Along the same thinking, sequentially launched flotillas of MEO cubesats with identical linear transponders, each with GPS derived local oscillator. If done correctly, antennas phased alike, the power from two or more would be additive and the uplinks would provide diversity. Like Project Westford Needles dipole experiment, but having system gain.
Message: 4 Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:42:32 -0500 From: "Tom J. Gentry" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: So Long Message-ID: [email protected] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
While the frustration evidenced in this digest is understandable, perhaps unknown to us AMSAT are already trying to innovate an alternative to Highly Elliptical Orbit. Certainly a longer lived orbit would be desirable and a bird lighter that a P3 sat would perhaps find a cheap ride easier but let us rethink our path to get to where we want to be. As sure as E=mc^2, Upmass=$$$$$$$. Even though we started out as hitch hikers to the galaxy, AMSAT has acquired a significant data base of communications technology that we will be able to use to get more rides as soon as ITAR gets lifted off our neck and we can find more programs that can use the AMSAT communications expertise.
How about a series of cube sats that are placed high enough (or could be raised to that orbit) to last for awhile? How about we use other people's bird's after they are through with their experiments and move them up to longer lasting orbits and reconfigure the comm system (the one we built for them) to an amateur radio configuration. If each one of these MEO cube sats lasts long enough to overlap, pretty soon you have a constellation.
I probably will not live to see it complete but that is no reason not to start. The key is to get long lasting orbits with small sats and lots of them.
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