CONCURRENT SESSION 3-A: SMALL SATELLITES
INTRODUCTION
By
Ram S. Jakhu; Session Co-Chair
16 March 2015
1
Definition of a smallsat (cubesat) is controversial
 However, the most common definition seems to be the one in the IAA
study of Earth Observation Satellites:
 Mini satellites are less than 1000 kg
 Micro satellites are less than 100 kg
 Nano satellites are less than 10 kg
 Pico satellites are less than 1 kg
NASA: Cubesat with typically dimensions
of 10 × 10 × 10 cm & a mass of about 1 kilogram 
---- In addition, Femto satellite is in the 10 to 100 gram range
2
Smallsats are revolutionizing space exploration & utilization
 Pioneered by the University of Surry, UK, small satellites:
 are being designed and constructed for various applications, using
different architectural designs, radio frequency bands, power budgets,
mostly without propulsion capabilities, and mainly in Low Earth Orbits,
 in garages, small workshops and sophisticated industrial complexes,
 using simple and off-the-self parts to highly advanced technologies,
 by a variety of players, (e. g. private companies, governments and their
agencies, armed forces, universities, research centers & even individuals),
 in the developed and the developing countries,
3
 are of different sizes, shapes and weights,
 are costing from a few hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars,
 are being/will be launched by heavy-lift rockets and/or small launch
vehicles from the ground, sea, air and space,
 are and will soon be growing in numbers from thousands to hundreds of
thousands,
 are providing unprecedented opportunities for educational, economic,
scientific and strategic benefits, and thus
 are revolutionizing space exploration & utilization, which has just begun
4
Euroconsult: Approximately 510 smallsat worth $7.4bn
to be launched in the next five years (2 March 2015)
 Of the 510 satellites, 75% will be for government civil & defence agencies
 http://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/newssmall-satellites-launch-five-years-
euroconsult-report-4522698
5
Implications for & challenges to the existing space treaties
and national laws
 Smallsats are major tools for expanding NewSpace commercialisation
 HOWEVER, they will have significant implications for, & pose challenges, to
the existing international space treaties & national space laws & regulations
 Key Broad Questions Are:
 Will in the near future the currently applicable international and national
regulatory regimes be sufficient for enhancing the benefits of small satellites
and for meeting the regulatory challenges they pose?
 If not, what regulatory solutions should be adopted and by whom?
6
Some specific legal issues
 Challenges in the implementation of obligation under Article VI of Outer








7
Space Treaty (authorization and continuation supervision)
Challenges in the implementation of obligation under Article VIII of
Outer Space Treaty and Registration Convention (international
registration)
Determination of responsibility and liability
Adequacy of sufficient radio frequencies, their coordination and
registration with ITU, harmful interference, etc.
Challenges posed in creation, mitigation and removal of space debris
Lack, inadequacy, and inefficiency of national legal & regulatory regimes,
particularly for national licensing
Difficulty in compliance with national export control regimes (ITARs)
Challenges posed for national security interests
Etc. etc.
Panelists
Co-CHAIRS:
 Ram JAKHU (Associate Professor, Institute of Air and Space Law, Faculty of Law,
McGill University - CANADA)
 Niklas HEDMAN (Chief of Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section of the
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, UN Office atVienna, Austria)
SPEAKERS:
1. Rene Laufer (Baylor University, United States) & Scott Madry (Global Space
Institute, United States): Small Satellite Challenges around the World
2. Mazlan Othman (Academy of Sciences, Malaysia) & Attila Matas (ITU,
Switzerland): Small Satellites: Opportunities and Challenges
3. Lucien Rapp, Victor Dos Santos, and Adriana Martin (Space Institute for
Research on Innovative Uses of Satellites, France): Entering a “NewSpace”
Era:What Might Be Expected From Satellite Miniaturization?
8
Panelists
SPEAKERS:
3. Steven Freeland (University of West Sydney, Australia): NewSpace, Small
Satellites and Law: Finding a Balance between Innovation, a Changing Space
Paradigm and Regulatory Control
9
4.
Michael Mineiro (IDA, Science and Technology Policy Institute, United
States): Regulatory Uncertainty for Non-Traditional Commercial Space Activities
5.
Gokhan Inalhan (Istanbul Technical University, Turkey), Kemal Yillikci
(Permanent Mission of Turkey to ICAO), Kemal Nazim Ure (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, United States) & Emre Koyuncu (Istanbul
Technical University, Turkey): The Future of Micro/Nano-Satellite Based
Earth Observation and Communication Systems
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Thank you
10