Enabling Radical Innovation through Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations (JCTD): The Case of the Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) JCTD

This paper analyzes the case of the Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) as a potential model for disruptive innovation in the government space sector. It finds that technologies like IRIS – characterized by a promising yet unproven relatively mature concept, which faces substantial barriers to implementation, but which could benefit from the stability associated with a government patron, creates a strong argument for leveraging the government’s position as a relatively coherent, high volume customer, to catalyze disruptive change. The JCTD model, by creating an opportunity to demonstrate the service-oriented utility of the innovation prior to widespread deployment, addresses the common disconnect between technology change and perceived service improvement directly. However, it fails to adequately mitigate the significant administrative overhead (both financial and bureaucratic) of collaborating with the government. Key areas where expectations may need to be adjusted in the future are highlighted through the case.