Conducting space missions may soon be within your grasp as scientists, including one of Indian-origin, are developing a tiny spacecraft that may allow hobbyists to launch space probes at radically che
Conducting space missions may soon be within your grasp as scientists, including one of Indian-origin, are developing a tiny spacecraft that may allow hobbyists to launch space probes at radically cheaper costs.
The spacecraft called SunCube FemtoSat is a 3-cm cube being developed by Jekan Thanga, assistant professor at Arizona State University and a team of undergraduate students, including Aman Chandra.
Mr Thanga envisions a “constellation of spacecraft” — a swarm of them could inspect damaged spacecraft from many angles, for example.
Launch and launch-integration costs currently run into USD 60,000-70,000 per kilogramme.
“These high costs put out of reach most educational institutions and individuals from the ability to build and launch their own spacecraft,” researchers said.
Launch expenses for the SunCube FemtoSat will cost about $1,000 to go to the International Space Station (ISS) or $3,000 for flight into low-Earth orbit. Earth escape will cost about $27,000.
Parts cost for a SunCube FemtoSat should run in the hundreds of dollars.
A garage hobbyist could literally fly their own mission, researchers said.
