[amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3

[John Stephensen]

The problem is that the government is no longer paying for those expenses as 
they did in the past.

73,

John
KD6OZH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rob" <pabutusa at gmail.com>
To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 15:54 UTC
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3


>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
>>
>>
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