{"id":18412,"date":"2018-08-06T22:33:52","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/smallsats-are-big-nasa-official-details-initiatives-to-boost-tiny-science-satellites\/"},"modified":"2018-08-06T22:33:52","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:33:52","slug":"smallsats-are-big-nasa-official-details-initiatives-to-boost-tiny-science-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/smallsats-are-big-nasa-official-details-initiatives-to-boost-tiny-science-satellites\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Smallsats are big\u2019: NASA official details initiatives to boost tiny science satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_438996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-438996\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-438996\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/180806-zur-630x546.jpg\" alt=\"Thomas Zurbuchen\" width=\"630\" height=\"546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/180806-zur-630x546.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/180806-zur-768x666.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/180806-zur.jpg 886w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-438996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for the science mission directorate, gives a keynote address at the SmallSat Conference in Logan, Utah. (NASA Photo via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>LOGAN, Utah&nbsp;\u2014 NASA is already deep into small-satellite science, but today the space agency\u2019s associate administrator for science signaled that NASA will be getting in even deeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think, in science, smallsats are big,\u201d Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said in a keynote address to the SmallSat Conference here in Logan.<\/p>\n<p>Zurbuchen turned the spotlight on several initiatives that will heighten NASA\u2019s use of small satellites and commercial services, balancing a mission portfolio that has big-budget missions such as the $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope on other end of the cost spectrum.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>NASA will aim to invest roughly $100 million annually in CubeSats as well as slightly larger small satellites.<\/li>\n<li>The space agency will pursue contracts to purchase imagery and other data products from three commercial satellite ventures: Planet, DigitalGlobe and Spire. \u201cThis is not the last time we\u2019re doing this,\u201d Zurbuchen said.<\/li>\n<li>Going forward, NASA will be more proactive about offering rideshare launch opportunities for science payloads ranging up to ESPA-class satellites, which typically weigh as much as 400 pounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An EELV Secondary Payload Adapter, or ESPA ring, would be included in the plans for every NASA science mission that\u2019s put on the books, Zurbuchen said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to ask, would it be needed,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to convince us that we don\u2019t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zurbuchen said up to $65 million would be earmarked for small-satellite technology demonstration opportunities having to do with heliophysics, which already accounts for 17 of the roughly 50 smallsat and CubeSat missions that NASA has in the works.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1026561811284410369&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Fsmallsats-big-nasa-official-details-initiatives-boost-pioneering-satellite-ventures%2F&amp;sessionId=3333bb6757463fcc39c1fe7d22ed6e725bb90f2d&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1026561811284410369\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i178280270613332597=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Announced at @SmallSat Conference: Mini satellites, aka #SmallSats or #CubeSats, are the focus of a new initiative that&#8217;ll grant $100M\/yr to targeted science, tech developments &amp; educational opportunities to enrich the already impressive #NASAScience #SmallSat mission portfolio. pic.twitter.com\/MK0tZbeHaK<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) August 6, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He added that as much as $55 million could be put toward small satellites designed to do planetary science, under the aegis of an existing NASA program known as&nbsp;Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration, or SIMPLEx.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe point is that we\u2019re in business for small satellites and CubeSats,\u201d Zurbuchen said.<\/p>\n<p>Zurbuchen touted the work that\u2019s already being done by NASA\u2019s small satellites&nbsp;\u2014 such as IceCUBE, which was launched last year and recently produced the first global map of ice clouds.<\/p>\n<p>During today\u2019s talk, he unveiled the first graphical picture of radar data from RainCube, a CubeSat that was deployed from the International Space Station just last month. RainCube is designed to measure rainfall and other precipitation from orbit.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1026562002192408576&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Fsmallsats-big-nasa-official-details-initiatives-boost-pioneering-satellite-ventures%2F&amp;sessionId=3333bb6757463fcc39c1fe7d22ed6e725bb90f2d&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1026562002192408576\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i178280270613332597=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just in! This graphic marks the first light radar data returned from @NASAJPL\u2019s #RainCube. This small satellite features the first #CubeSat-based radar with deployable mesh-antenna technology for precipitation science. @SmallSat Conference pic.twitter.com\/NjUDcgUYo2<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) August 6, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw this first [radar] bounce, and are really excited about this,\u201d Zurbuchen said. \u201cThat by itself is a major breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other pioneering NASA smallsat missions include the MarCO probes currently on their way to Mars, the HaloSat telescope that aims to study the Milky Way\u2019s hot galactic halo, and the BurstCube nanosatellite that will aim to match up gravitational-wave observations with gamma-ray bursts in the 2020s.<\/p>\n<p>Zurbuchen emphasized that not all space science missions can be done using small satellites. There\u2019s no collection of CubeSats that could do what NASA\u2019s flagship Webb Space Telescope will do. But he said NASA intended to \u201chitch our wagon\u201d to low-cost, small-scale space missions as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to go to Class C and Class D missions \u2026 to really have a set of missions that is focused on higher risk with limited budgets,\u201d Zurbuchen said. \u201cBy the way, if we only do the flagships \u2026 two things happen. First of all, we have all eggs in one basket, and God help us if something happens with that basket. The other thing is, we have leadership today, but not leadership tomorrow. That amazing manager and investigator that\u2019s working on that flagship mission is going to do that, but who\u2019s the next person who\u2019s stepping up?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for the science mission directorate, gives a keynote address at the SmallSat Conference in Logan, Utah. (NASA Photo via Twitter) LOGAN, Utah&nbsp;\u2014 NASA is already deep into small-satellite science, but today the space agency\u2019s associate administrator for science signaled that NASA will be getting in even deeper. \u201cWe think, in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1608,190,508,2286],"class_list":["post-18412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cubesats","tag-nasa","tag-smallsat","tag-thomas-zurbuchen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}