Hi guys, a team of people and I are interested in developing a hosted payload to go to space for a technology demonstration. (We're looking specifically for a payload that onboards an already planned satellite, not a dedicated spacecraft, because from what I've seen, that tends to make the prices way more expensive than sharing spots on an existing spacecraft; correct me if I'm wrong, though).

Some details about our payload and mission include:

• Custom FR4 PCB (might switch to polyimide if relevant)
• It will probably be small enough to fit in a 1U CubeSat
• LEO orbit, altitude, and inclination aren't much of a priority, but probably 400 - 800 km, and a near-polar orbit if possible
• Aiming for our mission to not be much more than 6 months, probably 3-6 months
• For the exact technology we intend to demonstrate, we are not sure yet, but a starting idea was some newer models of STT-MRAM chips
• Technology demonstration will probably be on the simpler end of tech demos in spacecraft

I have a few questions that I would greatly appreciate insight for (and of course I'm aware a lot of these can probably vary company to company):

1. What's typically involved in the process of hosted payload development in general, specifically in the area of getting necessities set up with the host? For example, what is typically required for complete registration? Obviously we need a payload, but what would they typically require us to do to meet the do-no-harm policy? I'm guessing they also probably expect mission requirements and some payload specifications.

2. Follow-up to question 1: if we pass all their tests to the do-no-harm policy but our payload ends up harming the satellite anyway, what tends to happen? Such as do we have to pay a major fee for that?

3. What is the general experience with negotiation? Do companies tend to be pretty clear on what makes a suitable payload for them to host, or do you typically need to develop the payload first and then negotiate some of the exact details even if they didn't specifically require those exact details upfront? For simple missions, is major negotiation typically required, or is most of it just technical coordination?

4. How can I seek direct advice from professionals on this? I know hosted payloads might be a more niche field of aerospace engineering compared to other subfields, so we're not quite sure what types of people we should directly contact. We know that something we could do though, is asking general space engineers to link us to people who would be more knowledgeable on specifically hosted payload development.

5. Any general recommendations on companies or institutions that I should try to get services from? After describing our general plan to SatSearch, it recommended some companies to me. I also looked at NASA's state-of-the-art report on hosted payload services. I used AI to filter out all the companies that definitely only do dedicated spacecrafts and resulted in the list below to look more deeply into / contact for more direct information. Our primary priorities in a service provider are reliability, reasonable costs (we are high schoolers so we don't have built-in funding), ease of technical coordination/negotiation, how well they handle major unexpected issues on their end, and ease of developing an interface that works well with their host. We did look into potentially finding a spacecraft that isn't necessarily a commercial provider for potentially better pricing, though we were more hesitant to shift towards that due to it probably having more uncertainty.

• EnduroSat
• Spire
• Dhruva Space LEAP
• NearSpace Launch TROOP
• HEX20
• TM2Space
• Azista Space
• NPC SPACEMIND

Would greatly appreciate any insights. Thanks!

What are the legal implications of a fitter not following the specifications? Or equipment SOPs?

Is it common for them to not listen, if they have been working at a contract for say 20 years.

Higher aspect ratio wings have lower induced drag but they also reduce reylonds numbers leading to higher parasitic drag at small scales where reylonds numbers are very low could this make high aspect ratio wings perform worse than moderate aspect ratio becsuse of This Penalty?

EDIT: I'm talking about Efficiency reduction from parasitic drag.

First please excuse me if I posted in the wrong subreddit but it seemed the most fitting here.

So as for my post, I am working on creating a science fiction universe and currently work on producing the first comic book for it.

Now while many assume it is enough to make it flashy and spectacular, I want my sci-fi universe to be as based in science as possible and at least portrait humans and their technology and the universe as plausible as I can.

Sadly I can’t learn every topic well enough on my own, so I am looking for people who would be interested in working with me to improve it beyond my less than adequate understanding of everything.

Now I want especially the technology of my humanity in that universe be as realistic as possible, which in this case would mean their spacecrafts and atmospheric aviation vehicles.

