© World Scientific Publishing Company. Attempts have been made to achieve extreme miniaturization in plasma wave receivers for future space science missions. The plasma wave receivers onboard scientific satellites are classified into two types: waveform receivers and spectrum analyzers. The present paper describes one-chip waveform type receivers that are developed using analogue ASIC technology. We incorporate the necessary analogue components of the waveform receiver into a chip having dimensions of 3mm × 3mm and confirm the functionality and performance of the chip. The performance and quality of the chip are shown to be sufficient for use in science missions. Furthermore, we extend the application of the miniaturized plasma wave receivers to a sensor network system in space. The sensor network system consists of several small sensor nodes that are distributed randomly throughout the target area and monitor the spatial and time variation of electromagnetic environments in space. We then introduce the concept of this sensor network system and present results obtained during the development of the small sensor node for use in this sensor network in space.