Pre-positioned Storage and Integration of Orbital Payload Subsystems (PSI-OPS) Development

Advancements in spacelift, in space transportation, propulsion technology, and other satellite technologies have afforded the US space industry the ability to focus on more advanced space logistics areas of focus, to include space sustainment and maneuver, to increase mission capabilities, build more resilient space architectures, facilitate expedient and responsive reach to further orbital regimes, protect critical space assets, and extend space system orbital lifetimes. With the increased interest of enablers to space sustainment and maneuver, many US Government (USG) and commercial entities have begun developing on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing (OSAM) spacecraft capabilities. The US space industry requires a holistic space logistics architecture to support and empower these OSAM capabilities, especially an on-orbit storage and integration architecture for replacement or upgrade of spacecraft subsystems and refueling. Xtenti seeks to help provide a framework for OSAM space logistics by defining a means to pre-position spare and/or augmenting space components and fuel on orbit that complements its FANTM-RiDE™ (FR) rapid launch, long-term orbital storage, and responsive deployment capabilities.This Direct-to-Phase-II Proposal contains the effort required for Xtenti to develop and prototype its Pre-positioned Storage and Integration of Orbital Payload Subsystems™ (PSI-OPS™) construct to offer the space industry a known, easily mass produced and proliferated, and easily integrable payload subsystem mechanical chassis, electrical and informational interface so that many of these PSI-OPS modules can be launched and stored on orbit, ready for any OSAM to retrieve the modules and integrate them to awaiting Host spacecraft. This development effort also includes the design and prototyping of the receiving interface (called PSI-OPS RX™) that will be placed on future Host spacecraft that can receive, communicate with, and operate PSI-OPS modules, as well as the robotic end effector required to transfer PSI-OPS modules between Xtenti FANTM-RAiL™ (FRA) Deployers within FR Dispensers to PSI-OPS RX panels on Host spacecraft, bi-directionally. Further, to maximize PSI-OPS module ridesharing and orbital storage, Xtenti will optimize its FRA Deployer layout within a FR Dispenser to enable rapid hot-swap manifesting of PSI-OPS modules to increase the number of PSI-OPS modules placed to orbit.