[amsat-bb] Re: KickSat - a personal spacecraft of your own in space

[Zac Manchester]

Hi All,

In response to Trevor's questions, the current board design is about
3.2 cm x 3.2 cm x 4 mm.  At that size, we can fit about 200 in a 1U
CubeSat (stacked 3x3x22).  We're pretty sure we can thin that down a
little more by using thinner PCBs.  If we get way more than 200, we
can always go to a 2U or 3U CubeSat.

What I'd really like to do, however, if we can get enough sponsors, is
to make a custom ASIC.  If we can make custom silicon, we can get the
size and the price way down.  This may not be realistic this time
around, but it is something I really want to pursue if I can get the
money.

As far as power, the Sprites are around 10 mW, and yes, they need
solar power, so they won't operate through eclipse.  They do, however
have a bank of capacitors to buffer the power coming out of the solar
cells, so tumbling won't be a problem.

Thanks,
Zac