Last year, the United States created a new division within its military: the US Space Force. A division intended for the management of military operations in space. And it would seem that “this terrain” is a real concern for the Pentagon, which is now seeking to develop an outpost in orbit.
The US Department of Defense has indeed asked three companies to study the feasibility of such a project. It was Sierre Nevada Corporation (SNC) that finally won the Defense Innovation Unit contract to develop a prototype of the “Unmanned Orbital Outpost”, a small unmanned space station.
In its press release, the company specifies that the project will consist of developing "an evolving and autonomous space station for logistics experiments and demonstrations". SNC plans to use its “Shooting Star” cargo module, developed for its Dream Chaser spacecraft. "The current Shooting Star is already designed with significant capabilities for an orbital outpost and by adding only a few components we are able to meet the needs of the Department of Defense," said Steve Lindsey, senior vice president of strategy for SNC's Space Systems business line.
A low cost project
By using an already existing module, the Pentagon keeps costs down and also avoids scheduling issues. The SNC in fact indicated in its press release that the cost of the project was a concern of the Pentagon, without specifying the amount allocated to the realization of this one. This desire to develop such a low-cost project can be explained by the fact that it is a program developed on its own by the United States, outside any international organization.
The Defense Innovation Unit project actually dates back to last year. In July 2019, the DIU had indeed launched a call for proposals for its Orbital Outpost project. At the time, the division explained that it was looking for a concept of an “autonomous and free flying” spacecraft that would be “capable of supporting space assembly, microgravity experimentation, logistics and storage, manufacturing, training, testing and evaluation, hosting payloads and other functions ”.
It remains to be seen when such a project could take shape in space. One can also wonder if other countries will not want to do the same and develop their own outpost in space.
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