Large Constellation Development using Small Satellites

Many natural phenomena of interest occur on a global scale. Accurately measuring and studying these phenomena require creating a network of globally spaced sensors a constellation of satellites allows for simultaneous global measurements, but has been traditionally viewed as cost prohibitive. Recent developments in small satellite technology have made it possible to create a global constellation while maintaining the cost at reasonable level. This paper describes the practical development of a global constellation of 90 pico-satellites that will be used for distributed ionospheric diagnostics. The constellation is created using one standard low-cost launch vehicle with an adept final insertion stage. The satellite design is based on the readily available and well-established pico-satellite technology developed by the Cubesat community. A single science sensor is highly integerated with the pico-satellite bus design. This “sensor-sat” design approach minimizes volume and mass, allowing for 90 sensor-sats to be launched and deployed from a single launch vehicle. The novel constellation design presented in this paper clearly identifies the platform upon which the next generation of space science and space weather needs can be effectively met using current small satellite technology