The Orbital Service Stack
As the market matures, physical 'As-a-Service' models are aggregated into digital Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Above the Line (The Orbital Cloud)
Orbital Compute
The user buys GPU-seconds or Inference cycles.
Enabled by:
Data Transport
The user buys Latency (ms) and Throughput (Gbps).
Enabled by:
Mission Outcomes
The user buys Data Products or Manufactured Goods.
Enabled by:
THE ABSTRACTION LINE (The Control Plane)
Below the Line (The Hidden Supply Chain)
The Physical Service Layer
| Acronym | Full Name | Definition | The Cloud Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
SataaS | Satellite-as-a-Service | Renting the bus, power, and thermal capacity without owning the hardware. | Bare Metal Server / IaaS |
SDCaaS | Space Data Center-as-a-Service | Hosting high-performance compute and storage infrastructure in orbit. | Rack Colocation |
Hosting | Payload Hosting & Mission Mgmt | Integration and deployment services for third-party sensors. | Managed Hosting |
Connectivity & Operations
GSaaS | Ground Station-as-a-Service | Access to ground antenna networks for downlink without building infrastructure. | ISP / Fiber Backbone |
SDRaaS | Space Data Relay-as-a-Service | In-space data relay via inter-satellite links to reduce latency. | CDN / Cloud Interconnect |
SOaaS | Satellite Ops-as-a-Service | Outsourced mission control, maneuvering, and health monitoring. | DevOps / SRE Team |
Sustainment & Utility
SRaaS | Space Refueling-as-a-Service | Fuel delivery to extend satellite lifespan and ROI. | Power & HVAC Maintenance |
SDaaS (Waste) | Spacecraft Deorbiting-as-a-Service | End-of-life disposal and debris removal compliance. | E-Waste Recycling / Compliance |
Application Specific
SDaaS (Data) | Satellite Data-as-a-Service | Delivering processed insights directly to users (pixels to answers). | SaaS / API Layer |
ISMaaS | In-Space Manufacturing-as-a-Service | Production of goods (bio/pharma/fiber) in microgravity. | Specialized Workload |
Why the Service Model is Winning
CapEx → OpEx
Reduced Costs: Eliminating the $50M upfront ticket. Companies move from capitalizing assets to expensing monthly capacity.
Lower Risk
Eliminating binary mission failure. If the sensor fails, you stop paying the rent.
Faster Deployment
Accessing infrastructure instantly. Deploying code to an existing SDCaaS node takes days. Building a satellite takes years.
Democratization
Opening space to non-aerospace entrants. Software companies can now deploy to orbit without becoming rocket scientists.