Panel Presented in Association with Hosted Payload Alliance

The 29th National Space Symposium panel discusssion on Hosted Payloads was presented in association with The Hosted Payload Alliance.

Moderated by Janet Nickloy, chairman, Hosted Payload Alliance, and director, aerospace mission solutions, Harris Corporation, the panel comprised:

• Charles L. Beames (participating via video), principal director, space and intelligence, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
• Steven M. Kaufman, partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
• Douglas L. Loverro (participating via video), deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy)
• Maj. Gen. Martin Whelan, USAF, director of requirements, Headquarters Air Force Space Command

Highlights

Here are some key thoughts from the panel:

Nickloy: Engineering isn’t the challenge with hosted payloads, its typically the business side ,,, We are looking for win-wins, 100 percent dedication to making hosted payloads successful … we need to look at issues from a systems engineering standpoint, taking everything into account …

Beames: We can now look at what it means to rely on something operationally on hosted payloads … I’m optimistic for the next five years …

Kaufman: When your payload is being hosted, your control over your data and equipment is significantly diminished … If something goes wrong on the satellite, whose payload has operational priority? … If you’re on a craft that has a predetermined schedule, you have to think in advance how your payload fits into that schedule … Cultural issues with hosted payloads are not unique to the military, but industry as well … Hosted payloads have tremendous benefits for all parties …

Loverro: Hosted Payloads have changed the dynamics of how we get things to space … there are no policies prohibiting certain types of hosted payloads, however, we are limited by sensitive data … it will take a concerted effort from both industry and military to make progress in the realm of hosted payloads .. Hosted payload are not necessarily an American-born or -owned idea; we all benefit from one another’s experiences … hosted payloads provide us the ability to complete missions that otherwise wouldn’t have been cost effective.

Whelan: The sky is the limit, but we need to take calculated, gradual steps in expanding hosted payload capabilities … hosted payloads are not an electrical engineering problem, but a social engineering problem … Standard interfaces have upsides and downsides, but would be very helpful … At some point we will face failure, but we are going to have to get by that in order to advance …

Kaufman: When your payload is being hosted, your control over your data and equipment is significantly diminished … If something goes wrong on the satellite, whose payload has operational priority? … If you’re on a craft that has a predetermined schedule, you have to think in advance how your payload fits into that schedule … Cultural issues with hosted payloads are not unique to the military, but industry as well … Hosted payloads have tremendous benefits for all parties …

Learn More

See video here.

See photos here.