Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

2 Current and Future Commercial Landscape
Pages 16-34

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 16...
... As a result, there is an interplay between companies looking to identify the capabilities that government organizations need to effectively use SmallSats for mission-critical applications, as well as government users searching to identify how commercial industry can address their challenges. These communities need to be responsive to each other in areas where the future state of commercial development for SmallSats, and the capabilities that developers will require from industry, will drive innovations and activities within both groups and the field in general.
From page 17...
... Although some of the commercial missions currently being flown are seemingly unrelated to the scientific examples provided above, the knowledge being gained throughout the commercial industry in building satellite buses, sensors, ground operations and data analysis centers, autonomous operations, inter-satellite connectivity, on-board data processing, and launch and deployment of large numbers of space assets from a single launch vehicle have direct applicability to numerous science mission areas. These commercial organizations are developing and increasing the capabilities of SmallSat systems and subsystems, and at a rapid pace, that can be leveraged by current and future scientists to accomplish their specific missions.
From page 18...
... strengthens corporate reputations while broadening community interest in SmallSats and commercial partnerships as a means to advance mission objectives of national priority. 4  Bryce Space and Technology, 2021, Start-Up Space: Update on Investment in Commercial Space Ventures 2021, BryceTech, Alexandria, VA, https://brycetech.com/reports.
From page 19...
... Distributed cloud computing infrastructure, integrated with telecommunications, is in active commercial development where users no longer need to build and/or maintain the capability themselves, paying rates directly tied to the level of service and performance desired. Commercial industry has also moved to provide observational measurements as a service for purchase through data-buys, while others are making a business in data curation, fusion, quality control, and analytics.
From page 20...
... The New Space ecosystem landscape consists of partnerships and commercial services. The context of assessing how these both support the needs of mission development is qualitatively shown in Figure 2.2 as also influenced by the history of work within this community.11,12 This diagram represents the evolution over time of the utilization of partnerships and commercial services for SmallSat mission development.
From page 21...
... This is driving the potential for future establishment of fully commercial services for full end-to-end mission development, operation, and product generation as a service, but this level of product offering does not yet exist. Today, the "Target SmallSat Mission Development Regime" represents the current most effective stage of SmallSat mission development for high-priority and strategic science missions.
From page 22...
... Indicators are that future market and industry trends are aggressively moving toward full commercial service mission development, in that most investigators will have the ability to outsource nearly all of their mission development to commercial industry with limited additional collaborative partnerships. When observing how various companies are consolidating to provide end-to-end services, and how others are leveraging commercialization through multiple contract mechanisms to include specific capabilities (e.g., launch and testing services)
From page 23...
... The "Target SmallSat Mission Development Regime" is the ideal region for this development, but there will likely also be government organizations that, owing to the nature of their investigations, cannot easily partner with external organizations and will rely entirely on procured commercial services. Reliance on proven commercial products, with innovative procurement mechanisms, to support observations sustained over long time periods, is why most government missions would emphasize commercialization over partnerships with non-commercial entities.
From page 24...
... Many individual components or sub-systems are becoming available as commercial products or services including spacecraft buses, launch services, Remote Ground Station (RGS) services, mission operations, and cloud software hosting.
From page 25...
... Currently, the ability to perform commercial data-buys is limited, yet the number of commercial organizations that could support various phases of mission development is rapidly growing. Understanding the state of maturity of commercial options spanning instrument and spacecraft development, system integration, launch services, Remote Ground Station (RGS)
From page 26...
... The hosted payload path is notionally much simpler than the full mission development articulated in Figure 2.4, and there are growing commercial opportunities for hosted payload slots. While there are challenges related to the constraints of the host and complex integration and de-confliction with other payloads, this is an option worth considering for many missions.
From page 27...
... The main incentive is the understanding that SmallSats have demonstrated high-quality science measurements, which can be performed rapidly and affordably, and that greater interoperability and standards can grow the diversity of investigators creating new business opportunities to fly missions of national interest. COMPARING COMMERCIAL SERVICES MISSION DEVELOPMENT AGAINST ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES Most SmallSat missions thus far have not been flown in support of long-term sustained observations for operational missions of national interest.
From page 28...
... consistent commercial sensors with launch vehicle, safety, and other mission requirements Mission Systems Engineering and Concurrent systems engineering capability Fully integrated high-fidelity environments Integration with de-coupled tools for integrated mission for concurrent design, integration, calibration, design of limited fidelity and operational commissioning Cloud-Based Architecture Well-established commercial services Advanced in capability to integrate legacy including public, private, hybrid, and digital active archive center and other data government options systems with commitment to preserve scientific data in perpetuity NOTE: Various infrastructure-related topics supporting SmallSat mission development are listed allowing comparison of the current state of commercial capability versus technology needs to support future scientific mission development.
From page 29...
... Experienced commercial teams and other strategic partners can be fully leveraged, representing the most desired state for SmallSat mission development with lower overall mission development risk. This enables a balance among commercial services and developer-driven innovations specific to key measurements of interest.
From page 30...
... As the ecosystem landscape evolves toward a capability for full commercial services for mission development, this can increase certain risks in that nearly the entire mission development has been ceded to commercial industry, meaning that the ability to perform innovative measurements of national interest may be limited to the capabilities represented by the current state-of-the-art of commercial organizations. This can create a ceiling in mission capability.
From page 31...
... Although it categorizes and indicates that infrastructure exists to support the range of capabilities for mission development from spacecraft manufacturing through cloud-based architecture for data management, all of these capabilities need continued enhancement over the next 5–10 years to enable a robust commercial ecosystem to reduce the time from concept development to operations and data return. Many of these capabilities, spanning technology, infrastructure, and processes, are on track to be available as fully vetted commercial services within 5 years, while others may need 5–10 years to come to full fruition.
From page 32...
... A clear value proposition to support standards needs to be made for commercial industry to adopt and incorporate them into existing and future products or services. Technology and manufacturing standards are typically accomplished by professional societies through organizing groups of stakeholder representatives.
From page 33...
... While Figure 2.6 highlights the risk trade in maturing mission development based on the degree of commercialization and partnerships, Chapter 5 will highlight how specific commercial capabilities across services, mission operations, technology development, and data-buys may benefit government users pending the details of how various business arrangements are structured. Assessment of these risks, in the context of the state of technology development enabling these capabilities, and their forecasted readiness over a period of years, as shown in Table 2.2, directly impact how government users could phase in appropriate technologies and capabilities to meet mission objectives.
From page 34...
... RECOMMENDATION: The Office of Naval Research should take full advantage of opportunities for the infusion of dual-use technologies deriving from participation in existing government technology development programs such as the Air Force Research Laboratory's AFWERX, the Small Spacecraft Technology Program, the government's Small Business Innovative Research program, and the government's Small Business Technology Transfer program. CONCLUSION: The rapid expansion of space systems and operations knowledge throughout the commercial space industry provides numerous opportunities for the Hybrid Space Architecture and other U.S.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.