Orion Lite
Encyclopedia
The CST-100 crew capsule
is a spacecraft design proposed by Boeing
in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace
as their entry for NASA
's Commercial Crew Development
(CCDev) program. Its primary mission would be to transport crew to the International Space Station
,
and to private space stations such as the proposed Commercial Space Station
from Bigelow Aerospace.
Outwardly it would look much like the Orion
, a spacecraft being built for NASA by Lockheed Martin
.
The exact dimensions have not been released, but the capsule would be larger than the Apollo command module and smaller than the Orion capsule. The CST-100 would be able to support larger crews of up to 7 people as the result of greater habitable interior volume and the reduced weight of equipment needed to support an exclusively low-Earth-orbit configuration.
It is designed to be able to remain on-orbit for up to seven months and for reusability for up to ten missions.
In the first phase of its CCDev
program NASA awarded Boeing $18 million for preliminary development of the spacecraft. In the second phase Boeing was awarded $93 million for further development.
The CST-100 would be compatible with multiple launch vehicles, including the Atlas V
, Delta IV, and Falcon 9
.
The initial launch vehicle would be the Atlas V.
, who referred to the capsule as the CST-100 in June, 2010. The letters CST stand for Crew Space Transportation and the number 100 in the name stands for 100 km, the height of the Kármán line
, which defines the boundary of space.
Receiving the full fixed-price payments for the CCDev Phase 1 Space Act Agreement
required a set of specific milestones to be met during 2010:
, Boeing stated that the capsule could be operational in 2015 with sufficient near-term approvals and funding, but also indicated they would proceed with development of the CST-100 only if NASA implemented the commercial crew transport initiative that was announced by the Obama administration in its FY11 budget request. Boeing executive Roger Krone stated that NASA investment would allow Boeing to close the business case, while this would be very difficult without NASA. In addition a second destination besides the ISS would be needed to close the business case and Krone said that cooperation with Bigelow was crucial for this.
Boeing was awarded a contract by NASA in April 2011 to continue to develop the CST-100 under CCDev phase 2.
and ISS
programs as well as the Orbital Express
project sponsored by the Department of Defense.
The CST-100 has no Orion heritage, but it is sometimes confused with the earlier and similar Orion-derived Orion Lite
proposal that Bigelow was reportedly working on with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin. It will use the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System
for docking and use the Boeing Lightweight Ablator (BLA) for its heatshield. For its launch escape system it will use the RS-88 (Bantam) engine.
.
In September 2011, Boeing announced the completion of a set of ground drop tests to validate the design of the air bag cushioning system. The air bags are located underneath the heat shield of the CST-100, which is designed to be separated from the capsule while under parachute
descent at about 5000 feet (1,524 m) altitude. The air bags are deployed by filling with a mixture of compressed Nitrogen and Oxygen gas, not with the pyro-explosive mixture sometimes used in automotive air bags. The tests were carried out in the Mojave Desert
of southeast California
, at ground speeds between 10 and 30 mph (4.5 and 13.4 ) in order to simulate cross wind conditions at the time of landing. Bigelow Aerospace built the mobile test rig and conducted the tests.
the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at Kennedy Space Center would be leased to Boeing for manufacture and test of CST-100 spacecraft.
Space capsule
A space capsule is an often manned spacecraft which has a simple shape for the main section, without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric reentry....
is a spacecraft design proposed by Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace
Bigelow Aerospace
Bigelow Aerospace is a North Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998...
as their entry for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Commercial Crew Development
Commercial Crew Development
Commercial Crew Development is a multiphase space technology development program, funded by the U.S. government, and administered by NASA. The program is intended to stimulate development of privately operated crew vehicles to low Earth orbit. It is run by the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program...
(CCDev) program. Its primary mission would be to transport crew to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
,
and to private space stations such as the proposed Commercial Space Station
Bigelow Commercial Space Station
The Bigelow Next-Generation Commercial Space Station is a private orbital space complex currently under development by Bigelow Aerospace. The space station will be constructed of both Sundancer and BA 330 expandable spacecraft modules as well as a central docking node, propulsion, solar arrays,...
from Bigelow Aerospace.
