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EB3AGO > SAT 20.08.96 04:06l 73 Lines 3400 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 25227_EB3AGO
Read: GUEST DK3EL
Subj: PHASE 3-D WILL LAUNCH ON ARIANE 502
Path: DB0AAB<DB0KCP<HB9OS<HB9PD<HB9IAP<F1IOI<EA7FZV<EA8AOP<EA5HX<CT1ASP<
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Sent: 960802/0731Z @:EB3AGO.EAB.ESP.EU #:25227 [Sant Cugat] FBB7.00b10 $:ANS-21
From: EB3AGO@EB3AGO.EAB.ESP.EU
To : SAT@AMSAT
HR SPECIAL AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 214.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 1, 1996
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-214.01
It's now official...AMSAT's Phase 3-D International Satellite will be a
passenger on the next launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 5
mission, AR 502.
The launch of Phase 3-D on AR 502 has now been formally slated by ESA to
occur "within the first six months of 1997". However, AMSAT officials are
now working to complete all integration and testing efforts for the Phase
3-D satellite in time for a launch that could come as early as
mid-February, 1997.
The latest announcement came on July 27 during a joint AMSAT-DL/AMSAT-NA
presentation on Phase 3-D's status to the 1996 AMSAT-UK Colloquium at the
University of Surrey in England. The decision to re-confirm launch of
Phase-3-D via AR 502 was made immediately following a series of high level
meetings between AMSAT and ESA officials at ESA's Headquarters in Paris,
France on July 23rd and 24th attended by Phase 3D Project Leader Dr. Karl
Meinzer, DJ4ZC, AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF and
AMSAT-NA Vice President for Engineering Dick Jansson WD4FAB. These
meetings occurred in conjunction with ESA's public announcement of results
from their formal Inquiry Board investigating the failure of the first
Ariane 5 launch, AR 501, in early June.
"We have been given strong assurances that ESA has taken the
recommendations of the AR 501 Inquiry Board to heart and are now 'rolling
up their shirtsleeves' to correct those deficiencies in time for the Ariane
502 launch next year," said Dr. Meinzer. He went on to say that, "I am
very confident that ESA will do all that can possibly be done to insure our
launch is successful."
AMSAT-NA's Keith Baker was equally positive about the latest developments
for Phase 3-D's launch. Keith noted that, "The fact that the investigators
were able to use recovered debris and subsequent laboratory analysis to
duplicate the exact sequence of events that caused the AR 501 failure gives
us renewed confidence for the prospects of a successful launch on AR 502."
In addition, Baker went on to say that, "It is also readily apparent that
the Inquiry Board's findings and recommendations went well beyond immediate
hardware and software issues to address the primary root causes of the AR
501 failure."
AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, also viewed the latest launch
developments for the Phase 3-D satellite as good news. "However", said
Tynan, "this still places responsibility for completion and testing of
Phase 3-D firmly in our court." He went on to note that, "We must still
finish final integration and testing of the satellite by year end, conduct
the launch campaign, and insure the necessary funds are secured to do so."
Tynan concluded that, "Even if our launch goes as it is now scheduled, we
will have still incurred an unplanned program stretch-out of a year or
more. This translates directly into a critical need for additional funding
to insure Phase 3-D is compete and flight-ready when ESA tells us it is
time to launch," he said.
ANS thanks Keith Baker, KB1SF, for providing this special bulletin
information.
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