[W9RCA-News] ANS Special Bulletin AMSAT China Says XW-1 Has Been Launched

[Jim Keeth]

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-349.01
ANS Special Bulletin AMSAT China Says XW-1 Has Been Launched

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 349.01

> From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
>
December 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-349.01

China's 1st ever amateur radio satelite XW-1 is in space now!

AMSAT China reports it was launched at about around 0230 UTC on
December 15, 2009. The beacon was received in Sanya after launch.

XW-1 was a secondary payload aboard the CZ-4C rocket from Taiyuan
Satellite Launch Center into a sun-synchronous orbit about 1200
kilometers high. The primary payload of this launch is the Yaogen-8
Remote Sensing Satellite.

The preliminary keplerian elements for the satellite are:

XW-1
1 99999U 09349.11987269 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00006
2 99999 100.4859 046.2958 0001760 147.4703 038.6343 13.15267150000017

The XW-1 communications payload includes a beacon and three cross
band transponders operating in FM, linear, and digital modes.
Here is a Spacecraft Summary:

Common Name: XW-1
Alternate Name: CAS-1
Satellite Type: Microsatellite
Launch Date: TBD
Launch Location: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center of China
Launch Vehicle: CZ-2C(LM-2C) Rocket
Apogee: 1200km
Perigee: 1200km
Inclination: 105 degrees
Period: 109 minutes
Local time of descending node: 21:30
Weight: 50kg

Frequency Information

Mode V/U (J) FM Voice Repeater (30 dbm (1 w)):
Uplink: 145.8250 MHz FM, PL 67.0 Hz.
Downlink: 435.6750 MHz FM

Mode V/U (J) Linear Transponder (Inverting) (30 dbm (1 w)):
Uplink:145.9250 - 145.9750 MHz SSB/CW
Downlink:435.7650 - 435.7150 MHz SSB/CW

Mode V/U (J) PacSat BBS (30 dbm (1 w)):
Uplink:145.8250 MHz AFSK 1200 BPS
Downlink: 435.6750 MHz AFSK 1200 BPS

Mode Beacon (23 dbm (200mw)):
Downlink:435.7900 MHz CW

You can get XW-1 Telemetry Format at
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/documents/ 
XW-1_Telemetry_Format.pdf

Details of the XW-1 satellite are available at:
http://www.camsat.cn/index.php? 
option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=67

[ANS thanks David Chen, BD5RV/4 and Alan Kung, BA1DU for the above  
information]

/EX