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...
April 2017
Mega-challenges for mega-constellations
... are currently around 70 per year. This is in addition to the general increase in space traffic in LEO mainly fuelled by small satellites and cubesats as well as nanosats, which grant cheaper access to space. Even before these recent trends, space...
August 2017
On-orbit assembly will deliver major benefits in coming decade
... in which spacecraft are deployed for a number of important space missions Self-assembly, which involves small satellites with specialised capabilities self-organising to fulfill the objectives of a larger mission, is enabled by advances in formation...
August 2017
Space invaders and the usual suspects - disruptive trends in Earth observation
... internet ‘bubble’, two considerations moderate the relevance of this analogy. First, technology has evolved and new small satellites have improved in terms of performance/cost and performance/size ratios. Some (although not all) technological...
November 2017
Japanese space industrial policy in transition
... the current Japanese space industry because there is too much risk in challenging the NewSpace economy with a small satellite constellation or recycling the first stage of a launch vehicle. Instead, the Vision targets niche technologies and services...
April 2019
The changing economics of space
... provide global coverage via a large, or mega-constellation, of closely connected small satellites using inter-satellite links to adaptively route traffic, starting and ending with very small terminals at each end. This eliminates the need for the...
