DARPA Awards Orbital Express Demonstration to Boeing

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Boeing‘s Phantom Works team to perform Phase II of the Orbital Express Advanced Technology Demonstration. The team will receive a US$99,144,499 modification to an other transaction for prototypes agreement. The team will contribute an additional US$13,340,000 in cost-share. Team members include:  Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo.; TRW, Space and Technology Division, Redondo Beach, Calif.; MD Robotics, Brampton, Ontario, Canada; and Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., Cambridge, Mass. 

This second phase award follows a 14-month first phase, during which contractor teams led by BAE Systems, Boeing, and Spectrum Astro performed architecture and operations studies of serviceable satellite constellations, developed conceptual designs for eventual operational serviceable satellites, and completed preliminary designs of technology demonstration versions of the Orbital Express demonstration satellites.

During the 42-month phase II, the Boeing team will finalize the design, develop and fabricate a prototype servicing satellite, the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations satellite (ASTRO), and a surrogate serviceable satellite, NextSat, and conduct an on-orbit demonstration to validate the technical feasibility and mission utility of autonomous, robotic on-orbit satellite servicing. A key element of this demonstration will be a non-proprietary satellite servicing interface standard that can be implemented by any satellite manufacturer to enable servicing for military, civil or commercial satellites.

The Orbital Express demonstration has implications that could revolutionize military and commercial space operations. DARPA's goal is to move away from "the inflexibility and risk intolerance that are traditionally associated with intelligence systems." For example, the maneuverability of spy satellites is limited by their on-board fuel supplies. A robotic tug could shuttle back and forth between a spy satellite and on-orbit fuel dumps to replenish the satellite’s propellant. The Orbital Express project will also develop a "standard design" for satellites, such that components can be replaced and upgraded as technology changes occur.

Routine, autonomous satellite servicing is expected to provide spacecraft with greater freedom of maneuver, allowing satellite coverage to be adjusted or optimized at will, or enabling spacecraft to employ unpredictable maneuvers to counter possible threats or adversary activity scheduling. It is also anticipated that routine, autonomous, preplanned upgrades or reconfiguration of spacecraft components can dramatically reduce the "time to market" of new technology into operational satellites, improving mission performance more efficiently than through block replacements of satellite constellations. An Orbital Express-derived satellite servicing architecture could usher in a revolution in space operations, enabling new and enhanced satellite capabilities supporting not only national security missions, but civil and commercial space applications as well.

NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) is partnering with DARPA in the Orbital Express demonstration to reduce technical risks associated with developing autonomous rendezvous capabilities. The SLI Alternate Access to Station (AAS) project, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, is sponsoring this partnership. Leveraging work done through the Orbital Express technology demonstration is one step toward enabling potential commercial logistics missions to the International Space Station. Cooperation between NASA and DARPA in this demonstration benefits military, civil, and commercial space sectors by sharing resources and technology.

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