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...
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...
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 2018
Monitoring illegal rainforest deforestation
... occurs at 5.5 km from roads and about 1 km from rivers The proposed operational system will be composed of a constellation of small satellites in low inclination orbits to cover the equatorial belt as illustrated opposite. A constellation...
January 2019
Engineering six-hour solar eclipses with formation flying
... in the mid-1990s (within the Technology, Engineering and Quality Directorate) with the aim of developing small satellites dedicated to technology demonstrations. Up to now, three Proba missions have been successfully launched and operated, starting...
