SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-355.01 ANS Special Bulletin - AMSAT China XW-1 Designated Hope OSCAR 68

AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 355.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

December 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-355.01

AMSAT-NA OSCAR Number Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO has informed Alan Kung, BA1DU, Amateur Satellite Project Manager and Chief Executive Officer of AMSAT-China that XW-1 is now designated as Hope OSCAR 68, or HO-68.

Bill wrote, "The satellite was launched successfully 15 December from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center of China, on a CZ-4C rocket. Ama- teur Radio Operators around the world have received beacon signals from XW-1."

Bill continues, "Further, I have been informed that XW-1 has been coor- dinated through IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel. As XW in Chinese means 'hope', it had been requested that this word be used as the prefix for the new OSCAR number. Therefore, with the above infor- mation and the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA President, I hereby designate this latest amateur radio satellite as Hope Oscar 68 or HO-68."

Congratulations to AMSAT-China. Bill concludes, "On behalf of AMSAT-NA and the world's amateur radio satellite community I congratulate those responsible for building, testing and launching this new satellite. May it have a long and successful life."

The latest official information can be found on-line on the AMSAT-China web page at: http://www.camsat.cn/

The AMSAT-NA Satellite Status Web may also be consulted for frequency and operating mode information at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=116&retURL=/... llites/status.php

/EX