Abstract
This chapter provides a broad introduction to this Handbook on small satellites. It offers information as to why this Handbook was created and its primary uses. It provides guidance as to the structure of the Handbook and its Appendices and a useful information as to how the text of this Handbook and its references can be employed to understand about the history, the technology of small satellites, ground stations and systems for users of these small satellites, the operation of these facilities, launch services, as well as definitions concerning the many different types of these small satellites that exist today. It also provides information, explanations, and definitions about the economic, legal, policy, and regulatory aspects of these systems. It has an entire section devoted to providing information about the many diverse and growing aspects of applications and services that can be used by employing small satellites and how they are uniquely able to provide some of the newer and more entrepreneurial space-based services. There is a chapter that relates the uses of small satellites as a means to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. In short this Handbook seeks to provide a comprehensive set of information about all aspects of smallsats, their uses and applications, the related ground systems, their launch and operation, as well as related economic, legal, policy, business, and financial aspects of these new types of space systems. Finally it seeks to address key issues and challenges for the future that include frequency allocation and management, orbital space debris, space traffic control and management, as well as competitive technology, business, economic, and financial issues.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A.L. Allison, The ITU and Managing Satellite Orbital and Spectrum Resources in the 21st Century (Springer Press, Switzerland, 2014)
AMSAT Live Oscar Satellite Status Page (n.d.) https://www.amsat.org/status/. Last accessed May 30, 2019
Bryce Space & Technology “Smallsats by the Numbers 2019”, Page 6. January (2019)
Bryce Space and Technology “Smallsats by the Numbersm (Feb 2019)
Conversation with James Stuart at the University of Colorado in the late 1980s (n.d.)
Digital Library of Papers Presented at the Small Satellite Conference Since 1987, Digital Commons Library, Utah State University, Logan, Utah (n.d.). https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/. Last accessed 8 July 2019
T. Farrar “Is the new space bubble about to burst?” Room Space Journal. (4), 45–47 (2018)
J. Foust Space news, India sets record with launch of 104 satellites on a single rocket, (Feb. 17, 2017). https://spacenews.com/india-sets-record-with-launch-of-104-satellites-on-a-single-rocket/
Iridium Satellite Constellation (n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite_constellation. Last accessed 30 May 2019
Northern Sky Research Small satellite research, 5th Edn, (2018) https://www.nsr.com/research/small-satellite-markets-5th-edition/ December
J.N. Pelton, Basics of satellite communications, 1st edn. (International Engineering Consortium, Chicago, 2003., 2nd Edition 2006)
J.N. Pelton, New Solutions for the Space Debris Problem (Springer Press, Switzerland, 2015)
J.N. Pelton, Space 2.0: Key Trends in the ‘New Space’ Industry (Springer Press, Switzerland, 2019)
Pocketqube Satellites (n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PocketQube. Last accessed 16 Mar 2019
PSLV-C37 Successfully Launches 104 Satellites in a Single Flight (n.d.) https://www.isro.gov.in/update/15-feb-2017/pslv-c37-successfully-launches-104-satellites-single-flight
RADARSAT (n.d.) Constellation Missihttps://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/on, http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/radarsat/default.asp. Last Accessed 30 June 2019
Small Satellite Conference (n.d.) https://smallsat.org/. Last accessed June 15, 2019
“SpaceWorks Announces Release of 2018 Nano/Microsatellite Market Forecast”’ (January 30, 2018). https://spaceworkseng.com/spaceworks-announces-release-of-2018-nanomicrosatellite-market-forecast/
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (n.d.) https://www.sstl.co.uk/about-us. Last accessed 15 June 2019
Teledesic History (n.d.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teledesic. Last accessed 30 June 2019
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pelton, J.N., Madry, S. (2019). Introduction to the Small Satellite Revolution and Its Many Implications. In: Pelton, J. (eds) Handbook of Small Satellites. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20707-6_1-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20707-6_1-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20707-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20707-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering
Publish with us
Chapter history
-
Latest
Introduction to the Small Satellite Revolution and Its Many Implications- Published:
- 21 May 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20707-6_1-2
-
Original
Introduction to the Small Satellite Revolution and Its Many Implications- Published:
- 27 August 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20707-6_1-1