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The emerging Low-Earth-Orbit commercial economy brings exciting opportunities for technological innovation in space at unprecedented speed. This vibrant new commercial space age is disrupting the status quo, driving down costs, and revolutionizing general accessibility and sustained presence in LEO. Today, however, there is a reluctance in the space industry to embrace reusable spacecraft because of the perception of increased mission risk for no additional return on investment. This hesitation appears similar to the industry’s initial caution in adopting reusable launch vehicles in the early 2000s. In this work we share our vision of the future: reusable orbital service vehicles (OSVs) will transform the space economy and grow the emerging on-orbit servicing sector. A reusable OSV serves as a satellite’s ‘connecting flight’ that provides multiple on-orbit destinations, analogous to the airline industry. Development of a reliable, reusable OSV will expand the utility of a single satellite, allowing for plane changes, escape trajectories, multi-orbit missions and more. OSVs further enable payload upgrades, satellite constellation maintenance, deorbiting at the end of operational life, and orbital debris removal. These added capabilities differentiate reusable OSVs from single orbit mission alternatives and increase the on-orbit economic opportunity. Once a network of OSVs has been established in LEO, rendezvous and transfers can be scheduled efficiently to minimize on-orbit wait times between connections. This poster emphasizes current trends in the industry and presents an OSV architecture and logistics model that enables expanded access to space. Safety and reliability aspects are considered, and a satellite constellation design reference mission discussed. Future work will leverage 6 decades of hard-won lessons and insights from the commercial airline industry with its hub and spoke carrier models to improve OSV reliability and cost effectiveness. Just like reusable launch vehicles drastically reduced launch costs, and well-placed hub airports transformed the costs and safety of commercial air travel, reusable OSVs and orbital infrastructure have the potential to increase space asset safety and return on investment. These vehicles have utility in LEO and cislunar space, as well as far reaching deep space missions to Mars and beyond. Ultimately, more affordable, sustained access to space will enable the next deep space telescope, space station, or other similarly bold and impactful endeavors to be built and deployed in orbit at a fraction of the cost of a terrestrially built equivalent. |
