Responsive environmental assessment commercially hosted (REACH) payloads

The Hosted Payload Office (HPO) in the Advanced Systems and Development Directorate (AD) at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), is designing, developing and fielding the Air Force's first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) commercially hosted payload constellation. Satellite operations are potentially impacted by space weather hazards such as Single Event Effects (SEE), radiation dose effects, and deep dielectric (“internal”) charging. With its global coverage and one hertz sampling rate, REACH would provide satellite operators the ability to rapidly determine active space environments which could induce anomalies. If the environment is ruled out, then the possibility of hostile actions as a causative factor in the anomaly is more likely, a goal of the Space Enterprise Vision (SEV). This project provides an unprecedented example of how the commercially hosted payload construct enables deployment of a responsive, affordable, distributive, and proliferated space weather capability. The REACH space segment operates 32 sensors in 6 planes to reduce revisit rates to less than 20 minutes and measure radiation levels as low as 50keV. The ground segment leverages a commercially owned and fully automated network for continuous data collection and dissemination without the need for a standalone infrastructure. REACH is the embodiment of rapid acquisition principles, going from Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to on-orbit operations in less than three years. Defending on-orbit space systems from natural and hostile acts is critical to the US and its Allies to ensure persistent access to key warfighting capabilities. REACH provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate a significant improvement over existing capabilities to enable global access, persistence, and awareness.