# 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.

- **Patent:** US 10981678
- **Original title:** System and method for providing spacecraft-based services
- **Owner:** Loft Orbital Solutions Inc
- **Granted:** 2021
- **Status:** Active
- **Times cited:** 0
- **Field:** aerospace, telecommunications, software

## What it does

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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Real-world examples

1. Loft Orbital's satellite hosting platform
2. Shared-payload Earth observation missions
3. Multi-tenant satellite sensor networks

## Why it matters

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.

## 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.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10981678/starlink-satellite-design

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US10981678

---

_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._