Innovative and low-cost launch systems

Since the launching of Sputnik over 11,000 objects have been sent into space, 3921 of them between 2011 and 2020. In the beginning of 2011, there were about 950 operational satellites in Earth´s orbit. By the end of 2021, this amount has more than quintupled and there is no indication that such an exponential growth will stop. On the contrary, it is expected that the number of satellites to be sent into space in this decade will be superior to that occurring between 1957 and 2020. Another important aspect is the fact that over 70% of the satellites launched in the 2011–20 period were SmallSats, that is, satellites with mass under 500 kg. Such a reality would lead one to expect that the size, payload capacity and price of launch vehicles (LVs) would have decreased as well, to attend this market’s niche. Nonetheless, it did not happen, as most of the satellites launched flew as piggyback or rideshare on small, medium and heavy LVs. There are dozens of Micro-LV projects under development around the world, but very few ready to fly. Micro-LVs are those LVs with payload capacity bellow 500 kg. This chapter addresses some technical challenges related to Micro-LV’s development. In addition to the micro-LVs available in the market, it is also presented some of Micro-LVs under development in different parts of the world, including those based on innovative concepts, including orbital transfer vehicles, which promises to be a game changer in the world of SmallSats launch.