In this case, we'd be limited by the lifetime of the satellite that's hosting us. A geosynchronous satellite is going to have a finite life because fuel is required for stationkeeping.
An interesting thought though: would amateurs still be able to use the satellite even after it's been moved to a graveyard orbit?
73,
Paul, N8HM
On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 8:24 PM, David Carr dc@dcarr.org wrote:
A challenge for the group:
Can AMSAT build a satellite with a design lifespan in excess of 20 years?
These launch opportunities seem to come along once every 15+ years. Unfortunately, most of our birds seem to last a much shorter time than that. What architectures and design features can we incorporate to achieve virtually infinite lifespan?
73s, David KD5QGR
On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 6:52 PM, Douglas Quagliana via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb@amsat.org> wrote:
On 4/25/2015 9:10 AM, JoAnne Maenpaa wrote:
AMSAT is excited to announce that we have accepted an opportunity to participate in a potential rideshare as a hosted payload on a geostationary satellite planned for launch in 2017.
All,
This is excellent news.
Do we have an official name for this yet? Will it be Project Golf (that is, the next one after Fox?) or Phase IV-A (our first Phase IV satellite), or Eagle-2, or perhaps something else?
While I know the frequencies/bands have not yet been announced, have any decisions been made about whether the transponder (or transponders?) will this be all analog, digital or both? What other payloads will we have?
Does anyone know if we will have our own telemetry downlink?
73, Douglas KA2UPW/5
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Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb