Orbit Your Own Satellite For $8,000 208
RobGoldsmith sends word of Interorbital's TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit, which allows anyone to send a half-pound payload to low-earth orbit for $8,000. Your satellite will fly to orbit from Tonga atop an Interorbital Systems NEPTUNE 30 rocket along with 31 other TubeSats. It will function for several weeks, then its orbit will decay and it will burn up in the atmosphere. Interorbital plans to send up a load of 32 TubeSats every month. If you pay in full in advance, you get slotted onto a particular scheduled launch. Here are Interorbital's product page and brochure (PDF).
I forsee (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I forsee (Score:5, Insightful)
its orbit will decay and it will burn up in the atmosphere
That's just a ridiculously elaborate cremation.
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Re:I forsee (Score:5, Funny)
fine, then you get to chop up the body into half-pound chunks.
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or a testicle or two [I'll leave a line to your imagination...]
Spaceballs [wikipedia.org]!
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In the immortal words of Jim Carrey:
"Your entrance was good - His was better!"
Cheaper "Memorable" Options (Score:4, Interesting)
Option 1 (Daddy is Forever)
~1000USD to be cremated and then ~8,000USD** to be pressed into a half-carat loose diamond.
Option 2 (Daddy was an Astronaut-Burnt-Up-on-Reentry)
~1000USD to be cremated and then ~8000USD to be shot into space.
**ashes to diamonds [funeral-urn.com]
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Option 2 (Daddy was an Astronaut-Burnt-Up-on-Reentry)
~1000USD to be cremated and then ~8000USD to be shot into space.
I'm so tempted to request that in my will. Sure, maybe I won't *see* space but at least I'll get to visit it.
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Hey, the average cost of a funeral is 10,000 so...its 2000 profit to the survivors. And the grand kids will think its great fun to watch Grandma finally return to where everyone knew she came from
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Also, how do you decide Which half pound of grandma to hack off and put in a tube? And who gets that fine job.
Burials schmurials... (Score:2)
Try to imagine what this means for the Smurf population.
They don't call this planet the "Blue Marble" for nothing, you know.
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Sorry, but I have not been quite that high in years......
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I wonder if you can send the whole body, and they will cut it into smaller pieces and launch in multiple satellites.
I hope those Tonga natives are not cannibals/necrofiliacs.
Pirates in Space! (Score:4, Interesting)
Low earth orbit is above the law, literally, isn't it? Send up a few gigabytes of flash memory and a transmitter. Torrents from space!
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Wouldn't work that well unless it's in geostationary orbit. The problem being that the satellite is only in view for a few minutes every time it passes over which doesn't give you much time to transfer data. I doubt geostationary orbit could be done this cheaply.
Amateur radio users have been doing it for many years using voice and data via packet radio. Very low bandwidth though.
Re:Pirates in Space! (Score:4, Interesting)
If it's bit torrent with enough people in the swarm, each person only needs to download a small part of the file, and then share that part with everyone else.
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Even with a massive pipe and unlimited peers, if it takes you 10 min to do a full download at instant on to full capacity and each peer hosting just the right part, etc. , the satellite is only in your FOV long enough to do less than half of the download from. May as well just swarm it from terra firma.
Re:Pirates in Space! (Score:5, Funny)
What?
You honestly expect that to stop the RIAA?
Re:Pirates in Space! (Score:4, Interesting)
Low earth orbit is above the law, literally, isn't it? Send up a few gigabytes of flash memory and a transmitter. Torrents from space!
Maybe not so practical for your run-of-the-mill movie downloads, but for *very* sensitive political stuff, the sort of thing that tinfoil-wearing X-Files enthusiasts can only dream of proving, I can definitely see it being the go.
;)
That, or just use it to screw with SETI.
Re:Pirates in Space! (Score:5, Insightful)
Low earth orbit is above the law, literally, isn't it?
Yes, I think I can safely assure you that your pirate satellite will not be arrested. This may be small consolation to the people who build and launch it, who themselves will inconveniently not be in LEO.
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...on some company's network...
