2021 Small Spacecraft Virtual Forum – Agenda

March - May 2021

Hosted Virtually over a Series of Dates

Portions of the March 25th opening session were recorded, and pending approval, will be posted at a later time.

Final report from the 2021 Small Spacecraft Virtual Forum

Download the 2021 NASA SmallSat Forum Agenda

Questions and Answers from the March 25 Opening Session

Opening Session

March 25, 2021

9:30AM – 2:30 PM PDT (5.0 hours)
All Times are Pacific Daylight Time

9:30AM - 9:45AM Welcome and Overview
		Florence W. Tan, Forum Chair Chair, Small Spacecraft Coordination Group (SSCG) NASA Headquarters Welcome - F. Tan Peter B. Kahn, Forum Co-Chair Manager, Project Systems Engineering and Formulation Section SSCG Representative NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory - P. Kahn Bruce D. Yost, Forum Co-Chair Director, Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute SSCG Representative NASA Ames Research Center Format and Logistics - B. Yost
9:45AM - 11:00AM Organizational Lightning Talks
Science Mission Directorate		Wanda C. Peters, Ph.D Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs NASA Headquarters
Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate		James O. Norman Director, Launch Services Office NASA Headquarters
Science Mission Directorate		Aly Mendoza-Hill Rideshare Lead NASA Headquarters
Small Spacecraft Coordination Group		Florence W. Tan, Forum Chair Chair, Small Spacecraft Coordination Group NASA Headquarters Small Spacecraft Coordination Group - F. Tan
CubeSat Launch Initiative		Liam J. Cheney Flight Projects Office, Launch Services Program NASA Kennedy Space Center
Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute		Bruce D. Yost, Forum Co-Chair Director, Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute SSCG Representative NASA Ames Research Center Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute - B. Yost
Small Satellite and Special Projects Office		David A. Wilcox Chief, Small Satellite and Special Projects Office NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Wallops Flight Facility Thomas Johnson Lead Portfolio Manager for Heliophysics Division/ Astrophysics Division Small Satellites, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility NASA Heliophysics and Astrophysics SmallSat/CubeSats - T. Johnson
Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program		Gregory W. Heckler Acting Director, Commercical Services Office NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program NASA Headquarters Space Communication and Navigation Program - G. Heckler
Space Technology Mission Directorate		Christopher E. Baker Program Executive, Small Spacecraft Technology Program and Flight Opportunities Program SSCG Representative NASA Headquarters Quick Overview for Small Spacecraft - C. Baker
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM NASA Center Introductions
NASA Ames Research Center		Chad R. Frost Chief Technologist, Engineering Directorate SSCG Representative Ames Research Center - C. Frost
NASA Glenn Research Center		Carl E. Sandifer II Deputy Chief, Space Science Project Office SSCG Representative GRC Small Spacecraft Overview
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Wallops Flight Facility		David A. Wilcox Chief, Small Satellite and Special Projects Office SSCG Representative Smallsats @ GSFC - D. Wilcox
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory		Peter B. Kahn, Forum Co-Chair Manager, Project Systems Engineering and Formulation Section SSCG Representative
NASA Johnson Space Center		Samuel M. Pedrotty Deputy Project Manager Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capability Evolution Project SSCG Representative Johnson Space Center Overview - S. Pedrotty
NASA Kennedy Space Center		Liam J. Cheney Flight Projects Office, Launch Services Program
NASA Langley Research Center		William "Chris" Edwards Associate Director for Science, Engineering Directorate SSCG Representative Langley Research Center SmallSat Overview - W. Edwards
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center		Joseph C. Casas Science, Technology and Exploration Small Missions and DoD Formulation Manager, Partnerships and Formulation Office; Manager, Office of Secretary of Defense, Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, Arctic Collaborative Environment SSCG Representative Marshall Space Flight Center Overview - J. Casas
12:00 PM - 12:15 PM Break
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM NASA Directorates and Programs - Opportunities
Advanced Exploration Systems, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate		Andres Martinez Program Executive Advanced Exploration Systems SSCG Representative NASA Headquarters Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Small Spacecraft Missions - A. Martinez
Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate		Carolyn R. Mercer, Ph.D Program Executive, Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) NASA Glenn Research Center Planetary Science SmallSat Opportunities - C. Mercer
Astrophysics Division Science Mission Directorate		Michael R. Garcia SmallSats Program Scientist, Astrophysics Division NASA Headquarters 2021 NASA Small Spacecraft Forum - M. Garcia
Heliophysics Division Science Mission Directorate		Amy R. Winebarger Program Scientist, Heliophysics Division NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Earth Science Division Science Mission Directorate		Sachidananda R. Babu Program Manager, In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies Earth Science Technology Office NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Small Sat Forum ESD - S. Babu
Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office Science Mission Directorate		Jason E. Jenkins Program Executive Exploration Science Strategic Integration Office NASA Headquarters
Small Spacecraft Technology Program Science Mission Directorate		Justin V. Treptow Element Lead, Small Spacecraft Technology Program and Flight Opportunities Program NASA Headquarters Quick Intro to the Small Spacecraft Technology Program - J. Treptow
1:15 PM - 1:30 PM Special Sessions - Introductory Information and Expectations
Introduction to the Special Sessions Framework Organizational overview of the next several weeks of Special Sessions Topics and facilitators Discussion template (how discussion will be organized and captured)		Luis H. Santos, Forum Co-Chair Chief Engineer, Small Satellite Project Office NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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1:30 PM - 1:45 PM Break
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM New Principal Investigator-Focused Panel Session
What's Next Now that I've had a Proposal Accepted?		Moderator: Therese Moretto Jorgensen, Ph.D Chief Scientist NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute
A panel of managers will present their expectations and advice for newly selected mission teams to help enable the best possible start. Reference: 2019 NASA SmallSat Mission Technical Interchange Meeting – Tutorial Session Presentation Navigating SmallSat Development: Where to Begin and What to Expect Watch the 2020 Webinar	0	Gregory Stover Program Manager, Earth System Science Pathfinder NASA Langley Research Center James J. Cockrell Chief Technologist Small Spacecraft Technology Program NASA Ames Research Center Ryan P. Nugent CubeSat Lab Program Lead California Polytechnic State University John D. Hudeck Deputy Portfolio Manager for Heliophysics Division/Astrophysics Division Small Satellites NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Wallops Flight Facility

