Originally started as a pilot program, the CIC has been successful in bringing together space entities from the public and private sector, and working to help reduce or eliminate instances of interference and other issues. In fact, in a recent interview with Via Satellite, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Brian Brown, deputy commander at JFCC Space, was asked just how frequently military and industry at the JSpOC have worked together to overcome these challenges, and he replied:

“Almost everyday, just based on how different networks and things are set up in the satellite communications environment, we deal quite often with RF interference. With our commercial partners we were able to help smooth that process through, help understand how communications will work between us and them, and how they can help us understand that environment and mitigate those things. We frequently observe inadvertent interference, which the CIC helps us work through…”

For additional information on why the CIC was introduced, the benefits that it’s delivered to the military and the reasons why it was formalized, we sat down with two satellite experts that have recently returned from a trip to the JSpOC – Todd Gossett and Jeff Rowlison. Todd is the Senior Director of Hosted Payloads at satellite provider, SES Space and Defense. Jeff is the Vice President of Government Affairs, also with SES Space and Defense.

During our discussion, we asked Todd and Jeff why the JSpOC was created, why the CIC was introduced, what the CIC has accomplished and how they anticipate the role of the CIC will evolve into the future. Here is what they had to say:

The post Driving Collaboration Between Industry and Military – a Look at the JSpOC CIC appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

The panel was entitled, “Developments in the Adoption of Hosted Payload and Smallsats for Government Use,” and it brought together industry leaders, government decision makers and members of the Hosted Payload Alliance to discuss the benefits that hosted payloads could deliver to government organizations, the challenges hindering hosted payload adoption and things industry and government could do – together – to overcome those challenges.

One of the panel participants was Earl White, a former Air Force Senior Executive and Intelligence Advisor at the United States Space Security and Defense Program. Earl’s contributions to the panel discussion resonated with me, since he spoke clearly and passionately about mutually-beneficial hosted payload programs that withered on the vine, and the reasons why – he believed – they failed. He also asserted that he had a list of steps industry could take to make hosted payload programs more viable, that he could provide offline to those in the audience that were interested.

We followed up with Earl following the conference to get that list from him, and to get his opinion on hosted payload in the military and government agencies. Here is what Earl had to say:

GovSat Report: In your panel discussion at SATELLITE 2016, you touched briefly on hosted payloads and their potential benefit to government and military organizations. Can you expand on that for our readers? Why should government agencies and military branches be looking at hosted payloads as an alternative? What can they deliver for these organizations?

Mr. White: As a career space intelligence officer I see hosted payloads from a mission assurance perspective.

I’ve been following the development of counter-space threats for many years.  Space is now a warfighting domain, not because of U.S. actions but because of large investments from countries interested in negating the advantages the U.S. has created through our use of space.  As current systems providing essential services to warfighters and policy makers come under increasing risk, hosted payloads offer a way to quickly improve resiliency.

A second big advantage, of course, is the cost savings from leveraging large commercial investments in the bus and primary payloads.

GovSat Report: Why do you feel we don’t see more successful hosted payload programs across the federal government? What keeps the government from embracing hosted payloads to fill more of their satellite and space requirements?

Mr. White: Hosted payload proposals seem to surface when a company has surplus SWAP (size, weight and power) in a future satellite system, and smart people see the opportunity to provide a useful service to the government.  The proposals I’ve seen often have substantial cost advantages over current systems, and yet almost always fail.

There are several reasons.  First, if the government needs a space-enabled service, there is probably an existing program of record to provide it. The program was competed and approved through a lengthy process that considered the available options.  The best way for a hosted payload to be embraced is to participate in that acquisition process, which for the Department of Defense (DoD) means being considered in an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA). Industry, however, operates on a much faster timeline than the government, and decisions on whether to fly a hosted payload often can’t wait on a multi-year government decision process. We just don’t have the decision or the funding processes in place to take advantage of the speed of the industry, and it’s getting even more critical with the emergence of New Space.

Second, the national security community must have confidence that the systems they use are going to be available when needed.  It’s fairly easy to have confidence when buying a commodity like COMSATCOM bandwidth, but it’s a much different calculus with a hosted payload.  Here you have to understand the health of the company—will the bus and primary payload make enough money to continue operating?  What happens if it doesn’t?  You have to have confidence in the cyber protection of a system you don’t control. You also need to know that primary commercial payload operations will not interfere with urgent government use of the secondary. We’ve seen examples of government-industry partnerships that work, but that isn’t yet a mainstream experience.

I think another reason is that national security space organizations like the NRO and Air Force Space Command have been extremely successful in what they do, and it’s a well-known business principle that the more successful a business, the more resistant to change. Why change what works? Unfortunately, the threat environment is changing dramatically and what is successful today is not going to be good enough for tomorrow.  Part of tomorrow’s solution – I’m convinced – is in hosted payloads. And the nation needs to learn how to leverage them effectively.

