David:
Don't forget your selling custom orbits unless you're tied to only one
launch site. Secondary payloads get whatever they can get. You should
have the ability to give them what orbit they want within your
limitations.
$250k is not a deal breaker price considering you have faster logistics
and custom orbits.
Better to not sell any rides and go bust rather than bust your ass and
then go bust. I bet you can sell a few at $250k just because the number
of options is not great if you want a custom orbit.
The rocket ain't worth shit if you don't have the infrastructure for
launches in place. I think most of the launch sites available are crap
for smallsat launchers by the way.
Matagorda, Texas is an option if you have the balls to push it. The
ideal smallsat launcher would be mobile without a doubt.
I still believe barge launches would be the safest most flexible and
allow all possibilities for orbits. There is no place in middle America
you can launch to orbit from anyway.
IMO by the way.
Monroe
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [AR] Re: What makes a useful launch vehicle?
From: William Claybaugh <wclaybaugh2@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, March 08, 2019 12:38 pm
To: arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
David:
My private survey found a price point of $50k for a single cubesat launch,
based on the ability of university teams to raise funds. Adjusted for
inflation, that would be about $100k today except that the ability of
university teams to raise funds does not appear to have grown over the same
period.
As Ed has noted, if there is no on/off switch then the payload may be
broadcasting during launch, creating potential issues with stage ignition
systems and vehicle downlinks.
Most cubesats are currently launched via dispensers that are both
relatively heavy and not suited for individual launch; if you are doing
individual launch of cubesats designed for a dispenser, you may need to
carry more mass to orbit than just the cubesat and the upper stage.
At about $100k per launch and generously assuming 50% is direct cost and
that you take no profit, you would appear to need at least ten launches per
year to pay the salaries of a half-dozen people, with little left for
overhead or other indirect costs....
Bill
On Fri, Mar 8, 2019 at 12:14 PM Ed LeBouthillier <codemonky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
We don't plan on offering any interface for the payloads to electricallyconnect
to the launch vehicle, though. Is that a show stopper?
Depends on the market. If I recall, technically, cubesats are supposed to
have power-on switches. But, larger, or variant designs may (or may not)
have them.