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82-539: MSTI-3 was a small satellite that measured 140 cm (56 in) high, 81 cm (32 in) in diameter, and 211 kg (466 lb) including propellant. Power was supplied by a single, three-faceted GaAs solar array mounted to one side of the spacecraft, providing an average of 291  watts at launch and 225 watts at end of life. A set of three reaction wheels provided attitude control , while hydrazine thrusters allowed for coarse maneuvering and momentum control. Global Positioning System equipment

164-435: A formation . The generic term "small satellite" or "smallsat" is also sometimes used, as is "satlet". Examples: Astrid-1 and Astrid-2, as well as the set of satellites currently announced for LauncherOne (below) In 2018, the two Mars Cube One microsats—massing just 13.5 kg (30 lb) each—became the first CubeSats to leave Earth orbit for use in interplanetary space. They flew on their way to Mars alongside

246-464: A 10 kg (22 lb) payload into a 250 km (160 mi) orbit to an even-more-capable clustered "20/450 Nano/Micro Satellite Launch Vehicle" (NMSLV) capable of delivering 20 kg (44 lb) payloads into 450 km (280 mi) circular orbits . The Boeing Small Launch Vehicle is an air-launched three-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle concept aimed to launch small payloads of 45 kg (100 lb) into low Earth orbit. The program

328-559: A contract with Thales Alenia Space , Orbital is conducting integration and test services for Iridium NEXT , the next-generation satellite constellation of Iridium Communications Inc. Orbital will integrate the communications payloads and platforms for 81 low-Earth orbit Iridium NEXT satellites and test the systems at its satellite manufacturing facility in Gilbert, Arizona. Orbital Imaging spacecraft are designed to provide commercial Earth imaging services. The OrbView series of spacecraft paved

410-448: A definitive agreement with Alliant Techsystems to combine Orbital and ATK's Aerospace and Defense (A&D) Groups to create a US$ 4.5 billion (combined calendar year 2013 annual revenue), 13000-person company. The new company was called Orbital ATK, Inc . On 18 September 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$ 7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$ 1.4 billion in debt. Orbital ATK shareholders approved

492-435: A larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers or for launching and docking with picosatellites. Picosatellites are emerging as a new alternative for do-it-yourself kitbuilders. Picosatellites are currently commercially available across the full range of 0.1–1 kg (0.22–2.2 lb). Launch opportunities are now available for $ 12,000 to $ 18,000 for sub-1 kg picosat payloads that are approximately

574-534: A leading supplier of 1.5 - 5.5 kilowatt Geosynchronous-Earth Orbit (GEO) communications satellites used to provide direct-to-home TV broadcasting, cable program distribution, business data network capacity, regional mobile communications and similar services. With its new GEOStar-3 satellite platform, Orbital is extending its capabilities with up to 8 kW of total satellite payload power. The list of Orbital built GeoStar satellites are provided next. LEO communications satellites Orbital

656-425: A market value estimated at US$ 7.4 billion . By mid-2015, many more launch options had become available for smallsats, and rides as secondary payloads had become both greater in quantity and easier to schedule on shorter notice. In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. Department of Defense , which had for decades procured heavy satellites on decade-long procurement cycles, is making a transition to smallsats in

738-433: A mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms (2.9 lb) per unit. The CubeSat concept was first developed in 1999 by a collaborative team of California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University , and the specifications, for use by anyone planning to launch a CubeSat-style nanosatellite, are maintained by this group. With continued advances in the miniaturization and capability increase of electronic technology and

820-430: A new company called Orbital ATK. The merger was completed on 9 February 2015 and Orbital Sciences ceased to exist as an independent entity. On 18 September 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$ 7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$ 1.4 billion in debt, and on 6 June 2018, the acquisition was completed, and Orbital ATK became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. As of 1 January 2020,

902-545: A new facility in Chandler, Arizona in 1989 to house the company's expanding rocket business. In 1990, the company successfully carried out eight space missions, highlighted by the initial launch of the Pegasus launch vehicle, the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle (the claim of being the first privately developed space launch vehicle can be contested as Pegasus received significant funding from NASA and DARPA , and

