Towards a 'Secondary' Payload Bill of Rights

摘要

CubeSats and other small spacecraft have grown tremendously over the past decade-and-a-half. Initially conceived as engineering experiments for students, CubeSats have found uses across a wide variety of applications. In response to this growth, numerous entities have developed launch capabilities for small spacecraft In some cases, these allow the small spacecraft to ride along with a larger 'primary' spacecraft for deployment. As the number of CubeSats (and other small satellites) grows and all-CubeSat / small satellite missions (or missions where the collection of small satellites is the primary driver) are contemplated, the ability of the community to shape the interaction between developer and launch provider has increased significantly. This paper discusses a model for these interactions.