Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Small satellite
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== Classification groups == [[File:Space Technology 5 on payload structure.jpg|thumb|Three microsatellites of [[Space Technology 5]]]] === Small satellites === The term "small satellite",<ref name=swma2014/> or sometimes "minisatellite", often refers to an artificial satellite with a [[wet mass]] (including fuel) between {{convert|100|and|500|kg|abbr=on}},<ref name=did20120630/><ref name=tristancho2010/> but in other usage has come to mean any satellite under {{convert|500|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=pa20150302>{{cite news |last1=Messier |first1=Doug |title=Euroconsult Sees Large Market for Smallsats |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/03/02/euroconsult-sees-large-market-smallsats/ |access-date=8 March 2015 |work=Parabolic Arc |date=2 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305183555/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/03/02/euroconsult-sees-large-market-smallsats/ |archive-date=5 March 2015}}</ref> Small satellite examples{{according to whom|date=March 2021}} include [[Demeter (satellite)|Demeter]], [[Essaim (satellite)|Essaim]], [[Parasol (satellite)|Parasol]], [[Picard (satellite)|Picard]], [[MICROSCOPE (satellite)|MICROSCOPE]], [[TARANIS]], [[ELISA (satellite)|ELISA]], [[SSOT (satellite)|SSOT]], [[SMART-1]], [[Spirale|Spirale-A and -B]], and [[Starlink]] satellites.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} ==== Small satellite launch vehicle ==== Although smallsats have traditionally been launched as secondary payloads on larger launch vehicles, a number of companies began development of launch vehicles specifically targeted at the smallsat market. In particular, with larger numbers of smallsats flying, the secondary payload paradigm does not provide the specificity required for many small satellites that have unique orbital and launch-timing requirements.<ref name=sn20130812/> Some USA-based private companies that at some point in time have launched smallsat launch vehicles commercially: *[[Orbital Sciences Corporation]]'s [[Pegasus (rocket)]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pegasus XL Launch Vehicle {{!}} National Air and Space Museum |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/launch-vehicle-pegasus-xl-orbital-sciences-corporation/nasm_A20040262000 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}</ref> *[[Rocket Lab]]'s [[Electron (rocket)|Electron]] (300 kg)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rocketlabusa.com/launch/electron/|title=Rocket Lab Electron (rocket)|date=2022-07-31|website=Rocket Lab Electron (rocket)|access-date=2022-07-31}}</ref> *[[Virgin Orbit]]'s [[LauncherOne]] (500 kg)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-07-29|title=Virgin Orbit Service Guide|url=https://virginorbit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Virgin-Orbit-Service-Guide.pdf|access-date=2019-07-29|website=Virgin Orbit Service Guide|archive-date=19 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319211045/https://virginorbit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Virgin-Orbit-Service-Guide.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> *[[Astra, Inc.|Astra]]'s [[Rockets by Astra|Rocket 3.3]] (100 kg)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://astra.com/news/astra-reaches-orbit/|title=Astra Reaches Orbit |date=2021-11-22|website=Astra (Private Space Company)|access-date=2021-12-07}}</ref> *[[Firefly Aerospace]]'s [[Firefly Alpha]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alpha Launch Vehicle |url=https://fireflyspace.com/alpha/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Firefly Aerospace |language=en-US}}</ref> === Microsatellites === The term "microsatellite" or "microsat" is usually applied to the name of an artificial satellite with a wet mass between {{convert|10|and|100|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=swma2014/><ref name=did20120630>{{cite news |title=Small Is Beautiful: US Military Explores Use of Microsatellites |url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Small-Is-Beautiful-US-Military-Explores-Use-of-Microsatellites-06720/ |access-date=12 December 2012 |newspaper=Defense Industry Daily |date=30 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213014300/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Small-Is-Beautiful-US-Military-Explores-Use-of-Microsatellites-06720/ |archive-date=13 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=tristancho2010/> However, this is not an official convention and sometimes those terms can refer to satellites larger than that, or smaller than that (e.g., {{convert|1|-|50|kg|abbr=on}}).