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984-474: A number of companies began development of launch vehicles specifically targeted at the smallsat market. In particular, with larger numbers of smallsats flying, the secondary payload paradigm does not provide the specificity required for many small satellites that have unique orbital and launch-timing requirements. Some USA-based private companies that at some point in time have launched smallsat launch vehicles commercially: The term "microsatellite" or "microsat"

1066-613: A predecessor private rocket exists, the Conestoga rocket). Shortly following the successful Pegasus launch, Orbital conducted an initial public offering (IPO) in 1990 and began trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In 1993, Orbital established its headquarters in Dulles, Virginia . In 1994, Orbital successfully conducted the inaugural launch of the Taurus (now renamed as Minotaur-C ) launch vehicle. In

1148-473: Is also a provider of low-Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellites, having conceived, built and deployed the ORBCOMM network. ORBCOMM was the first global communications network to employ a constellation of LEO satellites. From 1994–1999, Orbital built and deployed 35 satellites, and integrated five “gateway” ground stations and a network operations center to manage the satellites and process their data. Under

1230-619: Is capable of delivering 2,000 kg of pressurized cargo to the ISS. An enhanced version to be flown in later CRS missions is able to deliver 2,700 kg of pressurized cargo. The first of the eight contracted Cygnus missions to the ISS was completed on 18 February 2014. The October 28, 2014, launch failure was the third contracted Cygnus mission to the ISS. Orbital's Missile Defense Systems product line consists of interceptors and target vehicles. GEO communications satellites With its proprietary GEOStar-2 satellite platform, Orbital has become

1312-681: Is designed to form a quantum communication network as well as communicate with Earth through an optical ground station. The term "small satellite", or sometimes "minisatellite", often refers to an artificial satellite with a wet mass (including fuel) between 100 and 500 kg (220 and 1,100 lb), but in other usage has come to mean any satellite under 500 kg (1,100 lb). Small satellite examples include Demeter , Essaim , Parasol , Picard , MICROSCOPE , TARANIS , ELISA , SSOT , SMART-1 , Spirale-A and -B , and Starlink satellites. Although smallsats have traditionally been launched as secondary payloads on larger launch vehicles,

1394-645: Is one of two companies providing commercial cargo resupply services to the ISS for NASA. Orbital's medium-class rocket - Antares is used to launch the Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft to deliver cargo to the ISS. Under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, Orbital will perform eight cargo missions to the ISS. Operational flights began in 2013 from the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island in Virginia. In addition,

1476-517: Is proposed to drive down launch costs for U.S. military small satellites to as low as US$ 300,000 per launch ($ 7,000/kg) and, if the development program was funded, as of 2012 could be operational by 2020. The Swiss company Swiss Space Systems (S3) has announced plans in 2013 to develop a suborbital spaceplane named SOAR that would launch a microsat launch vehicle capable of putting a payload of up to 250 kg (550 lb) into low Earth orbit. The Spanish company PLD Space born in 2011 with

1558-695: Is the opportunity to enable missions that a larger satellite could not accomplish, such as: The nanosatellite and microsatellite segments of the satellite launch industry have been growing rapidly in the 2010s. Development activity in the 1–50 kg (2.2–110.2 lb) range has been significantly exceeding that in the 50–100 kg (110–220 lb) range. In the 1–50 kg range alone, fewer than 15 satellites were launched annually in 2000 to 2005, 34 in 2006, then fewer than 30 launches annually during 2007 to 2011. This rose to 34 launched in 2012 and 92 launched in 2013. European analyst Euroconsult projects more than 500 smallsats being launched in 2015–2019 with

1640-478: Is to reduce the cost; heavier satellites require larger rockets with greater thrust that also have greater cost to finance. In contrast, smaller and lighter satellites require smaller and cheaper launch vehicles and can sometimes be launched in multiples. They can also be launched 'piggyback', using excess capacity on larger launch vehicles. Miniaturized satellites allow for cheaper designs and ease of mass production. Another major reason for developing small satellites

