SATELLITE 2017 Government & Military Forum Tackles the Big Questions
The “news cycle” for the global satellite-enabled marketplace over the next few days will be dominated by the successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with ten Iridium NEXT satellites, culminating in the dramatic upright landing of the Falcon 9 first stage and then the picture-perfect deployment of the spacecraft.
Iridium’s expanded capabilities will affect all of its customers, including military and government users who depend on 24/7/365 communications access. Here at SATELLITE 2017, we’re supporting the continued development of the marketplace for this critically important client base with a comprehensive sequence of expert sessions designed for executives serving the market and users seeking to understand up-to-the-minute and planned capabilities.
It all kicks off Monday, March 6, with Milspace in the 21st Century: Smallsats and Disaggregated Space Architectures The general direction of space segment evolution seems to be heading toward smaller satellites and disaggregated architectures for both commercial and government services. How are military satellite end-users adapting to this change? How do these newer architectures fit in with future military capabilities and requirements?
That afternoon we present U.S. Space Corps—a Coast Guard for Space? Responsibility for space programs is spread among the Department of Defense services, causing dysfunction, concurrency and wasted money and time. Could a U.S. Space Corps, created along the lines of the U.S. Coast Guard, streamline space efforts and truly infuse the benefits of competition into military space programs?
Dovetailing with the January 14 SpaceX success, Range Innovation and Reusable Rockets caps off Day One of the Government & Military Forum at SATELLITE 2017. The promise of reusable rockets and associated low-cost access to space will arrive faster than people imagine. What is the Pentagon doing to innovate at the range so it can take advantage of reusable rocketry for military purposes when the technology arrives?
Day Two, March 7, begins with The Future of Military Space: Next Generation Requirements. The DoD’s space programs and policies are at a crossroads, with existing military satellite procurement programs nearing the end of their delivery cycles, and numerous studies and new procurement/acquisition models under internal consideration. What’s next for DoD space-based requirements? What will be the new Administration’s priorities for DoD space capabilities? What are the S&T goals of U.S. DoD space programs? And how will DoD integrate innovations stemming from the commercial sector?
We follow that exploration with Sensor Disruptions: New Commercial Small Satellite Sensor Technology and the U.S. Government. Today’s commercial small satellites offer promising new low Earth orbit space applications, using the entire EM spectrum. How can the diversity of sensors in small satellite packages be leveraged by the U.S. government and what policy hurdles do they need to overcome? Government users and collectors along with Company representatives with plans to use Hyperspectral, RF Sensing and Mapping, Commercial Radar*, Infrared, and Optical systems will provide their perspectives to the unique challenges they face in offering these services to the government.
Rounding out Day Two is a review of Commercial & Civil Space Traffic Management: Getting Ahead of the Curve. The number of operational satellites has significantly increased over the past five years, with more to come. Actionable SSA is critical for avoiding space debris, evolving international rules of the road, and enabling Space Traffic Management. What is the commercial side doing to help? How can it work with government actors? What are the policy and technical implications of encouraging safe and responsible use of space as it becomes easier to access?
On Day Three of SATELLITE 2017, Wednesday, March 8, we’ll open with a special two-hour NASA Hosted Payload Interface Guide Forum and Workshop. NASA’s Common Instrument Interface Project will provide an overview of the changes to their Hosted Payload Interface Guide (HPIG) document. This document provides a prospective Instrument Developer with technical recommendations to assist them in designing an Instrument or Payload that may be flown as a hosted payload on commercial satellites flown in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), or Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). Instruments/payloads that are designed to be compatible with these guidelines will have a higher likelihood of being compatible with any of the commercial satellite buses, and thus maximizing launch opportunities as a hosted payload. Use of the HPIG is not limited to U.S. government agencies. Rather, it is intended for use by any potential hosted payload developer.
Following that, we present COMSATCOM Acquisition Opportunities and Challenges. Despite a new era of constrained budgets, government customers’ needs for communication solutions continue to evolve for mobility, speed, or flexible ground terminal solutions. What are the future military requirements for mobility, especially in the post-drawdown environment? What are the prospects for new and innovative ways to purchase services? How is commercial SATCOM adapting to the demand of Airborne Solutions? And what impact will various government requirements have on the business and technology plans of equipment manufacturers, service providers and satellite operators?
That’s a whole lot of ground to cover over the course of three days. To get complete details on the SATELLITE 2017 agenda and speaker lineup, visit www.satshow.com and make plans now to join us at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the most important week of your professional calendar in 2017.