<ref name=swma2014/> Sometimes, designs or proposed designs from some satellites of these types have microsatellites [[Satellite constellation|working together]] or in a [[Fractionated spacecraft|formation]].<ref name=nbc20150604>{{cite news |last1=Boyle |first1=Alan |title=How SpaceX Plans to Test Its Satellite Internet Service in 2016 |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/how-spacex-plans-test-its-satellite-internet-service-2016-n370196 |access-date=5 June 2015 |work=NBC News |date=4 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605074222/http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/how-spacex-plans-test-its-satellite-internet-service-2016-n370196 |archive-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> The generic term "small satellite" or "smallsat" is also sometimes used,<ref name=nsj20120711/> as is "satlet".<ref name=sn20140321>{{cite news |last=Gruss |first=Mike |title=DARPA Space Budget Increase Includes $27M for Spaceplane |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/39938darpa-space-budget-increase-includes-27m-for-spaceplane |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140324034149/http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/39938darpa-space-budget-increase-includes-27m-for-spaceplane |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2014 |access-date=24 March 2014 |newspaper=Space News |date=21 March 2014}}</ref> Examples: [[Astrid (satellite)|Astrid-1]] and Astrid-2,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Merayo |first1=J.M.G. |last2=Brauer |first2=P. |last3=Primdahl |first3=F. |last4=Joergensen |first4=P.S. |last5=Risbo |first5=T. |last6=Cain |first6=J. |date=April 2002 |title=The spinning Astrid-2 satellite used for modeling the Earth's main magnetic field |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1006371 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=898–909 |doi=10.1109/TGRS.2002.1006371 |bibcode=2002ITGRS..40..898M |s2cid=261967136 |issn=1558-0644}}</ref> as well as the set of satellites currently announced for ''LauncherOne'' (below)<ref name=nsj20120711/> In 2018, the two [[Mars Cube One]] microsats—massing just {{cvt|13.5|kg}} each—became the first CubeSats to leave Earth orbit for use in interplanetary space. They flew on their way to Mars alongside the successful Mars ''[[InSight]]'' [[Mars lander|lander]] mission.<ref name=nyt2019318>{{cite news |last=Stirone|first=Shannon |title=Space Is Very Big. Some of Its New Explorers Will Be Tiny. - The success of NASA's MarCO mission means that so-called cubesats likely will travel to distant reaches of our solar system. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/science/cubesats-marco-mars.html |date=18 March 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=21 April 2019 }}</ref> The two microsats accomplished a [[Flyby (spaceflight)|flyby]] of Mars in November 2018, and both continued communicating with ground stations on Earth through late December. Both went silent by early January 2019.<ref name=jpl20190204>{{cite news |last1=Good|first1=Andrew |last2=Wendel|first2=JoAnna |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7327 |title=Beyond Mars, the Mini MarCO Spacecraft Fall Silent |work=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=4 February 2019 |access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> ==== Microsatellite launch vehicle ==== A number of [[private spaceflight|commercial]] and military-contractor companies are currently developing '''microsatellite launch vehicles''' to perform the increasingly [[orbital trajectory|targeted]] launch requirements of microsatellites. While microsatellites have been carried to space for many years as secondary payloads aboard larger [[launch vehicle|launchers]], the secondary payload paradigm does not provide the specificity required for many increasingly sophisticated small satellites that have unique orbital and launch-timing requirements.