1722-422: Is usually applied to the name of an artificial satellite with a wet mass between 10 and 100 kg (22 and 220 lb). However, this is not an official convention and sometimes those terms can refer to satellites larger than that, or smaller than that (e.g., 1–50 kg (2.2–110.2 lb)). Sometimes, designs or proposed designs from some satellites of these types have microsatellites working together or in

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1804-573: The Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) program for the U.S. Air Force . The wide-field of view sensor was hosted on an Orbital-built commercial GEO communications satellite. Orbital's hosted payload program takes advantage of the high frequency of commercial satellite launches and the excess resources that typically exist on a commercial communications satellite to provide frequent and low-cost access to space for National Security Systems. Orbital's current advanced flight systems programs include

1886-571: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The TMS unit combined satellite navigation and wireless communications to enable transit control centers to manage the dispatch of public transit, highway service vehicles and commuter light rail systems. As of 2008, the technology was used by more than 60 clients, exceeding 27500 vehicles, or more than 30% of the United States and Canada fleet. TMS clients included some of

1968-805: The New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol ORB . Orbital's primary products were satellites and launch vehicles , including low Earth orbit (LEO), geosynchronous Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications , remote sensing , scientific and defense missions; ground- and air-launched launch vehicles that delivered satellites into orbit; missile defense systems that were used as interceptor and target vehicles; and human-rated space systems for Earth orbit, lunar and other missions. Orbital also provided satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories. On 29 April 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it would merge with Alliant Techsystems to create

2050-481: The PicoSAT series of microsatellites) is usually applied to artificial satellites with a wet mass between 0.1 and 1 kg (0.22 and 2.2 lb), although it is sometimes used to refer to any satellite that is under 1 kg in launch mass. Again, designs and proposed designs of these types usually have multiple picosatellites working together or in formation (sometimes the term "swarm" is applied). Some designs require

2132-664: The Secretary of Defense , approved of a plan to use the MIRACL chemical laser to target the sensors on the MSTI-3 spacecraft. The experiment was carried out on October 17. The results were not successful with the Army stating that the satellite malfunctioned and did not transmit all of the data needed to evaluate the test. While the Defense Department labeled the project as a research experiment there

2214-595: The 2020s. The office of space acquisition and integration said in January 2023 that "the era of massive satellites needs to be in the rear view mirror for the Department of Defense" with small satellites being procured for DoD needs in all orbital regimes, regardless of "whether it's LEO MEO or GEO " while aiming for procurements in under three years. The smaller satellites are deemed to be harder for an enemy to target, as well as providing more resilience through redundancy in

2296-629: The 35-satellite ORBCOMM data communications network, and the 81 spacecraft (integration and test) for the IridiumNEXT constellation. Earth imagery and high resolution digital imaging satellites such as the OrbView series are also developed and manufactured by Orbital. The science and environmental satellites developed by Orbital perform scientific research, carry out deep space exploration (e.g. Dawn spacecraft), conduct remote sensing missions (e.g. Landsat 4, 5 and 8 ), and demonstrate new space technologies. In

2378-517: The DARPA SeeMe program that intended to release a " constellation of 24 micro-satellites (~20 kg (44 lb) range) each with 1-m imaging resolution ." The program was cancelled in December 2015. In April 2013, Garvey Spacecraft was awarded a US$ 200,000 contract to evolve their Prospector 18 suborbital launch vehicle technology into an orbital nanosat launch vehicle capable of delivering

2460-408: The ISS external platform Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-8) for testing. In April 2014, the nanosatellite KickSat was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket with the intention of releasing 104 femtosatellite-sized chipsats, or "Sprites". In the event, they were unable to complete the deployment on time due to a failure of an onboard clock and the deployment mechanism reentered

2542-668: The MWIR camera operated from 3.5 to 4.5 μm . The VIS used a 499×768 pixel CCD detector operating at 0.5 to 0.8 μm . Data was stored on an 8.64  gigabit (1.08 gigabyte ) experimental hard drive system, called Erasable Disk Mass Memory, before being downloaded through the Air Force Satellite Control Network . The Miniature Sensor Technology Integration program was started by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) in December 1991, and

