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Satellite Constellations – Go big, go fast, or go home

Is it just me, or are satellite constellations the hottest thing since sliced bread?  We all know of the original space race between U.S. and Russia, maybe even the new space race between U.S. and China, but how many of us  know about the new billionaire space race

These billionaires are proposing constellations of hundreds and even thousands of satellites, not within decades, but within years.  According to Wikipedia, SpaceX has plans to deploy nearly 12,000?satellites?in three orbital shells by the mid-2020s, and already launched its first 60 satellites.  There are several other companies and government organizations proposing large satellite constellations (or “Megaconstellations”) as well.  The new Space Development Agency, SDA, recently held an industry day to discuss proposals for its Next-Generation Space Architecture RFI

When it comes to constellation design, the one thing that all these organizations have in common is that they all want to go big, and go fast.  With everything these constellations have to offer, such as global internet, real-time Earth-imaging,and national security, it’s no wonder the race is so intense.

Here at AGI, our mission is to help the industry go fast, using commercial-off-the-shelf software to minimize the time spent writing code and reinventing the wheel.  In our ongoing webinar series, we discuss how minimizing the time spent reinventing tools, recreating models, and integrating custom software can increase the overall delivery by a factor of six.  We also show how to quickly create satellite constellations, and run cost vs. performance trade studies.

To learn how we can help, see our Automated Space System Architecture Design webinar.

For more information on satellite constellations, see these recent videos that we’ve put together.

If you are involved in the new constellation design space race, I hope that you find this information helpful so you can go as fast as possible!

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