Outpost Awarded Phase 2 SBIR Contract from NASA to Advance its Cargo Return System

Outpost Awarded Phase 2 SBIR Contract from NASA to Advance its Cargo Return System

Outpost Technologies Corporation, a sustainable space company that is spearheading a new wave of development in Earth Return and Reusable Satellites, announced that it has been awarded a Phase 2 Ignite Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from NASA to continue development of the company’s “Cargo Ferry” in order to deliver cargo back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) and future commercial space stations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

The Outpost Cargo Ferry is an adaptation of the company’s Earth-returning Ferry satellite system, being built for commercial use. Applications of the Cargo Ferry include fast and reliable return of important cargo and payloads on ISS and commercial space stations including those with limited shelf life that need to be processed quickly on Earth.  

The ISS is faced with the challenge of limited storage space in its labs and reducing stored cargo will allow for more scientific and R&D activities on the station. ISS also has more payloads waiting for return than Dragon's capacity can handle, and Cargo Ferry will fill the gap so that cargo will not be lost once ISS is decommissioned. A consistent method for prompt return of payload and cargo to Earth is also a gap in the business models for commercial LEO destinations that need to adapt rapidly in space.

A key component of the Outpost Earth return system is its compact design - about the size of a school backpack -  which contains a flight-proven NASA heat shield to be deployed in space, thus maximizing space for customer payloads and making it a better fit for CLDs which are anticipated to be smaller than the ISS. Outpost’s satellite platform also includes a flight-proven re-entry system that has demonstrated the ability to achieve a 5-meter landing target accuracy. This landing-pad precision is a pivotal advancement for cargo return as many other capsule systems approach Earth with a dispersion range of over 1,000km, which carries uncertainty on the safety and efficiency of payload retrieval. 

Outpost is focused on creating an Earth return system that is more accurate, reliable, and adaptable to current and future NASA and commercial needs. The contract supports NASA’s exploration of new transport concepts to return Cargo to Earth from the ISS, as well as future Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs).

“For humans to expand our presence in space, we need the flexibility to transport new assets to space and, within the same mission, bring raw materials and existing assets back to Earth,” said Jason Dunn, Outpost Founder and CEO. “Our Cargo Ferry is the most cost-effective, flexible, and safe Earth return system in development, offering the most precise landing capability. We are pleased that NASA continues to value the engineering capabilities of Outpost in establishing this new operations paradigm.”

Click here to learn more about Outpost Technologies Cargo Ferry.

Click here to learn about the future Commercial Low Earth Orbit Economy.


Publisher: SatNow
Tags:-  SatelliteLEOLaunchGround

GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013