No it doesn't. [wikipedia.org]
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the IRLP Still transmits via the internet...
It doesn't need to. And regardless, I just wanted to point out that radio wireless networks are practical.
Commercial applications (Score:5, Interesting)
The sign that a technology has really matured enough to be taken seriously is when it starts to have commercial applications. Moreover, the presence of businesses like this will help provide further incentive for the improvement of space related technologies.
However, it isn't clear to me who would use a half-pound satellite that can only last a few weeks. TFA lists the following possible applications:
Earth-from-space video imaging. Earth magnetic field measurement. Satellite orientation detection (horizon sensor, gyros, accelerometers, etc.). Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.). On-orbit hardware and software component testing (microprocessors, etc.). Tracking migratory animals from orbit. Testing satellite stabilization methods. Biological experiments. On-orbit advertising. Private e-mail
Honestly, I don't see much use of most of those as a general use. Certainly scientists will benefit from this sort of technology but I doubt anyone would try to use this for private e-mail systems. You would just use the internet and encrypt your stuff. The idea of using this sort of thing for low cost climate and weather data gathering is interesting. I suspect that as with many technologies, new uses will be developed that we cannot easily anticipate now that the technology is still young.
Will falling space debris be a problem? (Score:2)
Is this getting anyone else worried?
Re:Will falling space debris be a problem? (Score:5, Insightful)
Half pound chunks that burn up on reentry aren't going to hurt anything.
Re:Will falling space debris be a problem? (Score:5, Funny)
What was that?
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A marble that isn't going to hurt anyone.
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" half-pound ball of nickel-cobalt cement reinforced with titantium carbide" "
Aren't you going to need a zirconium oxide layer on the outside as heat shield?
Re:Will falling space debris be a problem? (Score:5, Informative)
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I would guess they put an explosive charge behind the bars, and push against the satellite. With a limited capacity, the fact that it would eventually deorbit the carrier isn't a deal killer.
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Space Spam (Score:2)
Girl: "Ahhh, Isn't the moon sooo romantic?"
Boy: "Yes, it is sweetums....Uh, I have something to ask you."
Space Spam Pops in View: "Bob's Penis Enhancer, for the nervous times in your life. $99.95"
Girl: "Yes darling, what is it?"
Boy: "Oh, never mind."
Re:Commercial applications (Score:5, Informative)
Satellite technology has had commercial applications for decades.
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>How about broadcasting democratic information via FM/AM radio to restricted countries?
What, you mean like to the USA?
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How about broadcasting democratic information via FM/AM radio to restricted countries? I'd think it'd be low enough to work.
FM yes, AM not really. The frequency is too low to get through the ionosphere. Also you need big antennas for low frequencies.
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However, it isn't clear to me who would use a half-pound satellite that can only last a few weeks. TFA lists the following possible applications:
Earth-from-space video imaging. Earth magnetic field measurement. Satellite orientation detection (horizon sensor, gyros, accelerometers, etc.). Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.). On-orbit hardware and software component testing (microprocessors, etc.). Tracking migratory animals from orbit. Testing satellite stabilization methods. Biological experiments. On-orbit advertising. Private e-mail
I think "because we can" will become quite common.
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Satellites have had commercial applications for decades - it's a multibillion dollar business and has been for decades.
What's the point? (Score:2)
If it only survives for some weeks? I'd expect at least a decade of life and to roll my own satellite.
Yes. For that price!
Hazardous material. (Score:2, Interesting)
I understand that the volume is currently small, but they are commercializing the burn-up of potentially hazardous material in earth atmosphere. Circuit boards contain many things that shouldn't be burned. I hope that they screen for hazardous material that shouldn't be put into the atmosphere.
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Will it really matter if it's only half a pound?
Re:Please realize the scale of the atmosphere (Score:4, Insightful)
This river running next to my factory is huge, and the sea it runs to is even bigger... so who will notice if I dump a barrel of waste arsenic in that river?
Now look in what kind of mess this attitude has gotten us.
