FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Number 93-03	December 19, 1993

PHASE 3-D PROJECT  SHIFTS  INTO HIGH GEAR

     Following  a series of meetings both in the United States and 
Germany involving key members of the International Phase 3-D 
Project Development Team, work on construction of the new 
amateur satellite is moving forward at an accelerated pace.

     On December 11th and 12th,  Hanspeter Kulen, DK1YQ along 
with Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC,  AMSAT-DL President and Phase 3-
D Team Leader, hosted a key meeting of the project's international 
participants near Munich, Germany.  AMSAT-NA's Vice President 
for Engineering,  Dick Jansson, WD4FAB, and Dr. Tom Clark, 
W3IWI, AMSAT-NA's President Emeritus and a key member of the 
Phase 3-D project's GPS experiment group, were also in attendance.  
Both Dick and Tom report that all phases of the project are "on 
track" for the expected launch of Phase 3-D in 1996.

    "Each country's team is performing their assigned tasks very well,"  
said Jansson on Dec. 13th, soon after his return from Germany.   Clark 
observed that, "we are really pulling together as an international 
group."  He went on to note that, "thanks to the work of our 
European, South African and Japanese friends, it now looks like 
we'll have some superb cameras,  some really 'hot' receivers and 
some very powerful transmitters on Phase 3-D when it's launched in 
1996."   Specifically,  Dick mentioned that Mike Dorsett's (G6GEJ) 
efforts on the spacecraft's 2 Meter transmitter are right on schedule 
and that Mike's proposed construction approach had already met all 
the key design parameters.

     During the Munich meeting, Jansson was presented with a token 
of appreciation by Dr. Karl Meinzer for his outstanding contributions 
to the project.  Karl cited Dick's superb design work on the Phase 3-
D structure and thermal control system as well as his tireless efforts 
in support of the overall international project.

     Just prior to his meetings in Germany,  Jansson met with both 
students and faculty members from AMSAT-NA's team at Weber 
State University in Ogden, Utah.  Weber students are now in the 
process of building the flight model structure for Phase 3-D.  Dick 
reports that this vitally important portion of AMSAT-NA's role in the 
overall effort was "also on schedule for delivery of flight hardware 
next June."

     Other major contributions by AMSAT-NA to the project in the 
coming year will include the purchase of the spacecraft's heat pipes, 
solar panels and flight batteries, as well as final construction of the 
spacecraft's GPS positioning experiment, antennas and propellant 
flow hardware.  In addition, yet another group of some 15 dedicated 
volunteers have now been assembled in the Orlando, Florida area.  
These people are already in the process of both securing and 
preparing the spacecraft's final integration facility.  This team will 
also assist other project team members with integration activities 
beginning in mid-1994.

     Jansson concluded by saying, "there is still a lot of work left on 
all of our plates between now and 1996."  He also had high praise for 
the many volunteers now working on the project.  "The ongoing 
work of our volunteers is of high quality, and is much appreciated.  
Without their selfless efforts, the Phase 3-D project simply would not 
happen."  Jansson said.

For more information contact:

Keith C. Baker, KB1SF
1324 Fairgrounds Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385-9514 USA
"kb1sf@amsat.org"