RS-10 Radio Sputnik RS10/RS11, RS12/RS13 and RS-15 _________________________________________________________________ AMSAT Logo Satellite Summary RS-10/11 Name: Radio Sputnik (RS) 10/11 NASA Catalog Number: 18129 Launched: June 23, 1987 Primary Spacecraft: COSMOS 1861 - Russian Navigation Satellite Orbit: Polar LEO (Low Earth Orbit) - 1000 km altitude Period: 105 Minutes Modes: K, T, A, KT, KA Beacons: 29.357 and 29.403 MHz Features: * Linear Communications Transponders * Robot autotransponder Linear Transponder: Note: Satellite RS-10 is presently active in Mode A * Mode A Uplink: 145.860 - 145.900 MHz * Mode A Downlink: 29.360 - 29.400 MHz * Robot Uplink: 145.820 MHz * Robot Downlink: 29.357 or 29.403 MHz (Beacon frequencies) _________________________________________________________________ RS-12/13 Name: Radio Sputnik (RS) 12/13 NASA Catalog Number: 21089 Launched: February 5, 1991 Primary Spacecraft: COSMOS 2123 - Russian Navigation Satellite Orbit: Polar LEO (Low Earth Orbit) - 1000 km altitude Period: 105 Minutes Modes: K, T, A, KT, KA Beacons: 29.408, 29.454, 145.912, and 145.959 MHz Features: * Linear Communications Transponders * Robot autotransponder Linear Transponder: Note: Satellite RS-12 is presently active in Mode KT (simultaneous downlinks on both 10 meters and 2 meters) * Mode KT Uplink: 21.210 - 21.250 * Mode K Downlink: 29.410 - 29.450 * Mode T Downlink: 145.910 - 145.950 * Robot Uplink: 21.129 and 145.830 MHz * Robot Downlink: 29.408 or 29.454 MHz and 145.912 or 145.959 (Beacon frequencies) _________________________________________________________________ RS-15 Name: Radio Sputnik (RS) 15 NASA Catalog Number: 23440 Launched: December 16, 1994 Launch vehicle: Modified SS-19 missile Launch location: Baykonur Cosmodrome Weight: 70 kg Orbit: Polar LEO (Low Earth Orbit) - 2000 km altitude Inclination: 64.6 degrees Period: 128 Minutes Modes: A Beacons: 29.3525 and 29.3987 MHz Features: * Linear Communications Transponder Linear Transponder: * Mode A Uplink: 145.858 - 145.898 MHz * Mode A Downlink: 29.354 - 29.394 MHz * Beacon 1: 29.3525 MHz * Beacon 2: 29.3987 MHz _________________________________________________________________ AMSAT Logo Description RS-10/11 and RS-12/13 These satellites ride piggyback on a primary spacecraft - the COSMOS series of navigation satellites. Each satellite has two radio amateur transponders onboard. Only one is switched on at a time. Presently, only RS-10 and RS-12 are activated. For a number of technical reasons, command problems, interference and the like, they cannot be switched to other modes. So for the immediate future they will continue in their present configuration. RS-11 and RS-13 will remain switched off and in standby mode. Both satellites have a 40 kHz wide linear transponder allowing for CW and SSB contacts. One unique feature of both these satellites is the ROBOT autotransponder. These autotransponders make it possible to carry on a CW telegraphy contact with the ROBOT computer carried on the spacecraft. Upon calling the satellite on the ROBOT uplink frequency, the computer will return with a short message and issue a QSO number. For a more detailed description of these satellites, read John Magliacane's, KD2BD, Spotlight On: RS10/RS11 and RS12/RS13 originally published in The AMSAT Journal. _________________________________________________________________ RS-15 RS-15 Launch Report from Leo Maksakov dated 27 December 1994: Moscow. Official report. December 26, 1994 at 03:00 utc was launched Radio Amateurs satellite RS-15 from Baykonur space center. RS-15 launched by vehicle "Rokot". "Rokot" is made on base of rocketry boosters (1st and 2nd stages) of missile well known as SS-19 and new booster "Briz" (3th stage). Satellite is spherical like unit about 1 meter diameter and his weight is approximately 70 kg. (used the same trunk as on RS-3 - RS-8). On the board exist transponder, two radiobeacons, CW - broadcast bulletin board (2kb), remote control system and telemetry system. The satellite have not orientation and stabilization systems. All electronics onboard equipment was designed and realized by group of radio amateurs from Kaluga town (180 km s-w from Moscow) under leaderships of Aleksander Papkov. Common coordinations and supervisions to carry out by public organization NILAKT POSTO (aero-cosmic laboratory), Moscow, director Valentin Yamnikov. Full controls of RS-15 as RS-10/11 and RS-12/13 implemented by RS3A controls station at Moscow (head Leonid Maksakov). Sponsor of ground control station is "Unicom", Russia and "UTC", RI, USA. RS-15 transponder bandplan and data: Uplink: 145.858 - 145.898 MHz (from Earth to Sat.) - aprox. 100 Watts IERP Downlink: 29.354 - 29.394 MHz (from Sat. to Earth) - up to 5 Watts Beacon 1: 29.352.5 MHz - 0.4/1.2 Watts Beacon 2: 29.398.7 MHz - 0.4/1.2 Watts RS-15 Orbital data: Orbit number: 3 Apogee: 2165 km. Perigee: 1885 km. Period: 127.45 min. Inclination: 64.59 deg. Time of ascent node: 8:56:17 utc Longitude of ascent node: 54.243 deg. West. A brief description of RS-15 telemetry was released by the operator of RS3A, the command station for RS-15. More information about RS-15 will be given after complete testing all systems. Please send your reports and comments to controls station (RS3A): P.O. Box 59, Moscow 105122, Internet E-mail: rsgroup@olymp.msk.su Russia; Packet: RS3A @ RS3A.MSK.RUS.EU Fax: 7+095-916-2949; 73 de RS-group. Your Reports are Welcome! _________________________________________________________________ AMSAT Logo References * Vern Riportella, "New Russian Satellite Sparks Surge of Interest," QST, Nov 1987, p. 66. * Keith Bergland, "Decoding RS-12/13 Telemetry," The AMSAT Journal, Vol.15, No. 1, Jan/Feb 1992, p. 13. * John Magliacane, "Spotlight on RS10/RS11 and RS12/RS13," The AMSAT Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4, Jul/Aug 1992, p. 17. * Steve Ford, "Working the EasySats", QST, Sep 1992, p. 30. * Gould Smith, Beginners Guide to the RS Satellites, AMSAT. * Martin Davidoff, The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook, 2nd edition, The American Radio Relay League, Newington, CT., 1990. _________________________________________________________________ <---[IMAGE]Return to Satellite Summary _________________________________________________________________ Last update April 8, 1996 - N7HPR .