From the Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Space Operations & Communicator, a quarterly online publication (www.theopsjournal.org), serves as a forum for those involved in the space operations field to communicate with one another in order to share ideas that could improve the way operations are carried out in space. The Journal is a cross-disciplinary scholarly publication designed to advance space communication as a profession and as an academic discipline. The Journal is distributed electronically without charge to users on a global basis. JSOC contains peer-reviewed articles, comments and case notes written by leading scientists, professors, and practitioners in their respective fields of aerospace expertise. The editorial board seeks articles that demonstrate exemplary academic research of emerging trends in space technology and space operations fields.

The pinnacle of the technology maturing smallsat ecosystem coincides with the first commercial crewed ISS mission by Space X followed one week later by a launch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites, including one with a deployable sunshield meant to test out a new way to reduce the brightness of future satellites. The current issue is dedicated to the growing orbital population of smallsats by young satellite startups, a phenomenon of what indicates an evolving on-orbit smallsat ecosystem. Many of the smallsats are being deployed from the International Space Station (ISS). Other smallsats are being 3D-printed or manufactured/ assembled within the ISS system. Like terrestrial infrastructure, space infrastructure is increasingly relied upon for convenience, services, and national security/defense. Space infrastructure is increasingly stressed while benefiting from the sources of that stress: commercially driven services and technologies.

Sincerely,
Ronald H. Freeman, PhD
Editor-in-Chief