A question for all you guys out there building satellites:
Our rocket vehicle design has finally closed, and we are trying to make the
corner from mostly amateur to mostly professional. We're talking with the
FAA about our launch license, and plan to start orbital flights roughly a
year from now if all goes well.
I want to make sure that we are making a vehicle that is useful, though.
There are significant reasons to make a smaller vehicle with our specific
technology (minimum gauge issues are virtually non-existent), but I don't
want to completely eliminate the market!
Would a launch of a 4 kg, 3U satellite to 600 km between 20 degrees and sun
synchronous be a useful capability? Price is expected to be $95,000.
What would make or break this vehicle? (Obviously, until we fly we have
nothing, etc.)
Fun facts from my market research: There were 1058 3U micro-satellites
launched as of the beginning of the year - almost half of all satellites!
Thanks!
-David Summers