OSCAR

A Brief History of Amateur SatellitesOrbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio (OSCAR) series of small satellites was initiated for radio amateurs to experience satellite tracking and participate in radio propagation experiments. The World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) allocated frequencies for the Amateur Satellite Service, including 29 MHz (10m), 145 MHz (2m), 435 MHz (70cm), 1270 MHz (24cm) and 2400 MHz (13cm). Transmitting low-powered signals, initially battery operated and offering short lives, the satellites have become increasingly sophisticated. More recently, they have served school science groups, provided emergency communications for disaster relief, acted as technology demonstrators, and transmitted Earth imagery.Here is a brief history of the amateur satellites that have and are presently circling the globe. They are listed in chronological order by launch date.For information on the OSCAR Numbers Policy see http://www.amsat.org/amsat/amsat-na/oscar.html.See also the joint IARU and AMSAT Information for Prospective Owners and Operators of Satellites Utilizing Frequencies Allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service.