"Now that the space shuttle is history, and the federal
government is looking around for more ways to save
money, some space watchers are starting to take a
closer look at handheld “CubeSats” as an alternative
to large, expensive satellites whose technology is
often outdated a few months after launch.

“The military is moving toward using CubeSats more
often,” says William Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst
at market analyst firm Forecast International. It’s not
only the cost or the ability to upgrade quickly, he says,
but also the fact that they’re tough targets for foreign
powers to shoot out of the sky."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...tId=b logDest