Sending hooey to space is very expensive , so sometimes to cerebrate big you have to opine small . With this approach in creative thinker , Arizona State University students have developed the next generation of miniature satellites .
The team created SunCube FemtoSat , a 3 - centimeter - cubed ( 1.1 - in - cubed ) artificial satellite that weighs about 35 gramme ( 1.2 ounce ) . It has communication , data collection , and propulsion systems and it ’s powered by flyspeck solar panels .
The team , led by adjunct prof Jekan Thanga , also constructed a bigger version ( 3 x 3 x 9 centimeters , 100 grams ) that includes some payload space for small experiment . The SunCubes are construct with " off - the - ledge " share , and the solar cells were made from scrap manufacturers sell at discount , making these tiny satellites fabulously cheap to build .
“ That ’s part of our major destination – blank space for everybody , ” Thanga tell in astatement . “That ’s how you invigorate a airfield … Getting more people into the technology , getting their custody on it . ”
base on current costs ( $ 60,000 to 70,000 per kilo ) , you could post a FemtoSat to the International Space Station for $ 1,000 and to low - Earth orbit for $ 3,000 . This might not fathom affordable yet , but the rise of commercial-grade distance companies could make the monetary value sink .
“ There ’s a whole residential area out there concerned in this idea of low - cost , swarm of disposable spacecraft , ” Thanga added
“ We ’re interested in tackle the outer space access problem . What if we can have student post experimentation into infinite ? With something as modest as this , you may make mistakes and send again . ”
Thanga and his squad project Femtosat being used by educators , students , and researchers across the globe . construct them is not heavy than many other schooltime labor , and if parts , assembly and space delivery become promptly available , there would be no obstacle for members of the general public to plunge their own artificial satellite .
“ We can show the world we can fly in space , ” Thanga said . “ Being an alive person involved in a space mission – it ’s the next domain in exploration . ”
