Definition and Requirements of Small Satellites Seeking Low-Cost and Fast-Delivery, Published in January 2018, 83 pages.
Objectives of this report are to examine the definitions of small satellites, identify the requirements every satellite should follow regardless of its size or development philosophy and then reflect some of the findings to the draft of ISO-20991, “Space Systems – Requirements for Small Spacecraft”. The standard aims at describing minimum requirements for small satellites to answer the concerns raised over due to the recent explosive growth of small satellite launches. Over the course of the study, intensive discussion was made about how to describe small satellites best. The majority of the opinions was that neither “mass” nor “size” is suitable for defining small satellites. Rather, philosophy of design, manufacturing, mission, program management, etc., should be used for the definition. The study group came to the conclusion that using the term “lean satellite” to reflect satellite development philosophy is more suitable than saying “small satellite”.