Industry perspectives on Plug-&-Play Spacecraft Avionics

This paper describes the methodologies and findings from an industry survey of awareness and utility of Spacecraft Plug-&-Play Avionics (SPA). The survey was conducted via interviews, in-person and teleconference, with spacecraft prime contractors and suppliers. It focuses primarily on AFRL´s SPA technology development activities but also explores the broader applicability and utility of Plug-&-Play (PnP) architectures for spacecraft. Interviews include large and small suppliers as well as large and small spacecraft prime contractors. Through these “product marketing” interviews, awareness and attitudes can be assessed, key technical and market barriers can be identified, and opportunities for improvement can be uncovered. Although this effort focuses on a high-level assessment, similar processes can be used to develop business cases and economic models which may be necessary to support investment decisions.