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2624-731: The Point Arguello Warning Area Drop Zone off the coast of California and dropped the Pegasus rocket at an altitude of 12,000 m (38,000 ft). The spacecraft was deposited into a 361 by 296 km (224 by 184 mi) initial orbit and used its on-board thrusters to reach an operational orbit of approximately 425 km (264 mi). The spacecraft had a one-year primary mission, ending in June 1997, during which it collected more than 1.2 million images of 40-meter (130 ft) resolution or better. The U.S. Air Force determined that

2706-535: The U.S. missile defense systems. In the last 10 years, Orbital conducted nearly 50 major launches for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the U.S. Air Force , the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy to develop, test and enhance U.S. missile defense systems. Orbital's Advanced Programs Group focused on developing and producing human-rated space systems, satellites and related systems for national security space programs, and advanced flight systems for atmospheric and space missions. In support of human space systems, Orbital

2788-410: The areas that its customers are pursuing. The Orbital employees often work side-by-side with the customers' technical staff at their facilities. They perform a wide range of functions, from system-level efforts such as special payload equipment and training support for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions to component-level tasks including development of high-energy microwave transmitters for

2870-924: The atmosphere and burned up. Small satellites usually require innovative propulsion, attitude control , communication and computation systems. Larger satellites usually use monopropellants or bipropellant combustion systems for propulsion and attitude control; these systems are complex and require a minimal amount of volume to surface area to dissipate heat. These systems may be used on larger small satellites, while other micro/nanosats have to use electric propulsion, compressed gas, vaporizable liquids such as butane or carbon dioxide or other innovative propulsion systems that are simple, cheap and scalable. Small satellites can use conventional radio systems in UHF, VHF, S-band and X-band, although often miniaturized using more up-to-date technology as compared to larger satellites. Tiny satellites such as nanosats and small microsats may lack

2952-595: The atmosphere on 14 May 2014, without having deployed any of the 5-gram femtosats. ThumbSat is another project intending to launch femtosatellites in the late 2010s. ThumbSat announced a launch agreement with CubeCat in 2017 to launch up to 1000 of the very small satellites. In March 2019, the CubeSat KickSat-2 deployed 105 femtosats called "ChipSats" into Earth orbit. Each of the ChipSats weighed 4 grams. The satellites were tested for 3 days, and they then reentered

3034-929: The buyout on 29 November 2017. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the acquisition with conditions on 5 June 2018, and one day later, Orbital ATK were absorbed and became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems . Orbital was a provider of small- to medium-class satellites. Since the company's founding in 1982, Orbital has delivered 150 spacecraft to commercial, military and civil customers worldwide. To date, these spacecraft have amassed well over 1000 years of on-orbit operations. The communications and imaging satellites developed by Orbital are smaller and more affordable. The geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communications satellites provide commercial satellite services such as direct-to-home digital television , business data transmission, cable program distribution and wireless communications. In addition, Orbital also provides constellations of low Earth orbit communications satellites such as

3116-411: The collected data represented a "statistically relevant set" and declared mission success. However, the spacecraft remained healthy and additional funding, primary from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Phillips Laboratory , continued operations through November 1997. Eventually, concerns over an uncontrolled reentry dropping components on populated places, as well as funding issues and

3198-493: The company is exploring opportunities to adapt the Cygnus design for other possible space exploration applications. For National Security Space systems, Orbital provides products ranging from smaller, more affordable spacecraft busses to hosted payload applications. For Advanced Flight systems, Orbital is applying its to design and build an intermediate-class air-launched rocket system for Stratolaunch Systems . Orbital has developed

3280-429: The contract with Stratolaunch Systems to design a new intermediate-class rocket to be carried aloft and launched from the largest aircraft ever built- Stratolaunch carrier aircraft . Orbital is responsible for the program's overall systems engineering, and the development, production, test, and operations of the air-launch rocket and related ground operations, including payload and launch vehicle integration. A demo launch

3362-457: The cost and accelerate the development and deployment of national security space systems. For example, Orbital's GEOStar-1 spacecraft provides a compact platform optimized for GEO missions (adaptable for MEO for launch aboard Minotaur , Falcon , and EELV launch vehicles to deliver resilient capabilities in a relatively short period of time (years instead of decades). Orbital's hosted payload capabilities in national security systems include

