Commercial Small Satellites for Business Constellations Including Microsatellites and Minisatellites

Abstract

The smaller version of “smallsats” known as “femtosats,” “picosats,” and “nanosats” or “cubesats” was discussed in the preceding chapter. These very small spacecraft, plus small hosted payloads, or tiny space experiments that are carried out in the Nanoracks experimental platform on board the International Space Station provide a gateway into space that can allow students to conduct experiments without huge multimillion dollar investments.

The commercial uses of “smallsats” for 1-unit cubesats and below are extremely rare. Increasingly, there are commercial systems, however, that are using 3U cubesats particularly for automatic identification services (AIS) and for messaging, machine to machine (M2M), and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. The other prime commercial applications by 3U and above cubesats are for remote sensing with lower resolution in cases where rapid updates of information and data analytics are the prime purpose of a small satellite constellation.

Thus small space units such as cubesats and even smaller pocketqubes are typically used for student or scientific experiments or used for proof of concept for a much larger follow-on activity. This means that most commercial networks are using the larger class of microsats and minisats for their constellation designs. Thus this chapter is focused on the burgeoning growth of “smallsats” for commercial networks and the “NewSpace” or “Space 2.0” constellations that employ larger spacecraft. These satellites are still far smaller than the typical commercial and space agency research spacecraft that has grown to the size that ranges from 1000 Kg on up many thousands of Kgs.

There is now a huge and rapidly growing new commercial market for what are called “microsats” (e.g., 10–100 kg or 22–220 pounds) and “minisats” (e.g., 100–500 kg or 220–1100 pounds). Others, however, define minisats as being from 100 kg up to 1000 kg (or 220–2200 pounds). These types of “smallsats” unlike those discussed in the preceding chapter are typically being deployed for commercial missions and applications and most often for large constellations to create a global service. Space agencies, military agencies, and established research organizations are finding that these smaller but highly capable satellites can be used for scientific exploration in orbit and in deep space and for proof of concept for larger missions.

These microsatellites and minisats are most often launched in low Earth orbit (LEO) but not exclusively so. GEO-orbiting spacecraft and deep space missions can also use this type of “smallsat” that are performing ever more complex and difficult missions. Even radarsats that require substantial power levels because they require “active sensing” have been deployed as constellations using this type of smallsat such as Canada’s most recent Radarsat Constellation.

This chapter provides the background of the earlier “smallsat” constellations that failed financially, the resurgence in the technologies, financial support, markets for these new “smallsat” systems, and the regulatory and other challenges still to be faced in this highly dynamic market that is still in what might be considered a second shakeout phase of development.