Do I... (Score:4, Funny)
...get to chose where it comes down? I really don't know, but I wonder if one could design a .5 pound satellite with the express intention of surviving re-entry, like a 1/2 pound slug of lead in the shape of a dart or a sphere.
I don't need much mass to survive the heat of re-entry. A few grams at orbital velocity, in the right place, would be enough to give my enemies pause...
Re:Do I... (Score:4, Funny)
...get to chose where it comes down? I really don't know, but I wonder if one could design a .5 pound satellite with the express intention of surviving re-entry, like a 1/2 pound slug of lead in the shape of a dart or a sphere.
That's one heck of a way to commit suicide.
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Except the re-entry part turns orbital velocity into something closer to terminal velocity since the atmosphere tends to slow things down while its heating them up.
A few grams of anything falling isn't deadly to a person under all but most extreme cases.
You aren't building a weapon of any consequence with this service, you just don't have enough mass to work with.
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It says you can link up to four together at a time. I guess the first unit would have the antennas, thrusters and deployment, with up to three separate payloads.
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Antennas covered:
Just buy a tape measure, that will snap out in a heart beat, to the right length for transmitting and should have very minimal weight.
Server covered:
somewhere in slashdot, there is a report of a full server on a 2" x 2" x 2" cube ( I think that's the size )
Deployment covered:
spring loaded like a jack in the box
thruster and guidance: got an idea
Electrodynamic tether using fishing line specifically fireline or spiderwire or spectra , if the tether can make the juice we have a chance at a smal
Expensive. (Score:2)
Isn't the cost to put junk in orbit through existing channels just 2000/pound? That puts this at 16 times the existing rate and you don't even get a stable orbit.
I Call BS (Score:4, Interesting)
32 satellites at $8K each is only $256,000. Subtract the cost of the materials used to build the satellites. (I'm assuming they're not using class S parts, but solar panels, etc still ain't cheap.) They're seriously planning to deploy a working delivery system to space for that kind of money?
Re:I Call BS (Score:4, Informative)
If you figure it costs about $10,000/lb to launch stuff into space, launching 16 pounds would leave $96,000 for administration and profit. The numbers are plausible. And if they start launching from a Virgin space plane, then the launch costs could do down dramatically.
Re:I Call BS (Score:4, Interesting)
The idea behind the OTRAG design was that if each segment where identical, the manufacturing process could be streamlined to a very cost effective level, much like how cars are made.
More on the OTRAG project here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTRAG [wikipedia.org]
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/otrag.htm [astronautix.com]
Re:I Call BS (Score:5, Informative)
You didn't RTFA. For $8,000 this comes with a turnkey satellite + satellite development software environment,
with equipment that's already gone through R&D, and warrantied against failure during the trip into space, with space for additional cargo of up to 0.2kg. I'm sure they'd sell you the empty casing plus space on the rocket for less than $8 large (maybe as low as 4K? judging from their pricing model, it looks like the 4K is for the actual propellant/overhead costs), but it's going to cost a business a whole lot more than 8K to develop space-worthy electronics + software to put in the canister.
Re: I Call BS (Score:5, Informative)
It's not BS. Last I checked you could put 1 KG into LEO for $25K. http://www.cubesatkit.com/ [cubesatkit.com]
Cubesats typically hitch a ride with larger projects for cost efficiency.
http://cubesat.ece.uiuc.edu/ [uiuc.edu]
http://mtech.dk/thomsen/space/cubesat.php [mtech.dk]
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/cubesats.php [amsat.org]
Was anyone else thinking... (Score:3, Interesting)
- Can I put a 1/2 pound of magnesium up there?
- How about a 1/2 pound of liquid oxy-acetylene?
- Where'd I put my AOL CD collection?
It would be fun if they just set up a space dock you could stand on and throw shit into the atmosphere to see what happens.
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- Where'd I put my AOL CD collection?
Imagine a CD with a microprocessor, solar power and LCD shutters. It can change attitude by contollling its albedo selectively. It can change orbit by reflecting sunlight. You could put a stack of them on a platform like this.
