Expandable External Payload Carrier for Existing Launch Vehicles

Numerous existing launch vehicles have excess performance that is not being optimized. By taking advantage of excess, unused, performance, additional NASA experiments and missions can be enhanced with this excess ELV performance. Designing an experimental platform for suborbital, hypersonic, and innovative payloads will bridge a technology gap in size and weight over current capabilities. Commercially, there are many customers that will be able to take advantage of the increase in size and weight for experimental research onboard the experimental platform. To minimize the launch vehicle integration efforts, the design of the experimental platform will mimic the current processing methods of auxiliary interfaces to the launch vehicle. During Phase I, SAS will be providing NASA with an adaptable cost effective experimental platform (expandable external payload carrier) design that may be used on a multitude of launch vehicles at a low risk and lower cost per pound then existing suborbital systems. This TRL 3 design will consist of a feasibility concept, detailed analysis and modeling, and a system requirements document. Path towards Phase II will be discussed, utilizing a hardware risk reduction approach. During Phase II, SAS will be providing NASA an expected TRL 5 of the design for one of the current launch vehicles.

Applications not correlated to NASA include research by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force. Interests may include flying such vehicles as the X-51 and the Hypersonic Test Vehicle (HTV) and Global Strike and RAPID EYE style demonstrator programs. Another application beyond that of NASA is an evolution of eXPC as a risk reduction technology demonstrator for advance hydrocarbon propulsion systems and applicability to the Reusable Booster System (RBS) within the U.S. Air Force EELV system. Additional commercial applications include payloads for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Payloads may include rapid weather systems and exo-atmospheric research.

NASA has the opportunity to support the development of a suborbital system that expands the capability 10 fold. Utilizing a modular concept can leverage excess capability on other emerging launch vehicles with excess performance. Opportunities for NASA include hypersonic research, reentry research on capsules and winged vehicles, inflatable reentry technology, thermal protection system research, large scale zero-G fluids experiments, upper atmospheric research, and potentially fly-back booster technology. The eXPC test bed offers the cost effective pricing with the utilization of launch vehicles with excess performance. The applicability of the eXPC system to a number of NASA Centers as well as potential manufacture and operational support out of NASA Kennedy Space Center offers NASA personnel to be trained in advanced payload processing techniques, and suborbital research experiments in a collaborative environment.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.