{"id":55702,"date":"2022-03-23T23:50:22","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T15:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/industry-trends-push-smallsats-into-larger-territory\/"},"modified":"2022-03-23T23:50:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T15:50:22","slug":"industry-trends-push-smallsats-into-larger-territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/industry-trends-push-smallsats-into-larger-territory\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry Trends Push Smallsats Into Larger Territory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In 2011, there were fewer than 1,000 active satellites on orbit. Today, there are well over 5,000. The next wave of telecom constellations is not just hundreds of satellites but thousands, and even tens of thousands of satellites. Where is that market going, what are the challenges of large and small satellites \u2014 and given this context, and how can a company keep up with customer demands? A roundtable discussion at SATELLITE 2022 took on those questions with smallsat industry CEOs.<\/p>\n<p>Mina Mitry, CEO of Kepler Communications, said that he helped build his business by going out and buying underlying intellectual property from companies that have been building components in the sector for a very long period of time. <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/l8AvG0wxQYWa342RfugH_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Cover_Day4-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/l8AvG0wxQYWa342RfugH_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Cover_Day4-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/l8AvG0wxQYWa342RfugH_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Cover_Day4-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/l8AvG0wxQYWa342RfugH_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Cover_Day4-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/l8AvG0wxQYWa342RfugH_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Cover_Day4.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the Show Daily 2022 Day 4 Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe used that to build our own manufacturing capability,\u201d Mitry said. \u201cWhat is really important about having this manufacturing capability is for rapid cycles of learning. We get the benefit of being deeply entrenched in understanding what is required, and what levers we can pull to make for a better telecommunications business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While many companies in the smallsat side of the industry use cubesats, that seems to be a dying trend, according to Vytenis Buzas, CEO of Nanoavionics. \u201c10 or 15 years ago, everybody was thinking that the future of the small satellites and of the nanosatellites would be based on 1U cubesats,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t entirely true. We suddenly realized that we have to seek some kind of vertical integration. Three years ago, we decided that we have to reorganize ourselves,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Nanoavionics analyzed the economics of cubesats and felt that the trend was headed toward heavier buses. \u201cThat was because the launch prices were decreasing sharply,\u201d he said. \u201cWe started to think on a bit bigger scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6bc42ce7156;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6bc42ce7156 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6bc42ce7158').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6bc42ce7158'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>AAC Clyde Space has its own small but growing constellation. \u201cWe are actually growing not just in terms of supplying hardware and supplying satellites, but also providing the services,\u201d said Luis Gomes, CEO of AAC Clyde Space. \u201cWe have seen over the last few years that many customers don\u2019t actually want to own satellites and go to the trouble of  operating their own ground stations. We are seeing a trend with people asking: \u2018Can you provide me the service? Can you provide me the data?\u2019 We are moving in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Millennium Space Systems, which is now part of Boeing, focuses primarily on national security space. CEO Jason Kim said this has made the organization nimble because of high performance demands. \u201cIt\u2019s about helping our servicemen and servicewomen come back home safely. The national security space mission demands high performance satellites, affordability and quick timelines. That\u2019s why we got into the small satellite business.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The company is also structured for vertical integration, which helps when the mission operations and the national security space customers have a lot of demands that change requirements. \u201cWe have agile design practices that allow us to address those current and future requirements,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n<p>Marc Bell, founder and CEO of Terran Orbital Corporation, began his comments by reminding the panel that his company was part of the origin of cubesats because it acquired a parts manufacturing company founded by Jordi Puig-Suari, the California Polytechnic State University professor who invented the cubesat. \u201cWe started off with cubesats, and now we\u2019re building satellites up to 500 kilograms,\u201d Bell said. \u201cWe are payload-agnostic. We build everything for 5G, Internet of Things, synthetic aperture radar, hyperspectral imaging, whatever the customer demands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt used to cost $1 billion to build a satellite and take eight to 10 years to build it,\u201d Bell said. Today you can do it for $10 million and do it in 12 to 24 months. It\u2019s been transformational. All these companies sitting here on the stage have transformed this industry. It no longer takes a decade to build a satellite.