Amateur satellites lost in launch failure
On 4 November, the inaugural launch of an experimental US military vehicle carrying several satellites with amateur radio payloads failed in mid-flight shortly after taking off at 0345UTC from Hawaii.
Destroyed in the demonstration flight were 13 small research spacecraft clustered on the mission for NASA researchers and university students.
None of the satellites carried amateur radio transponders, but several were equipped to transmit beacon signals and telemetry on 2m, 70cm and 13cm amateur frequencies.
Category: Front Page News
