Session
Technical Session II: Launch
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) is charged with providing access to space for experiments on the DoD Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) list. Additionally, STP is the “front door” for all non-DoD Auxiliary Payloads seeking launch opportunities on DoD missions. In this capacity STP manages the launch integration of a wide variety of missions, including not only DoD satellites, but also satellites built, owned, and operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), civilian universities, commercial entities, and foreign governments. Often a single launch mission has multiple satellites from multiple organizations, and may also contain payloads from one organization hosted on satellites owned by another.
As the launch integration manager for all of these satellites and hosted payloads, STP is faced with the challenging task of understanding the space policy requirements for a diverse set of agencies, and guiding its mission partners through the approval process. As small satellites and rideshares lower the barriers to space access, we see increasing numbers of mission managers who are unsure of what policies are applicable to their missions, and the steps they must take to demonstrate compliance. In addition, many of STP’s missions fall into policy “grey areas,” where policy and approval processes are not yet well-defined. In particular, the policy implications of imaging capability, frequency coordination, cybersecurity, proximity operations, and space debris mitigation are complex, poorly understood, and constantly evolving. Furthermore, the policy compliance and approval process is always one of the biggest “long-lead items” on any satellite’s schedule, and is particularly challenging for small satellites with short build cycles and limited staff.
This paper explores United States space policies and how they apply to satellite missions that may not fit the typical satellite mission mold. The paper presents a “roadmap” for policy compliance for satellites from diverse agencies, and identifies areas where further work is underway to address the challenges posed by the evolution of the space industry. The paper and presentation lay out a coherent way forward for all small satellites navigating the approval quagmire, and for mission managers of multi-payload rideshares who wish to smooth the path to launch approval.
Navigating the Policy Compliance Roadmap for Small Satellites
The Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) is charged with providing access to space for experiments on the DoD Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) list. Additionally, STP is the “front door” for all non-DoD Auxiliary Payloads seeking launch opportunities on DoD missions. In this capacity STP manages the launch integration of a wide variety of missions, including not only DoD satellites, but also satellites built, owned, and operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), civilian universities, commercial entities, and foreign governments. Often a single launch mission has multiple satellites from multiple organizations, and may also contain payloads from one organization hosted on satellites owned by another.
As the launch integration manager for all of these satellites and hosted payloads, STP is faced with the challenging task of understanding the space policy requirements for a diverse set of agencies, and guiding its mission partners through the approval process. As small satellites and rideshares lower the barriers to space access, we see increasing numbers of mission managers who are unsure of what policies are applicable to their missions, and the steps they must take to demonstrate compliance. In addition, many of STP’s missions fall into policy “grey areas,” where policy and approval processes are not yet well-defined. In particular, the policy implications of imaging capability, frequency coordination, cybersecurity, proximity operations, and space debris mitigation are complex, poorly understood, and constantly evolving. Furthermore, the policy compliance and approval process is always one of the biggest “long-lead items” on any satellite’s schedule, and is particularly challenging for small satellites with short build cycles and limited staff.
This paper explores United States space policies and how they apply to satellite missions that may not fit the typical satellite mission mold. The paper presents a “roadmap” for policy compliance for satellites from diverse agencies, and identifies areas where further work is underway to address the challenges posed by the evolution of the space industry. The paper and presentation lay out a coherent way forward for all small satellites navigating the approval quagmire, and for mission managers of multi-payload rideshares who wish to smooth the path to launch approval.
