Several satellite operators have forged an industry alliance to promote the benefits of hosted payloads to the US public sector.
The Hosted Payload Alliance (HPA) aims to bridge the gap between the satellite sector and the government, which has been…
Several satellite operators have forged an industry alliance to promote the benefits of hosted payloads to the US public sector.
The Hosted Payload Alliance (HPA) aims to bridge the gap between the satellite sector and the government, which has been increasingly looking at public-private partnerships to deal with constrained budgets.
Currently, the HPA steering committee’s members comprise Boeing, Intelsat, Iridium, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences, SES and Space Systems/Loral.
However, the group expects to announce further members in the near future to help raise awareness about how hosted payloads could help save the government both money and time.
“We believe there is a need for industry and government to work together to facilitate hosted payloads,” said Don Thoma, chairman of the HPA’s steering committee.
“An important goal of this group is to act as a source of subject-matter expertise to educate stakeholders in the public and private sectors on the numerous opportunities for hosted payloads on commercial launch spacecraft.”
Back in June 2010, the Obama administration unveiled a strategy document that called for the use of hosted payloads to help deliver services for which the public sector may lack resources.
In a statement commenting on the launch of HPA on 30 March, US Air Force General Lance Lord, former Commander of Air Force Space Command, which oversees the services’ space and missile systems, said it was the right time to form such an alliance.
“As government funding for important space-based sensor programs continues to be cut or postponed, private industry will be called upon to play an important role in providing affordable and timely capabilities to meet those mission needs,” said Lord.
Indeed, when Boeing announced the formation of its payload division at the end of February, the company pointed to a growing demand for communications bandwidth and a decline in US military spending.
At the time, Craig Cooning, CEO of satellite division Boeing Satellite Systems International, said the market response to hosted payloads as a creative solution to limited military bandwidth availability had been “extremely positive”.
The company also revealed it had received orders for five hosted payloads in the past 18 months.
HPA will hold its first organisational meeting on 11 April, in conjunction with the 2011 National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.