FO-29 Celebrates 20 Years in Orbit

FO-29
(Courtesy AMSAT.org)

Well, actually, the Fuji-OSCAR 29 satellite is just keepin' on keepin' on, circling the Earth and providing voice contacts for hams around the world (DX record: 7599.96 kilometers/4722.396 miles) … but its users and controllers are celebrating the longevity of the amateur satellite built by the Japan Amateur Radio League and launched on August 17, 1996. According to the AMSAT News Service, FO-29 offers easy access with minimal equipment and is the most widely-used linear transponder satellite in amateur radio history.