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3444-655: The design of LauncherOne". Virgin Orbit has been working on the LauncherOne concept since late 2008, and as of 2015 , is making it a larger part of Virgin's core business plan as the Virgin human spaceflight program has experienced multiple delays and a fatal accident in 2014. In December 2012, DARPA announced that the Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program would provide the microsatellite rocket booster for

3526-645: The design of a large distributed network of satellite assets . In 2021, the first autonomous nanosatellites , part of the Adelis-SAMSON mission, designed and developed by the Technion and Rafael in Israel were launched into space. In 2023, SpaceX launched a 20cm quantum communication nano satellite developed by the Tel Aviv University , it is the world's first quantum communication satellite. TAU's nanosatellite

3608-463: The development of the Antares space launch vehicle, Orbital is extending its capabilities to provide medium-class launch services for U.S. government , commercial and international customers. The inaugural launch of Antares occurred on 21 April 2013 from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) at Wallops Island , Virginia. Orbital is also a major provider of suborbital target and interceptor launch vehicles for

3690-404: The early 2000s, Orbital continued expanding its missile defense systems business with a US$ 900 million award to develop, build, test and support interceptor booster vehicles. In 2006, Orbital conducted its 500th mission since the company's founding with products that included satellites, launch vehicles, and missile defense systems. In 2007, the first interplanetary spacecraft built by Orbital, Dawn

3772-428: The emergence of the technological advances of miniaturization and increased capital to support private spaceflight initiatives in the 2010s, several startups have been formed to pursue opportunities with developing a variety of small-payload Nanosatellite Launch Vehicle (NLV) technologies. NLVs proposed or under development include: Actual NS launches: The term "picosatellite" or "picosat" (not to be confused with

3854-520: The fast-growing Geosynchronous (GEO) communications satellite market. In 2010, Orbital acquired the Gilbert, Arizona -based satellite development and manufacturing unit from General Dynamics (General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, formerly Spectrum Astro) to complement its main satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. On 29 April 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it had entered into

3936-503: The horizon, but failed in orbit after four months into its six-month mission. MSTI-3's primary mission was to survey surface and atmospheric features of Earth in SWIR and MWIR to characterize how they vary in appearance across observational angles, times of day, and seasons. This data would be used to build statistical data to determine if it was feasible for space-based surveillance systems to track ballistic missiles in their coast phase against

4018-462: The large economic cost of launch vehicles and the costs associated with construction. Miniature satellites, especially in large numbers, may be more useful than fewer, larger ones for some purposes – for example, gathering of scientific data and radio relay . Technical challenges in the construction of small satellites may include the lack of sufficient power storage or of room for a propulsion system . One rationale for miniaturizing satellites

4100-872: The last 10 years, Orbital has built more scientific and environmental monitoring satellites for NASA than any other company. Orbital's space launch vehicles are considered the industry standard for boosting small payloads to orbit. The Pegasus launch vehicle is launched from the company's L-1011 carrier aircraft, Stargazer and has proven to be the industry's small space launch workhorse, having conducted 40 missions from six different launch sites worldwide since 1990. The Minotaur ground-launched launch vehicles combine Pegasus upper-stages with either government-supplied or commercially available first-stage rocket motors to boost larger payloads to orbit. Minotaur IV combines decommissioned Peacekeeper rocket motors with proven Orbital avionics and fairings to provide increased lifting capacity for government-sponsored payloads. With

4182-727: The mission requirements and budget. Astrophysics satellites Orbital's current and heritage astrophysics satellites are as listed below: Remote sensing/Earth observation Orbital's current and heritage Remote Sensing/Earth Observation satellites are as listed below: Heliophysics Orbital's heritage Heliophysics satellites are as listed below: Planetary exploration Orbital's heritage Planetary Exploration Heliophysics satellites are as listed below: Orbital's national security systems range from smaller, more affordable spacecraft buses (e.g. disaggregated systems) to hosted payload applications. Orbital advocates disaggregated systems because conceptually disaggregated systems can lower

