As small satellites that weigh less than 400 pounds proliferate, NASA says it sees potential and challenges in operating them together as a coordinated constellation.

To that end, NASA says it's willing to fund "Edison SmallSat" projects worth up to $15 million that demonstrate key technologies such as command and control communications between small satellites. Also of interest are propulsion technologies--specifically utilizing high performance, low-toxicity propellants such as electrical propulsion, solar sail or tethers--and a combination of control systems, sensors and software permitting small satellites to work in close proximity, even physically joining other spacecraft.

The propulsion technology demonstration is restricted to CubeSats, the one liter square-shaped nanosatellites developed for research.

NASA announced the funding opportunity in a broad agency announcement dated Feb. 2, with initial proposal summaries due by March 4.

The demonstration satellites will launch as secondary or hosted payloads with other spacecraft missions, but the BAA says they could be launched as primary payloads on very small launch vehicles, "if and when these launch vehicles come into existence."

The notion of small satellites flung into space with small rockets has been a long-standing dream of the space community, particularly the military, which hopes to develop a tactical response capability it dubs "operationally responsive space."

For more:
- go to a NASA webpage with links to the BAA
- download the BAA directly (.pdf)

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