The Rise and Fall of the Capital Asset – An Investigation into the Aerospace Industry Dynamics and Emerging Small Satellite Missions

The Rise and Fall of the Capital Asset – An Investigation into the Aerospace Industry Dynamics and Emerging Small Satellite Missions

Many studies have been conducted over the years on the relationship between spacecraft design, mission utility, cost/complexity, and the Aerospace community’s ability to “commoditize” spacecraft designs and/or missions. During the Fifties and Sixties, spacecraft were limited by launch vehicle throw-weight and technical performance limitations, particularly computer processing speeds. During the Seventies and into the Eighties the personal computer revolution enabled more and more processing capability to be utilized in spacecraft bus and mission designs. This resulted in industry developed, large, “Capital” assets that took years to design, develop, integrate, test, and eventually operate. These systems, due to the very nature of their multi-mission capabilities, became critical to our nation. These systems had to function, and function reliably, therefore requiring extensive support infrastructures to assure mission success. As the Cold War ended, commercial space began to prosper. In recent years, the advanced technologies that enabled increased Capital Asset performance have also enabled small satellites to reach performance levels that could be used for operational missions. This, coupled with new mission types that are now feasible, have lead to a renewed and significant interest in small satellites. This paper investigates the changing dynamics of the market and technologies that have placed small satellites and Capital Assets at a crossroads.