As the U.S. military increases its reliance on commercial satellite services, industry officials are pressing the government to take a stronger stance in helping satellite operators deal with some of their challenges.
    A group of industry players recently submitted a set of recommendations to the White House that they hope will improve the ability of satellite companies to manage challenges such as cyber attacks, interference and spacecraft collisions, according to Marc Johansen, vice president of space, intelligence and missile defense for Boeing Co., who led the group. Johansen’s group was formed under the auspices of the President’s National Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
    Among the group’s recommendation is the creation of government-sponsored centers to detect space junk and help satellite operators avoid cyber attacks — malicious computer-launched attacks on other computers — Johansen said. In an indication of the level of seriousness they attach to these issues, the group asked that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security play a key role in running both centers. The group is awaiting word from the Obama administration about how the government will respond to the recommendations, he said.
    “The government needs to engage with industry and work on protection because of its heavy reliance” on commercial satellite providers for a host of services, including support for many military operations, said Lt. Col. Jeff Kaczmarczyk, chief of the Commercial Policy and Strategy Branch of the U.S. National Security Space Office. The challenge for industry and government officials is to figure out how to apply the military’s strict protection standards to commercial providers without pushing too far. “There is wiggle room. What’s the best level?” he said.
   Stewart Sanders, senior vice president of customer service for SES Engineering, said working with the government helps commercial satellite companies strengthen their operations. SES strives to create a high level of what Sanders called “customer intimacy” when working with organizations it serves, but engaging closely with government customers can be difficult because of security requirements that limit contact between company and government officials. At the same time, the government has broader and deeper reporting requirements designed to meet its mission assurance requirements, which has “raised the bar for all customers,” he said.
    Even as industry officials look to the U.S. government to help them deal with critical threats, they are trying to find ways to respond to budget-driven changes in how military officials procure services from commercial providers. The government is moving away from large, cost-plus contracts that incorporated many requirements to smaller, modular contracts that take less time and are built around a fixed-cost model, said John Monahan, president of RT Logic, a unit of Integral Systems.
    The government’s focus on cost also is showing more interest in placing payloads that meet its specific needs on commercial spacecraft, Monahan said. Moreover, there is growing interest in using commercial off-the shelf (COTS) systems to meet government needs.
   Mark Dale, vice president of product development for satellite modem manufacturer Comtech EF Data, said it is possible to build highly secure satellite communications equipment based on COTS technology. He noted that the Federal Information Processing Standard defines security requirements for government data transmission equipment, providing a path for manufactures to gain certification for systems designed for use by the military.
    The move toward COTS systems may be responsible for yet another challenge facing satellite companies and, ultimately, their customers, including the government, said Johansen.Whereas the space industry used to drive innovation by developing custom systems to meet customer requirements, customers today favor less costly approaches built around readily available hardware, he said. Over the past decade, this trend has caused the industry to lose some of its smartest minds, as ambitious engineers look elsewhere for exciting projects, Johansen said.
    “There used to be a perception that if you wanted to work on cutting edge” projects, you would work with the defense community, Dale said, but the commercial sector has claimed that role.
    Monahan said the efforts to use COTS to help the government meet budget requirements may turn out to be a dangerous trend in the future. He suggested the United States may lose its edge in space if talented engineers migrate to other industries, a development which could make it more difficult to meet the government’s often-complex needs.