Innovations in Hosted Payload Satellite Services

Abstract

One of the important new developments in commercial and governmental satellite systems is the active deployment of hosted payloads. The prime reason for the use of hosted payloads is to save costs and avoid the expense of a more costly dedicated mission. The hosted payload approach may involve the deployment of experimental packages that are typically only a one-of-a- kind project, or it can involve many operational packages that are "piggybacked" on a large low earth orbit constellation with many satellites so equipped. This is an approach that has been particularly promoted within US space programs in response to the US 2010 official space policy. This White House policy emphasized the use of hosted payloads, where cost savings and operational efficiency so allowed. This approach to the use of hosted payload is also being employed around the world by many different entities for a variety of purposes. Examples provided here include the IRIS experiment that was included on an Intelsat satellite, the Anik G1 with an X-band package, the WAAS package that flew on the Galaxy 15 satellite and the UHF package that is flying on the Intelsat 22 satellite. Another example of the specialized package flying as a hosted payload is the case of those experiments that are currently flying on the large Inmarsat Alphasat. The above examples typically involve very specific individual hosted payload packages. There can be much different type programs where the hosted payload approach involves the deployment of a small operational package on each of a number of satellites within a large-scale satellite network. In this case the example provided is with regard to the Aireon packages that are being deployed with the Iridium NEXT Satellite System. A decade ago, the hosted payload approach was a very occasional and unusual approach and most often involved a one-of-a-kind experimental package, but today "hosted payloads" have become a much more common practice with large companies such as Intelsat General and SES even having dedicated units that focus exclusively on hosted payload activities. Annual conferences on the topic of hosted payload now draw many hundreds of attendees. This growing interest in hosted payload flying on satellite networks has also led to the formation of the Hosted Payload Alliance with a quite large and growing global membership. In short, hosted payload activities in the course of the past decade have become a big business involving a large number of satellites and significant spacecraft and ground system investment. This chapter addresses the various types of hosted payload activities that are now in progress or planned and provides some analysis of the reasoning behind various hosted payloads and the pros and cons of such undertakings. This analysis considers not only the impact on capital investment, speed of implementation, launch costs, operational costs, and advantages and risks that are associated with various host payload projects that have become a part of the application satellite industry. In many instances the use of hosted payload strategies has been employed in governmental, military, and commercial programs to test new capabilities. Also governmental and military programs have flown on commercial satellite systems. Somewhat akin to the concept of hosted payloads is the concept of incremental or supplemental payloads that are secondary or even tertiary payloads that are launched as add-on to primary launch operations as part of a single launch deployment into outer space. This "piggybacked" launch operation can lead to cost savings, but this proliferation of smaller satellites in orbit can add to the growing problem of orbital debris. Consolidation of smaller payloads such as student experimental packages by placing them on a larger satellite as hosted payload or flying them to the International Space Station and returning them after the experiment is finished is now a common practice. This use of NanoRacks type experiments that fly on the International Space Station in particular can be highly cost effective, allows astronaut oversight of experiments, and eliminates orbital debris issues.