Keith Crittenden asked:

...

I'm interested to know if there are any plans to put a H.E.O. amateur

satellite into orbit in the near future, and if so does anyone have an idea as to what mode it would be likely to work in?

A small committee of AMSAT members was formed at the Houston Symposium to study the issues involved in launching a HEO Cubesat mission. The work is ongoing but conclusions so far are:

1. A HEO Cubesat mission *MIGHT* be feasible under certain circumstances. A lot depends on the launches that will be available in the coming years.

2. It will not be an "Easysat", users will need to invest in some ground station equipment. We can already hear the cries of "elitism" on amsat-bb. The transponder modes are dependent on what antennas can be fit inside and deployed from the Cubesat, and whatever choice we make is going to disappoint somebody somewhere.

3. The present state of AMSAT's financial and human resources will not allow such a launch for at least a couple more years.

4. AMSAT cannot do the mission by itself, there is a need to form strategic partnerships with other organizations to gain access to technology and resources that are needed.

If you want to contribute to the committee work please get in touch with me.

Dan Schultz N8FGV