SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001
ARLS001 New Saudi satellite gets OSCAR designation

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QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 001  ARLS001
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  January 7, 2003
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS001
ARLS001 New Saudi satellite gets OSCAR designation

A third satellite in the SaudiSat series has earned an OSCAR
designation from AMSAT, SO-50. The Amateur Radio payload was
successfully placed into orbit December 20 from Russia atop a
modified SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. The German-made
SAFIR-M Amateur Radio payload went into orbit during the same
launch. SaudiSat-1C is a project of the Space Research Institute of
the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

SaudiSat-1C follows the 2000 launch of SaudiSats 1A and 1B. Now in a
650-km orbit, SaudiSat-1C carries several experiments, including a
new Mode J FM amateur repeater. The downlink frequency is 436.775
MHz. The uplink frequency is 145.850 MHz. A 67 Hz CTCSS tone is
required for access. The repeater will be available to amateurs
worldwide as power permits.

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, said SaudiSat-1C will
require activation on each pass by a designated control operator. ''A
worldwide network of designated control operators is now being
developed so that radio amateurs may begin using the satellite
immediately,'' he said. The NORAD identifier for two-line Keplerian
elements is 27607.

The new satellite is also equipped with capabilities to provide
vital data concerning weather conditions and oil exploration as well
as to monitor the movement of vehicles in remote regions of Saudi
Arabia.
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