SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS003   
   ARLS003 India's VO-52 Satellite Goes Dark   
      
   ZCZC AS03   
   QST de W1AW   
   Space Bulletin 003  ARLS003   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington, CT  July 22, 2014   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB SPACE ARL ARLS003   
   ARLS003 India's VO-52 Satellite Goes Dark   
      
   Despite efforts to keep the flagging VUSat OSCAR-52 (VO-52) Amateur   
   Radio satellite in operation for a while longer, ground controllers   
   have yielded to the nearly decade-old spacecraft's failing   
   technology and have permanently taken it out of service. Launched   
   into low Earth orbit in 2005, the VO-52 microsatellite carried two   
   Amateur Radio transponders for SSB and CW. B.A. "Mani" Subramani,   
   VU2WMY/KJ6LRS, of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said   
   that VO-52's lithium-ion batteries had failed, and the satellite was   
   officially decommissioned on July 21.   
      
   The ISRO website can be found at, http://www.isro.org/ .   
      
   "We all here in ISRO do definitely hope that HAMSAT VO-52 worked   
   tirelessly and was a good friend to the Amateur Radio fraternity   
   around the world," he said. "We are sure that HAMSAT was loved by   
   all who worked through her. Though, we are deeply saddened by the   
   loss of HAMSAT VO-52, she will never be forgotten."   
      
   The VO-52 satellite was one of the most popular SSB/CW satellites   
   during its lifetime. One of its transponders was developed by Indian   
   radio amateurs with assistance from ISRO and AMSAT-India. The second   
   transponder was developed by William Leijenaar, PE1RAH, a radio   
   amateur and graduate student from the Netherlands.   
      
   VU2MWY said that VO-52 had completed nearly 50,000 orbits before it   
   was decommissioned. "Since 11 July, every best possible effort has   
   been put in by the spacecraft controllers here in ISTRAC Bangalore   
   to revive her back to life and to help her with workload, so she   
   won't be swamped when she returns, but with no luck," he said. "[W]e   
   thank each and everyone who contributed to the great success of   
   HAMSAT."   
      
   VO-52 had been designed to remain operational for just a year, but   
   it exceeded expectations by continuing to run for more than 9 years.   
   NNNN   
   /EX    
      
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   One of the great tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory by a   
   gang of brutal facts. --Benjamin Franklin   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)