DSI to hold SmallSat & Space Access Summit

As the space domain becomes increasingly contested and congested with competing adversaries, it is of utmost importance that the United States remain superior by advancing technology and incorporating low-cost flexible smallsats into orbits as auxiliary payloads. In order to do this effectively, the US Government must partner with the private sector to design smallsats which deliver diverse and advanced capabilities at a fraction of the cost of legacy satellite systems.

Defense Strategies Institute’s 2018 SmallSat & Space Access Summit, occurring on May 30-31, 2018, will focus on optimizing inexpensive, smaller alternative satellites to provide greater data returns to further enhance space missions and gain significant advantages over international adversaries.

The 2018 summit will address the continuing demand for small sat development and highlight the reliance of solution providers to support federal space demands and priorities.

To this end, the SmallSat & Space Access Summit will offer 17+ sessions with diverse senior-level speakers including:

• Shawn Barnes, SES, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Space Operations, HQAF
• Maj Gen Robert Rego, USAF (Ret), Strategic Missions Advisor, USSTRATCOM
• Brig Gen Mark Baird, USAF, Director, Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition (SAF/AQ)
• Tina Harrington, Director, Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate, NRO
• William Nelson, SES, Director, Programs and Technology, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command
• Col Shahnaz Punjani, USAF, Director, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Space and Missile Systems Center, AFSC

Discussion Session Topics Include:

• Advantages and disadvantages of employing small satellite capabilities to meet operational requirements
• Application of small satellites to gather intelligence to enable military to effectively monitor emerging crises
• Understanding the effectiveness of microsatellites to operate in LEO and the type of data that can be gained from these smallsats
• Applying small satellites over larger ones due to cost competitive flexibility to design, build, and deploy satellites that are best suited for a given application
• Ability of CubeSats to offer standardized form-factor and containerization which enables mass production and easier launch vehicle integration
• Perspective towards the limitations and constraints of payload sizes, power, and interface specifications of the current cubesats being developed
• Efficiently acquiring commercial space technology to deliver military requirements in a timely manner

Registration is available here.

Source: DSI