NASA to develop nano-satellites

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Ames Research Center announced Thursday it will cooperate with m2mi Corp., a California-based company, to develop very small satellites, called nanosats.

"NASA wants to work with companies to develop a new economy in space," said NASA Ames Center Director Pete Worden. "m2mi has great technology that fits excellently with our goals, while enhancing the commercial use of NASA-developed technologies."

Nanosats are small satellites weighing between 11 and 110 pounds (about 5 to 50 kg). Under the agreement, NASA and m2mi will cooperate to develop a fifth generation telecommunications and networking system for Internet protocol-based and related services.

Fifth Generation, or 5G, incorporates Voice Over Internet Protocol, video, data, wireless, and an integrated machine-to-machine intelligence layer, or m2mi, for seamless information exchange and use.

A large number of these satellites, called a constellation, will be placed in low Earth orbit for this new telecommunications and networking system, according to NASA.

"The constellation will provide a robust, global, space-based, high-speed network for communication, data storage and Earth observations," said m2mi CEO Geoff Brown in NASA's statement. "Nanosatellites take advantage of the significant technological advances in microelectronics and will be produced using low-cost, mass-production techniques."

NASA said that the cooperation will combine its expertise in nanosensors, wireless networks and nanosatellite technologies with m2mi's capabilities in software technology, sensors, global system awareness, adaptive control and commercialization capabilities.