Satellites have had a profound impact on our society by connecting the world through telecommunications, delivering precise locations with geopositional navigation, and enabling imaging and sensor systems to significantly increase our understanding of our planet as well as the entire universe.

But there is still a need for even greater capabilities while delivered at a lower cost.

Society has developed an increased appetite for omnipresent communications, surveillance capabilities, and instant access to information. More recently, the expectation is for these services to be achievable in real-time as on-demand services.

These new capabilities are not well met by existing satellites, and will require a new solution with several orders of magnitude lower signal latency, greater operational flexibility, and dramatically lower costs.

Classes of Satellites

Various types of satellites are currently in practice, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Geosynchronous satellites offer a continuous coverage capability with a single satellite. Low Earth Orbit satellites are fifty times closer for improved single latency, power requirements, and imaging resolution; but require a fleet to be operational. Atmospheric satellites are another fifty times closer for even better latency, power, and resolution; and are reusable with extremely low capital costs.