Strategy Analytics Director of ADS Service Asif Anwar said that the rise of the small satellite in major military space build-out plans have just as much to do with compatibility as it does with cost.

   “Advances in technology have elevated the status of small satellites and we will see more utilization as they complement traditional satellite platforms,” Anwar said in the report. “From an operational perspective, small satellites supplement the close-up view that can be provided with tactical UAVs with added situational awareness.”

   The private sector seems to have noticed this trend, judging by recent plans unveiled for new satellite models. In late July, ATK expanded its product line of small, agile satellite buses designed for a wide range of missions in civil, national security and commercial applications in both near-term and long-term markets.

   ATK’s expanded A-series product line consists of four basic configurations: the A100, A200, A500 and A700 models, with elevated platforms of A150, A250 and A550, which aim to provide broader capability and flexibility for customers. The products are designed for a range of mission requirements based on mission class, design life, propulsion, pointing accuracy, payload mass and launch compatibility.

   ATK added that the A series is compatible with most launch vehicles.

   “Our expanded family of space platforms will enable us to capitalize on the up-swing we expect to see in a number of our targeted market segments. Our diversified, balanced approach across multiple markets will take best advantage of the increase in microsat missions, continued demand for small, rapidly-developed spacecraft and the game-changing, on-orbit satellite servicing market,” said ATK Space Systems Vice President and General Manager Tom Wilson.

   The ATK A100 is ATK’s small bus offering for microsats and nanosats. The ATK A200 series features ATK’s Responsive Space Modular Bus (RSMB), which aims to provide considerable power, precision pointing and significant data throughput for sophisticated military and scientific payloads. The ATK A500 series offers a High End Modular Bus (HEMB) that allows for increased payload complexity and size, as well as extended life. The HEMB is the platform selected for the DARPA Phoenix mission to conduct on-orbit satellite servicing and repurposing. The ATK A700 series bus is the largest mission class and is the foundation of the ViviSat Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV).

   The trend for smaller and cheaper also is prevalent in the optical satellite world, according to analysis firm NSR, who released a report earlier this year showing a growing number of satellite manufacturers exploring smaller spacecraft that target expanding markets in optical and Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) markets.

   NSR believes that the effect is likely to be a reduction of data costs on the end-user side, citing the U.K. government’s dedicated support to finance half of manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology’s (SSTL) newest SAR satellite as confirmation of a trend that manufacturers are looking to address this market with finer ground resolution and smaller satellites at a lower cost.

“In the optical realm, small satellites weighing 300 kilograms today can offer 70 percent to 80 percent of the capabilities of a traditional commercial Earth observation satellite,” NSR said in the report. “These can also offer download speeds and an onboard memory of a 1-ton satellite launched for 10 years … small satellites (less than 500 kilograms) are getting cheaper to produce and launch, their numbers are expected to surpass medium and heavy satellites in the next 10 years.”          

   In the military domain, Strategy Analytics North American ADS Service Director Eric believes that the importance of satellites is going to continue to increase as nations typically associated with space power look to maintain and update capabilities and other nations look to establish themselves by taking advantage of technology and platform advances.

   “As military satellite platforms share development with commercial ventures and defense authorities look to alternative platform sizes, the utilization of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components will also increase in prominence,” Anwar wrote in the report.

   Military satellites have formed the backbone of military communication, reconnaissance and navigation capabilities for decades. Higham noted that satellite is a fundamental capability area in what is becoming a far more contested and congested area of operation.

   “The fiscally constrained environment will result in more cooperation between nations on developing and sharing capabilities although this will have to be balanced with maintaining sovereign capabilities,” said Higham. “As well the pooling of resources, we will also see Public Private Partnership (PPP) schemes such as the UK’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) being used to fund future capabilities in space.”