Special Sessions

Thursdays April 1 – April 22, 2021

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM PDT

By invitation

Each special session lasts 2.0 hours and is structured as below

10 Minutes “All-hands” Session: Introduction to the session and logistics
45 Minutes Breakout session A: 3-4 concurrent breakout rooms with a specific topic
10 Minutes Break
45 minutes Breakout Session B: 3-4 concurrent breakout rooms with a specific topic
10 Minutes “All-hands” Session: Wrap up to share session highlights

Day & Session Title	Breakout Rooms for Session A	Breakout Rooms for Session B
April 1 Pre-Phase A Concept Studies and Proposals	Project Management (reviews, staffing, schedule and budget) HQ process for AOs (opportunities, timeline) Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems)	Characteristics of a Winning Proposal (margins, completeness, compelling science, innovative technology or approach) Safety and Mission Assurance (class D vs. Do No Harm, ODAR, Planetary Protection, LEO lifetime) Mission Design Tools and Resources (S3VI, NEN, mission design labs, make vs. buy)
April 8 Phase A, B and C Concept/Technology Development, Preliminary/ Final Design and Fabrication	Project Management (CM, reviews, staffing, schedule and budget) HQ Process (status report, ARC and GSFC/WFF SmallSat Offices roles) Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems, requirements definitions) Launch Opportunities (identifying launch opportunities, CSLI vs. commercial)	Mission Documentation (PIP, SEMP, ConOps, Requirements, etc.) Risk Program (typical practices, risk matrix, reporting) Analysis/Simulation vs. Testing (early interface testing, no analysis vs. basic checks vs. detailed analysis) Licensing Process and Encryption (NTIA, FAA, NOAA, when encryption applies, what type of encryption)
April 15 Phase D System Assembly, Integration and Test, Launch	Project Management (CM, reviews, staffing, schedule and budget) Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems, compliance matrix) I&T Plan (level of detail, relevant testing)	Day-in-the-life Testing (hardware on the loop, simulation environments, TVAC) Ground System (government vs. commercial ground stations, ground system software, I&T GSE vs. Flight MOC/GS) Data Processing System (housekeeping vs. experimental data, post-processing, science products, technology demonstration data products)
April 22 Phase E and F Operations, Sustainment and Closeout	Operations Management (budget, schedule, staffing) Engineering (data trending, commissioning) Data Processing (collection, validation, storage, and dissemination)	Extended Operations (funding process, licensing) On-orbit Anomalies (diagnostics, patching software, troubleshooting) Closure, Optimizing Impact, Assessing Outcomes (scientific and technical publications, technology and knowledge transfer, next steps, lessons learned reporting)