THE SMALL PAYLOAD LAUNCH VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE STUDY TEAM WILL SPECIFICALLY EXAMINE MID TO FAR TERM (>10 YEA…

Public award description

THE SMALL PAYLOAD LAUNCH VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE STUDY TEAM WILL SPECIFICALLY EXAMINE MID TO FAR TERM (>10 YEAR) SOLUTIONS FOR LOW-COST, ROUTINE, HIGHLY RELIABLE ACCESS TO SPACE FOR SMALL PAYLOADS (2,000-10,000 LBS) TO LEO. THIS SEGMENT OF THE LAUNCH VEHICLE MARKET (IN CONTRAST TO NEARER TERM AND OR LARGER WEIGHT CLASS MARKETS) IS EXPECTED TO HOLD A DIVERSE SET OF POTENTIAL SOLUTION OPTIONS, INCLUDING HYPERSONIC AIR-BREATHING PROPULSION, AS WELL AS EXPENDABLE VERTICAL LAUNCH ROCKETS AND REUSABLE/EXPENDABLE SUBSONIC OR SUPERSONIC HORIZONTAL LAUNCH SYSTEMS. THE GOAL OF THIS ARCHITECTURE TEAM IS TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE AGENCY FOR THE MOST VIABLE PATH(S) FORWARD FOR LOW-COST ROUTINE ACCESS TO SPACE IN THIS PAYLOAD CLASS, AND TO DETERMINE IF AND HOW HYPERSONIC AIR-BREATHING SYSTEMS ENABLE THESE PATHS. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE TEAM IS TO ADDRESS LOW-COST ROUTINE ACCESS TO SPACE, BUT SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND ISSUES RELATED TO FLEXIBILITY OF OPERATIONS.