They are no bigger than a bread tin, but the dove satellites are set to break new ground in space exploration.

 

A flock of 28 are to be put into orbit from NASA station at Wallops, about 170 miles south east  of Washington DC.

 

They are radically different from conventional monster satellites.

 

Not only are they smaller, but they fly far lower than traditional satellites, orbiting at around 310 miles above the earth rather than 500 miles.