Satgen170   KITSAT  : SOLAR SAIL : COMET       by GM4IHJ      27th June 92

In August 92 Ariane flight V52 should launch Kitsat A a satellite built by
the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Kisat - A is an
advanced version of Uosat 5 Oscar 22, and its successful launch should
greatly enhance the usefulness and capacity of the existing international
packet radio store and forward network being spearheaded by Uosat 5.

Kitsat 's orbit is quite different from that of Uosat 5. Its orbital
inclination of 66 degrees will make its track resemble a more northerly
variation of that of the Mir space station. Unlike Uosat 5 it will not be
Sun synchronous in this orbit. So whereas Uosat orbits cross UK in a
timing pattern repeating month after month, the Kitsat orbit pattern of 8
passes per day with acquisitions roughly every 117 minutes , will drift as
a pattern in respect of the time of day it starts and finishes ,more
slowly than Mir's does but still quite noticable over a month or two.

In addition Kitsat flying at about 1500 kms is much higher up than Uosat
5. So it will be in range each pass of UK for much longer than Uosat 5.
Allowing far more user access to a wider footprint of simultaneous users.
Kitsat downlink will mix telemetry, experiment data, camera images and,
store and forward packet facilities using the now familiar Uo5, Pacsat,
Lusat software protocol PBG ( for IBM , which with PE1CHL.NET for ATARIs
is the only software I am aware of). Tentative Kitsat frequencies are :-
Uplink 145.85 MHz primary , 145.9 MHz secondary . Downlink 435.175 MHz
Both up and dowlinks use 9600 bps FSK AX.25 protocol needing G3RUH 9600
bps modems with direct input to Tx varactor, and from Rx discriminator

SOLAR SAIL EXPERIMENT .    The CIS Progress supply capsule going up to Mir
on 5th Oct 92 will carry up a prototype Solar sail experiment for release
from Mir - probably after the Progress departs Oct 20th. As yet I have no
further details of this experiment.
While reporting Mir. Please note that someone is giving RSGB Radio
Communications magazine false information. For several months Eg page 79
July 92 , the BOOK CASE PAGE has reported that Mir is presently unmanned.
Those listening to the chat from the present Cosmonauts Viktorenko and
Kaleri on 143.625 and 145.55 MHz will beg to differ. Mir has been
continously manned now for several years. V and K are due to return about
11th August. Their replacements Solovyov and Avdeynev are due to stay in
Mir until November when they will be relieved by Manakov and Poleshchuk.

GIOTTO COMET ENCOUNTER   The Giotto comet Halley probe of March 86, is
scheduled to fly past Comet Grigg Skjellerup on the 10th July 92. With any
luck this could be as exciting as the Halley fly by, but as yet have not
seen details of any media coverage . Giotto's camera was pobably smashed
during the Halley fly by , but most of the other instruments survived. So
there are unlikely to be pictures . Grigg-Skjellerup is a much older comet
than Halley . So it will probably have less dust that Halley - but it
should be an exciting ride. 73 de GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN