Small-Satellite Projects Offer Big Rewards

In 1958, the United States launched its first satellite ever, the Explorer 1. This rocketshaped satellite was a little over 2-m long with a diameter of about 16 cm and weighed roughly 14 kg. But as small as it was, the Explorer 1 ended up successfully completing its mission and made a significant impact on science and our overall understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere as the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belts.