SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS008
ARLS008 First Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Now in Space

ZCZC AS08  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 008  ARLS008
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  December 16, 2009
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS008
ARLS008 First Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Now in Space

AMSAT China (CAMSAT) reports that at around 0230 UTC on December 15,
China launched its first Amateur Radio satellite -- named XW-1 --
into space.

The microsatellite -- a secondary payload aboard the CZ-4C rocket
launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center -- was launched
into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an apogee of approximately 1200
kilometers. XW-1 successfully reached orbit at 0253 UTC. Members of
the XW-1 launch team reported they received a beacon from the
satellite shortly after the satellite deployed. In the first few
days, the XW-1 team will work on the satellite's FM and
store-forward transponder mode and its linear transponder mode.
Once those tests are complete, they will upload a new flight program
to set up the payload schedule.

The satellite's communications payload includes a beacon and three
crossband transponders operating in FM, SSB/CW and digital modes.

Uplink and downlink frequencies can be found on the CAMSAT Web site,
http://www.camsat.cn/index.php, or the AMSAT web site at,
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/status.php.
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