Aerospace Instrument-Making Annotation << Back TO THE QUESTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIRECTION OF SMALL SPACE VEHICLES V.V. Duga, D.A. Mosin, A.A. Polekhin The article presents a global trend towards an increase in the number of launched satellite due to an increase in the number of small satellite. It is noted that the use of small satellite changes the usual idea of the number of satellite in an orbital constellation. A decrease in the mass and size characteristics of satellite, as well as an increase in the number of satellite in orbital groupings affect the development of launch vehicles, as well as the system of operation of satellite and rocket-space complexes, which they are part of. One of the directions in rocket and space technology, due to the development of small satellite, is the development of ultra-light launch vehicles. Companies of the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China are actively developing in this direction. In the practice of domestic rocket and space technology, this direction is represented only by technical proposals, on the basis of which it is possible in the coming years to create complexes with launch vehicles of this class. The second direction in rocket and space technology, changing under the influence of small satellite, is the system of exploitation of space assets. The rejection of individual technical complexes and workplaces intended for the preparation of satellite of the same type, a smooth transition to unified technical complexes for the preparation of satellite of one enterprise, and in the future to mobile technical complexes, is the foundation of a new system for the operation of space vehicles. In addition, the miniaturization of onboard systems in particular, and satellite in general, directly affects the volume of their training at the technical and launch complexes. The article also touches upon the issue of financing the creation of ultra-light rocket and space complexes, and the conclusion is drawn about the advantages of creating a complex within the framework of the conversion program, as the least costly. As a result, the article formulates conclusions about the lag of the domestic rocket and space industry behind the United States of America and the People's Republic of China in the direction of creating ultra-light launch vehicles. At the same time, the potential existing in the domestic rocket industry makes it possible in the shortest possible time to create an ultralight class rocket and space complex for solving the problems of launching small satellite. Moreover, the variants of the rocket and space complex, developed as a conversion prototype of the strategic rocket complex, will have greater economic efficiency. Кeywords: Satellite, small satellite, orbital constellations, launch vehicles, ultra-light launch vehicles, conversion programs. DOI: 10.25791/aviakosmos.10.2020.1183 Pp. 26-33.