[amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program

[Andrew Glasbrenner]

What happens is companies like Tyvak, Spaceflight, etc will purchase chunks
of mass and act as aggregators for smaller missions. I'll remind the list
readers that we flew on two paid rideshare launches with Spaceflight already
with AO-92 and AO-95, and on two NASA sponsored (read this as free) launches
with AO-85 and AO-91, with another coming soon for Fox-1E. Golf-TEE and
Golf-1 have also been approved for as of yet undisclosed NASA sponsored
launches.

Finding LEO launches in general is not a problem. Launches above 600km are
difficult, but it is more due to orbital debris mitigation requirements. In
general without propulsion or a -proven- deorbit device (of which there are
currently none approved by FCC) you don't go above about 600km. Disposal
orbits are a possibility, but as a very very small rideshare, you don't get
to pick the destination, and so far we haven't found anyone going to a
disposal orbit who will take us along.

It doesn't get publicized, but several AMSAT officers are engaged on a
weekly basis with various launch providers, aggregators, and satellite
hardware providers, and the goal is always a launch or payload accommodation
above that 600km orbit. It's too early to announce anything yet, but we are
making headway, and picking up a lot of missions to fly our cubesat radio
system developed out of the Fox-1E project. Huskysat-1 launches this fall
and will carry one of these radios, providing a 30 kHz wide V/u transponder
for hams to use. Several others are in the works, but too early to announce
at this point.

73, Drew KO4MA
AMSAT VP Operations

-----Original Message-----
From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org> On Behalf Of Roy Dean via
AMSAT-BB
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 3:00 PM
To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program

Well, with 200kg to play with, I'm wondering if Spacex won't let several
cheap customers (like AMSAT and universities) partner up and cram several
cubesats into ppods (or whatever they call them) for simultaneous release?
 Otherwise perhaps it's time to investigate satellite "ride shares" and
share the spacecraft platform itself with other customers?

--Roy
K3RLD


> Greg, One million dollars is still an awful lot of money.  Given the 
> almost mythical status of the "cheap ham" where are we going to come 
> up with that kind of cash? John
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