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WG3K > ANS 22.12.24 01:38l 50 Lines 2393 Bytes #180 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS357.1
Subj: TaiwanâÖs PARUS-T1A Launch Failed
Path: IZ3LSV<DB0ERF<DK0WUE<DK0WUE<VK5RSV<K7EK<N3HYM<WG3K
Sent: 241222/0036Z 11161@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
Radio Amateurs around the world were anticipating a new FM repeater in
space as a Christmas present this year, but it seems they will find only
coal in their stockings. The rocket carrying the PARUS T1A satellite failed
to reach orbit.
Space One, a Japanese space startup, said its second attempt to launch a
rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after
liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself, nine months after the companyâÖs
first launch attempt ended in an explosion.
Space OneâÖs Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the
mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan. The company said it
had aborted the flight after concluding that it was unlikely to complete
its mission.
âWe are very sorry that we could not achieve as far as a final stage of the
mission,â Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told a news conference
Wednesday. âWe donâÖt consider this a failure because we are getting
valuable data that will help our pursuit toward a next challenge.â
He said he hoped to find the cause to address the problems as soon as
possible to achieve a success next time.
Company executive and space engineer Mamoru Endo said the abnormality in
the first stage engine nozzle or its control system is likely to have
caused an unstable flight of the rocket, which started spiraling in
midflight and eventually destroyed itself about three minutes after
liftoff, using its autonomous safety mechanism.
The Kairos No. 2 rocket was carrying five small satellites, including one
from the Taiwanese space agency and several from Japanese startups. The
Taiwanese satellite was PARUS-T1A a 3U CubeSat that featured an FM
crossband repeater, as well as an APRS digipeater to provide global amateur
activities at the same frequency of ISS APRS channel 145.825MHz.
A second Taiwanese amateur satellite, PARUS-T1, carrying an APRS
store-and-forward system, is still scheduled for launch next month on a
SpaceX mission. Both satellites were constructed by students at National
Formosa University.
Space One said it had fixed the cause of the debut flight failure, which
stemmed from a miscalculation of the rocketâÖs first-stage propulsion.
Japan hopes the company can pave the way for a domestic space industry that
competes with the United States.
[ANS thanks the Associated Press and reporter Mari Yamaguchi for the above
information]
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