Small satellite (smallsats), or satellites under about 200 kilograms, are quickly becoming the spacecraft
of choice in the space sector, particularly for those countries and organizations previously excluded
from access to space. Because smallsats have shorter development cycles and lower development and
launch costs than more traditional larger satellites, they are considered more expendable, enabling riskier
experiments and different applications than larger, more costly satellites. A team of researchers from the
IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) studied ongoing and potential future international
and private activities in the smallsat sector. Our goal was to identify global trends in the sector as a way of
helping the intelligence community determine targets for its future data collection efforts surrounding the
space sector.