Modernizing the hardware and software is only a part of the broader challenge of transforming these federal launch and reentry sites into multi-user spaceports capable of meeting the rapidly growing capacity demand. Of equal if not greater importance is recasting the processes by which these federal launch and reentry sites interface with their customers, what the commercial world calls the workflows and business rules. Some opportunities for improving the Launch and Test Ranges include (i) adopting common, RTCA-like standards for all interfaces between the launch vehicle and operator and the spaceport to streamline the integration of new customers, vehicles, and mission profiles, (ii) a secure, persistent digital interface between the spaceport and customers to enable true concurrent operations and obviate the need for any reconfiguration between missions, (iii) standard, digital flight data package and spaceport service requirements (the old UDS) processing similar to how users of the national airspace system file flight plans, (iv) transparent, menu-based pricing of all reimbursable services, and (v) a single integrated and fully interactive on-line scheduling of all spaceport services with reservation capability. These are the initiatives that will make it possible for these contracts to have maximum impact.
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