Mission Utility-Based SmallSat Design Considerations

SmallSat’s offer low-cost solutions to traditionally high cost, high SWaP mission areas including GEOINT, space domain awareness (SDA), and science missions. While initial engineering may offer intriguing cost vs. performance value, it is important to evaluate space vehicle and payload interactions in order to understand their impact on overall on-orbit mission performance. Many space vehicle and payload desires are in direct conflict and require careful allocation, requirement management and performance evaluation to ensure the SmallSat offering lives up to its mission goals. Lessons learned from large satellite design can be directly applied to SmallSats, while allowing flexibility to meet the mission’s cost, performance, and risk posture. This paper discusses key design considerations and lessons learned for creating a SmallSat that offers mission utility while maintaining cost competitiveness.