https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/countdown-begins-on-indias-record-setting-launch-of-104-satellites/ Tue, 14 Feb 2017 17:48:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/countdown-begins-on-indias-record-setting-launch-of-104-satellites/#comment-965912 Tue, 14 Feb 2017 17:48:56 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=44240#comment-965912 Sounds like the next “Big” development for nano-sats should be a low cost, high efficiency electric propulsion system, so those who are launched as secondary payloads can alter the orbits. In my reading I see a company called Busek seems to have a wide selection of miniature propulsion systems, however so far I haven’t yet heard of a cube-sat majorly changing it’s orbit. Granted cube-sats don’t tend to make the news unless they are launched 103 at a time or are testing the flashy new solar sail deployment hardware. The electrospray thruster looks promising for the low power applications of cube-sats, has excellent specific impulse and Busek even purpose manufactures for that market. Perhaps all that is needed for secondary payloads is to carry additional propellant for these existing engines. In any case, it will be interesting to see what the future holds and of course, all the best to the PSLV launch.

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