Event: Hosted Payloads: Implications for U.S. Space Policy and Programs

September 15, 2010 at 10:28 am | Posted in Space Law Current Events | Leave a comment

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From the George C. Marshall Institute:

Hosted Payloads: Implications for U.S. Space Policy and Programs

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 – 8:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Reserve Officers Association, One Constitution Ave., NE,
Fourth Floor – Washington, D.C. 20002

Reservations required – Refreshments provided

On Thursday, September 23, the George C. Marshall Institute will convene a workshop to consider how the concept of “hosted payloads” can contribute to U.S. national security, civil, and commercial space missions.

The notion of encouraging government payloads to fly aboard commercial satellites, in place of building a government-only platform, has gained support as the demand for space-based information has increased, along with the costs of supplying that demand.

Placing national security and intelligence payloads aboard commercial satellites raises unique issues. Concerns security and reliability are among the issues generally cited when discussing the expanded use of hosted payloads. Perhaps just as significant are questions about how these capabilities will be integrated with existing systems and how they will be procured.

Convened under the auspices of the Institute’s Space Studies Program, this workshop will consider these and related questions. The forum will feature presentations from:

Joseph Rouge, Director, National Security Space Office, U.S. Department of Defense
Josh Hartman, Principal, Center for Strategic Space Studies (CS3)
Tim Deaver, Vice President, Hosted Payloads-Development, SES World Skies, US Government Solutions
The Institute thanks the Reserve Officers Association’s Strategic Defense Education program for their assistance in hosting this event.