Satellites come in many shapes and sizes, including large, medium, small and nano. The latter are typically put into orbit by deployers on the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a carrier rocket. Another unique thing about nanosatellites is they tend to stay in low Earth orbit for space observation, interplanetary missions and relaying TV, radio and phone signals back to Earth.
Nanosatellites take less time to develop and build than larger units, but they still need to undergo extensive testing to ensure optimum performance. This typically involves using simulation and complex numerical analysis to verify the satellite’s hardware, software, and navigation and control algorithms.