SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS008
ARLS008 SSETI Express launch delayed indefinitely

ZCZC AS08  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 008  ARLS008
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  September 29, 2005
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS008
ARLS008 SSETI Express launch delayed indefinitely

The launch of the Student Space Exploration and Technology
Initiative (SSETI) Express satellite, which will carry an Amateur
Radio package, has been postponed indefinitely. That announcement
from SSETI Express Project Manager Neil Melville put a damper on the
enthusiasm building in anticipation of a planned September 30
launch. Melville blamed the delay on the failure of another
spacecraft set to go into space during the launch from Russia.

"Early indications suggest that we have a delay of at least one
month, but this is not confirmed," he said. "This is, of course,
very unfortunate, but it is not critical," he went on. "The
spacecraft can easily wait for the new launch date without any
significant problems, and we will fly it as soon as we can." When it
does fly, the SSETI Express, which also carries three CubeSat
picosatellites, will leave Earth from Plesetsk Cosmodrome via a
Cosmos-3M LV vehicle.

The Cosmos-3M will deploy the Topsat, China DMC and the low-Earth
orbit 60 kg SSETI Express satellites. Plans call for downlinking
AX.25 telemetry at 9.6 kb on 437.250 MHz and at 38.4 kb on 2401.835
MHz. The satellite will be turned into a single-channel amateur FM
voice Mode U/S transponder after the transmitter serves initial
telemetry duty.

SSETI Express will, in turn, release the three CubeSats--NCUBE-2,
UWE-1, and XI-V. The XI-V ("sai five") package will include a CW
beacon on 437.465 MHz and FM packet on 437.345 MHz.

The ESA SSETI Express initiative has brought together students from
two dozen European universities via the Internet to build and launch
a satellite. ESA provides managerial and technical coordination.

There's more information on the AMSAT-UK Web site at,
http://www.uk.amsat.org/ and on the AMSAT-NA Web site at,
http://www.amsat.org/.
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