I need a rocket scientist... (Score:3, Funny)
Given that you'd need electronics on board and three thrusters, I doubt you could get a reentry-survivable slug of any appreciable mass up there under this program.
Still, its neat to think about wiping my enemies out with artificial meteorites.
McSputnik (Score:2, Funny)
catchy name. MySputnik? Sputniklets? Sputninnies? Sputmites? Spuklings? Spuklites?
CO2 cartridges to break earth's orbit? (Score:4, Interesting)
How many high pressure CO2 cartridges can you fit in one of those, and would they provide enough thrust to get your device out of earth's orbit? Maybe stick it in a figure 8 orbital pattern between the moon and earth, or shoot it off towards Mars. I would imagine you need substantially less thrust to break from earth's orbit for a lowly half-pound payload than say, a space shuttle, not to mention, the pressure differential is substantially greater.
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Not enough, and no. (Note to mention you'll need a guidance and stabilization system weighing much more than the payload available.)
You could break the Shuttle out of Earth's orbit with as little as a half pound of thrust (if you w
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Hmm I looked at this some more. It looks like there is only a 2,900 joule requirement to leave earth's orbit from LEO for a 1kg object. So you're looking at 1450 joules to leave earth's orbit at full weight; a CO2 cartridge provides about 150 joules of energy. You should be able to fit at least three CO2 cartridges in that canister, so you're already 40% of the way to deep space exploration using off the shelf technology! Plus each cartridge uses 12g of CO2, so the probe becomes lighter as it uses it's fuel
Re:CO2 cartridges to break earth's orbit? (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously, no. 2.9kJ is nothing. It's less than the biochemical energy in 0.1g of fat, only enough energy to lift 1kg 300m against gravity.
2.9kJ is certainly not sufficient for accelerating 1kg from 8km/s (LEO orbit) to 11km/s (escape velocity) or even just about 10km/s (geostationary transfer orbit perigee).
1J=1Nm=(1kg*m/s^2)*1m=1kg*(m/s)^2
Kinetic energy of 1kg at 8km/s: 0.5*1kg*(8000m/s)^2=32MJ
Kinetic energy of 1kg at 10km/s:
0.5*1kg*(10000m/s)^2=50MJ
That's a difference of 18MJ to get 1kg from LEO to a geostationary transfer orbit (and some more to turn that into a geostationary orbit).
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I took the joules measurement from a CO2 cartridge based BB gun, so that should be real world energy thrust (TM), not theoretical.
Do they give Octopussy discounts? (Score:2)
I would like to commission all spots on a launch. I have some very special orchids I have been growing that I need to launch into space and have orbit the planet...
Now where did I put my evil lap kitty....
800,000 (Score:2, Funny)
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Your ex-wife weighs 50 pounds?
Something makes me think you did the math wrong.
TPB (Score:2, Insightful)
Marriage Proposal (Score:3, Interesting)
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Pizza's and beers (Score:2)
It doesn't need to last. Personally I will just use this to send myself pizza's and beers in here. And some WoW subscription cards, please.
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One reason it's cheap is that it's not very high. Just launch a new one each month - this price is remarkably low, if real.
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Re:Weeks? (Score:4, Informative)
Doubtful in that mass budget. You couldn't just stick a thruster on it- you'd need a full attitude control system to make sure you were actually pointed in the right direction, and thruster(s), reaction wheels, etc would pretty rapidly use up all your mass.
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Actually, I was really far to tentative with that response. I think the real answer is "no way in hell." Just too much energy that you'd need to store in that half pound somehow.
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The only ways I can dimly imagine a half pound payload being able to elevate it's own orbit replies on multiple technologies enjoying at least a couple of orders of magnitude in improvement.
Too many layers of magic would be required to make this even a fun mental exercise.
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"Too many layers of magic would be required to make this even a fun mental exercise."
True, which means the most interesting question now is "how long". 5 years? 50 years? The answer there of course, is, "it depends".
For now though, it's cool we can even be talking about this.
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Well, to be honest, I think that matter/antimatter annihilation is going to be close to the only thing that would give you the appropriate energy density, unless you somehow managed to get a miniature (and featherweight) nuclear reactor on there. I don't see this being feasibly anytime soon.
