Accession Number:

AD1122383

Title:

International Small Satellite Developments Point to Opportunities for Intelligence Gathering

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Research Note]

Corporate Author:

INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES ALEXANDRIA VA

Personal Author(s):

• Lal, Bhavya
• Corbin, Benjamin A.
• Balakrishnan, Asha

Report Date:

2019-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

2

Abstract:

Small satellite smallsats, or satellites under about 200 kilograms, are quickly becoming the spacecraft of choice in the space sector, particularly for those countries and organizations previously excluded from access to space. Because smallsats have shorter development cycles and lower development and launch costs than more traditional larger satellites, they are considered more expendable, enabling riskier experiments and different applications than larger, more costly satellites. A team of researchers from the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute STPI studied ongoing and potential future international and private activities in the smallsat sector. Our goal was to identify global trends in the sector as a way of helping the intelligence community determine targets for its future data collection efforts surrounding the space sector.

Descriptors:

• small satellites
• low earth orbits
• artificial satellites
• earth orbits
• orbits
• satellite constellations
• space objects
• united states
• costs
• geosynchronous orbits
• governments
• radio frequency
• situational awareness
• spacecraft
• cost reductions
• intelligence collection
• intelligence community
• intelligence community (united states)
• radio frequency interference
• remote sensing

Subject Categories:

• Government and Political Science
• Unmanned Spacecraft

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]