UoSAT-1

UoSat-1

Mission type	OSCAR
Operator	University of Surrey
COSPAR ID	1981-100B
SATCAT №	12888
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	54 kilograms (119 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	6 October 1981, 11:27 UTC
Rocket	Delta 2310
Launch site	Vandenberg AFB
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth

UoSAT-1, also known as UoSAT-OSCAR 9, was a British amateur radio satellite which orbited Earth. It was built at the University of Surrey and launched into low Earth orbit on 6 October 1981. It exceeded its anticipated two-year orbital lifespan^[1] by six years, having received signals on 13 October 1989,^[2] before re-entering the atmosphere.

Mission

Like its successor UoSAT-2 it carried a CCD camera and a Digitalker speech synthesiser,^[1] and transmitted telemetry data on a 145.826 MHz beacon at 1200 baud using asynchronous AFSK.^[3]

The Astrid package sold by British firm MM Microwave,^[4] consisting of a fixed frequency VHF receiver set and software for the BBC Micro, could display the telemetry frames from either UoSAT-1 or UoSAT-2.^[1] UoSAT-1's solar arrays were of an experimental design reused for UoSAT-2.^[1]

References

1. Cook, Mike (June 1986). "Way into the world of satellite telemetry: Mike Cook reviews the Astrid telemetry package". The Micro User (Stockport, UK: Database Publications) 4 (4): 100–1. ISSN 0265-4040.
2. Bopp, Matthias (2 October 2010). "Homepage DD1US / Sounds from Space". Retrieved 13 October 2010.
3. "Amateur Satellite Summary - UoSAT-OSCAR-11". AMSAT. AMSAT. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
4. Webb, Stephen R. (16 January 2008). "Even More FAQs". Retrieved 13 October 2010.