Getting out of orbit is *hard*.
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TubeSats are also available as Double TubeSats, Triple TubeSats, or Quadruple TubeSats. The length, volume, and mass of these expanded TubeSats are based on the multiplying factor.
So for $32k you could send almost a kilogram into orbit. I bet you could pack a miniature ion drive into that size, and it'd last a lot more than four times the length of a single TubeSat orbit.
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That's true. However, I doubt that the half-pound payload is more than a small fraction of the total mass of the satellite, so strapping four together and giving you additional payload for thrust isn't really going to improve the payload/fuel balance very much. I still think it highly unlikely (if not impossible.)
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Mind you, would be great for making annoying messages to broadcast down upon unsuspecting populations. (I am sure I could easily build a low power TV transmitter + annoying several hours of program material (set to repeat) in less than 220 grams!) (how many 50
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Here's how much it would cost to send CmdrTaco to orbit earth:
1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms
0.45359237 / 2 = 0.22679685
90kg / 0.22679685 = 396.830908
396.830908 * $8000 = 3174647.26
Result is $3 174 647
Anyone know if they allow that as a whole package or if you need it as 227g chunks? That might cause problems. :)
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Chunks are only a problem if you're squeamish.
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Wait... actually I'll do it for $25/gram. I assure you I will deliver your parcel to "space" --I've got space in my garage, heh-- and you can get the kid a telescope and tell him to look for it. No need for a wasteful rocket launch. I get paid, the kid gets a thrill and you get plausible deniability (I paid to send it to space, I swear!). Everybody wins.
Re:Ashes in space business (Score:5, Funny)
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>If anyone starts a "fingernail clippings/hair/teeth/etc. in space" program for under $50/gram let me know.
I've just registered www.fingernail-clippings-hair-teeth-etc-in-space.com, now where's your 50 bucks?
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I don't see why this would help. They can jam it like anything else. It isn't as if their jamming methods rely on blocking line-of-sight. And you aren't going to get much power from a transmitter in one of these.
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Potentially. But how are you going to let people know the information is available there? If you are broadcasting the information back down then people will need to be listening on the right frequencies as your sat passes over as you are not going to have a transmitter powerful enough to drown out a common frequency use by other transmissions.
And that is ignoring the fact that the orbit is not going to be anything like geostationary so there will only be specific time windows when your target audience have
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Too small and too hard to pick up.
If anything if you really wanted to do that you would want to launch a Really large satellite with a huge dish. Maybe set it up to broadcast UHF TV or even FM radio. Such a bird would break every international law on the books probably but it would be really cool.
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Re:Tonga vs. the atmosphere (Score:5, Insightful)
A couple of rockets is piss compared to the millions of cars, factories, and volcanoes in the world. "Straw that breaks the camel's back" is just a strawman (pun not intended :/) argument used by ludites that have something against cool technologies for some reason.
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Ummm what are you talking about? This will be a tiny fraction of what the cars and probably the electric generators on Tonga put out. Honestly if you really are worried about I wouldn't be. This company is pushing an untried rocket and will probably never put a pound into orbit. This seems alike a money grab for to me along with some publicity.
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Gravity guns are science fiction, but laser brooms [wikipedia.org] could bring down space junk. You fire a laser into space from the earth, and any space junk in its path gets partially ablated, which thrusts it into a more eccentric orbit, which increases atmospheric drag and makes its orbit decay faster.
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Oh yeah, I dont see that going horribly wrong....
Every time I see someone talk of that all I can think of is really cheezy Japanese SciFi from the 80's that angers and awakens moth-ra.
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I thought that too, until I read further. They don't put it high enough to be remain in orbit.
But of course the day will come soon when they will be able to put it into a stable orbit, and then it will become a concern.
I recently saw a simulation showing all the currently unclassified object being tracked in orbit around the earth. My instant reaction was "how the hell will we ever get another rocket through that lot?" Alien observers must think we are building a metal sphere to hide behind. Bit like a glob