DARPA Wants Swarms of Cheap, Disposable Satellites That Take Pictures on Demand

Since they may be launched from aircraft, these satelites are likely to be aerodynamic. So when a satelite is nearing its use-by date, just find a convenient dictator or underground nuclear facility to drop in on.

well it fits our pax americana, "don't fight or we'll bring democracy to you"

to mars or bust!

Talk about a waste of tax dollars. Lets throw away 6 million plus dollars every 2 to 3 months, not counting launch fees.

Sounds like there will be more space trash to clean up. I am going to have to add coverage for falling space junk to my fire and flood insurance. That is a lot of money to let burn up in the atmosphere every couple of weeks.

AdamWM,
Interesting side note on comments space junk ' oh, do not worrry, it will just burn up in the atmosphere...'. Ok, so there is 1 to ka-jillion chance you will be bonk in the in head, no worries.

What about all those toxic, exotic things that are in satelites, metals, chemicals, plastics, nuclear energy sources? Now as it burns up, we get to breath this as dust and gas!!!!!!! And as you get sick and not know why some years in the future, who can you blame, no one? And all the doctors will be baffeled to your illness, too.

Just consider the chemical Dioxins! There was a time in USA history as dioxin was being used, it was thought completely safe. http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/

They spend millions and millions of dollars to be the best of best exotic technology in outerspace years ago and present. All that technology from years ago is space junk now.

Why is it presented to the American public that if something burns up it is gone? When something burns up is it really ever gone or does it change form and into what?

.............................
Science sees no further than what it can sense, i.e. facts.
Religion sees beyond the senses, i.e. faith.

@hollycow

Maybe to you, but I'd be willing to pay for them. At least the money is being used for something instead of nothing.

We are going to need a steady stream of satellite replacements as time goes on anyway. No way is our government going to ever allow for less than full saturation sensory capability on LEO. Raw numbers of small sats ensures against overwhelming antisat attacks. If we make them launch from planes, it will keep costs down to the staggering profits typical of US government cost-plus operations. It really makes me think about US and China though. In less than 15 years, China will have attained their rough share of global airspace saturation, planeswise. The implications of what we are running headlong into as lines of contention are increased in number even as we are aware of the raw number capabilities that are staring us in the face in every conceivable arena make me think that we might be better served without creating more areas of contention than we are NOT going to be prepared to defend or keep secure. If we were talking systems that will lead us into a non-carrier wave based sentinel apparatus that can't be raided or jammed; then I'd say we were aiming at a more useful tool for the future.

Satellites in low Earth orbit are solar powered, so no bikes. They would most probably only be launched on an "as needed " basis. They could be boosted with any high performance fighter and have a solid fuel secondstage.