5 Small Satellites You Should Know About

Smallsats are at the forefront of the new space revolution, fueled by the growing commercialization and democratization of space as a resource.

Researchers believe that miniature satellites, especially in large numbers, may be more useful than fewer, larger ones for some purposes — for example, gathering scientific data and radio relay.

From 1974 to 2016, the US launched over two hundred small satellites, with 96 satellites launched exclusively in 2016. However, that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the smallsat constellations currently planned by Amazon and SpaceX, which are on the order of tens of thousands of individual satellites within each of their constellations.

Setting aside concerns about the Kessler Effect for a moment, let’s look at the five satellites you should know about.

1) BlackSky — High-frequency global monitoring

While technically a constellation and not a single satellite, BlackSky is certainly worth noting. BlackSky’s smallsat constellation can produce images with a resolution of up to 1m and revisit locations 5 or 6 times a day. Imaging of an area in rapid succession can be beneficial and used to extract critical economic and financial indicators — for example, a near real-time view of commercial activity in Port Elizabeth can be used to determine which cargo holds are actively being loaded.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The latest addition of BlackSky’s Global-7 and Global-8 satellites fly at even lower altitudes than other satellites in BlackSky’s constellation and produce images with a resolution of up to 80 cm.

2) GHG Claire — After all, climate change is real!

In June 2016, GHGSat, a Montreal based company, launched the world’s first high-resolution satellite capable of measuring greenhouse gas (CO2 & CH4) emissions from any industrial facility in the world.

Successfully launched in June 2016, Claire is a true imaging spectrometer.

GHGSat’s demonstration satellite GHGSat-D, nicknamed “Claire”, is capable of collecting images from 325 bands across the visible to near-infrared (VNIR spectrum), as well as some additional imaging bands in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range. At a 50m spatial resolution and roughly the size of a microwave oven, the images are too coarse for high-resolution surveys but perfectly fitted for monitoring gas leaks, coal plants, oil wells, and tracking many other industrial emitters.

3) Canon CE-SAT 1 — Forget drone photography, be a satellite photographer!

Canon is developing an even smaller satellite, the CE-SAT-III which only measures 100 mm x 100 mm x 300 mm.

Canon’s transition towards space-based imaging puts smallsat technology into perspective. Using the satellite camera, a modified version of the EOS 5D Mark III with a 1m ground resolution, you can actually take your own pictures (with some limitations).

Canon is developing an even smaller satellite, the CE-SAT-III which only measures 100 mm x 100 mm x 300 mm.

Canon notes that the decision to include space-based imaging in its portfolio was not without its challenges. Adapting to the extreme radiation and operating in a total vacuum were two hurdles that your traditional Canon products don’t encounter and forced the company to develop innovative solutions.

4) NISAR — Radar like you’ve never seen before (and free!)

The NISAR mission is a pretty exciting satellite for the open-source community. This joint project between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will provide both 10cm S-band and 27cm L-band polarimetric radar at a ground resolution of 3–10m. When launched in 2022, NISAR will be able to measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses, improving our ability to monitor groundwater and better predict natural hazards.

Artist’s Concept

5) Satellite Vu — Hot data is a hot topic!

The best open-source thermal imaging options available today are Landsat and ASTER, both with spatial resolutions of around 100m in the thermal bands. When Satellite Vu launches a constellation of satellites in 2022, it will become the sole provider of open-source high-resolution thermal satellite imagery.

The satellites will provide 3–4m thermal imagery for monitoring heat loss in urban environments, disaster response, and managing a sustainable energy industry. Thermal infrared imaging will also allow the mapping of silicate minerals, thereby opening a new door for mineral exploration and remote geological mapping.

It is speculated that the satellite constellation might even be able to estimate the attendance of outdoor events or, for that matter, troop concentration in warfare.

Additional Resources:

Kopacz, J.R., Herschitz, R., and Roney, J. (2020). Small satellites an overview and assessment. Acta Astronautica, 170, 93–105. 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.01.034

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