karn (03/26/83)
Last weekend, JAMSAT and JARL (the Japanese branch of AMSAT and the Japanese Amateur Radio League) formally announced a project to build an amateur radio satellite for launch in 1986 aboard a new Japanese launch vehicle, the H-1 (similar to the American Delta). The satellite will physically resemble Oscar-8, and carry two communications payloads. One will be a Mode J 2m-to-70cm linear transponder like that on Oscar-8, and the other will be a digital store-and-forward "mailbox". The digital half of JAS-1 will be in addition to the similar PACSAT project being planned in the US for one of three launch possibilities: aboard a Space Services launcher, a Delta with Landsat D', or aboard the Landsat 4 Recovery shuttle mission from Vandenburg. Discussions have been underway between AMSAT and JAMSAT for some time to establish common modulation, protocols and user interfaces wherever possible for PACSAT and the digital portion of JAS-1 in order to minimize user inconvenience. Launch of JAS-1 is planned for early 1986 into a 1500 km altitude, 50 degree inclination orbit. Note that this orbit will NOT be sun-synchronous, unlike that planned for PACSAT. Phil Karn, KA9Q Asst. VP Engineering, AMSAT