Author Topic: Nanoracks  (Read 66739 times)

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #60 on: 02/21/2019 10:14 pm »
https://twitter.com/nanoracks/status/1098594469518196736

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We have a #BishopAirlock update! Working very closely with @NASA and @BoeingSpace, #BishopAirlock is targeting launch to @Space_Station on @SpaceX CRS-21 next year! Manufacturing is near completion, and seal leak checks are complete at the @Thales_Alenia_S facility in Italy.

Offline Danderman

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #61 on: 02/24/2019 04:53 am »
Photos from Nanoracks of the Bishop module.

Offline Olaf

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #62 on: 03/16/2019 11:55 am »
There are some tweets by NanoRacks regarding their airlock in the last days.
This is the first one.
https://twitter.com/NanoRacks/status/1106530510111760384
The others we can find on the NanoRacks twitter account.


Offline Olaf

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Offline Olaf

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #64 on: 03/20/2019 12:07 pm »

Offline gongora

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #65 on: 03/20/2019 01:18 pm »
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NanoRacks Commercial Space Station Airlock “Bishop” Completes Critical Design Review, Moves to Fabrication
http://nanoracks.com/airlock-bishop-completes-critical-design-review/

The Bishop Airlock is being discussed in the ISS section: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36955.0

Offline Danderman

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #66 on: 05/21/2019 06:42 pm »
The Nanoracks Bishop airlock was shipped for flight on SpaceX-21.

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #68 on: 07/26/2019 03:31 am »
Nanoracks posted their LEO commercialization study results today http://nanoracks.com/wp-content/uploads/NanoRacks-LEOCOM-Study-RELEASE.pdf

A tad light on technical detail, but there is some new stuff (most interesting IMO being a human EVA-sized Bishop derivative)

Offline gongora

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #69 on: 10/22/2019 03:53 pm »
Nanoracks Announces In-Space Outpost Demonstration

October 22, 2019

Friends,

What a few months it has been! I know it has been some time since we’ve posted an update on our Outpost program and NASA NextSTEP-2 effort, but that’s because we’ve been working on something really unique.

We have been working very hard with NASA to demonstrate how Nanoracks can make unique contributions to supporting the agency’s efforts going forward to Moon, Mars, and deep space. NASA has turned to industry to put these exploration efforts into high gear. So, we at Nanoracks had to turn things up a notch.

Today, I’m really excited to share what these discussions have culminated to: Our very first in-space Outpost demonstration mission!

Nanoracks will be building a self-contained hosted payload platform that will demonstrate the robotic cutting of second stage representative tank material on-orbit. Never before has structural metal cutting been done in-space.

As a member of the Outpost program team, Maxar will develop a new articulating robotic arm with a friction milling end-effector for this mission. This friction milling will use high rotations per minute melting our metal material in such a way that a cut is made, yet we anticipate avoiding generating a single piece of orbital debris.

The mission is targeting a Q4 2020 dedicated rideshare mission, will fly on an ESPA ring, and will activate after the deployment of all other secondary payloads is complete.

As our mission commences, we will have 30 minutes to one hour to complete the cutting of three metal pieces that are representative of various vehicle upper stages, including the Centaur 3. Nanoracks plans to downlink photos and videos of the friction milling and cutting.

Now, for more exciting news – there’s a chance for you to participate in this mission!

Nanoracks will be making available 3U of hosted payload space (no deployables) on this mission. Specifically, we are looking for bioscience and biomedical research that can directly contribute to our understanding of the harsh environment of space on long-duration journeys. We’ll share an official call for proposals in the coming weeks!

Our team is always staying creative at Nanoracks, and we are still continuing to explore additional ways to get the most out of our first in-space demonstration mission.

At long last, Nanoracks is laying the groundwork for converting upper stages in orbit. This technology could prove so important as both industry and NASA look to find the most cost-effective vehicles and programs that will bring humans to the Moon, and soon to Mars. This mission is just step one of many for Nanoracks, and we are grateful to NASA for providing us with this outstanding opportunity.

Starting with our Q4 2020 mission, and many to follow, we plan to do some very interesting tests on upper stages in orbit – some of those plans I hope to share with you soon!

I am also personally excited about this mission as Nanoracks is showing how commercial access to the International Space Station has truly paved the way for future commercial platforms in orbit. We started our business on station, and now we are growing from our roots.

If you are attending IAC 2019 in Washington, DC, please be sure to visit the Nanoracks booth (#207) to learn more about our Outpost program, and everything else we’ve got going on in orbit today.

