Thanks for the replies
Does anyone know if retired birds are switched ON or OFF once they get boosted into a retirement orbit ? Could still be useful to us even from there.
For us it just means we need switchable antennas that can be swapped 15 years after launch.
Accepted. We don't yet know what antenna assemblies will be permissible.
However, when the satellite enters eclipse, the TV etc transponders are run from the batteries. I suspect that at this point, AMSAT would be switched off or into some low power mode until the eclipse has passed. The extra battery power needed for operation of AMSAT */_and_/* the commercial transponder during eclipse would require a significant mass increase of the on-board batteries.
But thats the whole point of this exercise (piggy-backing inside a geo bird); there *is* extra mass availability due to the launch configuration.
Good concept and has my full support as long as P3E doesn't become a victim of fund diversion.