by Michel Courtois, former director of ESTEC, ESA technical centre, former technical director of Alcatel Space, member of AAE, space systems engineering consultant
The creation of the CubeSat standard in 2000 by California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Stanford University, thanks to strong support from the US government, paved the way for a strong miniaturisation of electronics, the use of non-space components and the establishment of a new approach for realising space systems. These satellites, weighing between 1 and 30 kg, can respond to scientific missions, technological demonstrations in orbit, or application missions. First developed in a university setting in 2013, new actors have appropriated this concept with the ambition of making space more accessible. Several hundred satellites are due to be launched in the next five years. Projects are being developed for satellite constellations, new manufacturers have appeared (Clyde Space, Gomspace…), as have future operators (Spire, Planet Lab…). Creating a wind of freshness and incredible enthusiasm, this veritable explosion of projects nonetheless raises certain problems. A new El Dorado so to speak, with its associated pitfalls…
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