[amsat-bb] Re: Path to HEO

[Stefan Wagener]

Thanks,

maybe I didn't make myself clear:

LEO (low earth orbit) from 400 to 2000km or something like that
HEO (high earth orbit) >20000km

Going from 310 to 700km in a year is not doing us anything. We need a
highly elliptical orbit (Apogee ~60000km, Perigee 900km) similar to AO-40
to allow for cross continental communication.

Stefan VE4NSA






On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 4:57 PM, M5AKA <m5aka at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> --- On Sun, 28/4/13, Stefan Wagener <wageners at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I always thought that to get to a suitable HEO you need to start at a
> > suitable GTO and not LEO.
>
> There's no reason why you couldn't go from a 310 km LEO orbit, it just
> takes time.
>
> Romit-1 is a 2U CubeSat developed by Euroluna volunteers. It has an ion
> engine and they reckon it'll take a year to go from a 310 km orbit to 700
> km. With Ion motors you can get CubeSats to decent orbits even if the
> initial deployment is into one of the cheapest 310 km orbits but you may
> have to wait a few years.
>
> The problem at the moment is the shortage of low-cost LEO launches.
> Currently a 2U launch would cost you about $150,000+ Hopefully launch
> opportunities will increase and prices fall in the coming years. Certainly
> Federal Government funded CubeSat launch programs such as ELaNa, would be
> one option in the 2015-2018 time frame for those in the US.
>
> I think Euroluna have been waiting 2 years now for a launch, there are a
> number of other groups also trying to fly CubeSat's with Ion Motors.
>
> Some info on Romit-1 is at
> http://amsat-uk.org/2012/03/01/euroluna-oz9luna-cubesat-launch-update/
>
> 73 Trevor M5AKA
>
>
>
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