Patent Publication Number: US-11388151-B2

Title: Protected multi-operators payload operations with private telemetry and command

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Divisional application of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/451,224, filed Mar. 6, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to payload operations. In particular, it relates to protected multi-operators payload operations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Currently, typical transponders on a vehicle (e.g., a satellite) have the ability to perform switching of inputs to outputs of the payload. All of this switching on the payload is commanded and controlled by a single satellite controller with no resource allocation privacy. For example, in a digital transponder, when a user request for a channel with specific bandwidth and antenna characteristics is made, the channel is then set up, used, and then disconnected. 
     As such, there is a need for an improved transponder design that allows for privacy in the allocation of resources on the payload. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to a method, system, and apparatus for protected multi-operators payload operations. In one or more embodiments, a method for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises transmitting, by a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC), encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC). Also, the method comprises transmitting, by the host SOC, encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. In one or more embodiments, the encrypted host commands are encrypted utilizing a first communication security (COMSEC) variety and the encrypted hosted commands are encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety. In addition, the method comprises decrypting, by a first communication security module on the vehicle, the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted host commands. Additionally, decrypting, by a second communication security module on the vehicle, the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the method comprises reconfiguring a payload on the vehicle according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. In addition, transmitting, by a payload antenna on the vehicle, payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. Additionally, encrypting, by the first communication security module, unencrypted host telemetry and the unencrypted hosted telemetry from the payload by utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry and encrypted hosted telemetry. Also, the method comprises transmitting, by a telemetry transmitter on the vehicle, the encrypted host telemetry and the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC. Further, the method comprises transmitting, by the host SOC, the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     In at least one embodiment, the reconfiguring of the payload according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands comprises adjusting transponder power, transponder spectrum monitoring, transponder connectivity, transponder gain settings, transponder limiter settings, transponder automatic level control settings, transponder phase settings, internal gain generation, bandwidth for at least one beam, at least one frequency band for at least one beam, transponder beamforming settings, effective isotropic radiation power (EIRP) for at least one beam, transponder channels, and/or beam steering. 
     In one or more embodiments, the reconfiguring of the payload according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands comprises reconfiguring at least one antenna, at least one analog-to-digital converter, at least one digital-to-analog converter, at least one beamformer, at least one digital channelizer, at least one demodulator, at least one modulator, at least one digital switch matrix, and/or at least one digital combiner. 
     In at least one embodiment, the vehicle is an airborne vehicle. In one or more embodiments, the airborne vehicle is a satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or space plane. 
     In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises encrypting, by the HOC, the unencrypted hosted commands by utilizing the second COMSEC variety to produce the encrypted hosted commands. Further, the method comprises encrypting, by the host SOC, the unencrypted host commands by utilizing the first COMSEC variety to produce the encrypted host commands. 
     In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, by a host command receiver on the vehicle, the encrypted host commands. Also, the method comprises receiving, by a hosted command receiver on the vehicle, the encrypted hosted commands. In addition, the method comprises transmitting, by the host command receiver, the encrypted host commands to the first communication security module. Further, the method comprises transmitting, by the hosted command receiver, the encrypted hosted commands to the second communication security module. 
     In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting, by the first communication security module, the unencrypted host commands to the payload. Also, the method comprises transmitting, by the second communication security module, the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload. 
     In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting, by the payload, to the first communication security module the unencrypted host telemetry and the unencrypted hosted telemetry. 
     In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting, by the first communication security module, the encrypted host telemetry and the encrypted hosted telemetry to the telemetry transmitter. 
     In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises decrypting, by the host SOC, the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety and utilizing a database without hosted decommutated information to generate the unencrypted host telemetry. Also, the method comprises decrypting, by the HOC, the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety and utilizing a database without host decommutated information to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry. 
