Smallsats by the Numbers 2018 - Bryce Space and Technology
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Smallsats by the Numbers 2018
0Overview
Introduction
Definitions
Recent Events and Trends
The Big Picture of Smallsats
Commercial Smallsats
Government Smallsats
Non-Profit and Academic Smallsats
CubeSats
Outlook
1Introduction
What are smallsats?
Smaller satellites of increasing interest; more widely used in recent years
These satellites are generally under 600 kg, although definitions may vary;
600 kg and under reflects the five smallest mass classes defined by the FAA
‘Smallsat’ often used to refer to smaller satellites; smallsats are also referred
to as ‘very small satellites’
CubeSats are an established “kit” form of smallsat
• Use standard 10 cm3 form factor (1U), ~ 1 kg
• Can combine to form 3U, 6U, 12U, or more
Mass Class Name Kilograms (kg) Pounds (lbs)
Femto 0.01 – 0.1 0.02 – 0.2
Pico 0.09 – 1 0.19 – 2
Nano 1.1 – 10 3 – 22
Micro 11 – 200 23 – 441
Mini 201 – 600 422 – 1,323
From FAA The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2018
2Definitions
Smallsat Applications
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY MILITARY AND
DEVELOPMENT INTELLIGENCE
REMOTE SENSING SCIENTIFIC
3Recent Events and Trends
2012 – 2017
In 2012, smallsats began to see significantly increased usage
Over 1,000 smallsats launched from 2012 to 2017
2017 saw 6x as many as smallsats launched as 2012
Government and commercial sectors are capitalizing on heightened
interest in smallsats
Launch vehicle accidents have affected the rate of smallsat
deployment
Cubesats have dominated the smallsat market; over 700 launched
from 2012 through 2017
4Recent Events and Trends
2017 Activity
335 smallsats launched
An Indian PSLV rocket broke the record for the most number of
satellites launched simultaneously—104 satellites at once, with 88 of
these being Planet’s Dove satellites
87% of smallsats launched were CubeSats
67% of smallsats launched provide commercial services
5The Big Picture of Smallsats
All Satellites Launched, 2012 – 2017
500
450 Extra Heavy
Number of Satellites Launched
400 Heavy
Large
350
Intermediate
300
Medium
250
Small
200
Mini
150 Micro
100 Nano Smallsats
50 Pico
0 Femto
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
6The Big Picture of Smallsats
Smallsats Launched, 2012 – 2017
Launch vehicle accidents have affected rate of smallsat 2015 Super Strypi,
deployment Falcon 9 launch
failures
400 25 21 smallsats lost
Number of Satellites Launched
350
20
300
Number of Launches
Femto
250 15 Pico
200 Nano
150 10 Micro
Mini
100
5 Number of Launches
50
0 0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2017 Soyuz 2.1b
launch failure
2014 Antares 2016 Falcon 9 17 smallsats lost
launch failure pad accident
29 smallsats lost Smallsat launches
delayed into 2017
7The Big Picture of Smallsats
Smallsat Applications, 2012 – 2017
300
250
Number of Satellites Launched
200 Telecomunications
Technology Development
150 Military and Intelligence
Remote Sensing
100 Scientific
Other
50
0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Planet represents 52% of all remote sensing smallsats 2012 – 2017
8The Big Picture of Smallsats
Smallsat Operator Type, 2012 – 2017
300
250
Academic
Number of Satellites Launched
200 Commercial
Government Civil
150
Government Military
Non Profit
100
50
0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
9Commercial Smallsats
2012 – 2017
In the last six years, over 475 commercial smallsats launched
From 2013 to 2014, the total number of smallsats launched by the
commercial sector increased almost nine-fold
85% of all commercial smallsats are for remote sensing
65% of all commercial smallsats were manufactured by Planet
US companies have manufactured 90% of commercial smallsats
launched 2012 – 2017
Planet and Spire account for more than ¾ of commercial smallsats
launched 2012 – 2017
10Commercial Smallsats
Smallsats by Application, 2012 – 2017 (sats launched)
1
1
27
36
495
Communications
Development
Remote Sensing
Commercial
Scientific
Smallsats
Other
Launched
430
11Commercial Smallsats
Market Share by Manufacturer, Operator, 2012 – 2017 (sats launched)
