Hi again folks

I am wondering how the cost for sending a satellite into orbit is calculated, depending on their orbit... If advertising were to be launched, how could it be possibly be feasible?

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Damien,
International Baccalaureate Physics teacher
Optics, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Instrumentation Major
Admin: Pacific Science and Art

This is an interesting question. I have some incomplete answers [as an interested amateur]. Perhaps there is someone on this board who actually knows details.

Costs:
- pay the launch company for the rocket and launch services [includes a lot of payroll for technicians] Note: size of rocket is determined by orbit and launch weight.
- pay the sponsoring nation for the right to launch in their name [and perhaps use their land for launching]
- pay overtime for bad weather
- pay for insurance on satelite
- pay for insurance for liability at launch site
- [for geosynchronous orbits] fee to country owning the slot.
- pay for technicians who handle the satelite while in orbit
- pay damages to whomever the satelite eventually lands on
- pay dish time for whoever is transmitting data to and from the satelite. [some satelites may not need this].
- pay to actually manufacture and test the satelite.
- pay to transport the satelite to the launching company.
- pay to have the satelite shrouded and prepped inside the rocket's payload bay.

Note that the companies that provide the rockets determine the prices for the various rockets in their various configurations. This is a competitive market [to some degree] and so their costs are fairly realistically calculated.

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Forming opinions as we speak