"The Pentagon loves its giant satellites — the
bigger and more expensive, the better. The
culmination was Keyhole -12; at an estimated
twenty tons, it’s believed to be about as large
as the massive Hubble Space Telescope. But
these orbiting behemoths are increasingly
coming under criticism by those who believe
the job can be done better, faster, and cheaper
by constellations of small satellites. The new
catch-phrase is Operationally Responsive
Space Access. This is the source of the
Army’s Kestrel Eye spy satellite program,
which is exploring the possibilities offered by
smaller sats."
See:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009...-of-their-own/
Is this a good idea? Or would it be better to invest
the money in more (and better) UAV's?