Standard Electric Interface for Payload and Launch Vehicle Enabling Secondary Rideshare

Access to space for Small Satellites is enabled by the use of excess launch capacity. An integration process that minimizes risk to the primary, allows parallel integration and predictable cost/schedule for the secondary enables use of that capacity. Design_Net has developed and flown a Falcon 1 RideShare Adapter (RSA) and is developing a RSA for the Minotaur IV, EELVs and Falcon 9. An RSA is more than structure, it must have electronics to provide a single simple interface to the launch vehicle (constant from mission to mission), yet provide a standard set of services to Payloads. DNet has leveraged work on the Falcon RSA, work on advanced AFRL Plug and Play avionics and commercial investments to develop a modular Secondary Payload Support Unit (SPSU). SPSU provides deployment, power distribution, and telemetry services for secondaries. We propose building on that work by adding video capability to verify and evaluate payload deployment. During Phase 1 we develop the video to PDR level (Begin TRL 3; End TRL 4) and during Phase 2 carry development of that module coupled with the rest of the SPSU (currently at TRL 6) to TRL 8 and have a system ready for flight in 2012 timeframe.