Presentation of my paper "A Responsive Satellite Industry for Responsive and Timely Delivered Satellite Systems" at the 21st Ka and Broadband Communications Conference in Bologna, 12-14 October 2015.

1. A Responsive Satellite Industry
for Responsive and Timely
Delivered Satellite Systems
Dr. ing. Marco Lisi
21st Ka and Broadband Communications Conference
Bologna, October 12-14, 2015

2. Summary
• The increasing complexity of satellite systems and
the requirements of forthcoming space programs,
asking for large number of spacecraft’s to be
produced at very high data rates, suggest a radical
paradigm shift in the way the space business is
conceived;
• New organizational, technical and technological
formats are required;
• “Through-life Integrated Concurrent
Engineering”(TICE): concurrent engineering and
through-life perspective integrated with
collaborative technologies and large-scale
production best practices.

3. Satellite industry megatrends
• High-throughput Satellite Communication Services
i.e. increasing demand for near real-time, high
speed connectivity due to:
 HDTV
 high definition video streaming for military
applications
 terrestrial wireless communications market
saturating
 “last mile” cost to add new end customers to a
network increasing exponentially
• Constellations of many satellites in LEO or MEO for
navigation or Earth observation;
• In general, more open, flexible, responsive and
cost-effective space missions.

4. Mega Constellations for
Global Communications

5. Satellite Constellations for Earth
Observation & Navigation

6. The “Glorious” 90’s

7. Heritage from the Past:
Globalstar

8. Globalstar “Islands” Concept

9. Globalstar: Robotic Testing of
Microwave Assemblies

10. Satellite Market Requirements
1. Products/Services more and more complex
2. Increasing market competitiveness
3. Increasing market volatility
4. Reduction of the “time-to-market”
5. High rate of technological innovation
6. High probability of partial or total failure
lead to
NEW TECHNOLOGICAL AND
ORGANIZATIONAL PARADIGMS

11. Paradigm Shifts Needed
in the Satellite Industry
1. Concurrent Engineering
2. Design to Cost
3. Design for Testability
4. Design for Producibility
5. Modular Approach to Design
6. Large Scale Production Techniques
7. Total Quality Management
8. Extensive Use of “off-the-shelf” Hardware and Software
Products
9. Electronic Management of Data (Data Management
Systems, PLM’s)
in one word:
CONCURRENT ENTERPRISE

12. Concurrent vs Traditional
Waterfall Approach

13. Concurrency is the simultaneous involvement by all stakeholders in
product development decisions from the outset and throughout the life
cycle so that the entire value chain is reciprocally integrated—from idea
to customer and back.
1. The bulk of costs are committed at early steps of a development cycle even
though not expended until later
2. The cost of fixing faulty upstream decisions at late stages is exponentially
greater than at earlier one
3. The opportunity costs of being late to market are very high, e.g., lower share,
lower margins
4. Cross-functional teams typically provide a better quality solution to complex,
dynamic product development problems than solo individuals—especially at
early stages
5. Early simultaneous involvement in product development by cross-functional
teams using structured development processes saves time and cost over the
life cycle, especially if the design is novel.
Axioms of Concurrency

14. Concurrency: Axiom 1

15. Concurrency: Axiom 2

16. Concurrency: Axiom 5

17. Concurrency & Collaboration:
Concurrent Design Facilities

18. Concurrency and Customer
Focus
Customer Needs
Management
Suppliers
Upstream
Functions e.g.
Product Design
Downstream
Functions e.g.
Manufacturing
Customer Needs
Management
Upstream
Functions e.g.
Product Design
Non- CE: Customer Needs Determined by a Few

19. The Concurrent Enterprise
An Ensemble of Strategy, Process, Organization, and
Tools
1. Red two-way arrows
indicate synergies;
2. A “composite” of these
elements is stronger than
the sum of each
separately. The 2-way
arrows indicate that
1+1=2+
3. Synergy among these
four sets of practice
enables product creation
systems to achieve cost
effective innovation, two
otherwise incompatible
outcomes
4. At the center of the
composite is the Voice of
Customer (“Customer-
centric Enterprise”).

20. Through-life Integrated
Concurrent Engineering
• Through-life: all phases of a satellite business are covered
(including launches, operations, maintenance, service provision),
not just system development;
• Integrated: all disciplines and expertise's are integrated in a
systemic perspective. All actors (management, upstream and
downstream functions, supply chain) and stakeholders of the
“extended” enterprise are cooperating towards the common
objective;
• Concurrent: concurrent and collaborative approaches and
technologies (IT) are widely adopted;
• Engineering: all aspects of the enterprise are engineered and
optimized with a holistic perspective.

21. TICE Main Guidelines (1/2)
• Engineering Processes:
 Concurrent and collaborative system engineering;
 Model-based systems engineering;
 Service Systems engineering;
 Modular design techniques.
• Technologies:
 Software Defined Radio;
 Reconfigurable antennas and payloads;
 Digital Signal processing;
 3D printing;
 Fully automated AIT stations;
 Robotics.

22. TICE Main Guidelines (2/2)
• Best Practices:
 Standardization of requirements;
 Standardization of interfaces at component/subsystem
level;
 “Plug & Play”architectures;
 Multiporpose “building blocks”.

23. The TICE-based Enterprise
Characteristics
1. Its perimeter extends to customers, partners and
vendors (“extended enterprise”);
2. The line of demarcation between itself and the
competitors is soft shaded (from competition to
“copetition”);
3. Knowledge is being shared without cultural and
organizational barriers;
4. Collaborative approaches drive innovation, despite the
resistance of the formal organization.

24. Conclusion
• The space industry is currently transitioning from a recent
environment populated almost exclusively by public
institutions (national space agencies, international
organizations, departments of defense, etc.) to a very near
future where private funds will lead market decisions;
• A Through-life Integrated Concurrent Engineering (TICE)
approach is needed, integrating such paradigm shifts as
concurrent engineering, design to cost, design for
producibility and testability, modular approach to design,
total quality management;
• A TICE-based Concurrent Enterprise model, coupling
innovation and flexibility, might enable the space industry
to react positively to the challenges of mega constellations
and of more severe business conditions.