{"id":10722,"date":"2022-03-26T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-03-26T08:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1383273"},"modified":"2022-03-26T08:00:58","modified_gmt":"2022-03-26T08:00:58","slug":"satellites-have-become-smaller-and-cheaper-so-even-you-can-now-do-science-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=10722","title":{"rendered":"Satellites have become smaller and cheaper \u2014 so even you can now do science in space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to go to space<\/a>? It could cost you.<\/p>\n

This month, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will make the first fully-private, crewed flight<\/a> to the International Space Station. The going price for a seat is US$55 million. The ticket comes with an eight-day stay on the space station, including room and board \u2013 and unrivaled views<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer cheaper alternatives, which will fly you to the edge of space<\/a> for a mere US$250,000-500,000<\/a>. But the flights only last between ten<\/a> and 15 minutes<\/a>, barely enough time to enjoy an in-flight snack.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re happy to keep your feet on the ground, things start to look more affordable. Over the past 20 years, advances in tiny satellite technology have brought Earth orbit within reach for small countries, private companies, university researchers, and even do-it-yourself hobbyists.<\/p>\n

Science in space<\/h2>\n

We are scientists who study our planet and the universe beyond. Our research stretches to space in search of answers to fundamental questions about how our ocean is changing in a warming world, or to study the supermassive black holes beating in the hearts of distant galaxies.<\/p>\n

The cost of all that research can be, well, astronomical. The James Webb Space Telescope<\/a>, which launched in December 2021 and will search for the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe, had a final price tag of US$10 billion after many delays and cost overruns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The price tag for the International Space Station, which has hosted almost 3,000 scientific experiments<\/a> over 20 years, ran to US$150 billion, with another US$4 billion each year to keep the lights on.<\/p>\n

Even weather satellites, which form the backbone of our space-based observing infrastructure and provide essential measurements for weather forecasting and natural disaster monitoring, cost up to US$400 million each to build and launch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Budgets like these are only available to governments and national space agencies \u2013 or a very select club of space-loving billionaires<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Space for everyone<\/h2>\n

More affordable options are now democratizing access to space. So-called nanosatellites<\/a>, with a payload of less than 10kg including fuel, can be launched individually or in \u201cswarms\u201d.<\/p>\n

Since 1998, more than 3,400 nanosatellite missions<\/a> have been launched and are beaming back data used for disaster response, maritime traffic, crop monitoring, educational applications and more.<\/p>\n

A key innovation in the small satellite revolution is the standardization of their shape and size, so they can be launched in large numbers on a single rocket.<\/p>\n

CubeSats<\/a> are a widely used format, 10cm along each side, which can be built with commercial off-the-shelf electronic components. They were developed in 1999 by two professors in California, Jordi Puig-Suari and Bob Twiggs, who wanted graduate students to get experience designing, building, and operating their own spacecraft.<\/p>\n

Twiggs says the shape and size were inspired<\/a> by Beanie Babies, a kind of collectible stuffed toy that came in a 10cm cubic display case.<\/p>\n

Commercial launch providers like SpaceX<\/a> in California and Rocket Lab<\/a> in New Zealand offer \u201crideshare\u201d missions to split the cost of launch<\/a> across dozens of small satellites. You can now build, test, launch and receive data from your own CubeSat for less than US$200,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The universe in the palm of your hand<\/h2>\n

Small satellites have opened exciting new ways to explore our planet and beyond.<\/p>\n

One project we are involved in uses CubeSats and machine learning techniques to monitor Antarctic sea ice from space<\/a>. Sea ice is a crucial component of the climate system and improved measurements will help us better understand the impact of climate change in Antarctica.<\/p>\n

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<\/i><\/a>Spire Global operates a fleet of more than 110 nanosatellites. Image: Spire Global<\/figcaption>