Amateur radio enthusiasts from Brazil to Thailand should be excited as they will soon have access to 2 “Phase 4” amateur radio transponders operating in the 2400 MHz and 10450 MHz bands. A 250 kHz bandwidth linear transponder intended for conventional analogue operations and an 8 MHz bandwidth transponder for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB amateur television (as reported by AMSAT-UK).The general public (and launch photographers) also had reason to celebrate as Es'hail 2 broke a long string of night launches at Kennedy Space Center.
The Visitors Complex seemed excited about this as well based on the fact that they allowed guests to view the launch from the Saturn V Center without any additional fee above or beyond the cost of daily admission. Having said that, I really hope they bring back some VIP viewing experiences as I think those tickets really drive excitement about the process and make the day more special to those will to pay for premium experience.
As for Max Q News, the day launch meant I was finally able to try out some new ideas to bring Max Q News visitors unique imagery. Take a look in our gallery where you'll find a long-exposure shot taken with an Infrared filter and scans from film which I captured using a 1000mm Nikon lens. Also, If you want to check out a really cool time lapse of Pad 39a before, during and after the launch, click HERE.