     In one or more embodiments, a method for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises transmitting, by the HOC, the encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC). The method further comprises transmitting, by the host SOC, the encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. Also, the method comprises decrypting, by the first communication security module, the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host commands. In addition, the method comprises decrypting, by the second communication security module, the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted commands. Additionally, the method comprises reconfiguring the payload according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the method comprises transmitting, by a payload antenna on the vehicle, payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. In addition, the method comprises encrypting, by the first communication security module, the unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry. Additionally, the method comprises transmitting, by the host telemetry transmitter, the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC. Also, the method comprises encrypting, by the second communication security module, the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry. In addition, the method comprises transmitting, by the hosted telemetry transmitter, the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC. Further, the method comprises transmitting, by the host SOC, the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     In at least one embodiment, a method for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises transmitting, by a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC), encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. The method further comprises transmitting, by the host SOC, encrypted host commands to the vehicle. Also, the method comprises decrypting, by a first communication security module on the vehicle, the encrypted host commands utilizing a first COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted host commands. In addition, the method comprises decrypting, by a second communication security module on the vehicle, the encrypted hosted commands utilizing a second COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted hosted commands. Additionally, the method comprises reconfiguring the payload according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the method comprises transmitting, by a payload antenna on the vehicle, payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. In addition, the method comprises encrypting, by the first communication security module, unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry. Additionally, the method comprises transmitting, by a host telemetry transmitter on the vehicle, the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC. Also, the method comprises encrypting, by the second communication security module, unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry. Further, the method comprises transmitting, by the hosted telemetry transmitter, the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     In one or more embodiments, a system for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) to transmit encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC). The system further comprises the host SOC to transmit encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. In one or more embodiments, the encrypted host commands are encrypted utilizing a first communication security (COMSEC) variety and the encrypted hosted commands are encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety. Also, the system comprises a first communication security module on the vehicle to decrypt the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted host commands. In addition, the system comprises a second communication security module on the vehicle to decrypt the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted hosted commands. Additionally, the system comprises a payload on the vehicle reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the system comprises a payload antenna on the vehicle to transmit payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. In addition, the system comprises the first communication security module to encrypt unencrypted host telemetry and unencrypted hosted telemetry from the payload by utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry and encrypted hosted telemetry. Additionally, the system comprises a telemetry transmitter on the vehicle to transmit the encrypted host telemetry and the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC. Further, the system comprises the host SOC to transmit the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     In at least one embodiment, a system for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) to transmit encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC). The system further comprises the host SOC to transmit encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. In one or more embodiments, the encrypted host commands are encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety and the encrypted hosted commands are encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety. Also, the system comprises a first communication security module to decrypt the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted host commands. In addition, the system comprises a second communication security module to decrypt the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted commands. Additionally, the system comprises a payload reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the system comprises a payload antenna on the vehicle to transmit payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. In addition, the system comprises the first communication security module to encrypt unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry. Also, the system comprises a host telemetry transmitter to transmit the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC. In addition, the system comprises the second communication security module to encrypt unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry. Also, the system comprises a hosted telemetry transmitter to transmit the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC. Further, the system comprises the host SOC to transmit the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     In one or more embodiments, a system for protected multi-operators payload operations comprises a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) to transmit encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle. The system further comprises a host spacecraft operations center (SOC) to transmit encrypted host commands to the vehicle. In one or more embodiments, the encrypted host commands are encrypted utilizing a first communication security (COMSEC) variety and the encrypted hosted commands are encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety. Also, the system comprises a first communication security module on the vehicle to decrypt the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted host commands. In addition, the system comprises a second communication security module on the vehicle to decrypt the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate unencrypted hosted commands. Also, the system comprises a payload reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. In addition, the system comprises a payload antenna on the vehicle to transmit payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna. Additionally, the system comprises the first communication security module to encrypt unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry. Also, the system comprises a host telemetry transmitter on the vehicle to transmit the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC. In addition, the system comprises the second communication security module to encrypt unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry. Further, the system comprises a hosted telemetry transmitter to transmit the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC. 
     The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram showing simplified architecture for the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing the second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry and the hosted telemetry are both encrypted using the first COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing the second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry and the hosted telemetry are both encrypted using the first COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) to a vehicle and the hosted user transmits encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to the vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) to a vehicle and the hosted user transmits encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to the vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram showing components of an exemplary virtual transponder that may be employed by the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The methods and apparatus disclosed herein provide an operative system for protected multi-operators payload operations. The system of the present disclosure allows for vehicle operators to privately share vehicle resources. 
     As previously mentioned above, currently, typical transponders on a vehicle (e.g., a satellite) have the ability to perform switching of inputs to outputs of the payload. All of this switching on the payload is commanded and controlled by a single satellite controller with no resource allocation privacy. For example, in a digital transponder, when a user request for a channel with specific bandwidth and antenna characteristics is made, the channel is then set up, used, and then disconnected. 