Stay tuned, because we’re just getting started.

Jeffrey Manber
CEO
Nanoracks

Offline GWH

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #70 on: 10/22/2019 04:19 pm »
That sounds like an awesome mission and a big step forward for in space construction! One might say it's cutting edge technology  8)

I hadn't heard of friction mill before, but did recently learn about friction drilling and it produces gorgeous results like this video below.

Trigger warning, bad words inside:




Offline brickmack

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #71 on: 10/23/2019 05:25 pm »
They're also going to be doing... something on orbit with a Cyclone 4M upper stage. Debut launch of that isn't planned until 2021 though, so it can't be this mission https://www.maritimelaunch.com/news/2019-10-23/nanoracks-signs-agreement-canadas-maritime-launch-re-use-c4m-upper-stages-orbit

Offline GWH

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #72 on: 10/23/2019 05:42 pm »
They're also going to be doing... something on orbit with a Cyclone 4M upper stage. Debut launch of that isn't planned until 2021 though, so it can't be this mission https://www.maritimelaunch.com/news/2019-10-23/nanoracks-signs-agreement-canadas-maritime-launch-re-use-c4m-upper-stages-orbit

Isn't that upper stage hypergolic?
« Last Edit: 10/23/2019 05:43 pm by GWH »

Offline high road

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #73 on: 10/24/2019 08:51 am »
Nanoracks Announces In-Space Outpost Demonstration


Nanoracks will be building a self-contained hosted payload platform that will demonstrate the robotic cutting of second stage representative tank material on-orbit. Never before has structural metal cutting been done in-space.

As a member of the Outpost program team, Maxar will develop a new articulating robotic arm with a friction milling end-effector for this mission. This friction milling will use high rotations per minute melting our metal material in such a way that a cut is made, yet we anticipate avoiding generating a single piece of orbital debris.

The mission is targeting a Q4 2020 dedicated rideshare mission, will fly on an ESPA ring, and will activate after the deployment of all other secondary payloads is complete.

As our mission commences, we will have 30 minutes to one hour to complete the cutting of three metal pieces that are representative of various vehicle upper stages, including the Centaur 3. Nanoracks plans to downlink photos and videos of the friction milling and cutting.

I doubt building space stations by cutting up upper stages in space would be cheaper than launching prefabricated ones from the ground. But would this allow said prefabricated space stations to be refurbished in ways not imagined when they were designed? This would allow investors to apply lessons learned on their existing stations, reducing the risk of your infrastructure becoming outdated very quickly in a market that's still quite young.

Offline gongora

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #74 on: 11/18/2019 05:22 pm »
Nanoracks Books CubeSat Rideshare and Habitat Building Demonstration in Single SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch

November 18, 2019 – Washington DC – Nanoracks, the world’s leading commercial space station company, has booked a launch mission like no other, leveraging the recently announced SpaceX Rideshare program. Onboard a Falcon 9, targeting launch in late 2020, Nanoracks has booked deployment of eight small satellites as well as the Company’s first in-space Outpost-demonstration mission.

Recently, Nanoracks announced the Company’s first in-space Outpost demonstration mission in a letter from CEO Jeffrey Manber. Nanoracks, in collaboration with Maxar, will be building and operating a self-contained hosted payload platform that will demonstrate the robotic cutting of second stage representative tank material on-orbit. This test will be the first of its kind to demonstrate the future ability to convert spent upper stages in orbit into commercial habitats – a long-term goal of Nanoracks.

On this SpaceX Falcon 9 mission, the Nanoracks Outpost demonstration will be hosted on an ESPA ring and be operated after all other secondary payloads have been deployed. This Outpost demonstration is funded via Nanoracks’ NextSTEP-2 contract with NASA.

“Structural metal cutting has never been done in space, and SpaceX is honored to help deliver a demonstration of this capability to orbit,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. “It’s promising to see more companies like Nanoracks investing in new technologies to advance the exploration of the Moon and, ultimately, Mars.”

Notably, the secondary payloads on this SpaceX rideshare mission include eight of Spire’s LEMUR-2 CubeSats that were brokered by Nanoracks, bringing Nanoracks satellite deployment and mission management success to the forefront of the Expendable Launch Vehicle market.

“Nanoracks has been a long-valued partner for getting Spire’s satellites in orbit. Adding the Falcon 9 rideshare to the portfolio of options gives Spire yet another option for launch to LEO.” said Peter Platzer, CEO, Spire Global. “Their business creativity in pairing demo missions and CubeSat deployment from the same ESPA ring reflect their consistent commitment and support to the small satellite industry, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This enables Spire in our effort to continually increase the quality, frequency, and availability of our unique data.”

