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

Abstract

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. I.

The potential for hosted payloads at NASA

“…The programmatic challenges in particular were the focus of a previous study on recent examples of commercially hosted government payloads. [2] Moreover, the technical and programmatic challenges have been overcome by government agencies on successful programs such as the Federal Aviation Administration's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the US Coast Guard's Automatic Identification System (AIS), the Department of Defense-sponsored Internet Routing In Space (IRIS), [3] and the US Air Force's (USAF) Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP). [4,5,6,7] These programs have provided valuable lessons for future hosted payload programs.…”