Speaker
Description
The sustainable exploration of space will rely on refueling and reuse of spacecraft and rocket stages. This will require propellant depots where cryogenic fluids are stored and then transferred into customer tanks. The long-term storage and transfer of cryogenic propellants in space has never been demonstrated. NASA has funded several projects to demonstrate these technologies in orbit and among the projects is the LOXSAT payload being built by Eta Space. The LOXSAT demonstration mission will advance the Technology Readiness Level of up to 13 individual LOX storage and transfer technologies during a 9-month mission. Upon successful demonstration, Eta Space will develop Cryo-Dock, a full-scale propellant depot in low Earth orbit standardized for commercial operations. This paper will present the goals and objectives of the LOXSAT mission, current project status, and plans for future systems development.
