Announcements

MOSA INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDS FOR SPACE SYSTEMS WEBINAR
Date: August 26, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM –  1:00 PM PDT / 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
The modular open system approach (MOSA) is a practical and necessary acquisition and engineering strategy to achieve plug-and-play type of interoperability across conforming systems. MOSA will enable the Department of War (DoW) to deploy new technologies more rapidly to our warfighters and better leverage combined Enterprise and ally assets for mission operations. MOSA Interoperability Standards standardize key system interfaces, which enable all the plug-and-play benefits, significantly:
  • Increased competition without vendor lock-in
  • Greater system software reuse
  • Accelerated integration testing
  • Mitigation of parts obsolescence
  • Better enablement for new entrants to compete in an established market.
MOSA Interoperability Standards help provide a wider range of capabilities for our warfighters by promoting a larger industrial base. The ISTO Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance has pioneered agile and digital engineering methods to accelerate the development of voluntary consensus interoperability standards.
This webinar will feature presentations and demonstrations on the agile and digital engineering methods used successfully by our committees to develop MOSA Interoperability Standards and enable rapid MOSA implementation in space systems.
To Register please click here!
For more information, contact mosa.webinar@aero.org

MOSA Alliance Announces New Packet Erasure Coding – Optical Communications (PEC-OC) Committee

Are you ready to help shape the next generation of resilient space communications? The ISTO Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance is pleased to announce the formation of the Packet Erasure Coding – Optical Communications (PEC-OC) Committee, and we invite new members to participate in our kick-off meeting.

About the Committee:
The PEC-OC Committee is dedicated to advancing interoperable optical communications for space systems through standardized packet erasure coding solutions. The PEC-OC Committee will review and tailor existing and emerging standards or develop new standards to promote the adoption of packet erasure coding for atmospheric turbulence fade mitigation in space-to-ground (S2G) and ground-to-space (G2S) optical communication links. Unlike bit-oriented channel codes at the physical layer, PEC operates above the PHY layer and can be “wrapped around” existing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) modems without expensive redesigns. The committee will address:

  • Robust Data Transmission: Enhancing link reliability and throughput by applying packet-level erasure coding tailored to the unique characteristics of S2G and G2S optical channels.
  • Interoperability: Establishing protocol and interface standards—including Ethernet-in/Ethernet-out encapsulation—that enable multi-vendor compatibility and seamless integration with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) modems.
  • Performance Metrics: Defining requirements and performance benchmarks for PEC-enabled optical links, including modeling of atmospheric phenomena and parametric analysis of code rates, block sizes, and packet lengths.
  • Integration: Supporting adoption within hybrid DoD and commercial architectures for scalable, resilient space network operations.

The committee will meet virtually once per week for one hour, with the day/time determined by committee consensus. The cadence may be adjusted as needed. The committee welcomes engineers, researchers, system architects, standards professionals, and anyone with expertise or interest in optical networking, error correction, or space communications.

Kick-Off Meeting Details:

  • Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
  • Time: 11:00 AM – 12 PM PST
  • Format: Virtual

Interested?
Request more information by visiting our website https://interoperabilityalliance.org/ and filling out the contact form.

Be a part of shaping the future of space communications—join the PEC-OC Committee today!

Who we are

The Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance is interested in rapidly developing modular open system approach (MOSA) compliant space system standards that will enable interoperability at key system interfaces. Collaborating with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Industry Standards and Technology Organization (ISTO) will enable the Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance to leverage agile development methods to expedite the standards development process.

The Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance is a government-guided collaboration with industry for the purpose of voluntary consensus development of space system interface standards, in accordance with Public Law 104-113, and OMB Circular A-119. Furthermore, in accordance with the MOSA laws specified in the 2015/2017/2022/2021 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA), the space system interface specifications will enable and foster interoperability at key system interfaces

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What We Do

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The Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance consists of committees and subcommittees developing interoperability standards that meet Enterprise-defined objectives.  The collection of standards developed by the alliance will synergistically support Enterprise objectives.  By creating standardized interfaces, the Enterprise seeks to benefit from a wider range of industry innovations and bring newer technologies to our warfighters faster.  Standardization will also enable and foster the ability of non-traditional companies to enter the established market.

Committees

The objective of the Space Systems MOSA Interface Alliance is to have multiple committees/subcommittees developing interface standards across all segments of space systems.  The Alliance will target a subset of interfaces within and across the Space, Ground, Launch, and User segments.

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