• Question: How much will your work cost, would it be worth money and why?

    Asked by BLSvideos to Camilla, Dan, Katie, Mike, Rhys on 19 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Camilla Weiss

      Camilla Weiss answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      I build satellites and satellites tend to be very expensive ranging from a few hundred thousand pounds to billions of pounds! The reason most satellites are so expensive is they have to be built using very special parts and components which need to be able to withstand the harsh environment of space for many, many years. Satellites are also sometimes used to fly big scientific experiments which are designed to do something no one has ever done before – this usually requires a lot of testing and mistakes and refinement until it’s working and this can cost money. Often the most espensive part of any mission though is the rocket launch. It’s very hard to get to space and a rocket needs a huge amount of fuel which is very expensive.

    • Photo: Katie Sparks

      Katie Sparks answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      As Cam said, they’re not cheap, but I think satellites are worth the money. We learn such a lot from the science ones and they only reason we build a satellite to do those experiements is because they can’t be done Earth – otherwise they’d be done Earth.
      For other types of satellites, many businesses and governments think they’re worth the money for the benefites they bring: internet in remote areas, telephone and GPS services. Taking pictures to understand how towns are cities are developing. In fact, satellites are being used to measure how many trees are being destroyed in the Amazon, and helping to catch people whilst they’re doing it!
      They also make sure bank transactions are secure. If you get money from an ATM, the time you are waiting is because there is a time delay built into the satellites, to make sure it’s not someone stealing your money.
      Satellites give us a lot these days and the benefits so far seem to be worth it.

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