George H. Diller                                                                             August 22, 2001
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468

Julie Andrews
Lockheed Martin
321/853-1567

Annette Wells
Department of Defense Space Test Program
310/363-6827

KSC Release No. 101-01

KODIAK STAR SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH FROM ALASKA SEPT. 17

The launch of Kodiak Star aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle from Alaska's Kodiak Launch Complex is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17 at the opening of a launch window that extends from 5 - 7 p.m. ADT (9 -11 p.m. EDT). This will be the first mission to be launched into an earth orbit from Kodiak Island. Riding atop the Athena I, the Kodiak Star payload consists of four individual satellites.

Starshine 3, whose ride into space is sponsored by NASA, consists of over 1,500 hand-polished mirrors, 31 retro-reflectors and seven clusters of solar cells powering an amateur radio transmitter. The spherical satellite, one meter in diameter and weighing 200 pounds, can be used to study orbital decay.

It will be deployed into a 300-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 67 degrees. Flashes from the satellite will occur every two seconds. They will be visible just after sunset and just before sunrise as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska and as far south as McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Starshine Program involves participation from students in kindergarten through high school. This will be the first time that students from Alaska, and nations at high latitudes, can participate in the project due to the higher orbital inclination.

PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire are payloads sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. PICOSat, the primary DoD satellite, is a technology demonstration satellite with four experiments on board. PCSat was designed by midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, and will become part of the amateur radio community's Automatic Position Reporting System. It will receive identity and position data from amateur radio operators and re-transmit it to ground stations. Sapphire is a micro-satellite built by students at Stanford University and Washington University - St. Louis. Sapphire's primary mission is testing infrared sensors for space use.

LAUNCH MINUS 1 DAY PRELAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE AND TOUR

The prelaunch press conference will be held on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ADT (5:30 p.m. EDT) in the launch control center conference room at the Kodiak Launch Complex . Participating in the press conference will be:

Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Manager, Kodiak Star
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Rick Malone, Athena Mission Director
Lockheed Martin Astronautics
Denver, Colorado 

Gil Moore, Starshine Program Director
Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium
Monument, Colorado

Lt. Col Perry Ballard, USAF
Deputy Program Director, DoD Space Test Program
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

Jim Sardonia, Launch Weather Officer
Department of the Air Force, 45th Weather Squadron
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

At the conclusion of the press conference, news media representatives will be given a tour of the Kodiak Launch Complex, owned by the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation.

PRESS ACCREDITATION

Media desiring to cover the launch of Kodiak Star should send a letter of request for accreditation to:

Press Accreditation, Kodiak Star
NASA XA-E1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

Letters may also be faxed to 321/867-2692. 

The request should be written on news organization letterhead and contain the full name, Social Security number and birth date of those planning to cover the launch. For further information, contact the NASA News Center at 321/867-2468.

KODIAK STAR MEDIA DESK AND LAUNCH COMPLEX TRANSPORTATION 

A Kodiak Star Media Desk will be established in the lobby of the Buskin River Inn, located adjacent to the Kodiak Island Airport. Press badges for accredited news media may be picked up on L-1 day, Sunday, Sept. 16, beginning at 11 a.m. Transportation to and from the Kodiak Launch Complex will be provided. The press bus for the prelaunch news conference and launch complex tour will depart from the Buskin River Inn at 11:45 a.m. Due to significant parking limitations and security reasons, no privately owned vehicles are permitted at the launch site.

On launch day, Sept. 17, press credentials may also be picked up beginning at 1 p.m. at the Kodiak Star Media Desk. The press bus for launch will depart from the Buskin River Inn at 2 p.m.

NASA TELEVISION, V CIRCUIT AND WEB COVERAGE

The Kodiak Star prelaunch press conference from the Kodiak Launch Complex will be carried live on NASA Television beginning at 1:30 p.m. ADT on Sunday, Sept. 16. Remote question and answer capability from other NASA field centers is not possible. However, if time permits, some questions may be answered by press conference participants if received not later than 24 hours in advance. These should be faxed on news organization letterhead to 907/487-2823.

On launch day, Sept. 17, live launch coverage on NASA Television will begin at 3:30 p.m. ADT (7:30 p.m. EDT) and continue until it has been confirmed that Kodiak Star's four satellites have deployed. The final deployment confirmation, that of Starshine, is expected to be communicated from Antarctica approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes after launch.

NASA Television is located on the GE-2 satellite, transponder 9 (C band), located at 85 degrees West. In Alaska, the Kodiak Star launch will also be carried on Galaxy 10, transponder 23 (Ku band), located at 123 West.

Audio of the prelaunch press conference and launch will be provided on the "V" circuits. These can be accessed directly by dialing 321/867-1220, 1240, 1260, 7135, 4003.

Full coverage of Kodiak Star activities will be webcast and may be accessed via the NASA Kennedy Space Center home page at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov.

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