[amsat-bb] Current Launch Costs From Spaceflight

[Robert Bruninga]

> Can some explain to me and others the big deal about cube sats?
> I just dont get it.

Standardization!  But the real payoff from standardization is REDUCED RISK
to the launch provider.  Instead of having to micromanage every detail of
satellite design so that the launch provider can GURARANTEE the safety to
the main payload ($100,000,000) due to secondary small sats, the CUBESAT
spec defines all the restraints and details.  Thus, orders of magnitudes
worth of fussy details necessary to assure absolute safety of the primary
payload do not have to be done for each and every secondary small sat,
just ONE standard.

Then, all the small sats have to do is comply with the spec.

This is why we are starting to see large numbers of cubesats, because now
the LAUNCH providers only have to deal with ONE set of issues (cubesat
spec) and not sixty different payloads, organizations, and 60 different
unique risks.

Bob, WB4APR