<ref name=sn20130812>{{cite news |last=Werner |first=Debra |title=Small Satellites & Small Launchers: Rocket Builders Scramble To Capture Growing Microsat Market |url=https://spacenews.com/36741small-satellites-small-launchers-rocket-builders-scramble-to-capture/ |access-date=13 March 2021 |newspaper=Space News |date=12 August 2013}}</ref> In July 2012, [[Virgin Orbit]] announced [[LauncherOne]], an [[orbital launch vehicle]] designed to launch "smallsat" primary [[Payload (air and space craft)|payloads]] of {{convert|100|kg|abbr=on}} into [[low Earth orbit]], with launches projected to begin in 2016. Several commercial customers have already contracted for launches, including [[GeoOptics]], [[Skybox Imaging]], [[Spaceflight Industries]], and [[Planetary Resources]]. Both [[Surrey Satellite Technology]] and [[Sierra Nevada Corporation|Sierra Nevada Space Systems]] are developing [[satellite bus]]es "optimized to the design of LauncherOne".<ref name=nsj20120711>{{cite news |title=Virgin Galactic relaunches its smallsat launch business |url=http://www.newspacejournal.com/2012/07/11/virgin-galactic-relaunches-its-smallsat-launch-business/ |access-date=11 July 2012 |newspaper=NewSpace Journal |date=12 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715235055/http://www.newspacejournal.com/2012/07/11/virgin-galactic-relaunches-its-smallsat-launch-business/ |archive-date=15 July 2012}}</ref> Virgin Orbit has been working on the LauncherOne concept since late 2008,<ref name=fgh20081209>[http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/hyperbola/2008/12/exclusive-virgin-galactic-unve.html EXCLUSIVE: Virgin Galactic unveils LauncherOne name!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514165558/http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/hyperbola/2008/12/exclusive-virgin-galactic-unve.html |date=14 May 2013 }}, Rob Coppinger, Flightglobal Hyperbola, 9 December 2008</ref> and {{asof|2015|lc=y}}, is making it a larger part of Virgin's core business plan as the Virgin human spaceflight program has experienced multiple delays and a fatal accident in 2014.<ref name=telegraph20150822>{{cite news |last1=Burn-Callander |first1=Rebecca |title=Virgin Galactic boldly goes into small satellites, telling future astronauts 'you have to wait' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/11816213/Virgin-Galactic-boldly-goes-into-small-satellites-telling-future-astronauts-you-have-to-wait.html |access-date=24 August 2015 |newspaper=UK Telegraph |date=22 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824021720/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/11816213/Virgin-Galactic-boldly-goes-into-small-satellites-telling-future-astronauts-you-have-to-wait.html |archive-date=24 August 2015}}</ref> In December 2012, [[DARPA]] announced that the [[Airborne Launch Assist Space Access]] program would provide the microsatellite rocket booster for the DARPA SeeMe program that intended to release a "[[Satellite constellation|constellation]] of 24 micro-satellites (~{{convert|20|kg|abbr=on}} range) each with 1-m imaging [[Satellite imagery|resolution]]."<ref name=nsw20121219>{{cite news |last=Lindsey |first=Clark |title=DARPA developing microsat constellation orbited with air-launch system |url=http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/darpa-developing-microsat-constellation-orbited-with-air-launch-system.html |access-date=22 December 2012 |newspaper=NewSpace Watch |date=19 December 2012 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526224612/http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/darpa-developing-microsat-constellation-orbited-with-air-launch-system.html |archive-date=26 May 2013}}</ref> The program was cancelled in December 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://spacenews.com/darpa-airborne-launcher-effort-falters/ |title=DARPA Scraps Plan To Launch Small Sats from F-15 Fighter Jet |work=SpaceNews |first=Mike |last=Gruss |date=30 November 2015}}</ref> In April 2013, [[Garvey Spacecraft]] was awarded a {{US$|200,000}} contract to evolve their ''Prospector 18'' [[suborbital]] launch vehicle technology into an orbital nanosat launch vehicle capable of delivering a {{convert|10|kg|abbr=on}} payload into a {{convert|250|km|abbr=on}} orbit to an even-more-capable [[Modular rocket|clustered]] "20/450 Nano/Micro Satellite Launch Vehicle" (NMSLV) capable of delivering {{convert|20|kg|abbr=on}} payloads into {{convert|450|km|abbr=on}} [[low Earth orbit|circular orbits]].<ref name=pa20130404/> The [[Boeing Small Launch Vehicle]] is an [[air launch to orbit|air-launched]] three-stage-to-orbit [[launch vehicle]] concept aimed to launch small payloads of {{convert|100|lb|kg|order=flip|abbr=on}} into low Earth orbit. The program is proposed to drive down launch costs for U.S. military small satellites to as low as {{US$|300,000}} per launch ($7,000/kg) and, if the development program was funded, {{asof|2012|lc=y}} could be operational by 2020.