
Ask HN: Can I put something in space? - hazz99
Hello,<p>Is it possible for a technically-minded person to put their own cubesat&#x2F;related technology into space? Are there major legal hurdles, or is it mainly financial?<p>Cheers.
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giaour
Yes, you can do so. The cheapest option at the moment is to use a TubeSat kit
from InterOrbital Systems (
[http://www.interorbital.com/Tubesat%20Kits](http://www.interorbital.com/Tubesat%20Kits)).
The kit is $8,000 and includes a launch into low Earth orbit.

You will need approval if you want to take images of the Earth. Take a look at
DIY Satellite Platforms by Sandy Antunes for a detailed overview and guide.

~~~
arwineap
Hrm, approval from who? Seems like public "space"

~~~
giaour
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty makes individual nations responsible for the
extra-terrestrial activities of persons and entities under their jurisdiction.
US persons and entities need authorization from NOAA. (cf
[https://space.stackexchange.com/a/26373](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/26373)
)

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sigmaprimus
Not sure where you live but in Canada there are laws regarding doing this, not
saying you can't but you might get in trouble, that being said it's almost
always easier asking for forgiveness than permission. Here is a link to the
Canadian law that covers this

[https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://w...](https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.canadianrocketry.org/files/tc_hpr_reqs_jan00.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVh4nLyZHdAhUDFXwKHcooAdoQFjAMegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw1gAWpOC-
rMM8y-Bvqhg3GD)

If your interested in satellite tech I suggest looking into amsat, and if you
want a cheap way to communicate with satellites, I suggest getting your HAM
license and go that route.

Good luck

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flingo
More to this question, are there any limits on what you can put in orbit?

e.g. could I put a satellite in orbit that broadcasts an SSTV signal that's
goatse, or a handgun? For the sake of the question, assume I can launch/reside
in any country.

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danielvf
Three or four man college teams do cubesats all the time, so I’m guessing it’s
entirely doable by an individual. In the US I know you have to get FCC
approval, and do so you’ll probably need to plan on an orbit with a short
lifetime.

