posted 05-25-2022 01:32 PM               

Outpost Mars Demo-1 Marks First-Ever Demo of Structural Metal Cutting in Space

Voyager and Nanoracks are excited to announce that our first Outpost demonstration mission (Outpost Mars Demo-1) is launching aboard SpaceX's Transporter 5 rideshare flight. This mission is part of our Outpost Program, which is focused on transforming used launch vehicle upper stages into uncrewed, controllable platforms.

Above: hoto of Nanoracks' OMD-1 payload mounted onto SpaceX's Falcon 9 / Transporter-5 vehicle.

But what will this actually entail?

Nanoracks designed a self-contained hosted payload platform to demonstrate on-orbit, debris-free, robotic metal cutting. Our partner in this demonstration, Maxar Technologies, developed a new robotic arm with a friction milling end-effector. Friction milling uses a cutting tool operating at high rotations per minute to melt the metal in such a way that a cut is made, and no debris is generated.

Maxar's robotic cutter is equipped with thermal sensors and cameras, and once in space, Nanoracks and Maxar will have up to one hour to complete the cutting of three metal pieces, made of corrosion resistant steel (the same material that is used on the outer shell of ULA's Vulcan Centaur) without creating any debris in the process.

The demonstration itself will occur about 9 minutes into flight and will be finished approximately 10 minutes later. The rest of the time the team will downlink the photos and video to the ground stations until the vehicle and hosted payloads de-orbit over the Pacific.

Above: This Oughta Cut It: The official OMD-1 mission patch

"Maxar's innovative robotics engineering on Mars Demo-1 represents a critical step toward using new technology to reduce future space debris," said Chris Johnson, Maxar's Senior Vice President of Space. "Maxar is excited to partner with Nanoracks on this demonstration, which will test new ways to keep space a safe place to operate and explore for future generations. We are committed to eliminating unnecessary debris while developing on-orbit servicing and manufacturing capabilities, technologies which will revolutionize the space industry."

This mission is integral to Voyager and Nanoracks' long-term goal of converting upper stages into outposts in-orbit, highlighting the full potential of infrastructure-as-a-service in space and orbital sustainability.

"We see this Outpost demonstration mission as contributing to NASA's efforts to go to the Moon, Mars, and deep space," says Marshall Smith, Nanoracks Senior Vice President of Space Systems. "NASA continues to turn to industry to test new exploration technologies, and we're thrilled to support the agency's goals through this demonstration while promoting the benefits of sustainable technology."