By 
December 6th, 2022
Image credit: Outpost
A space startup group has been selected by NASA to develop the Cargo Ferry to deliver freight from space stations back to Earth.
Outpost Technologies has been selected by NASA for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) “Ignite” program contract to appraise returning to Earth scientific samples, small payloads, and other types of research.
The development of Outpost’s Ferry and Cargo Ferry also utilizes a NASA partnership through a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (SAA). This partnership enables collaboration on developing NASA’s Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) to provide industry-leading payload Earth return capabilities from orbit, an Outpost statement explains.
As Outpost develops the Cargo Ferry, the group is also setting its sights on a future human-rated version that may one day provide a solution for emergency evacuations from commercial space stations.
Additionally, according to the Outpost website: “Our low mass, high efficiency, two-stage re-entry system is fully deployable, making it possible to return and reuse satellites.”
Image credit: Outpost
Driving down the cost
Outpost Founder and CEO Jason Dunn said in a company statement: “Driving down the cost of Earth return could open the door to more throughput on the ISS National Lab while also enabling the broader low-Earth orbit economy to flourish.”
Dedicated payload and cargo return is one of the few remaining items left unsolved for commercial business models to close, those that forecast low Earth orbit destinations as a booming business in years to come.
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Posted in Space News
