The Free Flyer Element of DLR's Orbital-Hub Concept: Designed for Science Opportunities and More

Kurzfassung

In order to perpetuate the achievements of Human Spaceflight in the context of the International Space Station (ISS), DLR supported by Airbus DS and other external partners, by extensive use of its Concurrent Engineering Facility, as conducted a thorough Post-ISS concept study for a LEO architecture referred to as Orbital-Hub. The Orbital-Hub is based on a small crewed LEO platform including a human-tended Free Flyer, and its design has been centred on financial feasibility and user needs in the frame of human spaceflight. Within this paper the Orbital-Hub's Free Flyer, which consists of a pressurized laboratory area, an external payload or experiment platform and a Service compartment, is highlighted with respect to its diverse purposes and applications. Based on a detailed collection of current and forecasted user needs with the help of the science community, the Free Flyer is designed as versatile multi-purpose platform meeting a wide range of requirements for different use cases such as observation, \mu g applications, exploration, technology demonstration and commercial use. Furthermore, it serves as a key element in the Orbital-Hub concept during assembly and nominal operations.