Disk-shaped satellites lift off in NASA, Space Force experiment
NewsDecember 18, 2025
NASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va. Four flat, disk-shaped satellites called DiskSats lifted off just after midnight on December 18 as part of a U.S. Space Force (USSF) and NASA experiment, intended to test a new small-satellite form factor designed for operations in very low Earth orbit (LEO).
The four experimental satellites are using a new flat satellite bus architecture called DiskSat that enables missions requiring high power, large apertures, and/or high maneuverability in a low-mass satellite. The mission also flew a new containerized dispenser to ensure the DiskSats are safely launched and released on orbit.
The USSF's STP-S30 mission to deliver four experimental satellites to LEO rode aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
The objective of the mission is to characterize the performance and utility of the DiskSat buses, demonstrate generation and management of up to 100 watts peak power, and maneuver to different orbits including very LEO; in addition, secondary payloads are flying with the DiskSat satellites, ranging from communications to space environment sensing.
