A 'mechanic' satellite designed to refuel and repair a partner in space is set to launch on Thursday. The feats would be the first of their kind and will lay the groundwork for future autonomous robotic missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
With U.S. military officials frustrated at the expense and time needed to build satellites, the Pentagon is fielding small satellites called TacSats that can be built faster and cheaper based on already mature technology.
Mini-satellites that could navigate autonomously and inspect other satellites in orbit are being developed by the US Air Force. The developers say the technology could one day be used to check the space shuttle or its successor for damage, while other experts say it could be used to disable "enemy" satellites in orbit.
A new classified microsatellite project, dubbed "MiTEx" from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency could be another precursor experiment for the development of anti-satellite weapons.
A Russian company is using anti-satellite weapons technology developed by the Soviet Union to launch microsatellites using a MiG 31. The Soviet Union developed the ability to launch an anti-satellite missile from a fighter jet in response to U.S. tests with an F-15 in 1985.
A look at 'cubesats', an on-going revolution in building tiny and cheap satellites that could bring space science to the masses in the same way the personal computer democratized computing.
An ambitious program called CubeSat, developed at Stanford University and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is giving students and companies the opportunity to build and launch functional satellites into low Earth orbit, or about 240 to 360 miles above the planet.
Experts say the big news in spacecraft building involves ultra-small CubeSats. These petite but powerful satellites are spearheading a hands-on revolution around the world. And what fist-sized CubeSats bring to space could mimic innovations sparked by the personal computer here on Earth.
"While the U.S. Congress was debating the defense budget this summer, Air Force officials were downplaying their efforts to develop small, orbiting weapons to disrupt or destroy enemy satellites."
After three years of work, University of Washington students have nearly completed the world's smallest self-propelled satellite and are preparing to deliver it to the Air Force and NASA for launch.