An agreement between SkyCorp of Huntsville, Alabama, and NASA has been signed for the assembly of a 68kg (150lb) computer-based satellite aboard the Space Shuttle and its deployment into orbit to verify a new technology and engineering concept for possible use on future Shuttle missions.
The satellite will be assembled by the crew of either the STS 107 science research mission or an operational International Space Station (ISS) mission next year. It will be deployed from the Shuttle or the ISS to become the first web server in space.
It will be accessible to text-enabled cellphones and other wireless devices at a much lower cost than systems such as Skybridge and Spaceway, says Skycorp.
The SkyCorp satellite is a precursor to an envisaged 544-satellite constellation in low Earth orbit which promises to offer internet access world-wide.
Source: Flight International