“It is beyond incredible,” said Nanoracks CEO Jeffrey Manber, “that we are bringing our existing satellite deployment business and future in-space infrastructure vision together on a single SpaceX launch. This is the power of commercial and speaks loudly to the efforts of both NASA and industry to build a successful and competitive ecosystem in low-Earth orbit.”

“Rideshare missions require a significant amount of logistics and knowledge of the CubeSat mission management process,” says Nanoracks Director of Payloads, Conor Brown. “We’ve deployed over 250 satellites, and we know better than anyone how to build a successful mission that accommodates multiple customers on a single deployment cycle. Our team gets the job done with the customer always as our top priority. Also,” adds Brown, “we have availability to deploy additional satellites on this mission, so please contact us if interested.”

To inquire about booking your satellite via Nanoracks on a SpaceX rideshare mission, please reach out at [email protected]

For additional updates, follow @Nanoracks on Twitter.
« Last Edit: 11/18/2019 05:23 pm by gongora »

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #75 on: 11/19/2019 01:17 am »
This is exciting stuff.

I recall reading about the original plan for Skylab being a “wet workshop” launched into orbit with leftover fuel and that being drained and subsequently converted into the space station. Later there were discussions about converting Shuttle ET’s into space stations and other craft.

Now the technology to do this is being demonstrated. If this works, might SpaceX convert some of its F9 upper stages and compete with Bigelow for space station business? Or let’s say an SLS core stage or two gets orbited, those would make ginormous space stations or satellite factories. There are a lot of possibilities out there.
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline high road

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #76 on: 11/19/2019 06:57 am »
This is exciting stuff.
Now the technology to do this is being demonstrated. If this works, might SpaceX convert some of its F9 upper stages and compete with Bigelow for space station business? Or let’s say an SLS core stage or two gets orbited, those would make ginormous space stations or satellite factories. There are a lot of possibilities out there.

By the time this technology matures, SpaceX will be phasing out expendable upper stages. A crewed version of Starship is going to be able to do most of the stuff that currently requires a space station. So SpaceX is unlikely to take this approach.

Using dedicated SLS core stages at a billion dollar+ per launch seems hard to be cost competitive. Bigelow shows little initiative to operate their own space station. While Nanoracks has the most experience in actually doing commercial operations on a space station. I hope we'll see some major breakthroughs in the coming years.


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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #77 on: 11/19/2019 06:34 pm »
“Bigelow shows little initiative to operate their own space station”

I was thinking more along the lines of selling space station module space on orbit, after an upper stage gets converted. If not SpaceX, who would be more likely to try something like this?

As far as SLS goes, good point about the cost. If they’re going to launch anyway I would rather see the billion dollar core stage used as a space station on orbit than burned up in the atmosphere. After 2028/2030 perhaps this could be done to make a larger, more spacious replacement for ISS, if the will and funding were there. Big if of course.
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline whitelancer64

Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #78 on: 11/19/2019 07:29 pm »
This is exciting stuff.

I recall reading about the original plan for Skylab being a “wet workshop” launched into orbit with leftover fuel and that being drained and subsequently converted into the space station. Later there were discussions about converting Shuttle ET’s into space stations and other craft.

Now the technology to do this is being demonstrated. If this works, might SpaceX convert some of its F9 upper stages and compete with Bigelow for space station business? Or let’s say an SLS core stage or two gets orbited, those would make ginormous space stations or satellite factories. There are a lot of possibilities out there.

Well, the capability to cut into tank structural material (hopefully without shedding debris!) is being demonstrated. There's a whole bunch of other things that you'd have to do to make a spent upper stage tank useful as a space station.

Also, you'd almost certainly have to sell the space before the stage is converted. Unlikely to be able to do it in the first place without funding.

It may be easier to convert an EUS tank into useful space than a core stage. However, some of the problems with the Shuttle external tanks also apply to EUS, like the problem of the foam insulation shedding in orbit.
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Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Nanoracks
« Reply #79 on: 01/10/2020 02:05 pm »
https://twitter.com/nasawatch/status/1215639204023107584

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Just finished year review. Our Bishop Airlock on track for SpaceX-21 August launch as permanent addition to ISS. In December our Mars Demo-1 technology testbed takes place on Falcon platform + all year the dozens of ISS payloads and satellites for customers. 2020 will rock!

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