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SmallSat Benefits for Small Businesses and Startups

By Lijie Zhu

There’s this notion—still surprisingly common—that space is for governments, billionaires, and sprawling aerospace firms. That it’s distant, exclusive, unreachable.

But that’s changing. Quietly at first. Now, more quickly.

One of the biggest reasons? Small satellites, or SmallSats.

These compact spacecraft—ranging from CubeSats to PocketQubes—are doing something unusual: they’re lowering the drawbridge. Suddenly, startups and small businesses are discovering they can participate in space, not someday, but now.

It might sound improbable. A bit like science fiction. But I’ve seen it firsthand through our work at Interstellar Communication Holdings Inc. in the United States. SmallSats are no longer just university projects or tech demos. They're business tools—ones that can actually generate value here on Earth.

The Cost Barrier Is Shrinking

Traditionally, launching a satellite meant raising millions. You needed to design something heavy, complex, built to last a decade. And you had to buy your own ride to space.

SmallSats flipped that.

A basic CubeSat mission today might cost a few hundred thousand dollars, or less. PocketQubes—which are even smaller—can launch for a fraction of that. That’s still money, sure, but it’s within reach for well-backed startups and partnerships.

We launched our own PocketQube satellite, HADES‑ICM, earlier this year. It shared a ride aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, tucked into a deployer alongside a dozen others. We didn’t need a dedicated rocket. That sharing model changes everything.

Suddenly, a small team with the right idea can put hardware into orbit. And that hardware can do real work.

Niche Applications Are Welcome Here

Large satellites try to do everything. That’s their job. But that makes them expensive and slow to adapt.

SmallSats take a different approach. They’re modular, focused, often built for one or two specific goals.

Let’s say you're a startup developing IoT sensors for agriculture in remote areas. You might need a satellite to gather tiny data packets from hard-to-reach places. You don’t need gigabit downlinks. You just need a dependable relay.

Or maybe you run a logistics platform and want your own GPS augmentation for high-precision tracking. With SmallSats, it’s now plausible to think about building that capability in-house—or with a partner who specializes in it.

And when missions cost less and take less time to build, there’s more freedom to experiment. To try, fail, iterate. To behave, in other words, like a modern startup.

Data Ownership Becomes Realistic

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough: owning your own data stream.

Many businesses rely on third-party satellite data—imagery, weather updates, asset tracking. But there’s always a trade-off. You’re one of many clients. You get what’s available, when it’s available.

With a SmallSat, companies can build platforms around data they control. That’s a shift in power. It means more consistent pipelines, fewer surprises, and the ability to fine-tune your system based on real-world performance—not just what someone else gives you access to.

It’s subtle, but significant. Especially as more industries become data-dependent.

Educational and Brand Value

For smaller businesses, not every benefit is direct or measurable in dollars. Some are reputational. Some are cultural.

Launching a satellite—even a tiny one—sends a message. To customers. To investors. To your own team.

It says: we’re serious about innovation. We’re willing to experiment. We’re operating with a global view, literally.

Several companies have used SmallSat missions to engage schools, partner with STEM initiatives, or create interactive experiences tied to their brand. It’s not about marketing for marketing’s sake—but about telling a story. One that shows curiosity and reach.

Collaboration Is Baked In

Here’s the thing about the space industry: it’s full of people who still remember when this was all impossible.

That makes it unusually collaborative. Whether it’s rideshare providers, integrators, software developers, or ground station networks, there’s an ecosystem forming around SmallSat development.

No one builds everything alone.

For us at Interstellar Communication Holdings Inc., collaboration has been core to how we operate. We worked with educational groups, international SDR communities, and local STEM clubs throughout our icMercury mission. It didn’t slow us down. It made the mission richer.

And this collaborative spirit extends beyond technical circles.

We’re proud to be nominated for the 2025 Go Global Awards, hosted this November in London by the International Trade Council. This isn’t just an award show. It’s a global gathering of business leaders across sectors—people working through problems, finding shared goals, and building partnerships.

It’s a conversation, and SmallSats are part of it now.

The Path Isn’t Perfect

None of this is to say it’s easy.

Regulatory hurdles can be tricky. Spectrum licenses take time. Radiation is always a risk. And missions fail—often. That’s part of the game.

But even with the risks, the upside keeps growing. Hardware keeps shrinking. Software keeps improving. And every month, the barrier to entry gets just a bit lower.

There’s no single playbook. Just a lot of smart people learning together, one orbit at a time.

Final Thought

SmallSats aren't just a cheaper way to get into space. They're a different way to think about space.

They invite creativity. They reward focus. And for small businesses and startups willing to look up—and maybe stretch a little—they offer something rare: access.

Not abstract access. Real, functional, orbiting access.

Space is no longer the final frontier. In many ways, it's becoming the next platform.

And perhaps… the most open one yet.