NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology State of the Art Report

NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology State of the Art Report
by Staff Writers for Launchspace
Bethesda MD (SPX) Mar 14, 2023

In January 2023, NASA published the latest edition of the State of the Art in Small spacecraft Technology report. It is noteworthy that at the time of the first edition of this report in 2013, only 247 CubeSats and 105 other non-CubeSat small spacecraft under 50 kilograms (kg) had been launched worldwide.

This represented less than 2% of the total mass launched into orbit over multiple years. However, by 2013, approximately 60% of total spacecraft launched were under 600 kg in mass. Further analysis showed that some 83% of these spacecraft were under 200 kg each, and 37% were nanosatellites.

Fast-forward to 2021, and the space industry saw a total of 1,849 spacecraft launched. Notably, 94% of these spacecraft were small spacecraft with an overall unit mass of under 600 kg, and 40% were under 200 kg, with 11% being nanosatellites.

The increasing trend of small spacecraft launches underscores their growing importance as the primary source of space access for commercial, government, private, and academic institutions. In the past decade alone, 5,681 spacecraft have been launched, with 45% of those each having a mass of less than 200 kg.

NASA's report provides an extensive overview and evaluation of the state-of-the-art (SoA) for small spacecraft technologies publicly available as of fall 2022. The report further notes that the pace of SmallSat technology advancement overall is rapidly accelerating.

With the continuous evolution of technology, SmallSats and CubeSats are getting smaller and larger, respectively, while their capabilities are expanding. Traditional CubeSat platforms, such as 1U and 3U volume, now include up to 27U form factors, and SmallSats that were once designed as under 400 kg units are now less than 100 kg, with similar capabilities, but at lower costs.

The maturation and miniaturization of SmallSat technology continue to broaden the common SmallSat platform, resulting in more complex SmallSat mission designs. These improved capabilities have resulted in larger CubeSats and smaller SmallSats that are revolutionizing the way the space industry operates, and with the potential for further advancements, the future of space exploration looks bright.

Overall, NASA's report on small spacecraft technology demonstrates the rapid development and expansion of this sector, which is set to play an even more significant role in space exploration and research in the years to come.