<ref name=aw20120521>{{cite news |last=Norris |first=Guy |title=Boeing Unveils Air-Launched Space-Access Concept |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_05_21_2012_p25-458597.xml&p=1 |access-date=23 May 2012 |newspaper=Aviation Week |date=21 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326232014/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_05_21_2012_p25-458597.xml&p=1 |archive-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> The Swiss company [[Swiss Space Systems]] (S3) has announced plans in 2013 to develop a suborbital [[spaceplane]] named ''SOAR'' that would launch a microsat launch vehicle capable of putting a payload of up to {{convert|250|kg|abbr=on}} into low Earth orbit.<ref name=dp20131008>{{cite news |last=Painter |first=Kristen Leigh |title=Spaceport Colorado lands agreement with Swiss space company Read more: Spaceport Colorado lands agreement with Swiss space company |url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24261021/spaceport-colorado-lands-agreement-swiss-space-company |access-date=21 October 2013 |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=8 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011013440/http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24261021/spaceport-colorado-lands-agreement-swiss-space-company |archive-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> The Spanish company [[PLD Space]] born in 2011 with the objective of developing low cost launch vehicles called [[PLD Space#Miura 1|Miura 1]] and [[PLD Space#Miura 5|Miura 5]] with the capacity to place up to {{convert|150|kg|abbr=on}} into orbit.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite web|url=https://es.noticias.yahoo.com/blogs/astronomia-terricolas/pld-space--la-empresa-espa%C3%B1ola-camino-de-lanzar-sat%C3%A9lites-e-incluso-alcanzar-la-luna-133224289.html|title=PLD Space, la empresa española camino de lanzar satélites e incluso alcanzar la Luna|last1=Peláez|first1=Javier|website=Yahoo noticias|publisher=Yahoo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305210833/https://es.noticias.yahoo.com/blogs/astronomia-terricolas/pld-space--la-empresa-espa%C3%B1ola-camino-de-lanzar-sat%C3%A9lites-e-incluso-alcanzar-la-luna-133224289.html|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=live|access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref> === Nanosatellites === [[File:Nanosatellites yearly launches.svg|thumb|Launched nanosatellites as of December 2023<ref name="nanosats" />]] The term "nanosatellite" or "nanosat" is applied to an artificial satellite with a [[mass ratio|wet mass]] between {{convert|1|and|10|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=swma2014/><ref name=did20120630/><ref name=tristancho2010/> Designs and proposed designs of these types may be launched individually, or they may have multiple nanosatellites working together or in formation, in which case, sometimes the term "satellite swarm"<ref name=verhoeven2011>{{cite journal |last=Verhoeven |first=C.J.M. |author2=Bentum, M.J. |author3=Monna, G.L.E. |author4=Rotteveel, J. |author5=Guo, J. |title=On the origin of satellite swarms |journal=Acta Astronautica |date=April–May 2011 |volume=68 |issue=7–8 |pages=1392–1395 |doi=10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.10.002 |bibcode=2011AcAau..68.1392V|url=http://doc.utwente.nl/68513/1/IAC-09_D1_1_6.pdf }}</ref> or "[[fractionated spacecraft]]" may be applied. Some designs require a larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers or for launching and docking with nanosatellites. Over 2300 nanosatellites have been launched as of December 2023.<ref name="database">{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/a/slu.edu/swartwout/home/cubesat-database |title=CubeSat Database |website=sites.google.com |publisher=Saint Louis University |first=Michael A. |last=Swartwout |access-date=1 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="nanosats">{{cite web |title=Nanosatellite & CubeSat Database |first=Erik |last=Kulu |date=4 October 2020 |url=http://www.nanosats.eu/ |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> A [[CubeSat]]<ref>{{cite news |title= NASA Venture Class procurement could nurture, ride small sat trend |date= 8 June 2015 |work=[[SpaceNews]] |url= http://spacenews.com/editorial-nasa-venture-class-procurement-could-nurture-ride-small-sat-trend/ |access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> is a common type of nanosatellite,<ref name="nanosats"/> built in cube form based on multiples of 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm, with a mass of no more than {{convert|1.33|kg}} per unit.