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Leveraging Commercial Space for Earth and Ocean Remote Sensing: A Dissemination Workshop

Completed

This workshop explores ways to operationalize the findings of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, Leveraging Commercial Space for Earth and Remote Sensing, a study undertaken by the Committee for the Assessment of Partnership Options for a Small Satellite System for Collecting Scientific Quality Oceanic and Coastal Data, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.

Description

Dissemination Workshop Planning Committee Statement of Task
Under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a planning committee, composed of the original members of the National Academies' Committee for the Assessment of Partnership Options for a Small Satellite System for Collecting Scientific Quality Oceanic and Coastal Data will plan a two-day public dissemination workshop to explore methods of operationalizing some of the conclusions and recommendations of their consensus report, Leveraging Commercial Space for Earth and Ocean Remote Sensing. Workshop presentations and discussion topics will include: opportunities in the New Space Ecosystem; how to enable space-focused public-private partnerships to take advantage of commercial capabilities; and how to accelerate user base and mission development timelines. The planning committee will develop the workshop agenda, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. Experts will be drawn from the public and private sectors to allow for multi-lateral discussions.

Overall Project Statement of Task
The study will provide an independent assessment of the feasibility and implications of creating and exploiting partnerships for developing, deploying, and operating a system of satellites and supporting infrastructure capable of sensing ocean, coastal, atmospheric, and hydrologic data of sufficient scientific quality to enable prediction models and to support near real time applications of national interest. It will identify and describe, to the extent possible, promising options for such a system. The committee will identify and consider potential public and private partnership for developing such a system or major subsystems, taking into account factors such as:

  • What national missions might benefit in a substantial way from access to a small satellite data collection system and how might that mission depend on the frequency and geographic scope of the data collection? Those benefits might be defined broadly to include military, economic, scientific, educational, and environmental benefits.
  • What partnerships among industry, government, and academic institutions might be incentivized to develop the necessary space platform, system integration, launch, communications, test, data distribution, and maintenance functions?
  • Is the existing infrastructure sufficient to support the needed space platform development and manufacture, system integration, launch, communications, test, data distribution, and maintenance functions? What infrastructure components should be enhanced or created in order to reduce the timeline from idea to on orbit? Infrastructure is broadly defined to include industrial manufacturing capability, space system support structures, and communication-information systems.
  • What processes may be employed to enhance the technology development pipeline, standards development, and the identification and adoption of best practices?
  • What is the anticipated time line for the development of the required technology, infrastructure, and processes that will enable the development of the desired satellite systems?

In conducting the study, the committee will review current systems that provide some of the needed system components, as well as systems in various stages of development for future deployment. To the extent possible, the committee will gather and analyze information on anticipated relevant future needs of public and private organizations as well as relevant perspectives of academic researchers.

Collaborators

Committee

Chair

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Joseph Czika

Staff Officer

Sponsors

Department of Defense

Staff

Liza Hamilton

Lead

LHamilton@nas.edu

Alan H. Shaw

Lead

AHShaw@nas.edu

Joe Czika

Lead

JCzika@nas.edu

Marguerite Schneider

MSchneider@nas.edu

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