Hosted payload
A hosted payload is a module attached to a commercial satellite with communications circuitry that operates independently of the main spacecraft but which shares the satellite's power supply and transponders. The concept has been also been referred to as "piggybacking" or "hitchhiking." == Description == Hosted payloads are used most often by government agencies seeking to have communications capability in orbit without having to pay the cost of building and launching an entire government-owned satellite.