<ref name=DesignSpecs>{{cite report |title=CubeSat Design Specification Rev. 13 |work=The CubeSat Program |publisher=[[California Polytechnic State University]] |date=20 February 2014 |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/56e9b62337013b6c063a655a/1458157095454/cds_rev13_final2.pdf |access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> The CubeSat concept was first developed in 1999 by a collaborative team of [[California Polytechnic State University]] and [[Stanford University]], and the specifications, for use by anyone planning to launch a CubeSat-style nanosatellite, are maintained by this group.<ref name=DesignSpecs/> With continued advances in the [[Moore's law|miniaturization and capability increase of electronic technology]] and the use of [[satellite constellation]]s, nanosatellites are increasingly capable of performing commercial missions that previously required microsatellites.<ref name=tsitas2012/> For example, a [[CubeSat|6U CubeSat]] standard has been proposed to enable a [[satellite constellation]] of thirty five {{convert|8|kg|abbr=on}} [[Earth-imaging satellite]]s to replace a constellation of five {{convert|156|kg|abbr=on}} [[RapidEye#Satellites|RapidEye]] Earth-imaging satellites, at the same mission cost, with significantly increased revisit times: every area of the globe can be imaged every 3.5 hours rather than the once per 24 hours with the RapidEye constellation. More rapid revisit times are a significant improvement for nations performing disaster response, which was the purpose of the RapidEye constellation. Additionally, the nanosat option would allow more nations to own their own satellite for off-peak (non-disaster) imaging data collection.<ref name=tsitas2012>{{cite journal |last=Tsitas |first=S. R. |author2=Kingston, J. |title=6U CubeSat commercial applications |journal=The Aeronautical Journal |date=February 2012 |volume=116 |issue=1176 |pages=189–198|doi=10.1017/S0001924000006692 |s2cid=113099378 }}</ref> As costs lower and production times shorten, nanosatellites are becoming increasingly feasible ventures for companies.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nordic.businessinsider.com/why-self-organizing-companies-take-off-how-two-of-our-employees-got-our-firm-to-build-a-satellite--/ |title=Why self-organizing companies take off - How 2 employees at a Finnish tech firm invented and built a space program |work=Business Insider Nordic |first=Panu |last=Liira |date=13 February 2018 |access-date=5 August 2018 |archive-date=5 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805030121/https://nordic.businessinsider.com/why-self-organizing-companies-take-off-how-two-of-our-employees-got-our-firm-to-build-a-satellite--/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some examples of nanosatellites are the [[ExoCube (CP-10)]], [[ArduSat]], and SPROUT.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/s/sprout |title=SPROUT - Satellite Missions - eoPortal Directory |website=directory.eoportal.org |access-date=3 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501182514/https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/s/sprout |archive-date=1 May 2016}}</ref> Nanosatellite developers and manufacturers include [[EnduroSat]], [[GomSpace]], [[NanoAvionics]], NanoSpace, [[Spire Global|Spire]],<ref name=gaurd15>{{cite news |last=Barron |first=Rachel |title=Spire's Peter Platzer: the boss who never fires anyone |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/06/spire-worker-happiness-jobs-careers-fired-tech-employees |access-date=21 April 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=6 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428054305/http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/06/spire-worker-happiness-jobs-careers-fired-tech-employees |archive-date=28 April 2016}}</ref> [[Surrey Satellite Technology]],<ref name=economist20140607/> [[NovaWurks]],<ref name=pa20131011>{{cite news |last=Messier |first=Doug |title=NovaWurks Awarded Contract for DARPA Phoenix Project |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/10/11/50313/ |access-date=13 October 2013 |newspaper=Parabolic Arc |date=11 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013021727/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/10/11/50313/ |archive-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> [[Dauria Aerospace]],<ref name=vb20131009>{{cite news |last=Cheredar |first=Tom |title=Dauria Aerospace lands $20M to grow its earth-monitoring nano satellite platform |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/10/09/dauria-aerospace-funding/ |access-date=13 October 2013 |newspaper=VentureBeat |date=9 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013020912/http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/09/dauria-aerospace-funding/ |archive-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> [[Planet Labs]]<ref name="economist20140607" /> and [[Reaktor (company)|Reaktor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reaktorspace.com/ |title=Home - Reaktor Space Lab |website=Reaktor Space Lab |access-date=5 August 2018}}</ref> ==== Nanosat market ==== In the ten years of nanosat launches prior to 2014, only 75 nanosats were launched.<ref name="nanosats" /> Launch rates picked up substantially when in the three-month period from November 2013–January 2014 94 nanosats were launched.<ref name=economist20140607>{{cite news |title=Nanosats are go! |url=https://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21603240-small-satellites-taking-advantage-smartphones-and-other-consumer-technologies |access-date=12 June 2014 |work=Technology Quarterly Q2 2014 |publisher=The Economist |date=7 June 2014 |quote=On November 19th Orbital Sciences, an American company, launched a rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. It carried 29 satellites aloft and released them into low-Earth orbit, a record for a single mission. Thirty hours later, Kosmotras, a Russian joint-venture, carried 32 satellites into a similar orbit. Then, in January 2014, Orbital Sciences carried 33 satellites up to the International Space Station (ISS), where they were cast off a month later. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612022309/http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21603240-small-satellites-taking-advantage-smartphones-and-other-consumer-technologies |archive-date=12 June 2014}}</ref> One challenge of using nanosats has been the economic delivery of such small satellites to anywhere beyond [[low Earth orbit]]. By late 2014, proposals were being developed for larger spacecraft specifically designed to deliver swarms of nanosats to trajectories that are [[List_of_orbits#Special_classifications|beyond Earth orbit]] for applications such as exploring distant asteroids.<ref name=wired20141217>{{cite magazine |last1=Woo |first1=Marcus |title=Designing a Mothership to Deliver Swarms of Spacecraft to Asteroids |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/12/cubesat-mothership-space-asteroid-exploration/ |access-date=17 December 2014 |magazine=Wired |date=20 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217134956/http://www.wired.com/2014/12/cubesat-mothership-space-asteroid-exploration/ |archive-date=17 December 2014}}</ref> ==== Nanosatellite launch vehicle ==== With the emergence of the technological advances of [[miniaturization]] and increased [[Financial capital|capital]] to support private spaceflight initiatives in the 2010s, several startups have been formed to pursue opportunities with developing a variety of small-payload Nanosatellite Launch Vehicle (NLV) technologies. NLVs proposed or under development include: * [[Virgin Orbit]] ''[[LauncherOne]]'' [[upper stage]], intended to be [[Air launch to orbit|air-launched]] from [[Scaled Composites White Knight Two|WhiteKnightTwo]] similar to how the [[SpaceShipTwo]] spaceplane is launched.<ref name=economist20140607/><ref name=bbc20120711>{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |title=Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to launch small satellites |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18801180 |access-date=13 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC News |date=11 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713034917/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18801180 |archive-date=13 July 2012}}</ref> * Ventions' Nanosat upper stage.