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Cadet-built satellite now in orbit
Posted: Nov 24, 2010 1:12 PM by Greg Boyce
A converted Minotaur-IV inter-continental ballistic missile built by Air Force Academy cadets carried FalconSAT-5 into orbit from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska on November 19.
Col. Marty France, permanent professor and head of the Academy Department of Astronautics, accepted satellite control authority from the Space Test Program's Col. Carol Welsch after FalconSAT-5 separated from the Minotaur IV booster. Cadets performed the first contact missions with the satellite after troubleshooting a problem with a ground-based antenna here.
FalconSAT-5 carries Department of Defense Space Test Program experiments designed to study Earth's ionosphere and its impact on radio-frequency communications.
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