[amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3

[Daniel Schultz]

>>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."

$8,000,000 is our expected contribution to the "expenses". The actual launch
cost is in the hundreds of millions.


>> Maybe having a payload "on the shelf ready" isn't such a bad plan ....

That's what Cubesats offer... ability to launch "off the shelf" satellites
whenever an opportunity comes along, without having to do detailed integration
with the launch vehicle.   If only they were not so damn small...


>> there are possibilities however, SpaceX is going to do at least one full
and one
>> semi test flight on the heavy...the semi test flight is for the USAF and
they
>> are carrying ballast...and the final stage has to do a disposal burn.

Even the SpaceX test flights are booked with paying customers. There are no
free rides anymore.


>> This is something I've often wondered about.  "Oh hi, commercial rocket
>> company, can we stick our homebrewed rocket into your billion dollar
>> vehicle?"
>> 
>> We're supposed to somehow convince someone to let us tack our
>> semitested bomb onto their flight?  I doubt they're going to go for
>> it...

ESA and Ariane did accept that offer, three times no less with AO-10, AO-13
and AO-40. Miracles are sometimes possible but they are quite rare.


>>Could a 3U cubesat with deployable solar panels power a 1 watt, 100 kHz,
mode U/V transponder? 

Yes, I believe that is possible, with deployable arrays we might even be able
to do ten watts, but such a tiny satellite in such a high orbit will require
big antennas on the ground just to hear it. I can already hear the cries on
amsat-bb about the "elitists" who want to push the little guys out of the
satellite game so they can keep the HEO satellite all to themselves. 

Dan Schultz N8FGV