     The disclosed system allows for private vehicle resource allocation and control that provides vehicle users the ability to privately, dynamically, allocate resources on demand. In particular, the disclosed system employs a virtual transponder, which is a transponder partitioned into multiple transponders with independent command and control. In one or more embodiments, an exemplary virtual transponder includes a digital transponder with a digital channelizer, a digital switch matrix, and a digital combiner that is configured to partition a digital transponder into multiple transponders with independent command and control. Command and control of the virtual transponder is achieved via ground software that provides dynamic allocation and privatization of the digital switch matrix for bandwidth on demand. 
     It should be noted that the disclosed system for private vehicle resource allocation and control may employ various different types of transponders for the virtual transponder other than the specific disclosed embodiments (e.g., depicted  FIG. 8 ) for the virtual transponder. For example, various different types of transponders may be employed for the virtual transponder including, but not limited to, various different types of digital transponders, various different types of analog transponders (e.g., conventional repeater-type transponders), and various different types of combination analog/digital transponders. 
     In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the system. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the disclosed system may be practiced without these specific details. In the other instances, well known features have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the system. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical components and various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such components may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may employ various integrated circuit components (e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like), which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more processors, microprocessors, or other control devices. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with other components, and that the system described herein is merely one example embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques and components related to satellite communication systems, and other functional aspects of the system (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram  100  showing simplified architecture for the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, a simplified view of multiple possible hosted payload configurations is illustrated. In particular, this figure shows a space segment  110  and a ground segment  120 . The space segment  110  represents a vehicle. Various different types of vehicles may be employed for the vehicle including, but not limited to, an airborne vehicle. And, various different types of airborne vehicles may be employed for the vehicle including, but not limited to, a satellite, an aircraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and a space plane. 
     In the case of a satellite being employed for the vehicle, it should be noted that satellites typically include computer-controlled systems. A satellite generally includes a bus  130  and a payload  140 . The bus  130  may include systems (which include components) that control the satellite. These systems perform tasks, such as power generation and control, thermal control, telemetry, attitude control, orbit control, and other suitable operations. 
     The payload  140  of the satellite provides functions to users of the satellite. The payload  140  may include antennas, transponders, and other suitable devices. For example, with respect to communications, the payload  140  in a satellite may be used to provide Internet access, telephone communications, radio, television, and other types of communications. 
     The payload  140  of the satellite may be used by different entities. For example, the payload  140  may be used by the owner of the satellite (i.e. the host user), one or more customers (i.e. the hosted user(s)), or some combination thereof. 
     For example, the owner of a satellite may lease different portions of the payload  140  to different customers. In one example, one group of antenna beams generated by the payload  140  of the satellite may be leased to one customer, while a second group of antenna beams may be leased to a second customer. In another example, one group of antenna beams generated by the payload  140  of the satellite may be utilized by the owner of the satellite, while a second group of antenna beams may be leased to a customer. In yet another example, some or all of the antenna beams generated by the payload  140  of the satellite may be shared by one customer and a second customer. In another example, some or all of the antenna beams generated by the payload  140  of the satellite may be shared by the owner of the satellite and a customer. When satellites are shared by different users, users may have a shared communications link (e.g., Interface A) to the satellite, or each user may have a separate communications link (e.g., Interfaces A and D) to the satellite. 
     Leasing a satellite to multiple customers may increase the revenues that an owner of a satellite can obtain. Further, a customer may use a subset of the total resources in a satellite for a cost that is less than the cost for the customer to purchase and operate a satellite, to build and operate a satellite, or to lease an entire satellite. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the ground segment  120  comprises a host spacecraft operations center (SOC) (e.g., a ground station associated with the owner of the satellite)  150 , and a hosted payload (HoP) operation center(s) (HOC(s)) (e.g., a ground station(s) associated with a customer(s) that is leasing at least a portion of the payload of the satellite from the owner)  160 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a number of different possible communication links (i.e. Interfaces A-E). It should be noted that the disclosed system may employ some or all of these illustrated communication links. Interface A, which may comprise multiple links, is an out-of-band command and telemetry link from the host SOC  150  to command the satellite. Interface B, which may comprise multiple links, is a communication link, between the bus  130  and the payload  140 . Interface B may be used to control essential items, such as power. Information that may be communicated from the bus  130  to the payload  140  via Interface B may include, but is not limited to, time, ephemeris, and payload commands. Information that may be communicated from the payload  140  to the bus  130  via Interface B may include, but is not limited to, payload telemetry. 