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4264-598: The name was changed to Space Systems under a large restructuring and rebranding initiative. Orbital was founded and incorporated in 1982 by three friends who had met earlier while at Harvard Business School — David W. Thompson, Bruce Walker Ferguson , and Scott L. Webster. Initial capitalization for Orbital was provided by Fred C. Alcorn, a Texas oilman and Sam Dunnam, a Texas businessman in September 1982. In 1985, Orbital procured its first contract for providing up to four transfer orbital stage (TOS) vehicles to NASA . In 1987,

4346-550: The nation's largest fleet management systems, such as Los Angeles , Chicago , and Washington, D.C. In 2008, the technology services provider Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) Inc. agreed to buy the Transportation Management Systems unit for US$ 42.5 million. The sale transferred an estimated 130 to 140 Orbital employees based in Columbia, Maryland , to ACS. Orbital's primary locations are listed below- With

4428-482: The objective of developing low cost launch vehicles called Miura 1 and Miura 5 with the capacity to place up to 150 kg (330 lb) into orbit. The term "nanosatellite" or "nanosat" is applied to an artificial satellite with a wet mass between 1 and 10 kg (2.2 and 22.0 lb). Designs and proposed designs of these types may be launched individually, or they may have multiple nanosatellites working together or in formation, in which case, sometimes

4510-517: The operational concept and completed the preliminary design for the air-launched rocket. It will be responsible for the development, production, test and operations of the full system and related ground operations. The Technical Services Division (TSD) provided engineering, production and technical management expertise primarily for space-related science and defense programs. Typically, it supplies specialized personnel — engineers, scientists, technicians and other professionals — with specific knowledge in

4592-732: The opportunity to test new hardware with reduced expense in testing. Furthermore, since the overall cost risk in the mission is much lower, more up-to-date but less space-proven technology can be incorporated into micro and nanosats than can be used in much larger, more expensive missions with less appetite for risk. Small satellites are difficult to track with ground-based radar, so it is difficult to predict if they will collide with other satellites or human-occupied spacecraft. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has rejected at least one small satellite launch request on these safety grounds. Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital )

4674-503: The potential of the spacecraft failing and becoming an orbital hazard (catalyzed by the failed MSTI-2 spacecraft passing within 470 m (1,540 ft) of the Mir space station on 15 September 1997), motivated the SMD to direct MSTI-3 into a controlled reentry. ANSER, leading a team from several organizations, was directed on 10 November 1997 to create a plan for reentry; formal authorization to deorbit

4756-514: The power supply or mass for large conventional radio transponders , and various miniaturized or innovative communications systems have been proposed, such as laser receivers, antenna arrays and satellite-to-satellite communication networks. Few of these have been demonstrated in practice. Electronics need to be rigorously tested and modified to be "space hardened" or resistant to the outer space environment (vacuum, microgravity, thermal extremes, and radiation exposure). Miniaturized satellites allow for

4838-929: The same mission cost, with significantly increased revisit times: every area of the globe can be imaged every 3.5 hours rather than the once per 24 hours with the RapidEye constellation. More rapid revisit times are a significant improvement for nations performing disaster response, which was the purpose of the RapidEye constellation. Additionally, the nanosat option would allow more nations to own their own satellite for off-peak (non-disaster) imaging data collection. As costs lower and production times shorten, nanosatellites are becoming increasingly feasible ventures for companies. Example nanosatellites: ExoCube (CP-10) , ArduSat , SPROUT Nanosatellite developers and manufacturers include EnduroSat , GomSpace , NanoAvionics , NanoSpace, Spire , Surrey Satellite Technology , NovaWurks , Dauria Aerospace , Planet Labs and Reaktor . In

4920-690: The secondary payload paradigm does not provide the specificity required for many increasingly sophisticated small satellites that have unique orbital and launch-timing requirements. In July 2012, Virgin Orbit announced LauncherOne , an orbital launch vehicle designed to launch "smallsat" primary payloads of 100 kg (220 lb) into low Earth orbit , with launches projected to begin in 2016. Several commercial customers have already contracted for launches, including GeoOptics , Skybox Imaging , Spaceflight Industries , and Planetary Resources . Both Surrey Satellite Technology and Sierra Nevada Space Systems are developing satellite buses "optimized to

