Enabling satellites to do more with less.

• Author: Sica, Vinny
• Position: SPACE INDUSTRY

* Recently, the Air Force provided guidance stating the key to the nation's future starts with updating its space ground architecture.

The future of satellite capabilities lies within the endless possibilities already located in ground systems. Satellite customers should continue to prioritize a streamlined approach by investing more in ground modernization and reuse of existing capabilities where feasible.

Existing ground station resources should be modernized to adapt to new payload missions using a modular approach that reuses components that are common across several missions. Hundreds of highly capable ground systems, operations centers, radars and telescopes span the Earth. This technology is continuously being sustained and refreshed to serve current space missions. When a new space mission arises, it can cost the customer in the billion-dollar range to build and launch a satellite system and construct the accompanying ground system. As with any development program, the time from conception to operation lasts several years. But there is a better way to get more affordable capability to our warfighters.

Transforming the ground station starts with a modular approach that reuses existing capabilities where feasible and uses a modern app-based technology approach. This solution uses commercial products and open standards to provide a flexible and sustainable future. In the event of a new payload, apps can be efficiently customized and installed into the operating center to support the mission.

Apps enable any ground station to become a resilient technological phenomenon. Just within the Air Force alone, nearly 200 satellites exist with ground stations, some consolidated and others separated all over the world. Through a modular and app-based ground station approach that leverages existing capabilities, those numbers would dramatically decrease along with the associated operations and maintenance costs...