<ref name=pa20120702>{{cite news |last=Messier |first=Doug |title=DARPA Awards 6 Small Airborne Launch Vehicle Contracts |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/07/02/darpa-awards-6-small-airborne-launch-vehicle-contracts/ |access-date=29 November 2012 |newspaper=Parabolic Arc |date=2 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705033359/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/07/02/darpa-awards-6-small-airborne-launch-vehicle-contracts/ |archive-date=5 July 2012}}</ref> * [[Nammo]]/[[Andøya Space Center|Andøya]] ''[[North Star (rocket family)|North Star]]'' ([[polar orbit]]-capable launcher for a {{convert|10|kg|abbr=on}} payload)<ref name=nsw20130128>{{cite news |last=Lindsey |first=Clark |title=North Star rocket family with hybrid propulsion |url=http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/north-star-rocket-family-with-hybrid-propulsion-.html |access-date=28 January 2013 |newspaper=NewSpace Watch |date=28 January 2013 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620190153/http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/north-star-rocket-family-with-hybrid-propulsion-.html |archive-date=20 June 2013}}</ref> * {{asof|2013|04}}, [[Garvey Spacecraft]] (now [[Vector Launch]]) is evolving their ''Prospector 18'' suborbital launch vehicle technology into an orbital nanosat launch vehicle capable of delivering a {{convert|10|kg|abbr=on}} payload into a {{convert|250|km|abbr=on}} orbit.<ref name=pa20130404>{{cite news |last=Messier |first=Doug |title=Garvey Nanosat Launcher Selected for NASA SBIR Funding |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/04/garvey-nanosat-launcher-selected-for-nasa-sbir-funding/ |access-date=5 April 2013 |newspaper=Parabolic Arc |date=4 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409141312/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/04/garvey-nanosat-launcher-selected-for-nasa-sbir-funding/ |archive-date=9 April 2013}}</ref> * [[Generation Orbit]] is developing an air-launched rocket to deliver both nanosats and {{nowrap|sub-50 kg}} microsats to low Earth orbit.<ref name=economist20140607/> Actual NS launches: * [[NASA]] launched three satellites on 21 April 2013 based on smart phones. Two phones use the [[PhoneSat]] 1.0 specification and the third used a beta version of PhoneSat 2.0<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phonesat.org/index.php |title=PhoneSat - home |access-date=24 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423000649/http://www.phonesat.org/index.php |archive-date=23 April 2013}}</ref> * [[ISRO]] launched 14 nanosatellites on 22 June 2016, 2 for Indian universities and 12 for the United States under the [[Flock-2P]] program. This launch was performed during the [[PSLV-C34]] mission. * [[ISRO]] launched 103 nanosatellites on 15 February 2017. This launch was performed during the [[PSLV-C37]] mission.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-countdown-begins-india-to-launch-record-104-satellites-on-single-rocket-368925 |title=ISRO sets new world record, successfully places 104 satellites into Earth's orbit |work=India TV News |date=15 February 2017 |access-date=15 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215070009/http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-countdown-begins-india-to-launch-record-104-satellites-on-single-rocket-368925 |archive-date=15 February 2017}}</ref> === Picosatellites === The term "picosatellite" or "picosat" (not to be confused with the [[PicoSAT]] series of microsatellites) is usually applied to artificial satellites with a wet mass between {{convert|0.1|and|1|kg|abbr=on|sigfig=2}},<ref name=did20120630/><ref name=tristancho2010/> although it is sometimes used to refer to any satellite that is under 1 kg in launch mass.<ref name=swma2014/> Again, designs and proposed designs of these types usually have multiple picosatellites working together or in formation (sometimes the term "swarm" is applied). Some designs require a larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers or for launching and docking with picosatellites. Picosatellites are emerging as a new alternative for [[Do it yourself|do-it-yourself]] kitbuilders. Picosatellites are currently commercially available across the full range of {{convert|0.1|-|1|kg|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}. Launch opportunities are now available for $12,000 to $18,000 for sub-1 kg picosat payloads that are approximately the size of a soda can.