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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B4. Istanbul 2004 
5. LAUNCHED SMALL SATELLITES 
The first micro satellites launched during the period 1957 to 
1969 were: 
  
Sputnik 1 | 1957 | USSR | 83 kg | for gravity field measure- 
ment 
Explorer 1 | 1958 | USA | 13 kg | radiation measurements 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The first amateur satellite launched in piggy back with a 
military satellite was 
  
[Oscar I [1961 [USA [4.5kg | with radio ] 
The first University of Surrey micro satellite 
  
| UoSat | 1981 | UK 152ks | experimental satellite | 
Micro satellites were used extensively in the USSR for the 
Kosmos satellite series in the 1980’s (61 kg), and by the US 
Military in the 1990’s. 
In the time period 1980-1999 altogether 238 mini satellites and 
249 micro satellites have been launched from countries all over 
the globe including India, Germany, Japan, Korea, Saudi 
Arabia, China, Algeria, and Malaysia. 
Of special interest are those small satellites which were used for 
remote sensing, a selection of these is listed here: 
  
  
Satellite | Year | Sensor Ground pixel 
UoSat 1981 CCD array 2 km 
KitSat 1 1992 {CCD array 400 m pan 
2 1993 CCD array 200 m RGB 
Techsat 1B 1998 linear CCD 12m MS 
Thai-Phutt 1998 CCD array 80m MS 
UoSat 1999 | CCD array 8m pan 
Tubsat (DLR) 1999 6m 
Kitsat 3 1999 15m 
Tsinghua 1 2000 39m MS 
Bird 2001 thermal 
Proba 2001 8m pan 
  
  
  
  
  
6. THE FUTURE 
The International Academy of Astronautics has conducted four 
symposia on small satellites organized by the DLR Berlin- 
Adlershof in Berlin (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003). The international 
community of small satellite users of up to 300 participants 
gathered for a week in Berlin to discuss progress, and to 
encourage the use of small satellites. 
At the last symposium in 2003 an initiative was launched to 
compile a 100 page report propagating the benefits of small 
satellite uses, which will be submitted to the Space Agencies 
and to users of satellites, confirming that with the current state 
of miniaturization of electronics a new cost-saving era of 
satellites has come about (2). 
7. REFERENCES 
(1) Sandau, R., High Resolution Mapping With Small 
Satellites, Presented Paper, ISPRS 2004, Commission IV. 
(2) 1AA, Study Group on Cost Effective Earth Observation 
Missions, IAA Position Paper on Cost Effective Earth 
Observation Missions, 2004. 
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