Session
Future Directions
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
NASA recognizes the value and impact of SmallSats, from CubeSats to ESPA-class satellites, for high-value science missions to support exploration through innovative technologies. With SmallSats, we are able to, more nimbly, perform targeted science, prove out new technologies and innovation, and educate and train our engineers and scientists for the workforce of tomorrow. Across six divisions of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), over 11 years, SMD has funded 73 CubeSat / SmallSat Missions and 56 Studies to date. Currently, SMD has 44 small spacecraft science missions (67 spacecraft) in implementation or formulation. The goal of this paper is to provide background of efforts to promote implementation of SmallSats within NASA as a balanced portfolio for the agency’s science, technology and exploration analysis and to provide latest observations and trends of SmallSat missions and studies funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) through Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx), as well as certain Small Explorer (SMEX) and Medium Explorer (MIDEX) calls over the last 11 years. The data source of this assessment is a subset of the NASA SmallSat Coordination Group Database, a collection of all known funded NASA SmallSat and CubeSat missions and studies. This paper recognizes the latest observations and trends of the NASA CubeSat / SmallSat Science missions with masses ranging between 1kg to 500kg.
NASA Science Mission Directorate SmallSat Coordination Group: State of NASA Science with SmallSats
Utah State University, Logan, UT
NASA recognizes the value and impact of SmallSats, from CubeSats to ESPA-class satellites, for high-value science missions to support exploration through innovative technologies. With SmallSats, we are able to, more nimbly, perform targeted science, prove out new technologies and innovation, and educate and train our engineers and scientists for the workforce of tomorrow. Across six divisions of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), over 11 years, SMD has funded 73 CubeSat / SmallSat Missions and 56 Studies to date. Currently, SMD has 44 small spacecraft science missions (67 spacecraft) in implementation or formulation. The goal of this paper is to provide background of efforts to promote implementation of SmallSats within NASA as a balanced portfolio for the agency’s science, technology and exploration analysis and to provide latest observations and trends of SmallSat missions and studies funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) through Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx), as well as certain Small Explorer (SMEX) and Medium Explorer (MIDEX) calls over the last 11 years. The data source of this assessment is a subset of the NASA SmallSat Coordination Group Database, a collection of all known funded NASA SmallSat and CubeSat missions and studies. This paper recognizes the latest observations and trends of the NASA CubeSat / SmallSat Science missions with masses ranging between 1kg to 500kg.
