How to Rent Out Space on Satellites for Different Customers
A system for managing a fleet of satellites so multiple customers can share the same hardware to run their own specific space-based tasks.
Original patent title: “System and method for providing spacecraft-based services”
A system for managing a fleet of satellites so multiple customers can share the same hardware to run their own specific space-based tasks. Granted to Loft Orbital Solutions Inc in 2021 with 20 claims.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a way to treat satellites like shared cloud servers. Instead of one company owning a whole satellite, a ground control network takes requests from many different customers and matches them to specific hardware on a satellite, such as cameras or sensors. The system manages these requests so that a single satellite can perform tasks for two different customers at the same time, or during overlapping time windows. It also includes a logic system to handle conflicts, such as rejecting a request if another customer has priority for a specific sensor, and suggesting ways to modify the request to make it work.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover satellites that are dedicated to a single customer or mission.
- Does not cover hardware that cannot be remotely reconfigured or shared between different users.
- Does not cover ground-based communication systems that do not manage on-orbit spacecraft payloads.
- Does not cover manual, non-automated scheduling of satellite tasks.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system treats a heterogeneous satellite constellation (a mix of different satellites) as a unified pool of resources, allowing the ground controller to dynamically schedule overlapping tasks for different customers on the same physical hardware.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Loft Orbital's satellite hosting platform
Shared-payload Earth observation missions
Multi-tenant satellite sensor networks
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Historically, launching a satellite was a massive, multi-year project for a single organization. This technology enables a 'space-as-a-service' model, allowing startups or researchers to rent space on existing satellites rather than building their own. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for space-based data collection.
Filed
July 23, 2019
Granted
April 20, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Loft Orbital is the primary entity developing this technology. Other companies in the 'space-as-a-service' or satellite-hosting sector, such as Exolaunch or various smallsat integration providers, are moving toward similar shared-resource models.
Market impact
This approach is shifting the satellite industry from a 'bespoke hardware' model to a 'cloud-like' infrastructure model. It allows for faster deployment of space-based services and enables smaller organizations to access orbital assets without the capital expense of manufacturing their own spacecraft.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a way to treat satellites like shared cloud servers. Instead of one company owning a whole satellite, a ground control network takes requests from many different customers and matches them to specific hardware on a satellite, such as cameras or sensors. The system manages these requests so that a single satellite can perform tasks for two different customers at the same time, or during overlapping time windows. It also includes a logic system to handle conflicts, such as rejecting a request if another customer has priority for a specific sensor, and suggesting ways to modify the request to make it work.
The clever bit
The system treats a heterogeneous satellite constellation (a mix of different satellites) as a unified pool of resources, allowing the ground controller to dynamically schedule overlapping tasks for different customers on the same physical hardware.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover satellites that are dedicated to a single customer or mission.
- Does not cover hardware that cannot be remotely reconfigured or shared between different users.
- Does not cover ground-based communication systems that do not manage on-orbit spacecraft payloads.
- Does not cover manual, non-automated scheduling of satellite tasks.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
13/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$21K – $67K
Midpoint $42K · 13.1 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
20 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
VAUJOUR, P., & Bremond, L. (2021). How to Rent Out Space on Satellites for Different Customers (U.S. Patent No. 10,981,678). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10981678/starlink-satellite-design
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How to Rent Out Space on Satellites for Different Customers cover?
A system for managing a fleet of satellites so multiple customers can share the same hardware to run their own specific space-based tasks.
Who owns patent US 10981678?
Loft Orbital Solutions Inc owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on April 20, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Historically, launching a satellite was a massive, multi-year project for a single organization. This technology enables a 'space-as-a-service' model, allowing startups or researchers to rent space on existing satellites rather than building their own. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for space-based data collection.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover satellites that are dedicated to a single customer or mission.
Patent monitoring