LONDON: In 2018, Nasa will launch the Orion spacecraft using the largest, most powerful rocket booster ever built; the Space Launch System (SLS).
Tucked inside the stage adapter – the ring connecting Orion to the top propulsion stage of the SLS -will be 11 self-contained small satellites, each about the size of a large shoebox.
Now, the space agency has revealed three missions that will use these small satellites during the test flight to help develop technologies for astronauts travelling to deep space.
‘Nasa is taking advantage of a great opportunity to conduct more science beyond our primary focus of this mission,’ said Jody Singer manager of Nasa’s Flight Programs and Partnerships Office.
‘While this new vehicle will enable missions beyond Earth orbit, we’re taking steps to increase the scientific and exploration capability of SLS by accommodating small, CubeSat-class payloads.’
