Conclusion: The Many Technical, Market, Economic, and Practical Aspects of the World of Small Satellites

Abstract

The most significant change in the world of space applications in the past decade is what might be called the small satellite revolution. This small satellite revolution is closely aligned with what is also now known as “Space 2.0” or “NewSpace.” Probing discussions of this small satellite revolution and efforts to identify the prime factors that gave rise to this profound change in the space industry produce a number of diverse but convincing answers to what has produced this small satellite revolution. The drivers of this change, largely within the past decade, include (i) new types of flat panel user antennas that can electronically track low Earth orbit satellites in mega-constellations; (ii) new more efficient ways to design and manufacture small satellites at much lower cost and sometimes with the use of off-the-shelf technology; (iii) new lower-cost launchers that can deploy small satellites at much lower cost; (iv) advances in microelectronics, smaller but higher performance sensors, improved component design and manufacture, etc.; (v) a rapid evolution of space services markets through the creation of new types of commercial satellite applications as well as expanded attempts to provide expanded space services to unserved markets in developing economies – especially in the case of broadband Internet streaming and remote sensing; (vi) entrepreneurial business innovation in the space field, often driven by out-of-the-box thinking from the world of computer services and social media; and (vii) new ways of financing small satellite startup ventures based on mechanism such as “Kickstarter,” crowdsourcing, rounds of venture capital funding, and crossover investment in satellite applications from new industries such as from the world of computer and information services, investment banking, and other revenue sources.This Handbook of Small Satellite has sought to examine in some depth all of the sources of change that has produced the small satellite revolution. It has examined the technical, operational, financial, business, economic, regulatory, launcher, and institutional aspects of this important new world of space applications. Innovation is everywhere. There are actually contributions not only on the technical and operational side but from every other side of the business as well. Thus change has come from the small satellite business (i.e., new entries and startups that operate on completely different business models and timetables). There are key changes, from the world of manufacturing and design (i.e., additive manufacturing and use of off-the-shelf components). The small satellite business models have helped reinvent the world of space business and finance that is quite different from the approach taken by giant aerospace companies born of the so-called world of the military-industrial complex. Thus new business practices from the world of small satellites reflect many new patterns of thinking (i.e., new sources of financing and “clean enough rooms”). This new type of entrepreneurial thinking has led to many new ideas such as about sparing philosophies and rapid prototyping and new generations of satellite design in months rather than years. Small satellites have, in short, shaken up thinking throughout the space industry, and change has percolated almost everywhere one might imagine – and then some.This final chapter seeks to sum up the many areas of change and innovation that have been born of the new world of small satellites. Thus this concluding chapter is divided into discussing important new aspects of the world of small satellites that have permeated the entire space industry. These various sections that are drawn from the component parts of the book include defining the various types of small satellites; satellite technology; design and manufacturing; launch and deployment; operations and sparing philosophy; ground systems technology; business, financing, risk-minimization, and insurance; and regulatory, safety, and institutional issues.This chapter concludes with some notes about the practical aspect that are available to readers of the handbook. This includes some guidance with regard to what detailed information is available concerning actual small satellite systems that have been deployed and projects to test new technology or to address space debris concerns. This includes some background with regard to information provided in Section 13 related to small satellite businesses, launch vehicle providers, small satellite networks deployed or planned to be deployed, registration processes related to small satellite systems, the UN sustainability guidelines, and how small satellite systems might relate to the meeting of these goals.Finally, this conclusion underscores how dynamic both the small satellite market and the launch vehicle systems newly designed to support the launch of small satellites is at this early stage of development. Bankruptcies, mergers, and other realigns are already happening and will continue to occur. The COVID-19 pandemic has already served to accelerate the trend with small satellite company One Web becoming one of the first to fall.