ABSTRACT
The industry is growing, in both size and also scale. GEO communications satellites have moved from Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) payloads with throughputs of a few Gb/s to highly flexible software defined payloads with 50Gbps - 1Tbps. LEO satellite constellations have grown for 10s of satellites to hundreds with plans to be in the thousands. As the terrestrial telecoms industry has already learned, satellites and constellations of this size and capabilities cannot be cost effectively supported by purpose built hard ground systems. They require cloud enabled virtualize software-based systems that can be deployed, modified and torn down through orchestrated through Software Defined Networking (SDN) controllers systems. This architecture of leveraging the power of cloud technologies and software virtualization is at the heart of modern large telecoms terrestrial networks and the fundamental infrastructure on which all 5G based systems are built. In this presentation, we will talk about the progress that has been made in applying virtualization and cloud technologies to satellite ground systems, including some real-world applications of the technology in space systems

BIOGRAPHY
Stuart Daughtridge, Vice President of Advanced Technology, Kratos Space, Training and Cybersecurity Mr. Daughtridge has extensive experience in the satellite and aerospace industry spanning over 30 years. In his current position, he leads Kratos’ satellite ground segment technology initiatives including the planning for the next generation of ground segment technology. In this role, Mr. Daughtridge is focused on today’s innovative and advanced technologies that will enable the ground station to become more dynamic, scalable, secure and cost-effective for customers. Prior to his current role at Kratos, he has held several senior management positions within the company. Mr. Daughtridge has also held various management and engineering positions with Orion Satellite Corporation, Intelsat, and Spacecom. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Lafayette College.