Session
Technical Session III: Making Space Accessible
Abstract
Access to Space for small R&D payloads is one of the key enablers for innovative space technology development. For a vibrant space R&D environment to exist space access needs to be available on a regular basis at a cost commensurate with R&D program budgets and with a minimum of custom interface requirements. The United States has a long heritage of developing new technologies for space applications, enabled by numerous space launches in the early 1960s. Many space experiments are launched as secondary payloads due to their relatively small mass and modest program budgets. NASA and DoD have organized processes to evaluate and select experimental payloads for space access (such as the DOD Space Test Program’s SERB). The payload interfaces are usually custom-made for each payload and are scheduled on a case-by-case basis depending on primary payload excess margins and acceptance of secondary payloads. The International space community has taken a dramatically different approach since the early 1990s with the introduction of a regularly scheduled standardized launch interface for secondary payloads – the Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads (ASAP). Nearly 30 free-flyer secondary payloads have been launched from ASAP since its introduction over 10 years ago. In comparison, the US STP program has only launched an average of 1 free-flyer per year since its inception in 1965. Is this disparity in secondary payload launch rates a cause for concern for the US space R&D community? Is the US losing ground to the International space community as a leader in the introduction of new space technologies? Regularly available space access is a key factor in the rapid introduction of new space technologies. If a country such as the US is experiencing a slower rate of experimental payload launches compared to the International community, then the US may be at risk of losing its leadership role in space technology. This paper will explore the background history, supporting data and space access capabilities necessary to evaluate such a concern. The paper will propose potential approaches to improve the US capability for support of space R&D.
Presentation Slides
New Technology in Space – Is the U.S. Losing Ground?
Access to Space for small R&D payloads is one of the key enablers for innovative space technology development. For a vibrant space R&D environment to exist space access needs to be available on a regular basis at a cost commensurate with R&D program budgets and with a minimum of custom interface requirements. The United States has a long heritage of developing new technologies for space applications, enabled by numerous space launches in the early 1960s. Many space experiments are launched as secondary payloads due to their relatively small mass and modest program budgets. NASA and DoD have organized processes to evaluate and select experimental payloads for space access (such as the DOD Space Test Program’s SERB). The payload interfaces are usually custom-made for each payload and are scheduled on a case-by-case basis depending on primary payload excess margins and acceptance of secondary payloads. The International space community has taken a dramatically different approach since the early 1990s with the introduction of a regularly scheduled standardized launch interface for secondary payloads – the Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads (ASAP). Nearly 30 free-flyer secondary payloads have been launched from ASAP since its introduction over 10 years ago. In comparison, the US STP program has only launched an average of 1 free-flyer per year since its inception in 1965. Is this disparity in secondary payload launch rates a cause for concern for the US space R&D community? Is the US losing ground to the International space community as a leader in the introduction of new space technologies? Regularly available space access is a key factor in the rapid introduction of new space technologies. If a country such as the US is experiencing a slower rate of experimental payload launches compared to the International community, then the US may be at risk of losing its leadership role in space technology. This paper will explore the background history, supporting data and space access capabilities necessary to evaluate such a concern. The paper will propose potential approaches to improve the US capability for support of space R&D.
