The Diminishing Presence of Small Satellites in Security!? What Is The Future of CubeSat? -Latest Trends in The Space Business: Small Satellite Conference 2024 — Part Ⅰ

The Small Satellite Conference 2024, one of the world’s largest small satellite-related conferences, was held at Utah State University for six days from August 3 to August 8, 2024. In this article, we provide a report by Mr. Mori, CSO and CEO of the U.S.

(Click here for the second part. Click here for the third part. Click here for last year’s article)

Mori said at once,

“The 2024 Small Satellite Conference was different from previous years, with a clear decline in security-related attendees.”

About 10 years ago, the Small Satellite Conference, first held in 1987, was attended mainly by researchers from universities and research institutes. However, about five years ago, as expectations for the usefulness of small satellites in the security field grew, the number of participants from the Ministry of Defense and other related organizations began to increase. Over the past year and into this year, however, the number of representatives from defense and security-related organizations has declined significantly. What are the factors behind this change?

Mori considers that

“In the field of security, where huge budgets are spent, the importance of large satellites with high performance and full functions is more important than their cost, and small satellites have been deemed less useful in recent years. “

Here, we review the types of each satellite based on size and their definitions. (*1)

• Large Satellites: Spacecrafts with a mass of 1,000 kg or more. Mainly used for national-level projects.
• Medium Satellites: Spacecrafts with a mass of 500 kg to 1000 kg. They are typically used for scientific research and communication services.
• SmallSats: Spacecrafts with a mass between 100 kg and 500 kg. They are mainly used for commercial applications and university research.
• Very Small Satellites: Spacecrafts with a mass of less than 100 kg. Very SmallSats are further classified into MicroSat (10 kg to 100 kg), NanoSat (1 kg to 10 kg), and PicoSats (0.01 kg to 1 kg).
• CubeSats: A type of small spacecraft, a “standard name” for a spacecraft with a size of 10 x 10 x 10 cm as a unit (1U).

Reference

*1) [NASA] Small Spacecraft Overview

Since the Small Satellite Conference was originally organized by a university research institute, there are many exhibits by CubeSat-related businesses, universities, and research institutes. However, implementing a project at the Ministry of Defense level usually requires a medium or large satellite due to the certainty and difficulty of the mission. Considering the nature of these conferences and the declining need for small satellites in the security field, the decrease in defense-related attendees this year is a nod to the decline in the number of participants.

In light of this phenomenon, Mori said,

“In the next few years, the growth of CubeSat will subside, although it will continue to be used for educational and research purposes.”

In more important news, the Small Satellite Conference will be held in Salt Lake City next year. The conference has been held in Utah since its inception in 1987, but the decision to keep the conference in a new location may have been motivated by a strategy to improve transportation and attract new participants.

With the growing presence of security-related topics at many conferences, Small Satellite Conference 2024 was almost the only one to see a decline. We will keep our eyes on the future trends.

(Author: Natsumi Kawaguchi)