Project OASIS: A Network of Spaceports

Abstract

Providing routine, affordable access to a variety of orbital and deep space destinations requires an intricate network of ground, planetary surface and space-based spaceports across the Earth (land and sea), in various Earth orbits, and on other extra-terrestrial surfaces. Advancements in technology and international collaboration are necessary to enable such a spaceport network to satisfy private and government customers’ research, exploration, and commercial objectives. Technologies, interfaces, assembly techniques, and protocols must be adapted to enable critical capabilities and interoperability throughout the spaceport network. The conceptual space mission architecture must address the full range of required spaceport services, such as managing propellants for a variety of spacecraft. As part of the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program 2012 hosted by the Florida Institute of Technology and NASA Kennedy Space Center, the international and intercultural team of Operations and Service Infrastructure for Space (OASIS), proposes an interdisciplinary answer to the problem of economical space access and transportation. This presentation will present the different phases of a project for developing a network of spaceports throughout the Solar System in a timeframe of 50 years. The requirements, functions, critical technologies and mission architecture of this network of spaceports are outlined in a roadmap of the important steps and phases. The economic and financial aspects are emphasized in order to allow a sustainable development of the network in a public-private partnership via the formation of an International Spaceport Authority (ISPA). The approach includes engineering, scientific, financial, commercial, legal, policy, and societal aspects. Team OASIS intends to provide guidelines to make the development of space transportation via a spaceports logistics network feasible, and believes that this pioneering effort will revolutionize space exploration, science and commerce, ultimately contributing to permanently expand humanity into space

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