GovSat Report: What can industry do to help increase the number of successful hosted payloads programs?

Mr. White: I can think of several things. Industry needs a strategic approach that matches an end user’s needs. For instance, industry might match their future capabilities against the list of missions that STRATCOM wants to protect, and focus on a mission where they can add resilience to the current capability. It may be cost advantageous to add resiliency to a current system over the government fielding an entirely new constellation.

Second, a company with Independent Research and Development (IRAD) funds might consider working a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the DoD or National Lab to develop payloads that meet future government needs. Some of the labs are aware of the future national security space needs and are always eager to get rides into space.

The most important things, however, require the cooperation of the government.  Industry needs a much closer relationship with the acquirers and users of national security space. It is impractical for every company with SWAP to participate in an AoA, yet there needs to be a way for the government to understand and consider hosted payload options.

I’d recommend that industry look to the example of the Commercial Cell in the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC).  This cell was created by an association of competing SATCOM companies to represent their operational capabilities to the JSPoC with a small footprint and without revealing proprietary information.  I think this model might work with AoAs as well.

Finally, I think it’s important for industry to take note when they run into roadblocks to hosted payloads, and work with the government to define changes to regulations or laws.  We are in a dynamic and increasingly dangerous environment. None of us can afford to let regulations or laws stand when they no longer serve our needs.

GovSat Report: What does the government have to change and what does senior leadership have to do to increase the adoption of hosted payloads?

Mr. White: Today’s senior government space leaders understand the need for resilient systems and agile acquisitions and are already acting to make changes in their organizations.

You can see it in the National Geospatial Agency’s Commercial Imagery Strategy published last December.  I’m particularly eager to see what comes out of AFSPC’s Space Enterprise Vision (SEV), which I believe is now in review at the OSD level. I hope and expect that the SEV will direct increasing consideration of hosted payloads, and will provide mechanisms to make that happen. Still, the acquisitions organizations are going to need a great deal of industry help as they make the transition. I also see great promise in OSD’s Silicon Valley initiatives. They don’t yet address the New Space industry, but I’m hoping that the agile processes developed there will translate into much more agile space acquisitions—perhaps fast enough to match commercial decision making timelines.

GovSat Report: Where do you see hosted payloads in the next five to ten years? Do you anticipate that the government will overcome these challenges and utilize them more extensively? If so, where do you see them having the most adoption and impact – for civilian agencies or the military?

Mr. White: I fully expect national security space to increasingly consider hosted payloads as options for resilience and cost savings.  If they successfully build the needed processes – and industry responds with well-thought out, well-planned and well-designed options – we should see a real increase in the number of hosted payloads flying in the next decade.

The large LEO cross-linked constellations now in development would offer amazing opportunities for hosting government payloads, and are particularly attractive when integrated with traditional GEO ComSats.  It’s very easy for me to see opportunities in tactical ISR, missile warning, weather, secure communications and space situational awareness.

There are many that could add a great deal of resiliency to national security space. The key is getting the government to engage early enough with requirements for security and command and control, and to think through all the regulatory and funding hurdles well in advance.

To learn more about hosted payloads, click on the resources below:

• What is a Hosted Payload?
• Hosted Payloads Infographic
• VIDEO: Pete Hoene on the benefits of hosted payloads
• PODCAST: CHIRP team discusses program and benefits of hosted payloads
• PODCAST: Nicole Robinson on the benefits of hosted payloads for NOAA and other federal agencies

The post How government and industry can make hosted payloads happen – an interview with Earl White appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

In 2015, we’ve seen the continued emergence of New Space. Driven by interest from Silicon Valley and a new crop of innovative startup companies, new and exciting capabilities are either available now – or are soon to become available – via satellite. These new satellite capabilities and new participants in the industry are being fueled by cheaper launch costs and the emergence of less expensive satellite busses and technologies. Together, they’re creating a renewed vigor in space and satellites and introducing some exciting new business models and services that we previously would have thought impossible.

And then there was the emergence of LEO and MEO satellite constellations. These low-latency, high throughput satellite constellations are promising fiber-like speeds and are capable of not only filling the ever-growing bandwidth demands of people across the globe, but also delivering connectivity to areas that currently don’t have wired networks.

Finally, this year bared witness to something that was a long time coming – a shift in how the United States military views, embraces and acquires satellite solutions.

Today, representatives from COMSATCOM companies sit side-by-side with military personnel in the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) within the Joint Space Operations Center to ensure that information sharing can occur and threats to satellites are identified and neutralized before anything can happen. Authority for purchasing satellite services is being consolidated to ensure that the military has the bandwidth they need, when they need it and at a more reasonable price point. And COMSATCOM is widely being viewed by senior space leaders within the military as an integral part of their mission and a vital piece of their combined satellite infrastructure.

