Fractionated spacecraft is a novel space architecture that uses a cluster of small spacecraft modules (with their own attitude control and propulsion systems) connected via wireless links to accomplish complex missions. Resources, such as sensors, persistent storage space, processing power, and downlink bandwidth can be shared among the members of the cluster thanks to the networking. Such spacecraft can serve as a cost effective, highly adaptable, and fault tolerant platform for running various distributed mission software applications that collect, process, and downlink data.