DARPA Nanosatellite Technologies: Enabling New Warfighting Constructs

Kennedy, Fred G.; Choi, Srimal W., Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

doi:10.1117/3.2618157.ch13

Book: The Nanosatellite Revolution: 30 Years and Continuing

Editor(s): Henry Helvajian; Siegfried W. Janson

Author(s): Fred Kennedy, Srimal Choi

Published: 2023

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.2618157.ch13

Author Affiliations +

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has spearheaded small-satellite technology developments to enable the national-security enterprise to pivot from exquisite, high-performance systems to disaggregated, flexible, and scalable architectures of small, inexpensive spacecraft. DARPA has promoted this transformation since its early research into spacecraft “fractionation” via System F6 and continues to do so through development of an autonomous, distributed, resilient, and persistent space-based network via the Blackjack program. DARPA’s investments and accomplishments over the past 20 years fostered the evolution of nanosatellite-based experimental platforms into useful operational systems. These new systems and architectures are accelerating the ability of the United States to respond to new and emerging threats in the space domain.