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www.southgatearc.org
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Phase-3E newsPeter, DB2OS, informed the extraordinary general meeting at 10 October 2009 about Phase-3E. The mechanics of the satellite is ready. Also many modules are mostly still at the developers. Following the extraordinary general meeting there were celebrating a major milestone in the project. OM Dr. Karl Meinzer takes immediately some IPS commands to the onboard computer enjoying to see the correct answer in the display of the laptop. With this data communications P3E will be monitored and controlled in flight. However, there is still much to do. So far there is only a prototype at basic layout of the last stand. Due to various changes in the schematic and no longer available or improved components all layouts will be revised or newly created. The construction of the IHU-3, CAN-DO! Bus and the SDX at AMSAT-DL, Phase-3E is now "ITAR-free", ie free of export restrictions in the U.S.. These modules were developed also as an aid by members of AMSAT-NA. Launch costs A satellite launch with the Ariane will cost about 3 million Euros. An alternative to Ariane and Soyuz could be the new agency SpaceX. It was talked about the possibilities for an inexpensive launch for P3E with one of the Falcon 9 rockets. At present, the prices for a regular Falcon-9-start, however, are outside the financial resources of AMSAT-DL. During the interview, there were signs however, a vague possibility of how to reduce costs. AMSAT-DL will therefore continue to remain in contact with SpaceX. The financing of launch costs would be done by the Mars P5A mission. For the feasibility of P5A with costs of 10 million Euros for each start and developing it was agreed with DLR the creation of a study. As to possible realization of the project P5A in the years 2016 to 2018 a relatively long time to be a by the German government rethought mission to the Moon for AMSAT-DL would also be interesting. P5-Moon mission Hartmut, DL1YDD, said that talks in September 2009 with the DLR at technical level took place. A lunar mission as an intermediate step to a Mars mission would be equipped with a probe in a 100-km orbit around the Moon and possible in the year 2014. The satellite design for the P5-Moon mission is, as the P5-Mars mission, based on the P3D structure of AO-40. Further details will follow after completion of the currently for six months pending DLR/AMSAT-DL-study in spring 2010. See also:
Our thanks to Thomas Frey, HB9SKA, for the above information
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