[amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3

[Rob]

I don't think we'll ever be in a position to "buy" a launch the most we
will ever be able to do  is hope to piggy-back with a paying customer and
possibly contribute to "expenses."

Maybe having a payload "on the shelf ready" isn't such a bad plan .... if a
"short window of opportunity" were to open up ... and we had nothing ready
that would be an opportunity lost. Maybe we should have various payloads
sitting on the shelf (cube, micro, mini, P3) just in case.

Piggy-back rides is how Amateur Radio Satellites got their start .... it's
the only way to continue.

--> Rob, KA2PBT


On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 3:27 PM, John Stephensen <kd6ozh at comcast.net> wrote:

> AMSAT-DL was the lead for phase 3 because they were able to get
> almost-free launches from ESA. However, ESA terminated that policy 10 years
> ago and AMSAT-DL has been trying to get government funding through their
> Mars program. That was rejected a year or two ago. Private launch companies
> are asking for $8,000,000..The world-wide fund raising by AMSAT-DL,
> AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-Japan, ARRL and RSGB for each of the phase 3
> launches acheived less than 10% of what is now required for a launch.
>
> In the past, a launch opportunity was identified by ESA and then a
> satellite was built by AMSAT. P3E did the reverse -- building a satellite
> and hoping for a launch. I brought up AMSAT-DL because someone was
> complaining that AMSAT-NA was leading them on about HEO possibilities. They
> should review videos of the AMSAT-DL presentations at the annual AMSAT-UK
> meetings. AMSAT-NA has been much more realistic.
>
> 73,
>
> John
> KD6OZH
>
>