[20200107]IF11382_小型卫星吊杆给监管机构带来挑战.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated January 7, 2020Small Satellite Boom Poses Challenges for RegulatorsRegulators and policymakers are struggling to keep pace with small satellites, spacecraft the size of shoe boxes that are displacing school bus-sized satellites for many purposes. “Smallsats,” as they are known, occupy low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of between about 310 and 1,200 miles above Earths surface. Many currently in orbit are about 10 centimeters wide and weigh less than 3 pounds. They have been used in government operations, but commercial companies are increasingly building and deploying them for communications, broadband internet, remote sensing, and Earth observation missions. Smallsats are launched in clusters called constellations that provide coverage and connectivity to greater areas of Earth than a single satellite can. The 328 smallsats launched in 2018twice the average number launched annually from 2013 to 2017accounted for 69% of all satellites launched that year. Some market forecasts project that by 2030, the number of smallsats in orbit will multiply exponentially. This trend is largely attributable to advances in microelectronics, shorter develop