Ogden, Utah — An experimental satellite,
to be launched January 26th, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California,
is the first satellite designed and built by One Stop Satellite Solutions (OSSS)
of Ogden. The satellite, called JAWSAT (for Joint Air Force Academy-Weber State
University Satellite) is actually a group of experimental satellites [for more
information, see the web site http://cast.weber.edu/jawsat/].
It is built with a central structure called a multi-payload adaptor, which will
first deploy four experimental payloads built by Stanford University (Palo Alto,
CA), Arizona State University (Tempe), the Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs,
CO), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (Albuquerque, NM). The adaptor will
then serve as the platform for two more experiments, one built by NASA Marshall
Space Flight Center (Hunstville, AL), the other a joint venture of OSSS and
Weber State University (both of Ogden).
The three-year-old company [for more information,
see the web site http://www.osss.com] had its beginnings in the successful satellite
projects conducted by the Center for AeroSpace
Technology (CAST), a unique undergraduate program at Weber State University.
CAST students and faculty, working alongside volunteers from the aerospace industry,
have attained worldwide acclaim for building spacecraft.
JAWSAT weighs about 400 lbs, which is small
by satellite standards. However, its attitude determination and control systems
— those that keep the satellite pointed in the right direction — provide
a capability that is the equivalent of satellites weighing and costing many
times more.
JAWSAT will be launched via a low-cost missile
that reclaims decommissioned ICBMs for peacetime use. OSSS is confident that
this mission will demonstrate a miniaturized satellite deployment and control
capability that will greatly improve opportunities to perform increasingly complex
tasks with smaller and smaller space vehicles, thus easing the pressure on space
exploration budgets.
If you would like to see the launch live on
the Internet, you may sign up at web site [http://www.webcastingtv.com/jawsat].
You will be given an access code that will allow you to connect to the webcast
site.
For more information please contact any of the following:
Dale Richards, President |
dale.richards@osss.com |
Dr. Jay Smith, VP of Technical Development | jay.smith@osss.com |
Lewis Boynton, Director | lew.boynton@osss.com |
You may also contact the OSSS offices at the numbers and address
listed below.
One Stop Satellite Solutions |
Phone: | (801) 626-7272 |
Fax: | (801) 626-7951 |