N4HY stated
We are spending a significant amount of money THIS YEAR producing a hardware frame for the Eagle spacecraft. The electronic systems are very similar. Intelsat will have more capability than Eagle as we currently understand what we THINK the situation is because we will have a) a better antenna platform and b) much more power.
One thing the members should realize is that the "amateur radio" portion of the satellite programs constitutes only about 10% of the programmatic effort. IMHO, if things go in the direction I'd like to see, the GEOstationary P4 possibility has several other advantages to be added to Bob's list:
c) A major portion of the P3 satellite effort, going all the way back to P3A (that achieved an aquatic orbit way back in 1980), has involved the need for us to become real "rocket scientists" by flying our own propulsion systems to achieve the HEO orbit. With the GEO P4possibility, someone else worries about the motors. That lops off (at least) 30-40% of the 90% non-radio overhead (and helps to prevent ulcers among the volunteer builders).
d) Flying as a piggyback on somebody else's spacecraft means that they will handle all the attitude control problems. This removes the need for earth sensors, magnetorquers and an incredibly labor intensive effort to use the magnetorquers to actually point the spacecraft (remember that you are trying to push a gyroscope and all pushes cause the spin axis to precess). We had to be really good at pointing the spacecraft because the spin axis has to be properly aligned in the orbit plane in just the right direction in order to fire the kick motor!
e) (expanding on Bob's item b) -- The current GEO plans would have the main spacecraft provide us with power. The solar panels needed for EAGLE would have cost us upwards of $2 million (unless we were to find a really generous sugar-daddy). And the power levels we have been discussing with the GEO supplier are about twice what we would have been able to generate on EAGLE, meaning signals will be stronger.
f) There has been a lot of discussion here about launch availability and cost. So far, we have had a hard time identifying an affordable launch for a single EAGLE. It appears that the GEO piggyback may well cost LESS than an EAGLE launch to GTO.
g) An even more important aspect of (f) is that these launches are a renewable resource. Unless we blow the opportunity badly, we can launch additional payloads every year or so. (Some info on the most recent launch in October is seen at http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/release.asp?prid=629). The places we might be able to get a ride to can be seen by clicking on either the HTML or FLASH item at http://www.intelsat.com/network/satellite/.
h) The pricetag for either EAGLE or a GEO P4 may well be more than we, as amateurs, are able to raise. We are actively pursuing new funding sources. Right now, one of the most promising is from the US Gov't under the aegis of Homeland Security. Amateur Radio is well known as a very competent "first responder" of communications services. The HS people learned from Katrina that there is a need for 24/7 rapid response capabilities that can cover a sizable area where the infrastructure has collapsed. Some commercial sources have responded with multi-Billion dollar proposals. We think that they will be responsive to a grant request of a few percent of this, including the provision of ground terminals which would be deployed at a number of locations around the country (like at your QTH?).
As a Board member I have wholeheartedly embraced the P4 GEO concept as the best (and perhaps only) act in town. I hope that the rest of the AMSAT members are similarly enthusiastic about the idea. As of now, it still is only an idea. It may not happen. But I can guarantee that we are guaranteed to fail if we don't try; and to try we need to know that the community is behind the effort. Remember that AMSAT is an all-volunteer effort, and YOU ARE AMSAT.
Season Greetings and wishes for a successful 2008 -- Tom Clark, K3IO