Less is More S. R.Kulkarni Director, Caltech Optical Observatories Chairman, SIM-Lite Science Team

Are we on the verge of a paradigm shift?

Access to Space will get Cheaper  Nearly a dozen space faring countries  US, Russia, Europe  China, Japan, India, Israel,  In development: Iran, S. Korea, Brazil, Taiwan…  Entry of private players  Russia  US

Satellites by countries

Telemetry is Inexpensive And the price will fall ….

Some Trailblazars

CHIPSAT  “Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer”  The only UNEX mission to date  63 kg satellite  EUV spectrometer for diffuse ISM  (death due to budget)

MOST (Canada)  60-kg satellite dedicated to precision photometry  Demonstration of lightweight attitude system  Official cost $10M  (Launch cost $1M?)

Brite-Constellation  Nano-satellites (20-cm cube)  Large FOV CCD camera (24 sq degree)  Photometry of bright stars (4 mag)  Expected launch date is 2011

In the works: (nano)Jasmine  20 kg satellite  5-cm telescope  3-axis stabilized  1-micron imaging and astrometry  Launch is now August 2011 (Cyclon-4)

Challenge & Opportunity <60 kg in LEO  X-ray monitors (always a winner)  An instrument in support of ground facilties (PTF)  UV Photometer  NIR Photometer  Precision Photometry on Demand  Transit  Eclipse  Stare at Galactic Center, LMC, SMC, M31 etc

Sub-orbital Ops: UVA/Drones  Great advance in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, “drones”).  No pilot and so reduced cost (and mass)  “Eclipse-on-Demand”  “Fly-to-suit Transit”