5002-503: The seeds for the Orbcomm constellation were planted when Orbital began investigating a system using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to collect data from remote locations. In 1988, Orbital acquired Space Data Corporation in Arizona — one of the world's leading suppliers of suborbital rockets — thereby broadening its rocket business and manufacturing capabilities. This was followed by the opening of

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5084-525: The size of a soda can. The term "femtosatellite" or "femtosat" is usually applied to artificial satellites with a wet mass below 100 g (3.5 oz). Like picosatellites, some designs require a larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers. Three prototype "chip satellites" were launched to the ISS on Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final mission in May 2011. They were attached to

5166-423: The spacecraft to lose attitude control, delaying the start of deorbiting procedures. The first thruster burn took place on 2 December 1997 at 04:29:56 UTC while the spacecraft was over Hawaii, lasting 22 minutes 36 seconds and using 5.5 kg (12.2 lb) of propellant. Following the burn, additional power issues and oversaturated reaction wheels caused a loss of contact and vehicle control. Spacecraft command

5248-510: The spacecraft was given on 1 December 1997. Power issues aboard MSTI-3, caused by lower-than-expected battery performance and complicated by the spacecraft entering a period of full eclipses during its orbit, forced mission controllers to begin deactivating on-board systems. This began with the infrared instruments on 29 October, GPS on 3 November, and the VIS instrument on 22 November. Even with these measures, an undervoltage event on 25 November caused

5330-498: The success of Cygnus Orb-D1 and Cygnus CRS Orb-1 . Orbital Science made a number of strategic acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s to strengthen its position in the satellite market. In 1994, Orbital completed acquisition of Fairchild Industries ' subsidiary Space and Defense Corporation, and merged the Fairchild Space business with its own satellite design and manufacturing division. The electronics business of this subsidiary

5412-608: The successful Mars InSight lander mission. The two microsats accomplished a flyby of Mars in November 2018, and both continued communicating with ground stations on Earth through late December. Both went silent by early January 2019. A number of commercial and military-contractor companies are currently developing microsatellite launch vehicles to perform the increasingly targeted launch requirements of microsatellites. While microsatellites have been carried to space for many years as secondary payloads aboard larger launchers ,

5494-488: The successful demonstration in September 2013 of the Cygnus spacecraft and the Antares launch vehicle under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, Orbital commenced regular ISS cargo missions under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The total NASA contract to Orbital is worth $ 1.9 Billion for providing eight pressurized cargo missions to the ISS. Cygnus

5576-564: The ten years of nanosat launches prior to 2014, only 75 nanosats were launched. Launch rates picked up substantially when in the three-month period from November 2013–January 2014 94 nanosats were launched. One challenge of using nanosats has been the economic delivery of such small satellites to anywhere beyond low Earth orbit . By late 2014, proposals were being developed for larger spacecraft specifically designed to deliver swarms of nanosats to trajectories that are beyond Earth orbit for applications such as exploring distant asteroids. With

5658-417: The term "satellite swarm" or " fractionated spacecraft " may be applied. Some designs require a larger "mother" satellite for communication with ground controllers or for launching and docking with nanosatellites. Over 2300 nanosatellites have been launched as of December 2023. A CubeSat is a common type of nanosatellite, built in cube form based on multiples of 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm, with

5740-414: The use of satellite constellations , nanosatellites are increasingly capable of performing commercial missions that previously required microsatellites. For example, a 6U CubeSat standard has been proposed to enable a satellite constellation of thirty five 8 kg (18 lb) Earth-imaging satellites to replace a constellation of five 156 kg (344 lb) RapidEye Earth-imaging satellites, at

5822-616: The warm background of Earth. The VIS instrument was used to verify the integrity of the infrared observations, and performed the secondary objective of conducting environmental monitoring at the same spatial resolution of the Landsat 5 and 6 spacecraft but with improved spectral resolution. The launch of MSTI-3 occurred on 17 May 1996 at 02:44  UTC . The flight took place aboard a Pegasus Hybrid air-launched rocket carried by Orbital Science's Stargazer Lockheed L-1011 aircraft staged out of Vandenberg Air Force Base . Stargazer flew to