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations have opened up a new dimension of opportunities, along with the price of launch being significantly reduced, Bell said. \u201cIt\u2019s made for a perfect storm to allow this whole industry just to blossom as you see it doing today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, should the industry be working with large smallsats, or small smallsats?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe question sometimes is more with the customers, and to understand their needs,\u201d Gomes said. \u201cWhat is the requirement? There are some customers that are not sacrificing quality and they will actually stick with that bigger satellite,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there are those that are actually able to accept a reduction in the quality of the data in exchange for the reduction in cost.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>One advantage he sees with smallsats is that it allows people in the community to try out new communications technologies affordably and quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Bell said that he has been following the trend toward larger satellite systems. \u201cYou\u2019re seeing people put [things] into satellites like collision avoidance systems,\u201d he said. \u201cThis industry is evolving at a very rapid pace. You\u2019re seeing the bus sizes are increasing, and the value propositions are increasing. It\u2019s all about the solutions you are solving.\u201d <strong>VS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 449:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/9VFm4z7iTBCZxNDSkslQ_Z6C_9354_hire-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/9VFm4z7iTBCZxNDSkslQ_Z6C_9354_hire-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/9VFm4z7iTBCZxNDSkslQ_Z6C_9354_hire-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/9VFm4z7iTBCZxNDSkslQ_Z6C_9354_hire-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/9VFm4z7iTBCZxNDSkslQ_Z6C_9354_hire.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tExploring the Best Practices to Hire and Maintain Diverse Talent in the Satellite Industry<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 452:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cTpcYO2CR0W77v4AAAYz_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Tina-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cTpcYO2CR0W77v4AAAYz_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Tina-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cTpcYO2CR0W77v4AAAYz_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Tina-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cTpcYO2CR0W77v4AAAYz_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Tina-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cTpcYO2CR0W77v4AAAYz_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Tina.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tMynaric CCO Tina Ghataore and Astroscale\u2019s ELSA-d Mission Win Executive and Technology of the Year Awards<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 446:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ui01Kq7PQLGhSEX9Y82k_Z6C_9328_Operators20Imperium-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ui01Kq7PQLGhSEX9Y82k_Z6C_9328_Operators20Imperium-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ui01Kq7PQLGhSEX9Y82k_Z6C_9328_Operators20Imperium-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ui01Kq7PQLGhSEX9Y82k_Z6C_9328_Operators20Imperium-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ui01Kq7PQLGhSEX9Y82k_Z6C_9328_Operators20Imperium.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSatellite Operators Stake Their Place in the Global Telco Ecosystem<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 451:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/HH6xsoIAQmyPOx5phy9K_Z6C_9120_Congestion-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/HH6xsoIAQmyPOx5phy9K_Z6C_9120_Congestion-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/HH6xsoIAQmyPOx5phy9K_Z6C_9120_Congestion-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/HH6xsoIAQmyPOx5phy9K_Z6C_9120_Congestion-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/HH6xsoIAQmyPOx5phy9K_Z6C_9120_Congestion.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSpace Crowding in LEO is a Challenge, But Improvements in Design and Traffic Management Offer Hope<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 448:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pmxp49zQQY6jfIELOrFu_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pmxp49zQQY6jfIELOrFu_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pmxp49zQQY6jfIELOrFu_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pmxp49zQQY6jfIELOrFu_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pmxp49zQQY6jfIELOrFu_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tStakeholders See a Bright Future for Laser Satellite Communications<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 450:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/V6gr6WP7RmizUWPlQwUv_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/V6gr6WP7RmizUWPlQwUv_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/V6gr6WP7RmizUWPlQwUv_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/V6gr6WP7RmizUWPlQwUv_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/V6gr6WP7RmizUWPlQwUv_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tWar in Ukraine Highlights Security Concerns for NGSO Satcom<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2011, there were fewer than 1,000 active satellites on orbit. Today, there are well over 5,000. The next wave of telecom constellations is not just hundreds of satellites but thousands, and even tens of thousands of satellites. Where is that market going, what are the challenges of large and small satellites \u2014 and given [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55704,"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":[],"class_list":["post-55702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55702"}],"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=55702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}