Small Platforms, High Return: The Need to Enhance Investment in Small Satellites for Focused Science, Career Development, and Improved Equity
Whitepaper #268 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: infrastructure/workforce/other programmatic. Additional topics: state of the profession; research tools and infrastructure.
by James Paul Mason, Robert G. Begbie, Maitland Bowen, Amir Caspi, Phillip C. Chamberlin, Amal Chandran, Ian Cohen, Edward E. DeLuca, Alfred G. de Wijn, Karin Dissauer, Francis Eparvier, Rachael Filwett, Sarah Gibson, Chris R. Gilly, Vicki Herde, George Ho, George Hospodarsky, Allison Jaynes, Andrew R. Jones, Justin C. Kasper, Rick Kohnert, Zoe Lee, Emily I. Mason, Aimee Merkel, Rafael Mesquita, Christopher S. Moore, Romina Nikoukar, W. Dean Pesnell, Leonardo Regoli, Sabrina Savage, Daniel B. Seaton, Harlan Spence, Edward E. Thiemann, Juliana T. Vievering, Frederick Wilder, and Thomas N. Woods
Published onJul 31, 2023
Small Platforms, High Return: The Need to Enhance Investment in Small Satellites for Focused Science, Career Development, and Improved Equity
Small satellites presently fill an appropriate niche in the cost versus mission-class ecosystem; are highly productive as measured by papers/year/$M; present the rare opportunity to develop a career in spaceflight leadership. Equity goals can be met sooner by increasing the number of opportunities to lead smallsats. But current funding levels are a bottleneck that prioritized budgets could amend
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