Surrey goes into orbit with microsatellite

SPACECRAFT engineers at Surrey University have been awarded a Pounds 3.3 million contract by the United States Air Force to design and build a small experimental satellite. Called PICOSat, the 65-kilogram microsatellite will be built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a university company. The satellite, scheduled for launch in November 1998 on a US rocket, will carry four experiments from various Pentagon organisations. They include an experimental space battery and a special receiver and radio beacon designed for studying the ionosphere. Martin Sweeting, director of SSTL, says the contract is its first satellite deal with the US government.