29 Aug
2019
29 Aug
'19
3 p.m.
Well, with 200kg to play with, I'm wondering if Spacex won't let several
cheap customers (like AMSAT and universities) partner up and cram several
cubesats into ppods (or whatever they call them) for simultaneous release?
Otherwise perhaps it's time to investigate satellite "ride shares" and
share the spacecraft platform itself with other customers?
--Roy
K3RLD
Greg, One million dollars is still an awful lot of
money. Given the
almost mythical status of the "cheap ham" where are we going to come up
with that kind of cash? John
29 Aug
29 Aug
3:55 p.m.
New subject: [amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program
What happens is companies like Tyvak, Spaceflight, etc will purchase chunks
of mass and act as aggregators for smaller missions. I'll remind the list
readers that we flew on two paid rideshare launches with Spaceflight already
with AO-92 and AO-95, and on two NASA sponsored (read this as free) launches
with AO-85 and AO-91, with another coming soon for Fox-1E. Golf-TEE and
Golf-1 have also been approved for as of yet undisclosed NASA sponsored
launches.
Finding LEO launches in general is not a problem. Launches above 600km are
difficult, but it is more due to orbital debris mitigation requirements. In
general without propulsion or a -proven- deorbit device (of which there are
currently none approved by FCC) you don't go above about 600km. Disposal
orbits are a possibility, but as a very very small rideshare, you don't get
to pick the destination, and so far we haven't found anyone going to a
disposal orbit who will take us along.
It doesn't get publicized, but several AMSAT officers are engaged on a
weekly basis with various launch providers, aggregators, and satellite
hardware providers, and the goal is always a launch or payload accommodation
above that 600km orbit. It's too early to announce anything yet, but we are
making headway, and picking up a lot of missions to fly our cubesat radio
system developed out of the Fox-1E project. Huskysat-1 launches this fall
and will carry one of these radios, providing a 30 kHz wide V/u transponder
for hams to use. Several others are in the works, but too early to announce
at this point.
73, Drew KO4MA
AMSAT VP Operations
-----Original Message-----
From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Roy Dean via
AMSAT-BB
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 3:00 PM
To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program
Well, with 200kg to play with, I'm wondering if Spacex won't let several
cheap customers (like AMSAT and universities) partner up and cram several
cubesats into ppods (or whatever they call them) for simultaneous release?
Otherwise perhaps it's time to investigate satellite "ride shares" and
share the spacecraft platform itself with other customers?
--Roy
K3RLD
Greg, One million dollars is still an awful lot of
money. Given the
almost mythical status of the "cheap ham" where are we going to come
up with that kind of cash? John
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interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official
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4:13 p.m.
New subject: [amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program
The NASA ELaNa program will purchase some of that too when they have
missions requesting that type of orbit, and their cost for that
essentially gets spread out over the number of U(kg) they manifest on
the launch. The 200kg probably includes the dispenser apparatus as
well, I don't know what the mass of a "typical" ESPA type adapter is. I
would expect that the cost per kg to customers will be the $1M plus the
adapter "stuff" plus the "integration handling cost" and come out to
be
maybe a little below what the going price is now.
The difference or big perk would be not having to wait or accommodate
the primary payload schedule where it may happen too soon or it may
happen years later than you thought, and the "rebooking option/fee"
which is probably a pretty marketable thing given the number of CubeSat
projects that have trouble making the deadline. I don't suppose that
they would market that if they didn't see the need.
My two cents just to expand on what Drew said, not an official claim to
know anything about what I said. :-)
Jerry Buxton, NØJY
On 8/29/2019 14:55, Andrew Glasbrenner via AMSAT-BB wrote:
What happens is companies like Tyvak, Spaceflight, etc
will purchase chunks
of mass and act as aggregators for smaller missions. I'll remind the list
readers that we flew on two paid rideshare launches with Spaceflight already
with AO-92 and AO-95, and on two NASA sponsored (read this as free) launches
with AO-85 and AO-91, with another coming soon for Fox-1E. Golf-TEE and
Golf-1 have also been approved for as of yet undisclosed NASA sponsored
launches.
Finding LEO launches in general is not a problem. Launches above 600km are
difficult, but it is more due to orbital debris mitigation requirements. In
general without propulsion or a -proven- deorbit device (of which there are
currently none approved by FCC) you don't go above about 600km. Disposal
orbits are a possibility, but as a very very small rideshare, you don't get
to pick the destination, and so far we haven't found anyone going to a
disposal orbit who will take us along.
It doesn't get publicized, but several AMSAT officers are engaged on a
weekly basis with various launch providers, aggregators, and satellite
hardware providers, and the goal is always a launch or payload accommodation
above that 600km orbit. It's too early to announce anything yet, but we are
making headway, and picking up a lot of missions to fly our cubesat radio
system developed out of the Fox-1E project. Huskysat-1 launches this fall
and will carry one of these radios, providing a 30 kHz wide V/u transponder
for hams to use. Several others are in the works, but too early to announce
at this point.
73, Drew KO4MA
AMSAT VP Operations
-----Original Message-----
From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Roy Dean via
AMSAT-BB
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 3:00 PM
To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program
Well, with 200kg to play with, I'm wondering if Spacex won't let several
cheap customers (like AMSAT and universities) partner up and cram several
cubesats into ppods (or whatever they call them) for simultaneous release?
Otherwise perhaps it's time to investigate satellite "ride shares" and
share the spacecraft platform itself with other customers?
--Roy
K3RLD
Greg, One million dollars is still an awful lot
of money. Given the
almost mythical status of the "cheap ham" where are we going to come
up with that kind of cash? John
_______________________________________________
Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all
interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official
views of AMSAT-NA.
Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________
Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed
are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.
Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
1002
days inactive
1002
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2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
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Andrew Glasbrenner -
Jerry Buxton -
Roy Dean