Outwardly it would look much like the Orion
Orion (spacecraft)
Orion is a spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin for NASA, the space agency of the United States. Orion development began in 2005 as part of the Constellation program, where Orion would fulfill the function of a Crew Exploration Vehicle....
, a spacecraft being built for NASA by Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
The exact dimensions have not been released, but the capsule would be larger than the Apollo command module and smaller than the Orion capsule. The CST-100 would be able to support larger crews of up to 7 people as the result of greater habitable interior volume and the reduced weight of equipment needed to support an exclusively low-Earth-orbit configuration.
It is designed to be able to remain on-orbit for up to seven months and for reusability for up to ten missions.
In the first phase of its CCDev
Commercial Crew Development
Commercial Crew Development is a multiphase space technology development program, funded by the U.S. government, and administered by NASA. The program is intended to stimulate development of privately operated crew vehicles to low Earth orbit. It is run by the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program...
program NASA awarded Boeing $18 million for preliminary development of the spacecraft. In the second phase Boeing was awarded $93 million for further development.
The CST-100 would be compatible with multiple launch vehicles, including the Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
, Delta IV, and Falcon 9
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Both stages of its two-stage-to-orbit vehicle use liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants...
.
The initial launch vehicle would be the Atlas V.
History
The initial Boeing press releases did not state a name for the CST-100. The name CST-100 was first revealed to the public by Bigelow Aerospace CEO Robert BigelowRobert Bigelow
Robert T. Bigelow is a hotel and aerospace entrepreneur. He owns the hotel chain Budget Suites of America and is the founder of Bigelow Aerospace....
, who referred to the capsule as the CST-100 in June, 2010. The letters CST stand for Crew Space Transportation and the number 100 in the name stands for 100 km, the height of the Kármán line
Karman line
The Kármán line lies at an altitude of above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space...
, which defines the boundary of space.
Receiving the full fixed-price payments for the CCDev Phase 1 Space Act Agreement
Space Act Agreement
Space Act Agreement is a type of legal agreement specified in the National Aeronautics and Space Act that established NASA. Agreements of this type have been reached under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services and Commercial Crew Development programs are examples of Space Act agreements...
required a set of specific milestones to be met during 2010:
- trade study and down-select between pusher-type and tractor-style LAS (Launch Abort System)
- system definition review
- Abort System Hardware Demonstration Test
- Base Heat Shield Fabrication Demonstration
- Avionics Systems Integration Facility demonstration
- CM Pressure Shell Fabrication Demonstration
- Landing System Demonstration (drop test and water uprighting test)
- Life Support Air Revitalization demonstration
- Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) hardware/software demonstration
- Crew Module Mockup demonstration.
, Boeing stated that the capsule could be operational in 2015 with sufficient near-term approvals and funding, but also indicated they would proceed with development of the CST-100 only if NASA implemented the commercial crew transport initiative that was announced by the Obama administration in its FY11 budget request. Boeing executive Roger Krone stated that NASA investment would allow Boeing to close the business case, while this would be very difficult without NASA. In addition a second destination besides the ISS would be needed to close the business case and Krone said that cooperation with Bigelow was crucial for this.
Boeing was awarded a contract by NASA in April 2011 to continue to develop the CST-100 under CCDev phase 2.
Design heritage
The design draws upon Boeing's experience with NASA's Apollo, Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
and ISS
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
programs as well as the Orbital Express
Orbital Express
thumb|Orbital Express: ASTRO and NEXTSatOrbital Express was a space mission managed by the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and a team led by engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center...
project sponsored by the Department of Defense.
The CST-100 has no Orion heritage, but it is sometimes confused with the earlier and similar Orion-derived Orion Lite
Orion Lite
The CST-100 crew capsule is a spacecraft design proposed by Boeing in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace as their entry for NASA's Commercial Crew Development program...
proposal that Bigelow was reportedly working on with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin. It will use the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System
Androgynous Peripheral Attach System
The Androgynous Peripheral Attach System, or Androgynous Peripheral Assembly System, is a spacecraft docking mechanism used on the International Space Station. It is used to dock the Space Shuttle orbiter and to connect the Functional Cargo Block to Pressurized Mating Adapter-1...
for docking and use the Boeing Lightweight Ablator (BLA) for its heatshield. For its launch escape system it will use the RS-88 (Bantam) engine.
