Martin Sweeting lectures on the implications of MEMs and microsatellites. He argues that microsatellites are the "Personal Computer" of space, providing affordable access to space at last.
Certain types of satellites have started to shrink in size, cost and development time, making it possible for communities, companies, schools, hospitals—and, perhaps one day, even individuals—to have a satellite of their own.
Inspired by the flight patterns of migrating birds, Air Force researchers are developing a new generation of tiny satellites that would be able to fly in close formation.
The Air Force is preparing to launch a fleet of microsatellites, minature satellites that utilize MEMs technology and weigh in under 20 pounds. The satellites would work in clusters to provide redundancy for critical missions and to perform more complex tasks than are possible with current satellites.
A new generation of small intelligence satellites, planned to be launched beginning in 2003, is expected to give U.S. analysts almost constant overhead images of specific trouble spots anywhere in the world, according to administration and congressional sources. Some of the new vehicles may be equipped with stealth technology so they cannot be tracked by radar, several sources said.