The loss of a billion-dollar reconnaissance satellite in the explosion of its Titan launch vehicle shortly after ignition points up the hazards and risks of space launches. When a billion dollars disappears in a puff of smoke, one wishes there were less costly ways to perform reconnaissance, and safer ways to launch spacecraft. There is a trend toward cheaper, less complex, and smaller spacecraft. Several universities and labs in the U.S. and in other countries are working on smaller satellites for radio communication and research. These are in the 10- to 100-lb category and are sometimes termed nanosats because of their small size and because they generally fly in a near-Earth orbit. Several enabling technologies are expected to have an impact on the production and cost of small satellites.
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