     Interface C, which may comprise multiple links, is an inband command and telemetry link for bus and/or payload. Interface D, which may comprise multiple links, is a command and telemetry link from the HOC(s)  160  to command the satellite. Interface E, which may comprise multiple links, between the host SOC  150  and the HOCs  160  allows for requests from the HOCs for resource sharing of the payload  140 . 
       FIGS. 2-7C  show exemplary systems and methods for protected multi-operators payload operations, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram  200  showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user (i.e. the host SOC)  250  transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing the second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry and the hosted telemetry are both encrypted using the first COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, a vehicle  210 , a host SOC  250 , and a HOC  260  are shown. The HOC  260  has leased at least a portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  205  of the vehicle  210  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  250 . It should be noted that in some embodiments, the HOC  260  may lease all of the payload  205  of the vehicle  210  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  250 . Also, it should be noted that is some embodiments, the HOC  260  may own the payload  205  (e.g., a steerable antenna) of the vehicle  210 , and contract the host SOC  250  to transmit encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle  210 . 
     During operation, the HOC  260  encrypts unencrypted hosted commands (i.e. unencrypted HoP CMD), by utilizing a second COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted hosted commands (i.e. encrypted HoP CMD). The hosted commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  205  that the HOC  260  is leasing from the host SOC  250 . The host SOC  250  encrypts unencrypted host commands (i.e. unencrypted host CMD), by utilizing a first COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted host commands (i.e. encrypted host CMD). The host commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a transponder(s)) of the payload  205  that host SOC  250  is utilizing for itself. 
     It should be noted that, although in  FIG. 2  the host SOC  250  is depicted to have its ground antenna located right next to its operations building; in other embodiments, the host SOC  250  may have its ground antenna located very far away from the its operations building (e.g., the ground antenna may be located in another country than the operations building). 
     Also, it should be noted that the first COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). Additionally, it should be noted that the second COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one encryption algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). 
     The HOC  260  then transmits  215  the encrypted hosted commands to the host SOC  250 . After the host SOC  250  receives the encrypted hosted commands, the host SOC  250  transmits  220  the encrypted host commands and transmits  225  the encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle  210 . The host SOC  250  transmits  220 ,  225  the encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s) (i.e. a frequency band(s) that is not the same frequency band(s) utilized to transmit payload data). The host command receiver  235  on the vehicle  210  receives the encrypted host commands. In addition, the hosted command receiver  245  on the vehicle  210  receives the encrypted hosted commands. 
     The host command receiver  235  then transmits  252  the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  262 . The first communication security module  262  decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 1) to generate unencrypted host commands. 
     It should be noted that the first communication security module  262  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the first communication security module  262  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The hosted command receiver  245  then transmits  255  the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  265 . The second communication security module  265  decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 2) to generate unencrypted hosted commands. 
     It should be noted that the second communication security module  265  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the second communication security module  265  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The first communication security module  262  then transmits  270  the unencrypted host commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  205 . The second communication security module  265  transmits  275  the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  205 . The payload  205  is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. A payload antenna  280  then transmits (e.g., in one or more antenna beams  281 ) payload data to a host receiving antenna  285  and a hosted receiving antenna  290  on the ground. 
     Also, it should be noted that, although in  FIG. 2 , antenna beams  281  is shown to include a plurality of circular spot beams; in other embodiments, antenna beams  281  may include more or less number of beams than is shown in  FIG. 2  (e.g., antenna beams  281  may only include a single beam), and antenna beams  281  may include beams of different shapes than circular spot beams as is shown in  FIG. 2  (e.g., antenna beams  281  may include elliptical beams and/or shaped beams of various different shapes). 
     It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, the payload antenna  280  may comprise one or more reflector dishes including, but not limited to, parabolic reflectors and/or shaped reflectors. In some embodiments, the payload antenna  280  may comprise one or more multifeed antenna arrays. 
     The payload  205  transmits  291  unencrypted host telemetry (i.e. unencrypted host TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  205  that is utilized by the host SOC  250 ) and unencrypted hosted telemetry (i.e. unencrypted HoP TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  205  that is leased by the HOC  260 ) to the first communication security module  262 . The first communication security module  262  then encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry and unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted telemetry (i.e. encrypted TLM) (i.e. encrypted host telemetry and encrypted hosted telemetry). 
