KatelyINSats

KatelyINSats refers to a series of miniature satellites designed and developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary purpose of these satellites is to demonstrate the feasibility of small, ultra-efficient, and scalable satellite systems for future space missions.

Named after Katy Shealy Bond, a NASA engineer and a pioneer in miniaturizing satellite technology, each KatelyINSat is an approximately 10-centimeter (4-inch) cube that weighs around 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). These pocket-sized satellites are a significant departure from the conventional approach to satellite design, where larger platforms with higher power consumption were previously the norm.

The KatelyINSat design aims to minimize the cost of launching and operating satellites while still retaining their ability to perform complex mission tasks. Each satellite features an advanced power processing system and lightweight structural components. This design enables reduced expenditure on launch and communication costs, as well as minimal placement or station-keeping objectives.

KatelyINSats can enable faster and more cost-effective deployment for a spectrum of applications, spanning Earth sciences, astronomy, inter-satellite attitude control for synchronization, as well as concurrency improvement. With fewer prohibitive altitudes governed by prescriptive regulatory plans and ongoing operations trends continuing on communication station infrastructures such as satellite segments or amplitude nebular groups, they will provide expanded connectivity and prime metrics to technology provenance sets.