SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS013
ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over

ZCZC AS13  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 013  ARLS013
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  November 4, 2004
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS013
ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over

According to AMSAT-UK, the UO-22 satellite is not in good shape and
its useful life may be over. The Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
(SSTL) Ground Station control center has tried several times in
recent weeks to reactivate the satellite, AMSAT-UK reports. The
satellite did come back to life briefly following one attempt, but
other tries have failed completely.

The SSTL ground control station may make further attempts to
reactivate UO-22, "but it seems unlikely that they will be
completely successful." The cause of the satellite's failure is not
known for certain, but SSTL believes it may be related either to the
spacecraft's batteries or to the fact that the satellite is very hot
due to orbital precession, which has generally put the spacecraft in
full sunlight. The elevated temperature has been causing problems
with the receivers as well as with the batteries.

Launched on July 17, 1991, UO-22 has served for many years as the
9600 baud store-and-forward satellite for the Amateur Radio packet
radio worldwide SatGate service, which linked packet radio networks
in many countries. AMSAT-NA reports UO-22 as "non-operational."

For further information on UO-22 contact Jim Heck, G3WGM, via email
at, g3wgm@amsat.org.
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