Just out of curiosity what would a reasonable estimate of the launch costs be for a P3E class satellite ?

Regards Mark Spencer VE7AFZ (long lapsed former AMSAT member (: )

Message: 5 Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2012 21:16:48 -0700 From: "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 22% votes Message-ID:     CAN6TEUcLvknCfBbjyyyt=0C5OG3h=W0CF+HjxyduqSMssNZv7Q@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi!

Since this discussion started around the topic of the 700 ballots AMSAT-NA received for the Board election, let me add one point to that thought.  Thanks to those who voted in the election, whether or not you voted for me.  Thanks for taking the time to consider each person who was on the ballot, and for selecting the person or persons you voted for.

...

Amsat is living in a brave new world where launches are

fully commercialized

...

and nobody gets a free ride anymore. We will either

adapt to that paradigm

...

shift or we will cease to exist.

This is the point some want to overlook.  It is unfortunate that we are not able to get the free or extremely cheap launches that we had in the past.  When there are more satellites to be launched than launches, the launch providers set the prices.  Other than some opportunities like AMSAT has for Fox-1 from NASA, the days of free launches are pretty much a thing of the past. So we adapt to the new reality.