Phase II Award for the Design, Manufacture and Ground Test of a Prototype Propulsion Module
SpaceDev has been awarded a contract to develop a NASA Space Shuttle-compatible propulsion module for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Phase II is a continuation of Phase I of the program SpaceDev secured last year to develop orbit transfer technologies that meet NASA and Air Force Space Test Program (STP) requirements. The Phase II award is worth $1.43 million and there is an option for additional work that is worth $1.01 million. If the option is exercised the total contract value will be $2.44 million.
Phase II will result in the design, manufacture and test of an innovative low-cost prototype propulsion module that meets NASA Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launch System (SHELS) safety requirements and the STP orbit transfer propulsion performance requirements for secondary payloads. Until now, no payloads from SHELS (or other Hitchhiker ejection systems) have ever been offered the opportunity to be boosted to other orbits due to propulsion technology limitations combined with stringent Space Transportation System (STS) safety requirements.
In addition to the design and assembly of the propulsion module, SpaceDev will continue to work in conjunction with an integrated team through AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate to develop the propulsion module for the Shuttle Expendable Rocket for Payload Augmentation (SHERPA) transfer vehicle.
The propulsion module that SpaceDev manufactures will use a hybrid rocket motor consisting of PlexiglasÆ as the fuel and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as the oxidizer. The combination of which is very safe and inexpensive. The hybrid rocket motor provides restart capabilities and allows for easy transportation, handling and storage, as well as simplifying integration and launch.
Both NASA and the Air Force have important and recurring needs to get payloads deployed from SHELS to higher altitudes than typical STS orbits. At the completion of Phase II, SpaceDev intends to serve this need by providing a low-cost, reliable, and lightweight product that allows for both the maximization of payload capacity on the Shuttle and the optimization of their orbit once deployed.
For more information on how SpaceDev products and capabilities can provide affordable responsive space access, particularly in the areas of space control, situational awareness, and earth or space surveillance and sensing, please visit our website at www.spacedev.com. Or, please stop by our booth at the 2003 National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado from April 7 through April 10 – Booth #61.