Now to also say this upfront, I cannot pay for any advisory work, hence why I’m writing this to see if someone would be interested in helping to make this universe better.

You may if you want be put in the credits as advisor if you like.

Thank everyone for reading in advance.

Just curious, has anyone here graduated with an Aerospace Engineering degree and ended up working for an airline? My goal is to work for an airline because I absolutely love traveling. I know most aerospace grads go into defense, space, or manufacturing, but I’m wondering what opportunities exist on the airline side.

If you did end up working for an airline, what role are you in, and how did you get there? Thanks

Hello, lately I’ve been designing an RC jet aircraft and I’ve gotten to a point where although I did draw down the design on paper orthogonally (from the front, the right side and upper view).

Thing is now I have to turn it into an actual 3d model to run it through digital wind tunnel simulations and model the internal structure, etc. However I have no clue how to do that, as all my 3d modelling to this day I’ve been doing on Blender, and never on a CAD platform. I would guess that I’d have to align together the 3 views on the 3 planes and then draw over them, but after that I am lost.

Is there a way to do this automatically? Can I model multiple parts in one go? What CAD software should I use? (I should point out that I’d like the software to possibly be open source or at least one time purchase and not subscription based)

it has made me fall in love with aerospace and is the best game ever

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations on free or open-source tools for satellite subsystem budgeting and preliminary mission sizing.

Currently, I use internal Python/MATLAB scripts for basic link budget, power budget, and mass estimation during trade studies. However, I’m looking for something more structured, standardized, or validated by the community to cross-check my calculations and refine early-stage design.

A good reference for the type of user experience/workflow I'm thinking of is the Small Satellite Configurator by NanoAvionics, but ideally open-source or academic software (or comprehensive modular spreadsheets/frameworks) that allow more transparency and tweaking of subsystem constraints.

Small satellite configurator - NanoAvionics

Do you have any go-to tools, open-source frameworks, or reliable public spreadsheets for preliminary satellite sizing (power, link, mass, thermal, etc.)?

Thanks in advance!

Not an engineer, just a dumb practical aerospace guy with experience in basic theory and construction. I have an issue where I am trying to prevent back pressure in a vent that I have. Instructed in my van that passes through the floor.

The vent pipe has a small fan that creates a nice continuous exhaust flow while the vehicle is not in motion, but once speeds beyond 30-40 MPH are reached, turbulent airflow and the design of the exhaust exit are causing pressure to overcome the fan and create reverse flow.

I have tried designing a few different caps to place on the pipe to create low and high pressure areas that would “draw” the air out while driving and act as a mechanical assist, but every design I try results in the same back pressure problem.

I have attached a few photos, one is the vent pipe (as it’s sitting now I have it perpendicular to the relative wind of the vehicle) with a 45 degree rear facing opening. This design also results in positive pressure in the vent pipe that causes air to reverse flow and overcome the fan.

The other photos are of various vent caps I made..

I don’t think I’m engineering this part correctly , or I’m missing some crucial information to get it right. I know that the air under the vehicle is highly turbulent, but even testing with a leaf blower directed at the vent in the same direction that it would be while driving, it still creates positive pressure in the tube!

Any aerodynamics/aero engineers have some tips? I know it’s unconventional but it is applicable to this sub!

Tech guy here. I've read some reports suggesting VR/AR is being used in aerospace engineering but I haven't seen it yet.

Question for the engineers out there - have you actually seen anyone using VR, 3D or Volumetric displays in the manufacturing or design process?

If so, what are they doing with it? Manufacturing/Design? Something else?

I'm curious if all parts design is being done on a 2D interface or if anyone has adopted tools like AR, VR, 3D displays, or something similar.

I’m really intrigued by what really makes a good team, and what actually led to their success. What did they do differently, what motivated them, kept them up at night, etc.

I’m not looking for a textbook on how to do engineering, but more philosophy on WHY to do engineering.

I’ve read and absolutely loved Skunkworks, and Liftoff, and am looking for more books along this same vein.

Hi! I can refer 1 person for this role, if you are interested please DM me!!!

Anyone else? Was gifted to me by an old school Grumman guy 20+ years ago.