Request for Feedback: NASA Hosted Payload Interface Guide (HPIG) for Proposers

NASA is in the process of updating the Hosted Payload Interface Guide (HPIG) for Proposers document and is seeking feedback/input from industry, academia, and other Government agencies. Hosted payloads are instruments flown on a partner spacecraft as secondary missions. These instruments are typically designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) utilizing a spacecraft’s excess capability to achieve their own objectives while not impeding the primary payload’s mission. A set of guidelines, called the HPIG for Proposers, was developed in March 2018 by the NASA Common Instrument Interface (CII) Project to assist developers in maximizing their likelihood of flying a hostable instrument/payload and to reduce instrument-to-spacecraft interface complexity. Since issuance, this HPIG for Proposers document has been referenced in applicable Earth Venture (EV) Announcements of Opportunity (AOs) to provide prospective instrument developers with technical recommendations

to assist them in designing an instrument or payload to be flown as a hosted payload on commercial satellites. NASA wants to ensure the current HPIG for Proposers document reflects changes in both the hosting and aerospace market since original publication of the HPIG for Proposers in March 2018 and the most recent document review in October 2021. As with the original CII effort, NASA is seeking to engage industry, academia, and other Government agencies in updating this document to ensure it is aligned with market-based and programmatic factors, to ensure this document’s guidance reflects current technical interface capabilities of commercial spacecraft manufacturers, and to maintain cognizance of industry-wide design practices resulting from technological advances. The current HPIG for Proposers document is provided with this notice. We request that feedback be provided directly within this document utilizing the track changes and commenting features. If additional input is desired (e.g., information to support recommended edits, such as company capabilities), such information can be provided with your response to the individual noted below. While proprietary data is not requested, any such provided data will be properly handled in accordance with Agency procedures and will not be released outside of the Government. NOTE: Responses to this request will be reviewed by both NASA Civil Servants and NASA Contractors. NASA requests responses no later than April 30, 2024. Responses and any questions shall be submitted electronically via email to Michael Kaszyca (michael.kaszyca@nasa.gov).