[amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3E lauch for 200$???

[M5AKA]

> From: "lucleblanc6
> Lets say 8000,000$ to reach just with the AMSAT-NA estimated membership of 3000 plus 
> the other world AMSAT'S estimated at another 3000 making a total of 6000 contributors,  
> who with a  special annual fund raising of 200$ to pay for P3E launch, this 8 millions 
> can reach in +/- 6 years.
> ...

Nice thought Luc, but I'd query the numbers. 

You suggest there may be 3000 members of AMSAT groups outside the USA/Canada, I say 700 would be a better estimate, I'd like to be proved wrong but I think you'll find a number of national AMSAT groups have a membership of fewer than 50.

The figure you quote for AMSAT-NA includes Life-members, by definition once a Life-member always a Life-member even if they gave up satellites years ago and are now living in retirement homes. AMSAT-NA sold a large number of Life-memberships in the 1970's at what now seems a very low price. I believe the number of AMSAT-NA members who actually pay an annual subscription is around 1500. A number of overseas amateurs are also AMSAT-NA members, so the number of annual subscription paying  US/Canadian members will be less than 1500. 

So it's likely that the world-wide total of subscription paying members of the various AMSAT groups could be under 2000. To raise $10m over six years every single one of them would have to pay $833 a year, I just can't see that happening. 

The costs for launching a single P3E satellite are simply too much for AMSAT members alone to sustain, to get to amateur payloads to MEO/HEO/GEO will take collaborative ventures with other organizations, Educational, Government or Commercial.

73 Trevor M5AKA