The Tiny Satellites That Might Fly to Another Solar System

Scientists hope the world’s smallest satellites will boldly go where no probe has gone before.

By Steve Nadis
Oct 18, 2018 12:00 AMNov 14, 2019 5:50 PM
The Tiny Satellites That Might Fly to Another Solar System
Scientists hope the world’s smallest satellites will boldly go where no probe has gone before Ben Bishop

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During an interview at a Boston- area café, Zac Manchester apologized for not bringing along a copy of his latest satellite — one of many duplicates due to enter orbit this fall during a mission to the International Space Station. “Don’t worry,” says Manchester, a Stanford University professor of aeronautics and astronautics. “I’ll put one in an envelope and mail it to you.”

Even a small envelope would suffice, given that Manchester has created the tiniest satellite yet. The Sprite, as it’s called, weighs just 4 grams and measures less than 2 square inches — roughly the size and weight of a standard sugar packet.

Such diminutive spacecraft, assembled from off-the-shelf components at a cost of about $25 apiece, could play a big role in future space exploration, Manchester says. They may even represent our best chance of getting a human-made device to a star other than the sun. An upcoming ISS mission should show him just how close we already are.

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