December 2014
Skolkovo and a new breed of Russian space startups
... cooperation in favour of independent execution of work. Proof that this new model can deliver is in the four working small satellites that were created using the newest approaches to space vehicle design and engineering. Most of these new...
March 2015
Sizing down and reaching higher with CubeSats
..., allowed us to jump at least two years in their development. But the future suggests even more opportunity for small satellite launches. Companies ranging from Virgin Galactic to XCOR to new entrants such as Rocket Lab in New Zealand are...
March 2015
Sky links: from multi-satellite systems to nano-launchers
.... Standardised technology is key A high level of standardisation and unification in complex technical systems (which include small satellites) helps move to serial production. Serial production lowers the overall cost of production and on-board...
March 2015
Small is the new big: why micro-satellites require new laws
... very soon. Just recently, two major commercial organisations have announced their intention to invest in huge constellations of small satellites (4,000 satellites for Space X and 650 for Virgin Galactic9) to broadcast the Internet to the world. This...
August 2016
High-resolution Earth observation data is changing the character of war
... urban planning. Now, with companies like Urthecast and BlackSky operating and launching hundreds of small satellites, high-resolution satellite images can be purchased for as little as US$100 an image (compared to the thousands of dollars per image...
March 2017
Twinkle - a mission to unravel the story of planets in our galaxy
... for EChO with flight proven spacecraft systems designed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a world leader in building and operating commercial small satellites, we saw an opportunity to develop an innovative, independent new model for astronomy...
