These are the flying discs the government wants you to know about

CubeSats have been a ubiquitous part of the satellite industry for nearly a quarter of a century. They are shaped like a cube, measuring about 10 centimeters on each side, but can be scaled from one cube to three, six, 12 or more, depending on mission requirements. Standard cubesat has become a popular choice for commercial companiesThe military, NASA and universities are racing to build small satellites on a shoestring budget.

One measure at a timeSince the first one went into orbit in 2003, nearly 3,000 CubeSats have been launched. Initially they were tied to low Earth orbit, and now they have flown to high orbits, to the Moon and to Mars.

Although CubeSats are now common, Aerospace Corporation engineers saw an opportunity to improve on the concept. Debra Emmons, Aerospace's chief technology officer, said the idea came from Rich Vella, a scientist who recently retired from the center's Experimental Laboratory (xLab) division.

“They asked questions,” Emmons told Ars. “They were looking at CubeSat research and looking at some alternatives. A typical CubeSat is essentially a cube. So the idea was, could you look at some different types of form factors that could generate more power… and offer benefits for certain missions?”

Aerospace Research Group developed the DiskSat design. Emmons said the stackable, flat format is easier to package for launch than a CubeSat. The concept is similar to SpaceX's innovative approach to launching Starlink stackable internet satellites, but DiskSat is significantly smaller, lighter and adaptable to different types of missions.

According to Aerospace Corporation, DiskSat has several advantages over CubeSat. Each of the four DiskSats launched Thursday weighs about 35 pounds (16 kilograms), less than a typical 12U CubeSat. But a DiskSat has 13 times the surface area on one side, giving developers a valuable opportunity to load the satellite with power-generating solar panels, sensors, antennas or other payloads that simply wouldn't fit on a CubeSat.