The launch of Kodiak Star aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena 1 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

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 www.ksc.nasa.gov