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...
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...
March 2021
iPhone moment for the Earth observation industry
... the price of EO data, geopolitical needs or new technological advancement leading to the availability of a new type of data. Small satellite constellations are on the rise, which will produce more data, but it is plausible that the focus will ...
July 2021
Nitrous oxide – a green propellant for commercial space exploration
... Volans, which is slated for its first launch in Q3 of 2023. The concept of a multi-purpose propulsion system for small satellites using nitrous oxide as the main propellant has also been suggested. This multi-purpose propulsion system...
October 2023
Space architecture on Earth
... Launch Complex in Alaska has hosted a series of launches from 2001 and with NewSpace companies wanting to launch small satellites, is likely to have a bright future. In 2019, China developed a version of the Long March CZ-11 rocket to launch from...
12 August 2019
Communicating water-powered CubeSats tested in space by NASA
... successfully completed. Collecting data while whizzing round Earth is one thing, but a common challenge when developing small-satellite-borne Earth Observation (EO) missions is getting that data to the ground. Transmitting data via radio frequencies...
