About

The Small Satellite Collaborative was started in 2019 in an effort to better support researchers within the MIT AeroAstro department who are working on small satellites and payloads. We are a collaborative composed of several research groups who conduct independent research, but can draw on the resources and capabilities of the organization for support.

Vision

Our Vision is to provide a premier organization and facility within MIT that supports novel research and education on small satellites, including their missions, subsystems, enabling technologies, and increasingly complex applications. In particular, we’re interested in coordinated operations amongst multiple spacecraft and in challenging space environments (e.g. cislunar and deep space). 

Mission

The Aero Astro Small Satellite Collaborative enables MIT to be a globally recognized leader in small satellite development and operations by providing facilities and expertise to support research projects. The future collaborative will have a federated architecture, encouraging interoperability, resource sharing, reusability, and knowledge management amongst groups interested in researching space applications, both within the department and beyond. The collaborative will act as a central authority, focusing on the dynamics of economies of scale, standards, and wellbeing of the enterprise while providing the highest possible level of autonomy to individual member groups, providing them with access to centralized resources. Additionally, the collaborative will also provide education in space systems both for residential learners and professionals and support the new MIT Aerospace Innovation Initiative with their focus on startups.  

Goals

We have two overarching goals:
1.) To serve as a backbone for our researchers, providing centralized management of facilities and resources, which allows our associated research groups to focus more on their research. 
2.) To increase the touchpoints between organizations, increasing collaboration opportunities both within and external to MIT.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics faculty, students, and staff within the Small Satellite collaborative affirm a commitment to protect and nurture, first and foremost, the mental and physical well-being of each member of our community. A core value of our department and our collaborative is a commitment to diversity, which connotes an awareness and acceptance of the value and strength derived from engaging the richness of multiple cultures, including race, disabilities, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and skin color, among other attributes. The full potential and impact of our scholarship, teaching and learning, knowledge creation, innovation, and service can only be realized in an environment where people are supported and valued for their humanity, without prejudice, and where inclusion, collaboration, and sharing are core principles.

You can learn more about the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics commitment to DEI here.