[Satnews] On November 2, 2015, the Hosted Payload Alliance (HPA) facilitated a workshop at one of the leading military satellite communications conferences and exhibitions in Europe, Global MilSatCom in London, UK.

Officials from more than a dozen countries and organizations including the Czech Republic, Japan, NATO, NATO Special Forces, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Arab Emirates participated, indicating global interest in hosted payloads as potential solutions to international objectives.

HPA’s workshop explored the benefits and challenges of commercially hosted government payload programs. Experts from the HPA member companies led the conversation, demonstrating how global government customers can use successful models of hosted payloads to accelerate the adoption of similar programs. The panelists included:

• Nicole Robinson, Corporate Vice President of Government Market Solutions and HPA Chair
• David Bair, President, Eutelsat America
• Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, Senior Vice President for Government Strategy and Policy, Inmarsat
• Catherine Dargeou, Business Development in Commercial & Military Markets for Thales Alenia Space
• Rich Pang, Senior Director of Hosted Payloads at SES Government Solutions
• Rick Skinner, Director of Business Development for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
• Rhys Taylor (Moderator), Wing Commander, J6 Headquarters, Joint Forces New Zealand
• Rory Welch, HPA Vice Chair, Director of Space Systems, Intelsat General Corporation

Robinson said, “The HPA workshop in London represented an important milestone for the Alliance. It is a clear indication of the value in expanding our reach to deliberately engage members of the international community. With many different nations present, the workshop was a testament to the interest of worldwide audiences on the value and role of commercially hosted government payloads. We view the workshop and the outreach as the first of many on the HPA’s path forward.”

Established in 2010, HPA represents satellite operators, satellite manufacturers, system integrators and launch service providers, as well as other interested parties, and focuses on education, awareness and developing solutions to common challenges. For more information, visit http://www.hostedpayloadalliance.org.

HPA's Executive Members are: Airbus Group, Boeing, Harris Corporation, Inmarsat, Intelsat General Corporation, Iridium Communications Inc., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SES Government Solutions, and SSL.