Session
Technical Session V: Getting There
Abstract
With the significant increase in small satellite developments in Europe, the US, Asia, and other upcoming parts of the world, finding a timely and affordable ‘round the world ticket’ for your small satellite becomes more and more challenging. There can be many complicating factors in arranging a launch for your small satellite. These can be technical and programmatic mismatches between the available launch opportunity and the small satellite mission objectives and planning. But often these complicating factors also relate to regulatory and legal restrictions, political considerations. As a result, in practice it is actually quite difficult to find an available, affordable launch opportunity for a small satellite. And when one is found, lead times to launch can be quite long, as many small satellite developers are currently experiencing. In other words, there is a strong demand to significantly increase worldwide access to available and affordable launch opportunities on which small satellites could hitchhike along to space. To achieve this, ISL and Spaceflight Services are jointly and actively pursuing international cooperation with existing and upcoming launch providers and satellite developers across the Atlantic and beyond. The ultimate goal is to be able to offer an airline-model derived ‘ticket to space’ approach, allowing satellite developers to purchase a launch for their small satellite as they require, varying from lower cost launches in exchange for less stringent orbit and schedule requirements to a more demanding service level at a premium. The most important step towards this approach is to provide a global launch service offering, like ISL and Spaceflight Services have now initiated.
Presentation Slides
Round the World Ticket for Your SmallSat
With the significant increase in small satellite developments in Europe, the US, Asia, and other upcoming parts of the world, finding a timely and affordable ‘round the world ticket’ for your small satellite becomes more and more challenging. There can be many complicating factors in arranging a launch for your small satellite. These can be technical and programmatic mismatches between the available launch opportunity and the small satellite mission objectives and planning. But often these complicating factors also relate to regulatory and legal restrictions, political considerations. As a result, in practice it is actually quite difficult to find an available, affordable launch opportunity for a small satellite. And when one is found, lead times to launch can be quite long, as many small satellite developers are currently experiencing. In other words, there is a strong demand to significantly increase worldwide access to available and affordable launch opportunities on which small satellites could hitchhike along to space. To achieve this, ISL and Spaceflight Services are jointly and actively pursuing international cooperation with existing and upcoming launch providers and satellite developers across the Atlantic and beyond. The ultimate goal is to be able to offer an airline-model derived ‘ticket to space’ approach, allowing satellite developers to purchase a launch for their small satellite as they require, varying from lower cost launches in exchange for less stringent orbit and schedule requirements to a more demanding service level at a premium. The most important step towards this approach is to provide a global launch service offering, like ISL and Spaceflight Services have now initiated.
