Shooting Star (spacecraft)
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| Manufacturer | Sierra Nevada Corporation |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Operator | NASA |
| Applications | ISS resupply |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Uncrewed cargo vehicle[1] |
| Launch mass | 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) |
| Payload capacity | 4,536 kg (10,000 lb)[2] |
| Crew capacity | 0 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Production | |
| Status | Development |
| Built | 1 |
| On order | 6 |
| Launched | 0 |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Flown with | Dream Chaser |
| Part of a series on |
| Private spaceflight |
|---|
| Active companies |
| Active vehicles |
| Contracts and programs |
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The Shooting Star is a planned expendable American cargo spacecraft (transport vehicle) under development by Sierra Nevada Corporation as part of the Dream Chaser Launch System. It will attach to the back of the Dream Chaser spaceplane serving as a Service Module and holding up to 4,536 kg (10,000 lb) of supplies, cargo and experiments for the International Space Station.[2]
It will be launched by ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket and is designed to transport supplies to the International Space Station and return items to Earth.[3]
Shooting Star will be able to support three unpressurized payloads weighing up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) each or one payload weighing as much as 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Once the module is at the station, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will unload the externally attached payload and install it on the station's exterior.[2]
Development[edit]
Following an unsuccessful bid by Sierra Nevada Corporation for its Dream Chaser spaceplane as a candidate for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program,[4] the company redesigned its ship as a cargo-carrying variant for resupply missions to ISS in an uncrewed capacity after NASA issued a Request for Proposal for the second-round of Commercial Resupply Services in September 2014. They proposed the Shooting Star, an expendable cargo module, that would be attached to its Dream Chaser spaceplane. This expendable cargo module will be used for increased cargo uplift and trash disposal.
In January 2016, SNC's Dream Chaser was selected as a co-winner of second-round Commercial Resupply Services funding, along with SpaceX's Cargo Dragon and Orbital ATK's Cygnus. It was awarded 6 missions through 2024.[5]. NASA officials explained that selecting three companies rather than two for CRS-2 increases cargo capabilities and ensures more redundancy in the event of a contractor failure or schedule delay.[6] The Shooting Star transport vehicle was announced by SNC in 2019.[7] It will be disposed on every Commercial Resupply-2 (CRS2) mission, and thus a total of six transport vehicles will be built to fulfill the six mission minimum requirement. Additional transport vehicles will be built for future missions, as required.
Design[edit]
NASA’s CRS2 requirements influenced the initial design for the Shooting Star, when mated to the Dream Chaser spaceplane. In addition to delivering pressurized and unpressurized cargo, the Shooting Star will serve as the service module for Dream Chaser.[3] ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will launch Dream Chaser/Shooting Star within its 5.4 meter fairing. Shooting Star’s composite structure will be manufactured by Thales Alenia Space (formerly Advanced Composites) in San Diego, California.[8] During CRS-2 missions, Dream Chaser will maneuver close to the International Space Station, where the Canadarm2 robotic arm will grapple the spacecraft and berth it to a Common Berthing Mechanism on the Harmony module in a similar fashion to other resupply vehicles. Unpressurized Cargo can also be transported to ISS via attachment to the exterior of the module.
As part of the Dream Chaser Launch System, the Shooting Star will be mounted to the aft portion of the Dream Chaser spaceplane and will serve as the Service Module with these capabilities:
- 6 kW electrical power from solar panels and battery system.
- Active thermal control, or cooling services.
- Translation and rotation capability using six thrusters mounted on aft section.
- Three external mounting locations for unpressurized cargo. Each location can hold 500kg of cargo, or a single location can be used to carry 1,500 kg of cargo.
- Internally, the Shooting Star provides normal cabin environment for the space station crew after berthing. After all resupply cargo is unloaded, cargo for atmospheric disposal can be loaded.
Space station crew will be able to access the Shooting Star module via the rear hatch, which will be berthed to the space station. They will then be able to pass through this spacecraft to access the hatch to the Dream Chaser spaceplane. However, the spaceplane will also be able to be used with a docking adapter, which would eliminate the need for this.[1]
Unmanned Orbital Outpost[edit]
SNC has proposed the usage of Shooting Star as an Unmanned Orbital Outpost initially established in low-Earth orbit to host payloads and support space assembly, microgravity experimentation, and logistics.[9] The Defense Innovation Unit, part of the United States Department of Defense, announced a contract with the company in 2020 for usage of Shooting Star for this purpose.[5] These Unmanned Orbital Outposts are proposed occupy different orbital altitudes such as medium Earth orbit, highly elliptical orbit, and cislunar orbit.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "SNC Shopting Star Transport Vehicle" (PDF). SNC. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Thompson, Amy (21 November 2019). "Sierra Nevada Unveils 'Shooting Star' Cargo Module for Dream Chaser Space Plane". Space.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kelly, Emre (1 April 2021). "Sierra Nevada, prepping for Florida launch and landing, unveils space station concept". Florida Today. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (5 January 2015). "GAO Denies Sierra Nevada Protest of Commercial Crew Contract". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
"Based on our review of the issues, we concluded that these arguments were not supported by the evaluation record or by the terms of the solicitation," Smith said in the GAO statement. Sierra Nevada, in a statement issued Jan. 5, accepted the decision by the GAO...
Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Evans, Ben (17 July 2020). "SNC Shooting Star Wins Contract for Unmanned Orbital Outpost". America Space. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ "Audit of the Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Station" (PDF). NASA Office of Inspector General. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Amy Thompson (2019-11-21). "Sierra Nevada Unveils 'Shooting Star' Cargo Module for Dream Chaser Space Plane". Space.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- ↑ Sheetz, Michael (11 October 2020). "Inside Sierra Nevada Corp's space plans, including the reusable 'Dream Chaser'". CNBC.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (15 July 2020). "The Pentagon Moves To Launch Its Own Experimental Mini Space Station". TheDrive. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
External links[edit]
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