5904-763: The way for today's space-based Earth imaging industry. In addition to the OrbView satellites the company also built the GeoEye-1 high resolution imaging satellite. Orbital LEOStar-2 and -3 spacecraft platforms are designed to support a variety of multispectral, visible and thermal imaging payloads. A list of commercial imaging satellites built by Orbital is provided next. Orbital built Science and Environmental satellites conduct astrophysics , Remote sensing/Earth Observation , heliophysics , planetary exploration and technology demonstration missions. These satellites are built on Orbital's LEOStar-1,-2, or -3 satellite platforms depending on

5986-448: Was added to provide enhanced orbital position information. The spacecraft carried three instruments: a Short Wavelength Infrared Camera (SWIR), a Medium Wavelength Infrared Camera (MWIR), and a Visible Imaging Spectrometer (VIS), all sharing a single telescope. The infrared cameras each featured a seven-position filter wheel feeding into a 256×256 pixel InSb focal-plane array ; the SWIR camera operated at 2.5 to 3.3 μm wavelengths while

6068-430: Was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other government customers. In 2014, Orbital merged with Alliant Techsystems (ATK) to create a new company called Orbital ATK , which in turn was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Orbital was headquartered in Dulles, Virginia and publicly traded on

6150-578: Was designed to take advantage of lessons learned from the previous two spacecraft in the MSTI program. Launched on 21 November 1992, MSTI-1 carried a single MWIR camera and met its primary objective of validating the SA-200S spacecraft bus during its six months in orbit. MSTI-2, launched on 9 May 1994, carried a PtSi SWIR camera and an InSb MWIR camera. It successfully observed a Minuteman-III missile as part of its primary objective of tracking boosting targets below

6232-516: Was later sold off in 2000. In 1997, Orbital acquired CTA, Inc, a company that, under the spacecraft design engineering and business leadership of Tom van der Heyden - designer of the GEOStar spacecraft - had designed and built the first geostationary "lightsat" under contract to Indonesia for Asia's first Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) television broadcast program, and the world's first S-Band television broadcast satellite - providing an entry into

6314-549: Was launched on an eight-year, three-billion-mile journey to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. A major milestone in the company's history was in 2008 when it received a long-term NASA contract to provide cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) with a value of approximately US$ 1.9 billion for missions from 2011 to 2015. Orbital used its Cygnus spacecraft and Antares launch vehicle to transport cargo to ISS following

6396-436: Was much controversy about the apparent development of a weapon to blind or damage satellites. Small satellite A small satellite , miniaturized satellite , or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under 1,200 kg (2,600 lb). While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass . Satellites can be built small to reduce

6478-513: Was predicted that the spacecraft would impact the Pacific Ocean approximately 45 minutes after the start of the burn, at around 14:56 UTC. While contact with the spacecraft was established by the Diego Garcia tracking station a few minutes after the burn started, no further contacts were made and radar observation confirmed that the spacecraft had deorbited. In October 1997, William Cohen ,

6560-696: Was provided by the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base , while the spacecraft was controlled by SMC Detachment 2 out of Onizuka Air Force Station and later Kirtland AFB through the USAF Satellite Control Network. Operations and data processing was performed at the MSTI Payload Operations Center (MPOC), a component of the Naval Research Laboratory and managed by Analytical Services . MSTI-3

6642-431: Was reestablished by 3 December, though problems with star tracker point acquisition delayed establishment of attitude control until 11 December. Command sequences for the second and final burn had been pre-loaded onto the spacecraft, and were enacted that same day at 14:11:30 UTC. This burn was programmed to last 1 hour 40 minutes in order to burn the remaining 5.31 kg (11.71 lb) of propellant to depletion. It

6724-474: Was transferred to the United States Air Force by congressional direction in 1994. MSTI-3 was initiated by Phillips Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base . Its bus was designed and built by Phillips Laboratory, Spectrum Astro , and Wyle Laboratories , based on Spectrum Astro's SA-200S bus. The instrumentation was built by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Mission management

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