Small satellites have another way to get into space

A spherical U.S. Navy spacecraft the size of a beach ball spring-ejected from a new satellite deployer outside the International Space Station last week, debuting a fresh way for low-budget space missions to reach orbit. The satellite — named SpinSat and developed by the Naval Research Laboratory — will test out new electrically-controlled micro-thrusters, help refine the military’s ability to track objects in space, and acquire data on the density of the tenuous upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. SpinSat’s deployment from the space station Friday was the first time a satellite was released from a new mechanism designed to accommodate spacecraft weighing up to 100 kilograms, or about 220 pounds. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 3)