The CSCA Canadian SmallSat Symposium

The smallsats (<500 kg mass satellites) market is going through significant expansion in terms of capabilities and demand. In the last couple of years, numerous companies have produced solutions, largely based around a constellation approach, to better deliver services and reach out to new users. The smallsat market has quickly expanded over the last five years and will experience a sustained expansion in the future. Over 6,200 smallsats are expected to be launched over the next 10 years, a substantial increase over the previous decade. This will correspond to $16.5 billion in manufacturing market value from 2017 to 2026, and $14.5 billion in launch services.

These solutions are supported by new ventures, entrepreneurs investing in space in this so-called new or adaptive space environment. The logic of lower-cost constellations is to provide global connectivity from one system (satcom) or high-frequency change detection (in Earth observation) or connecting devices and vehicles (Information) for the Internet of Things, Machine to Machine, and traffic monitoring (AIS or ADS-B). It is aided by the advancement of satellite system miniaturization permitted by new technologies and/or advances in related sectors, particularly in computational technology with smallsats now providing operational services that were previously only achievable through heavier satellites.