Space.com

With much of the commercial space industry focused on putting small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), how quickly will the U.S. military follow?

Companies are shifting away from traditional large satellites towards small satellites. cubesats in LEO have been increasingly used in space since the 1990s. In recent years, advances in camera technology and computer miniaturization have allowed companies to do optical imaging or radar observations using smaller and smaller satellites. This has led to the present day, where companies ranging from OneWeb to SpaceX and Planet have been deploying large fleets of satellites (fleets that could eventually include thousands of individual satellites) for applications ranging from telecommunications to Earth observation.

LEO presents a number of advantages. By being in a lower orbit, satellites can, despite their smaller sensor size, have better resolution and detection as well as shorter transmission delays between space and Earth. Less power is also needed to transmit signals to and from LEO as opposed to higher orbits. Small satellites in fleets are also easier and cheaper to launch than single large satellites sent to a higher orbit. Moreover, it is easier to replenish and update a constellation of satellites as technology changes.

Click here to read more!