Dwight & Lisa Dopilka wrote:

Despite the increased cost to launch a Phase 3E class >spacecraft into a GTO

type orbit it would seem a

multitude of launchers are possibilities such as:

1. Molniya 8K78 launch vehicles from Plesetsk and >Baikonur. I believe

several dozens of Molniya 1, 2,

and 3 series have been launch since 1965. This launch would be ideal and no propulsive component would be needed.

I am not aware of secondary launch capacity on this rocket, but if you have connections in the Russian space program, fell free to pursue this.

2. China's Long March

Serious ITAR problems...

3. India's GSLV

Less serious ITAR problems, there is an active Amsat group in India, maybe it can happen if they can find the right connections.

4. Japan's H-IIA

Ask JAMSAT about possibility of launching on Japanese vehicles. It has been done in the past.

5. Space-X Falcon 9

Space-X prefers to deal through third party brokers for secondary launches of small satellites, so be prepared to pay for the middleman's cut. Secondary payload launch prices on Falcon will start at around $10 million and go up from there, or so I am told.

6. Ariane 5 ME debut 2018

Ariane is now fully commercial, they won't give us a free ride when they can sell that ride for a few million dollars or euros. Amsat-DL has not been able to get an Ariane launch for Phase 3E, which is all but ready to go. The people who helped us get free launches in the past are now retired or deceased, and the new generation of Ariane management is committed to full cost accounting, so that no one rides for free anymore.

Also, what happen to the rideshare option?

Many Amsat people, including myself, have attended rideshare meetings for years. Everybody in the rideshare business knows about Amsat and that we are looking for a cheap ride. The trouble is that in today's world small satellites are useful for many commercial and military purposes, and those guys can raise the $10 or $20 million to pay the actual integration cost of adding a secondary payload to a launch vehicle. There was a time way back when, when small satellites were thought to be toys with no useful purpose, that hams could "bolt one on" for free. Amsat proved to the world that small satellites are useful and valuable, and now everybody wants to build and launch them. We are priced out of the market that we helped to create. Ironic isn't it...

We are working, mostly behind the scenes, on stuff we can't usually talk about until it happens. We are working hard to find launch and mission partners for Amsat. I for one do not wish to be launching Cubesats for the rest of my life.

Dan Schultz N8FGV