ARRL Audio News Transcript
From: "Stephan M. Anderman, K2SMA"
A third, mini-Sputnik satellite is scheduled to be launched by ESA astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere, FX0STB, of France, from the Russian Mir Space platform sometime this month. But now it appears that AMSAT-France was duped into participating in what may be a commerical venture on amateur frequencies.
Swatch, a Swiss watchmaker, had entered into a contract with the Russian Space Flight Control Center to put a satellite in orbit. The satellite would put paid, private and commercial messages on the air. AMSAT-Russia, apparently unwittingly, agreed to help construct the satellite, leaving partner AMSAT-France holding the bag. And this week, an embarrassed AMSAT-France President Bernard Pidoux, F6BVP, cancelled any future involvement with the Russians in such projects. According to the ARRL, AMSAT-France made good on its part of the contract to avoid legal action.
Pidoux apologized for the situation and called on AMSAT organizations to refrain from describing the contents of the satellite's messages and asked that Keplerian elements not be published by AMSAT.
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