Satellite operations with secure enclave for secure inband hosted payload operations

A method for payload operations, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a vehicle, encrypted host commands from a satellite operation portion of a host spacecraft operations center (SOC),
• wherein the encrypted host commands are host commands encrypted by the satellite operation portion of the host SOC utilizing a host communication security (COMSEC) variety;
• decrypting, by a host communication security processor on the vehicle, the encrypted host commands by utilizing the host COMSEC variety to produce unencrypted host commands;
• reconfiguring a host payload on the vehicle according to the unencrypted host commands;
• commanding at least one hosted payload on the vehicle one of on or off according to the unencrypted host commands;
• encrypting, by the host communication security processor, unencrypted host payload telemetry by utilizing the host COMSEC variety to produce encrypted host telemetry;
• transmitting, by the vehicle, the encrypted host telemetry to the satellite operation portion of the host SOC, which decrypts the encrypted host telemetry by utilizing the host COMSEC variety to produce the unencrypted host payload telemetry;
• receiving, by the vehicle, encrypted hosted commands from a secure enclave of the host SOC, wherein the encrypted hosted commands are received from the secure enclave via one or more of a plurality of hosted command paths based on determining which of the plurality of the hosted command paths is to be used for delivering the encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle, the plurality of hosted command paths utilizing at least one inband frequency band and comprising:
• one or more first hosted command paths each of which passes via the satellite operation portion of the host SOC on the way from the secure enclave to the vehicle;
• and
• one or more second hosted command paths each of which bypasses the satellite operation portion of the host SOC on the way from the secure enclave to the vehicle;
• wherein the one or more second hosted command paths comprise a path passing from the secure enclave directly to a host gateway antenna and then directly to the vehicle;
• wherein the encrypted hosted commands are hosted commands encrypted by the secure enclave by utilizing at least one hosted COMSEC variety;
• decrypting, by at least one hosted communication security processor on the vehicle, the encrypted hosted commands by utilizing the at least one hosted COMSEC variety to produce unencrypted hosted commands;
• reconfiguring the at least one hosted payload on the vehicle according to the unencrypted hosted commands;
• encrypting, by the at least one hosted communication security processor, unencrypted hosted payload telemetry by utilizing the at least one hosted COMSEC variety to produce encrypted hosted telemetry;
• transmitting, by a host payload antenna on the vehicle, host payload data;
• transmitting, by a hosted payload antenna on the vehicle, hosted payload data;
• and
• transmitting, by the vehicle, the encrypted hosted telemetry, to the secure enclave, which decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry by utilizing the at least one hosted COMSEC variety to produce the unencrypted hosted payload telemetry.

A method for payload operations, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a vehicle, encrypted host commands from a satellite operation portion of a host spacecraft operations center (SOC), and decrypting and executing the host commands to achieve payload reconfiguration;
• receiving, by the vehicle, encrypted hosted commands from a secure enclave of the host SOC, and decrypting and executing the hosted commands to achieve payload reconfiguration;
• transmitting, by the vehicle, encrypted host telemetry to the satellite operation portion of the host SOC;
• and
• transmitting, by the vehicle, encrypted hosted telemetry to the secure enclave of the host SOC;
• wherein the encrypted hosted commands and/or encrypted hosted telemetry are transmitted via one or more communication paths each of which is selected from a plurality of available communication paths based on determining which of the plurality of the communications paths is to be used for delivering the encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle and/or delivering the encrypted hosted telemetry to the secure enclave, the plurality of communication paths utilizing at least one inband frequency band and including:
• at least one communication path passing through the satellite operation portion of the host SOC on the way between the secure enclave and the vehicle;
• and
• at least one communication path bypassing the satellite operation portion of the host SOC and passing between the vehicle and a host gateway antenna and directly between the host gateway antenna and the secure enclave.