General Designer of automatic space systems and complexes of Roscosmos, Viktor Khartov, spoke about key trends in the space industry in a lecture for ProKosmos. www1.ru publishes the main points.
Multi-satellite constellations
One of the revolutionary changes has been the reduction in the use of large satellites in favor of thousands of small devices that are combined into powerful networks. Systems such as Starlink or Planet Labs provide global coverage, allow for rapid data updates, and increase resistance to external influences. These achievements have become possible thanks to the miniaturization of electronics and the standardization of platforms, such as CubeSats.
Space for business
Today, space is no longer the privilege of only large states. Startups, using commercial components and cloud services, are starting to launch missions with budgets tens of times smaller than traditional projects. An important role in this was played by the creation of universal platforms, which significantly reduces development time and reduces launch costs.
Artificial intelligence and big data
Modern satellites generate huge amounts of data, the analysis of which is impossible manually. Therefore, the use of AI comes to the fore, which helps to quickly process information and identify useful patterns, for example, in climate monitoring or when detecting objects in real time. However, Khartov warns that AI, despite its power, still requires precise tuning and verification.
Economics and optimization of solutions
In the face of growing competition and lower launch costs (for example, up to 1 million per satellite in the OneWeb project), designers are forced to optimize every detail, getting rid of unnecessary elements. This reduces the mass of the devices and reduces the cost of launching into orbit. An example of this approach in Russia is the Sphere project, which develops innovative inter-satellite communication systems and flexible payloads.
Orbital power plants
One of the promising areas is the creation of orbital power plants that will transmit energy to Earth using laser or microwave beams. However, according to Khartov, technical barriers remain high, especially in matters of cooling and protection from external interference.
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