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@amsat.org On Behalf Of Roy Dean via AMSAT-BB Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 3:00 PM To: amsat-bb@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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