Tech Track Papers
Tech Track Papers Archive
Abstract: As the small satellite and launch vehicle industries grow, the market is yearning for greater flexibility to avoid delays that can have lasting impacts on businesses. Due to their relationship with launch vehicle providers and satellite developers, rideshare companies are in a unique position to provide increased flexibility around launches. Rideshare providers can operate…
Read MoreIn 2018, the value of smallsat launches is expected to reach nearly $1.7 billion and, in 2019, that number is expected to grow to $1.95 billion. In fact, the smallsat industry shows no sign of slowing with a projected 13 percent year-over-year growth rate through 2023. The growth in the smallsat industry has created significant…
Read MoreAssessing space technology developments, commercial remote sensing and advances in artificial intelligence, it is reasonable to imagine a future with ubiquitous and near-real time intelligence accessible to the general public and hand-held devices. Civil application could include identifying an empty parking spot from space, tracking autonomous vehicles, or illegal border crossings. The rise of large…
Read MoreExpected decreases in costs for launch services and satellite manufacturing are leading to a proliferation of new players in the space industry and democratization of activities in low Earth orbit (LEO). This increase in the number of satellites will necessitate new and creative thinking to monitor and regulate an already congested, contested and competitive orbital…
Read MoreQuantitative analysis cyber risk, based on the probability and consequences of different types of attacks, allows rational allocation of risk management resources. I will briefly present the method and five illustrative vignettes, including a statistical analysis of 60,000 cyber incidents (funded by NASA), the optimization of the level of connectivity in a network (illustrated by…
Read MoreMany considerations go into providing reliable communications to small satellites. This paper will explore how SSC is optimizing its existing global ground station network to support the unique requirements of small satellites, including the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) constellation of 8 microsatellites. SSC has provided the ground network for CYGNSS TT&C operations since…
Read MorePrevious satellite ground architectures were custom designed for each satellite system. This methodology is typically called stove-piped architecture. Although there may have been valid reasons in the past for custom design of every satellite ground system, the newer trend is to design enterprise ground services (EGS), resulting in a common services infrastructure. An EGS takes…
Read MoreSmall satellites have become attractive tools for diverse space mission applications. Groups of small satellites are well placed to address applications that require global coverage or high temporal resolution, which cannot be achieved with an individual satellite. CubeSat standard formats and interfaces have made it easier to develop small spacecraft, and encouraged the creation of…
Read MoreThis paper gives insight into what businesses and governments should expect as we enter the age of space commercialization. Because wherever profits are found, taxes are sure to follow! Investors, entrepreneurs and governments should be interested in knowing what the expected after-tax proceeds of investing in space will be. This knowledge helps better assess the…
Read MoreCisLunar-1000 is a vision for 1000 people living and working in space 30 years from now. The Moon and the cislunar economy are on the horizon for human development. How do we get there and what do we do once we’re there are the major questions the space industry is asking. United Launch Alliance (ULA)…
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