     The first communication security module  262  then transmits  293  the encrypted telemetry to a telemetry transmitter  294 . The telemetry transmitter  294  then transmits  295  the encrypted telemetry to the host SOC  250 . The telemetry transmitter  294  transmits  295  the encrypted telemetry utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). The host SOC  250  then decrypts the encrypted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted telemetry. The host SOC  250  then utilizes a database that comprises host payload decommutated information and does not comprise hosted payload decommutated information (i.e. a database without hosted payload decommutated information) to read to unencrypted telemetry to determine the telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  205  that is utilized by the host SOC  250 . 
     The host SOC  250  then transmits  299  the encrypted telemetry to the HOC  260 . The HOC  260  then decrypts the encrypted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted telemetry. The HOC  260  then utilizes a database that comprises hosted payload decommutated information and does not comprise host payload decommutated information (i.e. a database without host payload decommutated information) to read to unencrypted telemetry to determine the telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  205  that is utilized by the HOC  260 . 
       FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing the second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry and the hosted telemetry are both encrypted using the first COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. At the start  300  of the method, a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) encrypts unencrypted hosted commands by utilizing a second COMSEC variety to produce encrypted hosted commands  305 . Then, the HOC transmits the encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC)  310 . The host SOC encrypts unencrypted host commands by utilizing a first COMSEC variety to produce encrypted host commands  315 . Then, the host SOC transmits (out-of-band) the encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle  320 . 
     Then, a host command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted host commands  325 . And, a hosted command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted hosted commands  330 . The host command receiver transmits the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  335 . The hosted command receiver transmits the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  340 . The first communication security module then decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host commands  345 . The second communication security module then decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted commands  350 . 
     The first communication security module then transmits the unencrypted host commands to the payload  355 . The second communication security module then transmits the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload  360 . Then, the payload is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands  365 . A payload antenna on the vehicle then transmits payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna  370 . 
     Then, the payload transmits to the first communication security module unencrypted host telemetry and unencrypted hosted telemetry  375 . Then, the first communication security module encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry and the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry and encrypted hosted telemetry  380 . The first communication security module then transmits the encrypted host telemetry and the encrypted hosted telemetry to a telemetry transmitter  385 . Then, the telemetry transmitter transmits the encrypted host telemetry and the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC  390 . The host SOC then decrypts the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host telemetry  395 . 
     The host SOC transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC  396 . Then, the HOC decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry  397 . Then, the method ends  398 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram  400  showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user (i.e. the host SOC)  450  transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, a vehicle  410 , a host SOC  450 , and a HOC  460  are shown. The HOC  460  has leased at least a portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  405  of the vehicle  410  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  450 . It should be noted that in some embodiments, the HOC  460  may lease all of the payload  405  of the vehicle  410  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  450 . Also, it should be noted that is some embodiments, the HOC  460  may own the payload  405  (e.g., a steerable antenna) of the vehicle  410 , and contract the host SOC  450  to transmit encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle  410 . 
     During operation, the HOC  460  encrypts unencrypted hosted commands (i.e. unencrypted HoP CMD), by utilizing a second COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted hosted commands (i.e. encrypted HoP CMD). The hosted commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  405  that the HOC  460  is leasing from the host SOC  450 . The host SOC  450  encrypts unencrypted host commands (i.e. unencrypted host CMD), by utilizing a first COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted host commands (i.e. encrypted host CMD). The host commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a transponder(s)) of the payload  405  that host SOC  450  is utilizing for itself. 
     It should be noted that, although in  FIG. 4  the host SOC  450  is depicted to have its ground antenna located right next to its operations building; in other embodiments, the host SOC  450  may have its ground antenna located very far away from the its operations building (e.g., the ground antenna may be located in another country than the operations building). 
     Also, it should be noted that the first COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). Additionally, it should be noted that the second COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one encryption algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). 
     The HOC  460  then transmits  415  the encrypted hosted commands to the host SOC  450 . After the host SOC  450  receives the encrypted hosted commands, the host SOC  450  transmits  420  the encrypted host commands and transmits  425  the encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle  410 . The host SOC  450  transmits  420 ,  425  the encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s) (i.e. a frequency band(s) that is not the same frequency band(s) utilized to transmit payload data). The host command receiver  435  on the vehicle  410  receives the encrypted host commands. In addition, the hosted command receiver  445  on the vehicle  410  receives the encrypted hosted commands. 
     The host command receiver  435  then transmits  452  the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  462 . The first communication security module  462  decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 1) to generate unencrypted host commands. 
