Small Payload Launch Opportunities and Challenges

Small payload launch opportunities have been difficult to arrange within the United States, driving many small payload owners to foreign launch services as their best option. This is in spite of the fact that each year in the United States thousands of pounds of excess capacity to orbit goes unused. There are several reasons for this that this paper will address, along with a review of potential options for improving the situation. In addition to these secondary rideshare opportunities, there are several emerging small launch vehicle offerings that will be capable of providing dedicated space access for small payloads; these U.S. systems and their associated development status will also be discussed herein. Even if the U.S. small payload launch opportunities could be made completely accessible, there would still likely be more small payloads seeking a launch than the available capacity could satisfy. Various categories of small payloads will be postulated and the issues and options for acquiring secondary launch opportunities will be discussed. Safety, integration, and mission assurance implications and options will be discussed in the context of establishing criteria and guidelines acceptable to the launch services providers, launch service acquirers, and prime satellite owners. The third topic of this paper is the operational implications of a proliferation of small satellites on space track capabilities and space debris in general. The perception of these concerns could impact the ability to acquire a launch opportunity, where any damage due to collisions have liability implications for the launching state and the ability to keep an accurate track of small objects in space complicates this matter. This paper will draw upon the significant insight and ongoing engagement of the launch community by the authors. In addition, the three described topics will be further addressed through the findings and recommendations produced by working sessions at the 2015 Small Payload Rideshare Symposium held in June. This paper is intended to frame these three important topics and stimulate an informed discussion among the small payload rideshare community and the various government agencies responsible for space policy, launch services, and on-orbit support operations leading to an increase in viable opportunities