Small Satellites Contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations (UN) led the countries of the world to define and commit to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which identifies 17 goals toward improving life on Earth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the high-priority challenges for our generation in areas such as access to clean water, food security, poverty alleviation, health care, environmental sustainability and urban development. Space technology, including small satellites, can play a role in helping countries pursue the SDGs. Each goal includes a set of Targets countries are working to achieve by 2030. Each Target includes a set of indicators that define the quantitative measurement for the Targets. A key element of pursuing the SDGs is for nations to work with the UN to develop methods to measure progress toward the Targets on each indicator. Many of the indicators and targets relate to environmental factors, human infrastructure or investment in research and education. In each of these areas, small satellite missions can play a role as part of national strategies to both monitor progress toward the SDGs and to work toward achieving the Targets. This paper reviews examples showing how space technology, including satellite-based earth observation, communication and positioning services, is already being used to support the SDGs. The discussion illustrates how emerging business and operational models in each sector and exploring new ways to apply small satellites for earth observation, communication and positioning. The paper describes coordination activities by organizations such as the Group on Earth Observations, NASA and the UN that are designed to help national governments around the world increase the use of satellite-based technology in support of the SDGs. The paper also introduces a new academic Research Group at the Media Lab within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The mission of this research group is to increase the use of space technology in support of the SDGs. Small satellites provide an important opportunity to consider the needs defined by the Sustainable Development Goals and create customized space missions that respond to these needs