Contract Detail

KEY OBJECTIVE: THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP AND TEST AN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS PAYLOAD ACCOMMODATION FACILITY. WE PROPOSE TO DEMONSTRATE A VEHICLE ENHANCEMENT AND ONBOARD FACILITY FOR PAYLOAD ACCOMMODATION FOR THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPPARD REUSABLE SUBORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLE BY ESTABLISHING AN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS CAPABILITY. THIS PROPOSAL IS SOLELY FOR INTEGRATION AND FLIGHT TESTING. THE ENHANCEMENT CONSISTS OF THE JANUS INTEGRATION PLATFORM MODIFIED WITH AN AEROGEL COLLECTOR SYSTEM TO BE MOUNTED ON THE UPPER RING OF THE PROPULSION MODULE (PM). TECHNIQUES FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE KEY OBJECTIVE: 1) INTEGRATE AEROGEL COLLECTOR WITH EXISTING JANUS 2.0 INTEGRATION PLATFORM 2) MOUNT OUR PAYLOAD ON THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPARD VEHICLE TO ALLOW EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS 3) FLY THIS PAYLOAD WITH EXTERNAL ACCESS ON THE TEST FLIGHT. 4) ANALYZE FLIGHT RESULTS AND ASSESS THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT PERCEIVED SIGNIFICANCE: OUR PROPOSED PROJECT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT TO U.S. SPACE EXPLORATION AND UTILIZATION BECAUSE SUCH EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS IS A CRITICAL CAPABILITY THAT MUST BE DEVELOPED IF THESE NEW VEHICLES ARE TO HAVE SUCH A GAME CHANGING IMPACT. CURRENTLY NO EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS CAPABILITY EXISTS ON THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPPARD VEHICLE SO OUR PROPOSAL EXCEEDS CURRENT STATE OF THE ART. ESTABLISHING SUCH A NOVEL CAPABILITY IS REVOLUTIONARY DISRUPTIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE. TO DATE RELATIVELY LITTLE IN SITU OBSERVATIONS AND SAMPLING EXIST FOR SUBORBITAL SPACE AT 80-100 KM ALTITUDES DESPITE THIS BEING A CRITICAL REGION WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE (COLLISIONAL) TRANSITIONS TO SPACE (NON-COLLISIONAL). WHAT LITTLE DATA EXISTS WAS DERIVED FROM INFREQUENT AND RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE SOUNDING ROCKETS. ONCE WE ESTABLISH THIS CAPABILITY WE ANTICIPATE A NEW ERA OF DISCOVERY IN THIS REGION WILL PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED INSIGHT INTO SUBORBITAL SPACE IMPACTING MANY EARTH BASED AND GEOSCIENCE MISSIONS REQUIRING SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS. ADDITIONALLY WE WILL ENABLE MANY MORE INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT/TESTING AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS THAT WILL LIKELY MORE RAPIDLY ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART FOR INSTRUMENTS ON LARGE SPACE MISSIONS. THIS IS ENABLED BY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT TESTING AND EVALUATIONS AT DRAMATICALLY LOWER COSTS AND MORE RAPID DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES. SUCH A CAPABILITY NOT ONLY ALSO SUPPORTS EARTH BASED MISSIONS BUT ALSO ALL PLANETARY MISSIONS AND COMMERCIAL VENTURES WHERE THIS ENVIRONMENT IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY APPLICABLE. VIRTUALLY ANY MISSION OR COMMERCIAL APPLICATION THAT REQUIRES EXTERNAL ACCESS AT 100 KM ALTITUDES OR BELOW WILL BE ENABLED BY OUR PROPOSED WORK.

KEY OBJECTIVE: THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP AND TEST AN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS PAYLOAD ACCOMMODATION FACILITY. WE PROPOSE TO DEMONSTRATE A VEHICLE ENHANCEMENT AND ONBOARD FACILITY FOR PAYLOAD ACCOMMODATION FOR THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPPARD REUSABLE SUBORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLE BY ESTABLISHING AN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS CAPABILITY. THIS PROPOSAL IS SOLELY FOR INTEGRATION AND FLIGHT TESTING. THE ENHANCEMENT CONSISTS OF THE JANUS INTEGRATION PLATFORM MODIFIED WITH AN AEROGEL COLLECTOR SYSTEM TO BE MOUNTED ON THE UPPER RING OF THE PROPULSION MODULE (PM). TECHNIQUES FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE KEY OBJECTIVE: 1) INTEGRATE AEROGEL COLLECTOR WITH EXISTING JANUS 2.0 INTEGRATION PLATFORM 2) MOUNT OUR PAYLOAD ON THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPARD VEHICLE TO ALLOW EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS 3) FLY THIS PAYLOAD WITH EXTERNAL ACCESS ON THE TEST FLIGHT. 4) ANALYZE FLIGHT RESULTS AND ASSESS THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT PERCEIVED SIGNIFICANCE: OUR PROPOSED PROJECT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT TO U.S. SPACE EXPLORATION AND UTILIZATION BECAUSE SUCH EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS IS A CRITICAL CAPABILITY THAT MUST BE DEVELOPED IF THESE NEW VEHICLES ARE TO HAVE SUCH A GAME CHANGING IMPACT. CURRENTLY NO EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ACCESS CAPABILITY EXISTS ON THE BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPPARD VEHICLE SO OUR PROPOSAL EXCEEDS CURRENT STATE OF THE ART. ESTABLISHING SUCH A NOVEL CAPABILITY IS REVOLUTIONARY DISRUPTIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE. TO DATE RELATIVELY LITTLE IN SITU OBSERVATIONS AND SAMPLING EXIST FOR SUBORBITAL SPACE AT 80-100 KM ALTITUDES DESPITE THIS BEING A CRITICAL REGION WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE (COLLISIONAL) TRANSITIONS TO SPACE (NON-COLLISIONAL). WHAT LITTLE DATA EXISTS WAS DERIVED FROM INFREQUENT AND RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE SOUNDING ROCKETS. ONCE WE ESTABLISH THIS CAPABILITY WE ANTICIPATE A NEW ERA OF DISCOVERY IN THIS REGION WILL PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED INSIGHT INTO SUBORBITAL SPACE IMPACTING MANY EARTH BASED AND GEOSCIENCE MISSIONS REQUIRING SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS. ADDITIONALLY WE WILL ENABLE MANY MORE INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT/TESTING AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS THAT WILL LIKELY MORE RAPIDLY ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART FOR INSTRUMENTS ON LARGE SPACE MISSIONS. THIS IS ENABLED BY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT TESTING AND EVALUATIONS AT DRAMATICALLY LOWER COSTS AND MORE RAPID DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES. SUCH A CAPABILITY NOT ONLY ALSO SUPPORTS EARTH BASED MISSIONS BUT ALSO ALL PLANETARY MISSIONS AND COMMERCIAL VENTURES WHERE THIS ENVIRONMENT IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY APPLICABLE. VIRTUALLY ANY MISSION OR COMMERCIAL APPLICATION THAT REQUIRES EXTERNAL ACCESS AT 100 KM ALTITUDES OR BELOW WILL BE ENABLED BY OUR PROPOSED WORK.