/english/spacecraft/<BR>meteor-m-n1_eng.htm</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT
face=Verdana>------------------------------------------------------</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><A id=thumbnail
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width=122></A></FONT></P>
<H1>435.365 MHz - Is it Tatiana 2 (Universitetsky 2) ?</H1>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>On the same launch as SumbandilaSat was <STRONG>Tatiana
2</STRONG> (Universitetsky 2) and some reports have indicated that it may be
transmitting on 435.365 MHz.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>A posting on the AMSAT Bulletin Board says:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Found Universitetsky 2 (Tatiana 2) transmitting Data (and
occassinally CW also) on ~435,365 MHz. this evening at around 19:20
UTC.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>Signal was quite strong but with some heavy fading now and
then, probably caused by the satellite's rotation.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>AMSAT Bulletin Board AMSAT-BB<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/" target=_blank><FONT
face=Verdana>http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/</FONT></A><BR></P></BODY></HTML>