Posts Tagged ‘Small Satellites’

Microsatellites have been carried to space as secondary payloads aboard larger launchers for many years. However, the secondary payload method does not offer the specificity required for modern day demands such as increasingly sophisticated small satellites that have unique orbital and launch-time requirements. Furthermore, to remain competitive the launch cost must be as low as…

For a number of years small satellites have been seen as a way to provide low cost solutions for technical demonstrations. Only recently have they been viewed as mission-ready for government and IC programs. While the commercial world has been quicker to adopt these new platforms, government and IC programs have been slower to do…

With the emergence of small satellites and satellite constellations, there have been drastic changes in the overall methodology of satellite operation. Previously, satellite operators tended to operate 1 to 5 satellites using 1 to 3 ground stations. In this newly emerging paradigm, satellite operators will be operating tens to hundreds of satellites using tens of…

Spacecraft are normally designed to survive the numerous natural hazards inherent to spaceflight. Rarely does this process expand to cover defense against human threats. This paper presents a survivability assessment of a generic small satellite constellation and recommends design changes and tactics that will optimize defense while maximizing the preservation of capability. Traditional satellites possess…