EurekAlert April 7, 2020
Researchers in Germany working on project INNOcube have developed two technologies, Skith and Wall#E, to further simplify architecture for small satellite. Skith (Skip the harness) eliminates the internal cabling of the satellite components by enabling data transmission with ultra-broadband radio. Wall#E (Fiber Reinforced Spacecraft Walls for Energy Storage) is a special fibre-reinforced structure that can store electrical energy and at the same time used as the supporting structure of the satellite. It contributes to a significant reduction in the mass and volume of a satellite while maintaining the same performance. A prototype is expected to be launched into orbit at the end of 2023. The satellite will orbit the earth at an altitude of 350 to 600 kilometres. It weighs about four kilograms and measures 34 × 10 × 10 centimeters…read more.
This is what it could look like once the small satellite INNOcube is in orbit. Credit: Picture: Chair of Computer Science VIII / University of Würzburg