[amsat-bb] HEO/Elliptical [was: AMSAT-NA solution: DX (HEO) to attract more interest and revenue]

[Ev Tupis]

 Somewhere in AMSAT there is someone who has "Project Managed" long enough (or has access to process-flow diagrams) and can publish a generic work breakdown of both the steps and resources needed to put a highly elliptical (presumably less expensive) or Geostationary (presumably more expensive) bird into orbit and manage it.

If that person (or people) could publish that along with a "checkmark" next to the items that are "already in place", "in active progress", and "needs sponsor/enthusiast" then we are more likely to fill-in the gaps.

Remember the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game (a.k.a. "Bacon's Law")?  Let's play it out here!
Ev, W2EV

    On Tuesday, July 30, 2019, 6:15:19 PM EDT, Jerry Buxton via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:  
 
 On 7/28/2019 18:46, Ev Tupis via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> What are the top barriers to revisiting highly elliptical and AO-40 type goals?
Actually, from my perspective right now the top barrier is orbital
debris regulations.  GOLF-1 isn't going where I wanted to go because the
enforcement has become stringent and a hot topic worldwide.  We can't
license or launch anything that doesn't de-orbit within 25 years and a
HEO orbit (GTO actually, keeping it simple for this point) is likely to
last "too long" by itself.  There are options available for deorbit BUT
the kicker right now is that they have to be proven and approved by the
FCC.  In that we know of no such device(s) available at this time,
keeping within the current expectations of 3U.  A change in size (6U)
might yield some possibilities but I know of none there either, right
now.  We have been discussing and working with both NASA and FCC for
possibilities.  If something is available whether drag or propulsion,
then we get into the cost issue not to mention the price of a launch to
a GTO which is currently around $900k MSRP.  If we had a million bucks
and approved device(s) were available right now that fit within a $1
million budget then we would be pursuing that.

Another option is to find a launch with a low enough perigee to
naturally decay in 25 years, but whether earning an ELaNa launch or
buying one, we will always be secondary payload and don't have a lot of
say in specific orbit parameters.

One more option is rideshare, and that is also in active discussion. 
The point there would be that the onus of orbital debris compliance is
on the satellite we hitch a ride with, although that also goes into not
having a lot of say on the final orbit not to mention satisfying a
primary payload that everything will be just fine if they take us
along.  And then again, there's likely cost there too...  We have some
options that wouldn't necessarily require lots of money, they just won't
be happening today. 

Other possibilities?  As far as I know we are pursuing the current
options available per NASA and FCC, but that doesn't mean that there
aren't other possibilities.  If you have any, keep in mind that building
a good case for use of whatever the possibility might be is key to
gaining any approval.  And 90% probability that whatever will get you
back in less than 25 years is a tough challenge. 

We are bucking a trend, general CubeSat missions are happy with going
lower or from ISS, and bucking the trend not new with AMSAT but it is
new in this world today because of the regulation and stakes as well as
the fact that most everyone we deal with has no knowledge of AMSAT
beyond the record the we have created and grown in the last 4 years of
launches.  We are not magically known just because we launched some
pretty cool satellites in the past.  Hopefully we will be known by more
through our continued contact, cooperation, and "by the book" production
and delivery of CubeSats with NASA, FCC, launch integrators, and others
who we look to for these launch opportunities.

Or get a bunch of money because that probably is the second biggest
barrier...

Jerry Buxton, NØJY

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