Testing
A variety of validation tests are underway on the test articleTest article
A test article is a version of space craft or related vehicle or equipement, built as a platform to perform testing. Test articles are built to the same specifications to replicate conditions and behaviors of flight ready versions. Test article version are also built without the certification and...
.
In September 2011, Boeing announced the completion of a set of ground drop tests to validate the design of the air bag cushioning system. The air bags are located underneath the heat shield of the CST-100, which is designed to be separated from the capsule while under parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
descent at about 5000 feet (1,524 m) altitude. The air bags are deployed by filling with a mixture of compressed Nitrogen and Oxygen gas, not with the pyro-explosive mixture sometimes used in automotive air bags. The tests were carried out in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of southeast California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at ground speeds between 10 and 30 mph (4.5 and 13.4 ) in order to simulate cross wind conditions at the time of landing. Bigelow Aerospace built the mobile test rig and conducted the tests.
Manufacturing in OPF-3
On October 31, 2011 NASA announced that through a partnership with Space FloridaSpace Florida
Space Florida is the aerospace economic development agency of the state of Florida. The agency was created by consolidating three existing space entities into a single new organization via the The Space Florida Act, enacted in May 2006 by the Florida Legislature...
the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at Kennedy Space Center would be leased to Boeing for manufacture and test of CST-100 spacecraft.
Technology partners
- Bigelow AerospaceBigelow AerospaceBigelow Aerospace is a North Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998...
- AerojetAerojetAerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...
- Airborne Systems
- Alliant TechsystemsAlliant TechsystemsAlliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
- Spincraft
See also
- Bigelow Commercial Space StationBigelow Commercial Space StationThe Bigelow Next-Generation Commercial Space Station is a private orbital space complex currently under development by Bigelow Aerospace. The space station will be constructed of both Sundancer and BA 330 expandable spacecraft modules as well as a central docking node, propulsion, solar arrays,...
- SpaceX Dragon - a spacecraft privately-developedNewSpaceNewSpace, alt.space, and entrepreneurial space are umbrella terms for a movement and philosophy often affiliated with, but not synonymous with, an emergent private spaceflight industry...
by SpaceXSpaceXSpace Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California... - Dream Chaser - a spaceplane privately-developedNewSpaceNewSpace, alt.space, and entrepreneurial space are umbrella terms for a movement and philosophy often affiliated with, but not synonymous with, an emergent private spaceflight industry...
by Sierra Nevada CorporationSierra Nevada CorporationSierra Nevada Corporation is an electronic systems provider and systems integrator specializing in microsatellites, energy, telemedicine, nanotechnology, and commercial orbital transportation services. The company contracts with the US military, NASA and private spaceflight companies. The company... - Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleMulti-Purpose Crew VehicleThe Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is a planned spacecraft that is being built by Lockheed Martin for NASA, the space agency of the United States, based on designs and tests already completed for the Orion spacecraft. The MPCV was announced by NASA on May 24, 2011...
- a spacecraft being built for NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
by Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.... - Orion LiteOrion LiteThe CST-100 crew capsule is a spacecraft design proposed by Boeing in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace as their entry for NASA's Commercial Crew Development program...
- a likely canceled privately-developedNewSpaceNewSpace, alt.space, and entrepreneurial space are umbrella terms for a movement and philosophy often affiliated with, but not synonymous with, an emergent private spaceflight industry...
vehicle by Bigelow AerospaceBigelow AerospaceBigelow Aerospace is a North Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998...
in collaboration with Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.... - Crew Exploration VehicleCrew Exploration VehicleThe Crew Exploration Vehicle was the conceptual component of the U.S. NASA Vision for Space Exploration that later became known as the Orion spacecraft...
- Low Earth OrbitLow Earth orbitA low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
- Private spaceflightPrivate spaceflightPrivate spaceflight is flight above Earth altitude conducted by and paid for by an entity other than a government. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pioneered space technology augmented by collaboration with affiliated design...
External links
- Parabolic Arc, March 23, 2011 — progress summary from Boeing presentation at the 14th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference.
- Boeing promotional video of CST-100
- CST-100 Overview - Feb, 2011
- Boeing selected for the second round of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. Boeing Press Release, April 18, 2011