First Class Science on a Coach Class Ticket

Faster - better - cheaper is more than a catchy phrase at Orbital Sciences Corporation. On April 3, 1995, the first of OSC\u27s MicroLab no Orbital Experiment Service missions was launched on a flawless Pegasus launch. The first PicoLab is expected to be placed on contract later this year for launch in 1997. Both of these two carrier concepts offer scientists, experimenters and students the opportunity to fly dedicated missions at a fraction of the cost of primary payloads. This paper introduces the MicroStar Common Core Vehicle (CCV) series of small satellites. The MicroStar CCV series is based on a commercially developed design and is offered in three primary configurations, each of which is derived from the baseline version of this bus for the ORBCOMM® low-Earth orbit global communications system. MicroStar\u27s flexible design and low production-unit cost make it an ideal carrier for a wide range of missions. This paper also introduces PicoStar - the next generation of ultra-small spacecraft for Earth observation, space science and technology experimentation. Occupying the volume of a one-gallon paint can, PicoStar is built under a philosophy which treats the complete spacecraft more like a black box than a traditional multi-system spacecraft bus. Subsystems are packaged at the card level allowing for modular substitution and tailored performance in key functional areas. The result is a dedicated mission at a stowaway price. Coupled with launch services provided by OSC\u27s Pegasus® or Taurus® space boosters, each of which can carry multiple MicroStar and PicoStar satellites per launch, the MicroLab and PicoLab orbital experiment services offer the most affordable, quick reaction mission capability currently available commercially. The applicability and history of these services for civil, commercial and military space systems, and the fundamental technical approach to these two sciencecraft vehicles will be described in the paper