AS SMALLSATS BECOME THE SATELLITE OF CHOICE FOR NASA AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SPACE MISSIONS, THERE…

Public award description

AS SMALLSATS BECOME THE SATELLITE OF CHOICE FOR NASA AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SPACE MISSIONS, THERE IS A GROWING NEED TO ENABLE SMALLSATS TO PERFORM LONG BASELINE AND SPATIALLY DIVERSE OBSERVATION, MEASUREMENT AND COLLECTION MISSIONS. TRADITIONALLY, THESE TYPES OF MISSIONS WOULD BE PERFORMED EITHER BY USING FORMATION FLYING OR BY USING LARGE SATELLITES EQUIPPED WITH COMPLEX / ADVANCE DEPLOYABLE STRUCTURES. THE PROPOSED MAKERSAT DEMONSTRATION MISSION EFFORT ADDRESSES A THIRD ALTERNATIVE FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS CLASS OF MISSIONS: IN-SPACE MANUFACTURING CONSTRUCTABLE TECHNOLOGIES, THAT ALLOW SMALLSATS TO GROW / EVOLVE INTO SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER STRUCTURES. A SMALLSAT THAT ONCE ON ORBIT CAN INCREASE ITS SIZE FROM ONE TO TWO ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE PROVIDES AN EXCITING OPTION TO FORMATION FLYING OR DEPLOYABLE STRUCTURES. THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED EFFORT IS TO DEVELOP A DEMONSTRATION MISSION THAT PROVES THE VIABILITY OF CONSTRUCTABLE TECHNOLOGIES AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR LONG BASELINE AND SPATIALLY DIVERSE OBSERVATION, MEASUREMENT AND COLLECTION MISSIONS.