Amateur Radio Operators Track SuitSat

Recently the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) released into orbit one of the most unusual satellites in the history of space flight.

Expedition 12 Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev and Commander Bill McArthur performed the release of a satellite dubbed SuitSat during a five-hour, 43-minute space walk.

SuitSat is a Russian spacesuit that reached the end of its operational life in August 2004. The surplus space suit was fitted with various sensors, a 145.990 MHz radio transmitter and batteries. It was pushed away from the ISS on 3 February 2006 about 360 kilometers (225 miles) above the south central Pacific Ocean.

SuitSat transmitted recorded greetings in six languages to students and amateur radio operators for two orbits before its signal was lost. Later, many amateur radio operators reported receiving the signal again.

SuitSat will reenter the atmosphere and burn up in a few weeks. You can learn more about this unusual satellite here and here. An American Radio Relay League (ARRL) news summary about SuitSat is here.

Forrest M. Mims III