NASA launches DiskSat to expand what small satellites can do in space

NASA has launched the DiskSat mission, deploying four flat, disk-shaped small satellites into low Earth orbit to test a novel spacecraft design aimed at expanding the capabilities of low-cost missions. Unlike traditional CubeSats, DiskSats are about 40 inches in diameter and only one inch thick, providing significantly more surface area for larger antennas, sensors, and higher power generation. Developed by The Aerospace Corporation and funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program, DiskSat retains CubeSat advantages such as standardized launch containers and common subsystems, helping to keep costs low while enhancing design flexibility. Each DiskSat is equipped with electric propulsion, enabling altitude adjustments, orbit maintenance, and controlled maneuvers, with a focus on operating at very low Earth orbits below 186 miles. This low orbit offers benefits like sharper Earth imagery and lower communication latency, while the disk shape reduces atmospheric drag to sustain such orbits. The mission also tests a new deployment system that sequentially releases the satellites from a custom