This discussion seems to have lost track of some essential facts:

1. Both P3E and Eagle *ARE* smaller and simpler than AO-40. 2. Both P3E and Eagle plan to have a U/V (Mode B) transponder. 3. Eagle plans to have a backup analog transponder path in case the software-defined transponder fails.

I'm not happy about the announcement that Eagle won't have a S-band downlink. But the next HEO satellite, P3E, will have a S-band downlink. The Eagle team might reconsider their decision *IF* the P3E S-band downlink proves to be useful and popular. After all, at this point Eagle is just an idea - no satellite has been built yet.

Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik Financial contributor to P3D, P3E, Eagle, and AO51 projects