Wallops positioned for a leading role in 'NewSpace'

The emergence of entrepreneurial space enterprises presents opportunities for NASA's Wallops Flight Facility that could attract new businesses to Virginia. "NewSpace," as this new entrepreneurial industry is often called, is founded on rapid innovation, dramatically declining costs and creation of new products and services.

American NewSpace entrepreneurs are leading the world in space development with everything from commercial space taxis to small satellite services. The Antares rocket that launches cargo to the International Space Station from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is part of this new industry.

An important part of the NewSpace industry builds satellites that are much smaller than satellites typically were in the past. These "smallsats" provide diverse services, such as remote sensing, scientific research and telecommunications.

The number of smallsats is growing explosively. For example, the number of CubeSats (smallsats made up of 4-inch cubes) being launched more than tripled from 2012 to 2013. Projections indicate more than 2,000 satellites in the 2- to 100-pound range will be launched by 2020, with more than 400 satellites launching per year by 2020. A large number of satellites in the 100- to 1,000-pound range are also being developed.

Most of this growth is driven by the civil and commercial markets, with the commercial market growing from less than 10 percent to more than 50 percent of smallsat launches by 2016.

The increasingly large numbers of smallsats are creating demand for launch services that are more diverse, more flexible and much less expensive. Until now, most of the smallsats have caught rides with larger satellites that already had launch plans. Others have been carried to the International Space Station as cargo and launched from there using a small air lock in the Japanese laboratory.

Catching rides on other launches saves money, but the satellites often don't get the exact orbit they need. Increasing demand by small satellite owners for dedicated control of their own flights is producing increased demand for small launch vehicles.

Several companies are responding to this demand by developing new small satellite launchers. Some of these launch vertically from launch pads and others launch from jet planes or rocket planes that take off from runways.

NASA is working to take advantage of the NewSpace era and support its growth. For example, NASA'S CubeSat Launch Initiative offers free rides on existing launches to universities and research centers.

While some may not think of the mid-Atlantic states as a center for high technology, the Eastern Seaboard actually has the largest concentration of universities and research centers in the United States. The Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia corridor alone has more non-NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative selectees than the entire West Coast, all within easy driving distance of Wallops.

Goddard Space Flight Center, one of NASA's leading centers of smallsat development, has assigned Wallops to lead Goddard's small satellite program. In this role, Wallops will help universities, commercial enterprises and government agencies to design, build and launch their satellites.

Wallops is on its way to becoming a center for NewSpace development.

Beyond the advantages of its East Coast location, Wallops is NASA's principal facility for conducting suborbital research programs and NASA's leader in integration and launch of small payloads.

Wallops also hosts the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and has a long runway to serve its aviation program.

Wallops has experience managing launches and a diverse variety of other operations in many locations around the world. Its Advanced Projects Office has extraordinary experience in doing unusual projects for diverse customers in diverse places around the world. This experience would be highly valuable in dealing with launchers that will be conducting operations from widely separated locations.

Wallops could add increased attention to education, a focus on integration and launch, and proximity to the numerous small satellite developers on the Eastern Seaboard. Wallops could bring together the three necessary pieces of a successful commercial enterprise for NASA and national benefit: suppliers of space products and services; customers for these products and services; and investors to support the customers and the suppliers in the development of profitable endeavors.

Wallops is already an important contributor to the Delmarva economy. If it attracts many NewSpace enterprises, it could become even more important.

Gary Oleson is a senior engineer at TASC, a private engineering contractor based in Chantilly, Virginia, that supports various agencies including NASA. He worked on NASA's International Space Station program earlier in his career.