In strict terms, and based on mass classification, a nanosatellite is any satellite with a mass from 1 kg to 10 kg. This can cover CubeSats, PocketQubes, TubeSats, SunCubes, ThinSats, and non-standard picosatellites. Loosely, nanosatellites are defined as any satellite weighing less than 10 kg. Interest in nanosatellites has increased over the lower cost of development and deployment, opening up opportunities for organizations to launch nanosatellites where this ability to develop and deploy satellites has traditionally been monopolized by space agencies due to the cost and sophistication of satellite development.
A nanosatellite can be developed in less than eight months, in contrast to a traditional or large satellite that can require between five and fifteen years to develop. The lifetime and reliability of a nanosatellite can be influenced by the level of technology, development, and progress of funding. Meaning if an organization only needs a nanosatellite for a short period of time, the cost of materials do not have to exceed a certain cost. Whereas an organization that wants to maintain nanosatellites for a longer period of time can spend more in the technology and development.
In either case, a nanosatellite can be developed with a reusable platform and reliable design, which can work to strengthen the integrated design of electronic circuits and enhance the integration of the circuits. These circuits can be reduced in number based on the quality of the electronic components, and failure can be reduced through a redundant design of electronic circuits.
Types of nanosatellites
Nanosatellites offer new mission concepts that would not be feasible with other satellite technologies due to cost. For example, constellations of satellites deployed for data collection over a wide area can be built with "off the shelf" technology but can be cost prohibitive. Whereas nanosatellites can be built with similar technology and design techniques in order to build inexpensive and reliable nanosatellites that can perform the same functions. And more of these nanosatellites can be produced to either cover the same or a wider geospace area than traditional satellites, or in the case of necessary redundancy and failure.
The orbits of nanosatellites are segmented throughout low Earth orbits, including non-polar inclined orbits, sun-synchronous orbits, and polar orbits. These orbits allow for the different applications of nanosatellites, including communication, earth observation, remote sensing, space exploration, technology development and demonstration, and navigation.
