NASA Plans to Send Dozens of Orbital Satellites into Space

Jet Propulsion Laboratory chose Orbital Sciences Corporation to design, develop and manufacture the next satellite in NASA's series of New Millennium Program technology demonstration spacecraft.

The satellite, Space Technology 8, will be based on Orbital's Microstar platform, a lightweight, multi-role spacecraft bus of which dozens are already in orbit performing communications and Earth and space science missions.

In addition to the satellite contract, Orbital will also provide the mission's launch vehicle and related services.

The ST8 mission will utilize Orbital's highly reliable Pegasus rocket, the total value to Orbital of the ST8 program is expected to exceed $50 million.

The ST8 mission is a technology demonstration mission, consisting of four payload experiments. Together, these experiments aim to improve NASA's understanding of the feasibility of using these technologies for future space missions such as large solar sail missions. The four technology demonstrations include a large flexible solar array, a 40-meter deployable boom, high radiation environment electronics and a thermal radiator experiment.

The ultimate goal is to send dozens of such satellites into space, at a cost of $1.5 million each, to keep an eye out for solar storms, the Baltimore Sun said.

"We want to show that these small systems can do useful science," she said. "We think that's where the future is", Candace Carlisle, the mission's deputy project manager said.