Space


The race to inner space NanoSat in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)


successfully, with another 316 launches announced, and 145 additional launches which are forecast to be completed. That makes a total of 750 NanoSats which are expected to be launched during 2021. The small satellites that are going into LEO include NanoSats weighing up to 10Kg, and minisatellites, which weigh up to 500Kg. There are also CubeSats which weigh from 0.2Kg up to 40Kg.


According to Mordor Intelligence, the Roger Tall, director, Charcroft Electronics


The need to balance the cost and reliability of small satellites going into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demands special skills and a more flexible approach to design, according to Roger Tall, director, Charcroft Electronics


T


he highest number of Nano Satellites (NanoSats) are expected to be launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) during 2021, and the figure is forecast to climb again, after a drop


in launches from 2022 to 2024. The outlook for 2021 looks strong. Already this year, 289 NanoSats have been launched


14 October 2021


market for small satellites is expected to increase by over 50 per cent from its current figure in 2021, to USD 7,245.02 million in 2026. The applications for NanoSats and CubeSats are also increasing. The satellites are being deployed in communication networks as well as for delivering high- resolution imagery and mapping. These applications include monitoring the use of land, natural resources, and environmental impact, in addition to forestry, agriculture and urban planning. Asset tracking is also a growing market. To support the growth in applications, designers of small satellites have to meet two key challenges: the satellites will have to be smaller and lighter, and they also need to meet tight cost constraints. This is because small satellites need to deliver high reliability but are only expected to have a relatively short lifetime of around five years.


Cost vs reliability To meet the need to design small satellites which are both reliable and ultra-affordable, designers are starting the designs with lower-


Components in Electronics


reliability versions of the final space-grade components. For the Flight Model (FM) of the satellite, the components will typically be on the ESCC Qualified Parts List (QPL), or the European Preferred Parts List (EPPL). For the Bread Board (BB), prototype and


validation stages of the design, the designer can use high-reliability Commercial Off-The- Shelf (COTS), industrial or automotive-grade


versions of the same component. The use of these lower cost and lower reliability parts helps to cut cost and to increase the speed of the design cycle.


One of the most important factors in taking this approach is to ensure that the part is offered in the same voltage, capacitance value and case size at every level of reliability.


Number of NanoSat launches by year www.cieonline.co.uk


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