The Army is looking toward nano communications satellites for coverage of remote areas.
The Army has already built the experimental SMDC-One nanosatellite. “It’s basically a cell phone tower in space, except it’s not for cell phones, it’s for Army radios,” said Travis Taylor, a senior scientist for the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command – Tech Center Space Division.
“If we put five to 12 of these small satellites in orbit, it will cover most areas sliders are operating, providing them real-time, all the time” communications, Taylor said at a Pentagon technology day.
A larger version of a nano communications satellite is an imagery satellite. It will be tested in a launch from the International Space Station next February.