     It should be noted that the first communication security module  462  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the first communication security module  462  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The hosted command receiver  445  then transmits  455  the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  465 . The second communication security module  465  decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 2) to generate unencrypted hosted commands. 
     It should be noted that the second communication security module  465  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the second communication security module  465  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The first communication security module  462  then transmits  470  the unencrypted host commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  405 . The second communication security module  465  transmits  475  the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  405 . The payload  405  is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. A payload antenna  480  then transmits (e.g., in one or more antenna beams  481 ) payload data to a host receiving antenna  485  and a hosted receiving antenna  490  on the ground. 
     Also, it should be noted that, although in  FIG. 4 , antenna beams  481  is shown to include a plurality of circular spot beams; in other embodiments, antenna beams  481  may include more or less number of beams than is shown in  FIG. 4  (e.g., antenna beams  481  may only include a single beam), and antenna beams  481  may include beams of different shapes than circular spot beams as is shown in  FIG. 4  (e.g., antenna beams  481  may include elliptical beams and/or shaped beams of various different shapes). 
     It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, the payload antenna  480  may comprise one or more reflector dishes including, but not limited to, parabolic reflectors and/or shaped reflectors. In some embodiments, the payload antenna  480  may comprise one or more multifeed antenna arrays. 
     The payload  405  transmits  491  unencrypted host telemetry (i.e. unencrypted host TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  405  that is utilized by the host SOC  450 ) to the first communication security module  462 . The first communication security module  462  then encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry (i.e. encrypted host TLM). 
     The payload  405  transmits  492  unencrypted hosted telemetry (i.e. unencrypted HoP TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  405  that is leased by the HOC  460 ) to the second communication security module  465 . The second communication security module  465  then encrypts the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry (i.e. encrypted HoP TLM). 
     The first communication security module  462  then transmits  493  the encrypted host telemetry to a host telemetry transmitter  494 . The host telemetry transmitter  494  then transmits  495  the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC  450 . The telemetry transmitter  494  transmits  495  the encrypted host telemetry utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). The host SOC  450  then decrypts the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host telemetry. 
     The second communication security module  465  then transmits  496  the encrypted hosted telemetry to a hosted telemetry transmitter  498 . The hosted telemetry transmitter  498  then transmits  497  the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC  450 . The telemetry transmitter  498  transmits  497  the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). The host SOC  450  then transmits  499  the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC  460 . The HOC  460  then decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry. 
       FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) and encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to a vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. At the start  500  of the method, a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) encrypts unencrypted hosted commands by utilizing a second COMSEC variety to produce encrypted hosted commands  505 . Then, the HOC transmits the encrypted hosted commands to a host spacecraft operations center (SOC)  510 . The host SOC encrypts unencrypted host commands by utilizing a first COMSEC variety to produce encrypted host commands  515 . Then, the host SOC transmits (out-of-band) the encrypted host commands and the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle  520 . 
     Then, a host command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted host commands  525 . And, a hosted command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted hosted commands  530 . The host command receiver transmits the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  535 . The hosted command receiver transmits the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  540 . The first communication security module then decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host commands  545 . The second communication security module then decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted commands  550 . 
     The first communication security module then transmits the unencrypted host commands to the payload  555 . The second communication security module then transmits the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload  560 . Then, the payload is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands  565 . A payload antenna on the vehicle then transmits payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna  570 . 
     Then, the payload transmits to the first communication security module unencrypted host telemetry  575 . The first communication security module then encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry  580 . Then, the first communication security module transmits the encrypted host telemetry to a host telemetry transmitter  585 . The host telemetry transmitter then transmits the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC  590 . Then, the host SOC decrypts the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host telemetry  591 . 
     The payload transmits to the second communication security module unencrypted hosted telemetry  592 . Then, the second communication security module encrypts the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry  593 . The second communication security module then transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to a hosted telemetry transmitter  594 . Then, the hosted telemetry transmitter transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to the host SOC  595 . The host SOC then transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC  596 . Then the HOC decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry  597 . Then, the method ends  598 . 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram  600  showing the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user (i.e. the host SOC)  650  transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) to a vehicle and the hosted user (i.e. the HOC)  660  transmits encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to the vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, a vehicle  610 , a host SOC  650 , and a HOC  660  are shown. The HOC  660  has leased at least a portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  605  of the vehicle  610  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  650 . It should be noted that in some embodiments, the HOC  660  may lease all of the payload  605  of the vehicle  610  from the owner of a satellite (i.e. the host SOC)  650 . Also, it should be noted that is some embodiments, the HOC  660  may own the payload  605  (e.g., a steerable antenna) of the vehicle  610 . 
