Drew,
You are quite correct on both counts. Intelsat can drop Eagle or P3E off in a GTO orbit but they will want $6M+ for the service, just like any other launch opportunity.
The Rideshare, where we stay permanently attached to an Intelsat satellite, is basically a subset of Eagle and so is not a diversion of our energy or resources. It may have all the features of Eagle or some subset depending on what we can pay for, having to do mostly with the size and placement of our NADR pointing surface (antenna farm). Intelsat has indicated that the Eagle payloads are OK with them.
So the mission (P3, P4 or whatever) is determined by the willingness of funding sources to pay for our launch and mission. The realization that we are more likely to get funding for a P4 mission over a P3 mission is what this is all about. Not politics or anything else that AMSAT leadership has been accused of in the past few days.
Rick W2GPS AMSAT LM2232
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Glasbrenner Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:08 PM To: Tom Clark, K3IO; AMSAT BB Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Phase 4 versus Eagle
One of the possibilities I have not seen relayed well from the meetings to general knowledge is that it may be possible for Intelsat to attach Eagle to
one of their satellites, and drop us off in GTO on their way to GEO. This possibility alone is worth working this opportunity out to it's conclusion.
It has become very apparent to me that we will not fund a HEO solely on our current membership donations. Ever. We have to go for the outside funding Tom mentioned, and the best way to do that is a simple, tool-like application like a GEO, geared heavily towards EMCOMM. Too many of us have taken the wait and see approach when it comes to supporting a HEO project. The money has to come first, then the satellite gets built and launched, not
the other way around.
73, Drew KO4MA
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