Lockheed plans to create its own space shuttle Bashny.Net

The most expensive part of space flight - a delivery of the payload. But as humanity expands its extraterrestrial presence is ISS, planning to go back to the moon and fly to Mars, space-faring nations are turning to the shuttle that can do the heavy lifting. At present, the space shuttle trucks are only 2 unit: Cygnus and Dragon. Lockheed Martin has decided to change the situation by offering their spacecraft.

Jupiter - a reusable part of a system that will work with a disposable module Exoliner. And Jupiter, and Exoliner will be put into orbit a rocket Atlas-V, then there is docking with the ISS.

Once the ISS crew unloads cargo module Exoliner, it starts to fill the container is formed at the station debris. Jupiter, which rotates in low Earth orbit, first undock from the ISS Exoliner old, then join him and soon a new Exoliner disposable models are reversed - Jupiter will bring new Exoliner to the ISS for docking, while the old loaded debris will burn at entering the Earth's atmosphere.


Jupiter can also be put into orbit commercial satellites. In addition, the system offered by Lockheed, can be adapted to send astronauts to the planet of the solar system. "Although our priority will be servicing the ISS and providing opportunities into orbit small satellites, the system was originally designed for future manned deep space," said Josh Hopkins. "This means that NASA will be able to perform manned space missions beyond low-Earth orbit without the need for huge investments».




Source: geektimes.ru/post/247232/