Why?
Because I love SPACE, NASA, OPEN SOURCE, and STAR WARS! I started this project 2 years ago while at SpaceVR, because we needed something to film in 16K 360 degree video after the Overview One CubeSat was ejected from the International Space Station. www.deathstarinspace.com/kickstarter
The project now is focused on four short term goals and one long term goal:
1) Promote STEM education to kids by having a lot of fun and sending their GitHub code in to space. 2) Celebrate Yuri’s Night and honor Star Wars Celebration and Episode IX to bring fans together. 3) Etch & gold plate 300 Earthling names into the Death Star PCB’s, and then send it to space & back. 4) Launch a functional Death Star into space (100 km) and back for the first time in history.
Humanity will need to leave Earth at some point, so why not start today with small steps that prove technology like wireless power transfer using LASERs and supercapacitors works in space. The long term goal of this project is to send a Death Star into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for at least 6 months and turn on its LASERS to transmit power to another CubeSat and/or send peoples names via light out of the solar system. Do you want to see that happen?
Last updated: April 19, 2019 07:10
Are you causing more orbital debris?
The DSiS project will not cause ANY orbital debris and absolutely NOTHING gets released. Our suborbital mission goes up to 100 km and straight back down in less then 30 mins. For the entirety of the mission the Death Star, LASER, and exploded Alderaan’s stay inside both a 1U CubeSat frame and the inside of the United Frontiers rocket fairing. We even did the math in case the rocket explodes mid flight, and the #DeathStar hardware falls back to Earth.
Last updated: April 19, 2019 07:11
LASER in space, is that legal...?
The effective / dangerous distance of our 0.15 W and 8 W LASER’s are very short, and the Death Star will be inside of up to two boxes (1U CubeSat frame and rocket fairing cover) away from human eyes. We will check in with the FAA before launch and get all the required waivers. CubeSat mission such as NASA’s ISARA mission have put LASER’s into space already, and Elon Musk wants LASER’s in space to - so I’m just trying to help a brother out :)
Last updated: April 19, 2019 07:11
How much does rocket launch cost to get into space?
$10K - $85K depending on whether rocket is going suborbital (straight up and down) vs orbital (around the Earth), weight of payload, and the age / risk profile of the rocket company. The base Kickstarter goal funds a suborbital mission to 100 km, with the final stretch goal funding an orbital mission.
Last updated: April 19, 2019 07:11
This is a huge waste of money!?!?
Cash spent on aerospace is not loaded into rockets and burnt up in the sun (a very hard thing to achieve by the way). It goes to the machinists, laborers, and project managers in both big and small towns around the USA. NASA has 10 centers for this very reason. Also since aerospace is so regulated its one of the few industries that can’t outsource jobs from America.
Last updated: April 19, 2019 07:11
Current Estimated Shipping Date: December 2019
Some rewards will ship before Dec 2019; however, we need launch the rocket Dec 13 9:32 am to get the space flown ones to you :)
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