Cross-Domain Payload Migration

Cross-Domain Payload Migration: Space payload development typically occurs over relatively long timelines, given the risks, costs, and other factors. This fact motivates developers to investigate other payloads and platforms, in aviation and terrestrial systems, for example, as a means of gaining experience with stateof-the-art technology and exercising the methods and processes used in engineering high-reliability space systems. Increasingly, systems developed for aviation and terrestrial platforms serve as risk-reducing prototypes for eventual space missions. Remote operation of payloads deployed in unmanned aviation platforms and unattended ground systems provides a realistic operating environment for simulating control of a space payload. The tradespace of hardware and software required to successfully support many Navy, Marine Corps, and DoD missions exhibits commonality that could be used across multiple payload and platform domains. Comparison of characteristics and requirements between payload domains shows many solutions to be more alike than different. The Naval Research Laboratory has demonstrated on several payload developments the feasibility of designing advanced, state-of-theart systems for use across multiple domains and the reduced development costs which result, especially for shared software systems.