We couldn’t have picked a better year to launch the GovSat Report. From behind our monitors and keyboards, in conference rooms at satellite industry events and at live demonstrations of satellite technologies and capabilities, we’ve gotten to watch first-hand as the industry evolved and a new, exciting era began. And we can’t wait to see what 2016 holds.

Thank you for making the GovSat Report one of your go-to stops for government satellite news, trends and opinions in 2015. We look forward to bringing you more news from space in 2016 and beyond. In the meantime, here is a look back at some of our best stories and interviews from the past year:

Lt. Gen. John “Jay” Raymond discusses military’s need for COMSATCOM at SATCON 2015
The promise of New Space, the introduction of startups and innovative technology firms looking to do new and exciting things in space, and the decreasing cost of doing business in space has the industry buzzing about what the future holds for the industry. However, the discussions at the conference also illustrated the negative side of this rapid satellite and space expansion, as the need to secure assets in space in what is increasingly becoming a contested environment dominated much of the discussion. One of those trends – the need to protect satellite assets – was discussed at length during the keynote address by Lt. Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, Commander of the 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) Air Force Space Command, and the Commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space at U.S. Strategic Command.

Why NASA is Upping its TEMPO as a Hosted Payload – a Q&A with NASA’s David Beals
The desire to accomplish its mission in space without breaking the bank has led NASA to embrace Hosted Payloads. Hosted Payloads effectively involve the placement of government payloads on commercial spacecraft. This enables government agencies – such as NASA – to “hitch a ride” to space instead of paying to build and launch their own satellites. One of NASA’s upcoming Hosted Payload programs is TEMPO. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dave Beals, the TEMPO Program Manager at NASA, to discuss the program, what data it will deliver to NASA, how it will help the government and why NASA chose to launch TEMPO as a Hosted Payload. Here is what Mr. Beals had to say…

HTS – why big beams are a big deal to the military
One of the hottest technologies and topics in the SATCOM community is the emergence of high throughput satellites (HTS). In fact, the interest in HTS is so high across both the private and public sectors that discussion of the technology virtually dominated a large portion of both SATELLITE 2015 and the 2015 Space Symposium. Why is there so much attention being paid to HTS? Well, many enterprises and organizations look at bandwidth the way people look at money – they really can’t get enough.

Inclined satellites – how agencies can achieve major savings
With an eye towards cost savings, the federal government and America’s military have taken steps to dial back spending. Travel restrictions, hiring freezes and other initiatives have been put in place. But what if there was another way to cut costs that really had very little to no impact on accomplishing the government’s mission? The COMSATCOM being purchased to operate vehicles such as UAS and RPA could be one of the things that the military easily saves money on. Here’s how…

SATCON conversations center on the promise of New Space
If the speakers and panelists at this year’s SATCON Conference were to be believed, reports about the death of satellite have been grossly exaggerated. In fact, it seems that the future for satellite is brighter than it ever has been. Some background – last week I had the opportunity to attend SATCON, one of the year’s largest satellite conferences that takes place as part of the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) Content and Communications World (CCW) event. The conference brought COMSATCOM providers, manufacturers of spacecraft and ground terminals and even government decision makers together to look at the major trends and challenges impacting the satellite industry today. One of the largest trends – and a reason for so much excitement – was new space…

Protecting satellites a major concern in New Space age
Based on the panel discussions and side sessions at this year’s conference, it was clear that a new energy and spark has been ignited within the satellite community – one being ignited by a new wave of innovation from startup companies that are entering the space industry. The drivers for these new startup companies – whose emergence is being tabbed New Space – are reduced barriers to entry thanks in large part to decreased launch and satellite construction costs. Although the emergence of New Space and the increased attention and excitement around the satellite industry, it comes at a price. The decreased cost to build satellites, the emergence of veritable “commercially available, off the shelf” satellites and the increased access to space thanks to cheaper, more convenient launch could create as many challenges as opportunities.

Exploring why the Military Eschews a Cost Saving Satellite Solution
Unfortunately, the MDA was pretty lonely when it came to military organizations speaking about their effective hosted payload programs. Not because programs haven’t been effective, but mostly due to the fact that these programs are few and far between. An overarching theme at this year’s Summit was the dearth of military hosted payload programs and ways in which to remedy it. In fact, an entire panel, entitled, “How to get more military end-users on military hosted payloads,” wrapped up this year’s program. There were multiple valid reasons and opinions as to why the military continues to eschew hosted payloads. Unfortunately, many of these seemed to be based on fear, a lack of education and a general difference in how the military and private industry operates.

The post 2015 an exciting year for COMSATCOM and space appeared first on SES Space and Defense.