The problem is that the government is no longer paying for those expenses
as
they did in the past. The $8,000,000 is the incremental cost not the cost
of the
entire launch.
73,
John
KD6OZH
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob" <pabut...@gmail.com>
To: <amsat-bb@amsat.org>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 15:54 UTC
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Phase 3
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."
Maybe having a payload "on the shelf ready" isn't such a bad plan .... if
a
"short window of opportunity" were to open up ... and we had nothing
ready
that would be an opportunity lost. Maybe we should have various payloads
sitting on the shelf (cube, micro, mini, P3) just in case.
Piggy-back rides is how Amateur Radio Satellites got their start ....
it's
the only way to continue.
--> Rob, KA2PBT
On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 3:27 PM, John Stephensen <kd6...@comcast.net>
wrote:
AMSAT-DL was the lead for phase 3 because they were able to get
almost-free launches from ESA. However, ESA terminated that policy 10
years
ago and AMSAT-DL has been trying to get government funding through their
Mars program. That was rejected a year or two ago. Private launch
companies
are asking for $8,000,000..The world-wide fund raising by AMSAT-DL,
AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-Japan, ARRL and RSGB for each of the phase 3
launches acheived less than 10% of what is now required for a launch.
In the past, a launch opportunity was identified by ESA and then a
satellite was built by AMSAT. P3E did the reverse -- building a
satellite
and hoping for a launch. I brought up AMSAT-DL because someone was
complaining that AMSAT-NA was leading them on about HEO possibilities.
They
should review videos of the AMSAT-DL presentations at the annual
AMSAT-UK
meetings. AMSAT-NA has been much more realistic.
73,
John
KD6OZH
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