The small satellite sector has undergone a seismic shift over the last decade. CubeSats and microsats, once dismissed as academic tools, have evolved into operational assets supporting commercial constellations, defence missions and advanced scientific programmes. As mission profiles become more complex, operators face mounting pressure to deliver high performance from increasingly constrained form factors.
SDR has emerged as one of the most critical enablers of this evolution, providing the flexibility, spectral agility and processing capability that modern space missions demand.
Why SDR Is Essential for the Future of Small Satellite Communications
The growth of CubeSats and microsats has created a new design paradigm: high capability, low mass and rapid development cycles. Traditional hardware-based RF solutions simply cannot keep up with the pace of change. SDR offers a high-performance alternative by combining reconfigurability, reduced hardware complexity and mission adaptability into a single platform. For teams building systems where every gram, watt and cubic centimetre matters, this shift is transformative
SDR Payload Flexibility - A Critical Advantage for CubeSats and Microsats
Small satellites often carry multiple mission responsibilities, ranging from communications and data relay to sensing and inter-satellite connectivity. SDR enables this diversity by allowing a single RF front end to support different waveforms, modulations and protocols through software control.
Instead of relying on dedicated hardware chains for each function, operators can deploy multi-mode radios, modify waveforms via software uploads, adjust bandwidth allocation depending on the mission phase and adapt link budgets dynamically as orbital or operational conditions change.
This approach reduces the proliferation of hardware onboard and gives operators the freedom to adjust mission behaviour after launch; an increasingly important capability as small satellites take on multi-year operational roles despite short development cycles.
Spectrum Agility - How SDR Supports Reliable Communications in Crowded Orbits
Spectrum pressure is no longer confined to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) operators or traditional Low Earth Orbit (LEO) platforms. With thousands of new spacecraft entering orbit, CubeSat and microsat missions must contend with cross-constellation interference, dynamic spectrum sharing, regional allocation constraints and compliance with International Telecommunications Union coordination
SDR provides the level of frequency agility needed to
operate effectively in this environment. Operators can shift bands when
required, modify channelisation, or employ advanced interference mitigation
techniques such as adaptive filtering or cognitive radio algorithms. Crucially,
these changes can be made without redesigning or replacing hardware.
How SDR Enhances Earth Observation (EO) Small Satellite Missions
Modern EO missions generate increasingly large volumes of data and often rely on flexible sensing modes that demand adaptable communications. SDR supports these missions by enabling higher-order modulations for increased downlink capacity, switching between high-data-rate and low-latency telemetry modes and optimising links based on ground station visibility or regional regulatory constraints
It also allows operators to introduce new compression, encoding or routing techniques throughout the mission, which is essential as data requirements evolve.
SDR for Internet of Things (IoT) Constellations - Supporting Multi-Protocol Low-Power Satellite Links
IoT satellites require low-power, narrowband and highly efficient communications across globally inconsistent regulatory environments. SDR platforms meet these requirements by supporting multiple IoT protocols such as LoRa, LTE-M, NB-IoT and bespoke waveforms.
They also enable operators to optimise power usage for energy-limited spacecraft and reconfigure communication standards as terrestrial IoT ecosystems change. This adaptability ensures that IoT-focused satellites remain compatible and effective throughout their operational life.
SDR in Constellations - Enabling Interoperability and Scalable Network Architecture
The efficiency and long-term viability of constellations depend heavily on maintaining interoperability across spacecraft generations while containing cost and complexity. SDR assists by harmonising waveforms and routing behaviour across different satellite builds, allowing operators to update network functions as constellation topology evolves and supporting inter-satellite links using emerging or evolving protocols.
These systems can even adopt new mesh routing or inter-satellite communication techniques without requiring hardware changes, which is invaluable for operators building constellations that evolve incrementally.
Why SDR Represents a Fundamental Shift for Small Satellite Design
SDR is not simply an enhancement to small satellite communications; it represents a fundamental rethinking of how missions are conceived, designed and operated. Its rise mirrors trends in terrestrial telecommunications, where flexibility, upgradeability and protocol agility have become standard requirements.
For CubeSats and microsats, SDR offers the performance needed to meet these expectations without compromising size, mass or power constraints. As the small satellite revolution accelerates, SDR will remain central to enabling the most capable payloads, the most agile networks and the most resilient communication systems.
For CubeSats and microsats, SDR offers the performance needed to meet these expectations without compromising size, mass or power constraints. As the small satellite revolution accelerates, SDR will remain central to enabling the most capable payloads, the most agile networks and the most resilient communication systems.
By providing a platform that can evolve in orbit, SDR ensures that small satellites are not only cost-effective to launch, but are engineered to remain operationally valuable throughout their entire mission lifetime.
Exploring SDR support partners on any projects you are planning? Contact MAC Ltd’s team of SDR experts on +44 23 8076 7808 or email enquiries@macltd.com.