Fractionated space systems offer a radically new approach to designing, building, testing, launching, operating, maintaining, and evolving spacecraft. Fractionation is the process whereby a satellite is decomposed into a cluster of wirelessly networked smaller spacecraft. This cluster creates a "virtual satellite" that is fundamentally more flexible and robust than its monolithic counterpart. In 2007 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began a program known as System F6 that will attempt to design, build, and launch the very first fractionated space system. Dr. Owen Brown, creator of the concept, and the Program Manager of F6, will explain the technical challenges, approach, and the potential implications of F6 on future space architectures.