{"id":17497,"date":"2021-09-14T22:31:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T14:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spaceflight-inc-unveils-a-new-breed-of-orbital-tug-thats-built-for-far-out-missions\/"},"modified":"2021-09-14T22:31:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T14:31:03","slug":"spaceflight-inc-unveils-a-new-breed-of-orbital-tug-thats-built-for-far-out-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spaceflight-inc-unveils-a-new-breed-of-orbital-tug-thats-built-for-far-out-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"Spaceflight Inc. unveils a new breed of orbital tug that\u2019s built for far-out missions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sherpa-ES\"
An artist\u2019s conception shows the Sherpa-ES orbital transfer vehicle. (Spaceflight Inc. Graphic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends a robotic lander to the moon\u2019s south pole, perhaps as early as next year, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. plans to make a few extra deliveries with its own piggyback spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The mission, known as GEO Pathfinder, will represent the first in-space outing for a new type of orbital transfer vehicle called the Sherpa Escape, or Sherpa-ES.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrbital\u201d might not be exactly the right term, since the craft is designed to go well beyond low Earth orbit to zoom around the moon and back, potentially deploying payloads at every step along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mission will demonstrate our complete mission toolbox and ability to execute complex, groundbreaking and exciting missions beyond LEO,\u201d Grant Bonin, senior vice president of business development at Spaceflight, said today in a news release.<\/p>\n

\"Vehicle
In this diagram of the vehicle configuration for the IM-2 South Pole Mission, the Sherpa-ES orbital transfer vehicle is shown at lower right. Click on the graphic for a larger view. (Graphic via Spaceflight Inc.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

GEO Pathfinder\u2019s Sherpa-ES would serve as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 mission that\u2019s due to send Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lander to the lunar south pole, with launch set for no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022.<\/p>\n

Smallish payloads can be attached to the Sherpa\u2019s multiple ports for deployment in translunar orbit or low lunar orbit. It\u2019s even possible to put satellites in geosynchronous equatorial orbit around Earth, or GEO, by a roundabout route.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpaceflight will utilize a launch with a creative trajectory and our best-in-class propulsion system to slingshot around the moon, allowing us to deliver payloads to GEO in an environmentally safe manner,\u201d Bonin explained.<\/p>\n

GEO satellites typically have to be sent to their designated locations in a multi-step, orbit-raising process that requires a heavy load of onboard propellant. Entering GEO from above, with the momentum provided during the round-the-moon trip, would reduce the need for extra fuel.<\/p>\n

For the GEO Pathfinder mission, one of Spaceflight\u2019s customers is GeoJump, a new company that\u2019s dedicated to providing GEO rideshare opportunities for small satellites. One of the payloads aboard the Sherpa-ES will be Orbit Fab\u2019s in-space refueling system. To get Orbit Fab\u2019s payload to its destination, Sherpa-ES will perform a lunar flyby, and then head back toward Earth to settle into geosynchronous orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffering rideshare missions to GEO is a real game-changer for the smallsat industry,\u201d said Meagan Crawford, co-founder and managing partner at SpaceFund, which has GeoJump and Orbit Fab in its investment portfolio. \u201cWhen we presented the idea of accessing GEO via rideshare with Spaceflight to our portfolio companies \u2014 as early as 2022 \u2014 the response was overwhelming. What used to be part of a long-term strategy for many of these companies is now a short-term reality.\u201d<\/p>\n