# 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._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Space Taxis and Locomotives Move Satellites Between Orbits](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11492143/catching-super-heavy-booster) — A modular system using a small 'rendezvous' vehicle to collect satellites and a larger 'locomotive' vehicle to haul them to their final destination in space. - [How Satellites Handle Super Fast User Data Using Shared Antennas](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8135338/satellite-system-with-enhanced-payload-capacity) — This patent describes a satellite system boosting data capacity by having satellites receive high-speed user data, relay it via crosslinks to other satellites, and then send it to ground stations, often using a single antenna for both user and ground connections. - [High-Flying Aircraft Relays Satellite Internet to Ground Users](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10707961/adaptive-communication-system) — This patent describes a communication system that uses satellites, high-altitude aircraft, and ground stations to send data, specifically using lasers for space links and cloud-penetrating radio waves for ground links. - [How Spacecraft Servicing Pods Maneuver and Refuel Other Satellites](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11685554/starship-upper-stage) — A specialized robotic pod designed to dock with aging satellites and use a flexible, multi-jointed boom arm to adjust their orbit or velocity. - [How High-Altitude Satellites Relay Data for Fast-Moving Low-Orbit Satellites](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10998965/high-throughput-satellites-and-methods-of-operating-high-throughput-satellites-f) — This patent describes how a high-throughput satellite (HTS) in a fixed orbit can dynamically track and relay data from fast-moving low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to ground stations by precisely switching its focused radio beams.