     During operation, the HOC  660  encrypts unencrypted hosted commands (i.e. unencrypted HoP CMD), by utilizing a second COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted hosted commands (i.e. encrypted HoP CMD). The hosted commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a virtual transponder(s)) of the payload  605  that the HOC  660  is leasing from the host SOC  650 . The host SOC  650  encrypts unencrypted host commands (i.e. unencrypted host CMD), by utilizing a first COMSEC variety, to produce encrypted host commands (i.e. encrypted host CMD). The host commands are commands that are used to configure the portion (e.g., a transponder(s)) of the payload  605  that host SOC  650  is utilizing for itself. 
     It should be noted that, although in  FIG. 6  the host SOC  650  is depicted to have its ground antenna located right next to its operations building; in other embodiments, the host SOC  650  may have its ground antenna located very far away from the its operations building (e.g., the ground antenna may be located in another country than the operations building). 
     Also, it should be noted that the first COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). Additionally, it should be noted that the second COMSEC variety may include at least one encryption key and/or at least one encryption algorithm (e.g., a Type 1 encryption algorithm or a Type 2 encryption algorithm). 
     The host SOC  650  transmits  620  the encrypted host commands to the vehicle  610 . The host SOC  650  transmits  620  the encrypted host commands utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s) (i.e. a frequency band(s) that is not the same frequency band(s) utilized to transmit payload data). 
     The HOC  660  transmits  625  the encrypted hosted commands to the vehicle  610 . The HOC  660  transmits  625  the encrypted hosted commands utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). 
     The host command receiver  635  on the vehicle  610  receives the encrypted host commands. In addition, the hosted command receiver  645  on the vehicle  610  receives the encrypted hosted commands. 
     The host command receiver  635  then transmits  652  the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  662 . The first communication security module  662  decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 1) to generate unencrypted host commands. 
     It should be noted that the first communication security module  662  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the first communication security module  662  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The hosted command receiver  645  then transmits  655  the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  665 . The second communication security module  665  decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety (i.e. COMSEC Variety 2) to generate unencrypted hosted commands. 
     It should be noted that the second communication security module  665  may comprise one or more modules. In addition, the second communication security module  665  may comprise one or more processors. 
     The first communication security module  662  then transmits  670  the unencrypted host commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  605 . The second communication security module  665  transmits  675  the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload (i.e. the shared host/hosted payload)  605 . The payload  605  is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands. A payload antenna  680  then transmits (e.g., in one or more antenna beams  681 ) payload data to a host receiving antenna  685  and a hosted receiving antenna  690  on the ground. 
     Also, it should be noted that, although in  FIG. 6 , antenna beams  681  is shown to include a plurality of circular spot beams; in other embodiments, antenna beams  681  may include more or less number of beams than is shown in  FIG. 6  (e.g., antenna beams  681  may only include a single beam), and antenna beams  681  may include beams of different shapes than circular spot beams as is shown in  FIG. 6  (e.g., antenna beams  681  may include elliptical beams and/or shaped beams of various different shapes). 
     It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, the payload antenna  680  may comprise one or more reflector dishes including, but not limited to, parabolic reflectors and/or shaped reflectors. In some embodiments, the payload antenna  680  may comprise one or more multifeed antenna arrays. 
     The payload  605  transmits  691  unencrypted host telemetry (i.e. unencrypted host TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  605  that is utilized by the host SOC  650 ) to the first communication security module  662 . The first communication security module  662  then encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry (i.e. encrypted host TLM). 
     The payload  605  transmits  692  unencrypted hosted telemetry (i.e. unencrypted HoP TLM, which is telemetry data related to the portion of the payload  605  that is leased by the HOC  660 ) to the second communication security module  665 . The second communication security module  665  then encrypts the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry (i.e. encrypted HoP TLM). 
     The first communication security module  662  then transmits  693  the encrypted host telemetry to a host telemetry transmitter  694 . The host telemetry transmitter  694  then transmits  695  the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC  650 . The telemetry transmitter  694  transmits  695  the encrypted host telemetry utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). The host SOC  650  then decrypts the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host telemetry. 
     The second communication security module  665  then transmits  696  the encrypted hosted telemetry to a hosted telemetry transmitter  698 . The hosted telemetry transmitter  698  then transmits  697  the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC  660 . The telemetry transmitter  698  transmits  697  the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing an out-of-band frequency band(s). The HOC  660  then decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry. 
       FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C  together show a flow chart for the disclosed method for protected multi-operators payload operations where the host user transmits encrypted host commands (encrypted utilizing a first COMSEC variety) to a vehicle and the hosted user transmits encrypted hosted commands (encrypted utilizing a second COMSEC variety) to the vehicle, and where the host telemetry is encrypted using the first COMSEC variety and the hosted telemetry is encrypted using the second COMSEC variety, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. At the start  700  of the method, a hosted payload (HoP) operation center (HOC) encrypts unencrypted hosted commands by utilizing a second COMSEC variety to produce encrypted hosted commands  705 . Then, the HOC transmits (out-of-band) the encrypted hosted commands to a vehicle  710 . The host spacecraft operations center (SOC) encrypts unencrypted host commands by utilizing a first COMSEC variety to produce encrypted host commands  715 . Then, the host SOC transmits (out-of-band) the encrypted host commands to the vehicle  720 . 
     Then, a host command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted host commands  725 . And, a hosted command receiver on the vehicle receives the encrypted hosted commands  730 . The host command receiver transmits the encrypted host commands to a first communication security module  735 . The hosted command receiver transmits the encrypted hosted commands to a second communication security module  740 . The first communication security module then decrypts the encrypted host commands utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host commands  745 . The second communication security module then decrypts the encrypted hosted commands utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted commands  750 . 
     The first communication security module then transmits the unencrypted host commands to the payload  755 . The second communication security module then transmits the unencrypted hosted commands to the payload  760 . Then, the payload is reconfigured according to the unencrypted host commands and the unencrypted hosted commands  765 . A payload antenna on the vehicle then transmits payload data to a host receiving antenna and a hosted receiving antenna  770 . 
     Then, the payload transmits to the first communication security module unencrypted host telemetry  775 . Then, the first communication security module encrypts the unencrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate encrypted host telemetry  780 . The first communication security module then transmits the encrypted host telemetry to a host telemetry transmitter  785 . Then, the host telemetry transmitter transmits the encrypted host telemetry to the host SOC  790 . Then, the host SOC decrypts the encrypted host telemetry utilizing the first COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted host telemetry  791 . 
     The payload transmits to the second communication security module unencrypted hosted telemetry  792 . Then, the second communication security module encrypts the unencrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate encrypted hosted telemetry  793 . The second communication security module then transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to a hosted telemetry transmitter  794 . Then, the hosted telemetry transmitter transmits the encrypted hosted telemetry to the HOC  795 . The HOC then decrypts the encrypted hosted telemetry utilizing the second COMSEC variety to generate the unencrypted hosted telemetry  796 . Then, the method ends  797 . 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram  800  showing components of an exemplary virtual transponder that may be employed by the disclosed system for protected multi-operators payload operations, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, various components are shown that may be configured according to the unencrypted host commands (e.g., the host channel  830 ) and unencrypted hosted commands (e.g., the hosted channel  820 ). 
     In this figure, the uplink antenna  840 , the downlink antenna  850 , and various components of an all-digital payload  860  (including the analog-to-digital (A/D) converter  865 , the digital channelizer  875 , the digital switch matrix  895 , the digital combiner  815 , and the digital-to-analog (D/A) converter  835 ) are shown that may be configured according to the unencrypted host commands (e.g., the host channel  830 ) and unencrypted hosted commands (e.g., the hosted channel  820 ). In addition, some other components of the all-digital payload  860  (including the uplink beamforming  870 , the demodulator  880 , the modulator  890 , and the downlink beamforming  825 ) may optionally be configured according to the unencrypted host commands (e.g., the host channel  830 ) and unencrypted hosted commands (e.g., the hosted channel  820 ). 
     Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that the above discussion is not intended to limit the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and variations of the many aspects of the present disclosure have been disclosed and described herein, such disclosure is provided for purposes of explanation and illustration only. Thus, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. 
     Where methods described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure would recognize that the ordering may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the present disclosure. Additionally, parts of methods may be performed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well as performed sequentially. In addition, more parts or less part of the methods may be performed. 
     Accordingly, embodiments are intended to exemplify alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may fall within the scope of the claims. 
     Although certain illustrative embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, it can be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the art disclosed. Many other examples of the art disclosed exist, each differing from others in matters of detail only. Accordingly, it is intended that the art disclosed shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law.