<ref name=kk20121212>{{cite web |title=DIY Satellite Platforms |url=http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/7419 |publisher=KK Technium |access-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213182216/http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/7419 |archive-date=13 December 2012|date=9 November 2012 }}</ref> === Femtosatellites === The term "femtosatellite" or "femtosat" is usually applied to artificial satellites with a wet mass below {{convert|100|g|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=swma2014/><ref name=did20120630/><ref name=tristancho2010>{{cite journal |last=Tristancho |first=Joshua |author2=Gutierrez, Jordi |title=Implementation of a femto-satellite and a mini-launcher |journal=Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya |year=2010 |page=3 |url=http://upcommons.upc.edu/pfc/bitstream/2099.1/9652/1/memoria.pdf |access-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703080826/http://upcommons.upc.edu/pfc/bitstream/2099.1/9652/1/memoria.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> Like picosatellites, some designs require a larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers. Three prototype "chip satellites" were launched to the [[ISS]] on {{OV|Endeavour}} on its [[STS-134|final mission]] in May 2011. They were attached to the ISS external platform [[Materials International Space Station Experiment]] (MISSE-8) for testing.<ref name=cc20110426>{{cite news | date = 16 May 2011 | title = Chip satellites -- designed to blow in the solar wind -- depart on Endeavour's final launch | author = Elizabeth Simpson | newspaper = [[Cornell Chronicle]] | access-date = 6 December 2012 | url = http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April11/endeavoursatellite.html | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121209021155/http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April11/endeavoursatellite.html | archive-date = 9 December 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> In April 2014, the nanosatellite [[KickSat]] was launched aboard a [[Falcon 9]] rocket with the intention of releasing 104 femtosatellite-sized chipsats, or "Sprites".<ref name="sfn20140413">{{cite news |url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/009/140413kicksat/ |title=Crowd-funded stowaway to deploy 104 tiny satellites |work=Spaceflight Now |first=Stephen |last=Clark |date=13 April 2014 |access-date=15 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516065713/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/009/140413kicksat/ |archive-date=16 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="esa-kicksat">{{cite web |url=https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/kicksat |title=KickSat Nanosatellite Mission |publisher=European Space Agency |access-date=15 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516065644/https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/kicksat |archive-date=16 May 2014}}</ref> In the event, they were unable to complete the deployment on time due to a failure of an onboard clock and the deployment mechanism reentered the atmosphere on 14 May 2014, without having deployed any of the {{nowrap|5-gram}} femtosats.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.arrl.org/news/kicksat-re-enters-atmosphere-without-deploying-sprite-satellites |title = KickSat Re-Enters Atmosphere Without Deploying "Sprite" Satellites}}</ref> [[ThumbSat]] is another project intending to launch femtosatellites in the late 2010s.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Itty-Bitty Satellites Could Carry Your Experiments to Space |author=Jon Lackman |magazine=Wired |date=13 October 2015 |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/10/thumbsat/ |access-date=21 February 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209130507/http://www.wired.com/2015/10/thumbsat/ |archive-date=9 February 2016}}</ref> ThumbSat announced a launch agreement with CubeCat in 2017 to launch up to 1000 of the very small satellites.<ref>[https://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2017/07/24/SF48269 https://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2017/07/24/SF48269]</ref>{{update inline|date=January 2019}} In March 2019, the CubeSat KickSat-2 deployed 105 femtosats called "ChipSats" into Earth orbit. Each of the ChipSats weighed 4 grams. The satellites were tested for 3 days, and they then reentered the atmosphere and burned up.<ref>{{cite web |title=Swarm of 105 tiny Sprite ChipSats successfully deployed |url=https://newatlas.com/sprite-chipsat-swarm-deployed/59994/ |website=New Atlas |date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=stanford20190603>{{cite news |title=Stanford and NASA Ames researchers put inexpensive chip-size satellites into orbit |work=Stanford News |date=3 June 2019 }}</ref>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)