Manufacturers Operators
Planet
4 66
78 Planet 5
6 6 Spire Global
Spire Global 19
16
ORBCOMM
Orbcomm
Orbital
Sierra Nevada Communications
Corporation 71 Satellogic SA
71 Surrey Satellite
319 Technology Ltd
331 GeoOptic s
Astro Digital
Other
Other
12Government Smallsats
2012 – 2017
More than 200 government smallsat launched
39% of government smallsats were CubeSats
The USA launched twice as many military smallsats as Russia (based
on public sources)
60% of military smallsats used for technology development (based on
public sources)
Over 1/3 of civil smallsats launched were from the USA, mostly
NASA
45% of civil smallsats were used for development, followed by remote
sensing (32%), communications (12%), and scientific (11%)
13Government Smallsats
Government Smallsats by Country of Operator, 2012 – 2017 (sats launched)
Canada
5
China
20
Europe
19 India
USA 5
93
Japan
9
Other
32
Russia
37
14Government Smallsats
Largest Government Smallsat Operators, 2012 – 2017 (sats launched)
Service Type Operator Number of Smallsats
NASA 31
Roscosmos 10
Civil Smolsat 8
China National Space
5
Administration
DoD 31
Military
Los Alamos National
(based on public 12
Laboratory
sources)
Russian MoD 11
15Academic and Non-Profit Smallsats
2012 – 2017
The number of academic and non-profit organizations that
manufacture smallsats nearly quadrupled between 2012 and 2017
96% of non-profit and academic organizations that have deployed
smallsats in the past six years both manufactured and operated them
Over the last six years, 88 non-profit and academic organizations
launched smallsats, many deploying only one or two
Over 240 smallsats used for technology development
Almost 3/4 of all development smallsats launched by academic and
non-profit organizations were CubeSats
16Academic and Non-Profit Smallsats
Smallsat Share by Operator, 2012 – 2017
Non-Profit Operators Academic Operators
Kyushu Institute of
8 6 Technology
The Aerospace 6
13 6 Nanyang Technical
Corporation 6
6 University
32 DFH Satellite Co. Ltd.
56 San Jose State
University (SJSU)
Unique Unique
6 Breakthrough Starshot Tsinghua University
34 Operators Operators (Beijing)
4 Other University of Colorado
186 at Boulder
University of Toronto
Other
17CubeSats
2012 – 2017
In total, over 725 CubeSats launched between 2012 and 2017
representing almost 50% of all satellite launches
CubeSats launched per year grew from 23 in 2012 to over 290 in
2017
The United States has manufactured the most CubeSats
Over half of all CubeSats launched from 2012 to 2017 provided
commercial services
Planet’s Dove CubeSats represent 75% of all commercial CubeSats
launched between 2012 and 2017
89% of all CubeSats for academic applications were development
satellites
54% of government CubeSats launched for civil purposes
18Outlook
What Lies Ahead for Smallsats?
Smallsat business ventures will be seeking to prove their business
models and generate significant revenue in the next few years
Deployment of future generations of smallsats in many cases
depends on this success
Large constellations of smallsats (1,000+ sats) for global broadband
are in development by OneWeb, SpaceX, Boeing, others
• Required investment for these systems is $ billions
• Business models are not yet proven
• Large numbers of sats could have profound effects on manufacturing, launch
Dozens of new small launchers in development target smallsats
• Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab, and Vector have announced contracts
• All three companies are conducting test flights, target operations in 2018
• Key business risks: uncertainty about future smallsat deployment, competition
from larger vehicles
Large smallsat constellations raise concerns about orbital debris
19Contact
Bryce Space and Authors
Technology C. Brennan Bok
Amy Comeau
Corporate Offices Anton Dolgopolov
Tara Halt
1199 North Fairfax Street, Suite 501 Caroline Juang
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phil Smith
(703) 647-8078
info@brycetech.com
twitter.com BryceSpaceTech
brycetech.com
linkedin.com/company/bryce-space-tech
2021
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