Lockheed Martin Submits Proposal For The U.S. Air Force's Satellite Hosted Payload Initiative

Lockheed Martin

submitted its competitive proposal for the U.S. Air Force's Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) initiative aimed at leveraging commercial satellites for some government missions.  According to the August 1 government solicitation, HoPS will provide the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and other U.S. government organizations with "a capability for hosting Government payloads on commercial spacecraft to meet mission objectives."  The HoPS contract will procure a fully functioning on-orbit hosted payload system and integrated ground system equipment and interfaces that deliver payload data to the government end user.  SMC's Developmental Planning Directorate is the acquisition office for HoPS. In the satellite industry, it is common for multiple payloads – electronics and sensors packages designed for specific missions – to be mounted, or hosted, on a spacecraft to share launch, propulsion and power services, and their costs.  From Lockheed Martin's perspective, hosting government payloads on commercial spacecraft is an innovative approach that could address some of the U.S. government's needs for future satellite missions in challenging times. "We believe that the Air Force's HoPS initiative will be a very useful tool in finding the nexus of capability, affordability, and resilience for critical national