The launch costs, while significant, are beside the point. The biggest
issue with HEO satellites are the regulatory challenges. AMSAT and
international partners could build and get ready for launch such a
satellite within a few years, just as they did with AO-10, AO-13, and
AO-40. But they would not get a license to put it into orbit in the
current regulatory environment. The technical and financial challenges
can be met, but the licensing requirements are killing us.

Just this month, a couple of NASA's own satellites had to be scratched
from a launch because they did not meet the increasingly strict
de-orbiting requirements for a license to orbit.
(https://spacenews.com/nasa-cubesat-bumped-from-rideshare-launch-because-of-orbital-debris-mitigation-concerns/)
And right now, even stricter international regulations are under
consideration.

If NASA is having trouble meeting these restrictions, you can imagine
how high the bar is for a non-profit organization of amateurs. Pipe
dream all you want about launch opportunities, but if you can't get
the necessary permits, it's just that -- pipe dreams.
--
Mark D. Johns, KØJM
AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor
Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd
-----------------------------------------------
"Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit,
you would stay out and your dog would go in."
---Mark Twain

--
Mark D. Johns, KØJM
AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor
Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd
-----------------------------------------------
"Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit,
you would stay out and your dog would go in."
---Mark Twain

On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 8:43 AM Daniel Schultz <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Rocket Lab's definition of "sensible cost" is $10 million. That is indeed a
> bargain price for a dedicated HEO mission. Do we think that AMSAT could raise
> that amount of money in a sensible amount of time?
>
> Dan N8FGV
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:28:36 PM EDT
> From: Wendy and Terry Osborne <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [AMSAT-BB] Re: Phase IV satellite
>
> > With the recent success of Capstone and the Rocket Lab Photon
> > spacecraft, it may be possible to put a transponder on a Photon mission
> > to GEO at a sensible cost.
>
>
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Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed
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