 AMSAT-OSCAR 21
(RS-14)
Spacecraft Summary
| OSCAR Designation: |
AMSAT-OSCAR 21 |
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Oscar Number: |
AO-21 |
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| International Designator: |
1991-006A |
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Norad Number: |
21087 |
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| Common Name: |
RS-14 |
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Alternate Name: |
Radio Sputnik 14 |
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| Satellite Type: |
Payload |
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Launch Date: |
29 January, 1991 |
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| Launch Location: |
Plesetsk |
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Apogee: |
1008.00 |
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| Perigee: |
955.00 |
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Inclination: |
82.94 |
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| Period: |
104.73 |
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Weight: |
0.000 Kg |
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| Organization: | AMSAT-U/AMSAT-DL |
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Sorry - no frequency information is currently availableIf you have frequency information about this satellite please contact the AMSAT website team
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Current Keplerian Elements
AO-21
1 21087U 91006A 09324.47240740 -.00000001 00000-0 -16498-4 0 4349
2 21087 82.9396 290.2488 0034101 206.2002 153.7430 13.75048636943890
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Detailed Description
RS-14/AO-21 was launched on January 29, 1991, the results of a joint venture between AMSAT-U and AMSAT-DL. The amateur equipment rode piggyback on the INFORMATOR-1, an experimental geological satellite. The Russian amateur radio satellite club Orbita and the Adventure Club of Moscow built Radio M-1 as a joint project with German hams at Marburg, Munich and Hannover. The collaboration led to dual names for the new amateur radio satellite once it arrived in orbit: AMSAT-OSCAR-21 (AO-21) and Radiosputnik-14 (RS-14)
As of September 16, 1994 the spacecraft was switched off, including the amateur equipment onboard. The reasons cited were those of cost in maintaining the craft in space when the usefulness of the primary payload was exhausted. The amateur community lost a valuable asset.
RS-14/AO-21 was a very popular satellite with the radio amateurs. The equipment to communicate through RS-14/AO-21 was simple and easy to operate. RS-14/AO-21 functioned as a "repeater in the sky" and routinely transmitted digitally recorded voice messages commemorating events like the 25th anniversary of the first landing on the moon by broadcasting Neil Armstrong's first words as he stepped on the moon.
Altogether four different receiving channels within 70 cm the range could process differently modulated signals (BPSK, AFSK, FSK, RSM, FM) by the computer. Eight different modes transmitted: - 1200 bps, BPSK, NRZI (Fuji mode)
- 400 bps, BPSK, Biphase s, (Phase-3 mode)
- 2400 bps, BPSK, Biphase s, (Rudak-1 mode)
- 4800 bps, RSM, NRZIC
- 9600 bpses, RSM, NRZI + Scrambler
- CW
- FSK for RTTY, SSTV, FAX transmissions
- FM-modulated through a DSO RISC Processor
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Reference Documents:
- Peter Guelzow, "RUDAK-II on AMSAT OSCAR-21: Full System Overview, Current activities and future planning," The Amsat Journal, Vol. 16, No. 2, Mar/Apr 1993, p.14.
- John A. Magliacane, "Spotlight on RS-14/OSCAR-21," The AMSAT Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1, Jan/Feb 1993, p. 23.
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