SSTL har meddelat att UO-22 r i s dligt skick att den snart att ha ntt sitt slut. Satelliiten har varit aktiv sedan 1991. Se nedanstende:
AMSAT-UK have been informed by SSTL that UO-22 is not in good shape, and its looks as though its useful life may be over. The SSTL Ground Station control centre at the University of Surrey have attempted several times in recent weeks to reactivate the satellite.
After one attempt it did come back to life, but only briefly. Other attempts have failed completely. As time permitts, the Control Station may make further attempts at reactivation, but it seems unlikely that they will be completely successful.
The cause if the satellite s demise is unknown, but may be related to the batteries which have been in space for more than 10 years, or to the fact that the satellite is very hot due to the orbit preccessing such that it is generall in full sunlight. The elevated temparature was causing problems with the receivers, as well as the battery.
UO-22 was laaunched in July 1991 from Kourou, French Guiana, and served for many years as the store and forward satellite for the Amateur Radio Packet Radio world wide SatGate service, which linked packet radio networks in many countries.
Klla: ANS 298