The Space Superhighway: Space Infrastructure for the 21st CenturyThis paper introduces a concept for space infrastructure developed with input from multiple U.S. government agencies called the Space Superhighway, which could support civil, commercial, and national security space activities. The Space Superhighway is a commercial-first space infrastructure that contains three primary components: regional hubs, a sustainable transportation network, and Earth-to-orbit logistics. Civil, commercial, and national security space sectors could use this common infrastructure to support missions such as satellite servicing, Earth science, and space domain awareness, among others. It utilizes a commercial-first, “infrastructure-as-a-service” approach which contains industry-owned and operated assets with government anchor tenants for commercial services, enabling extended mission lifetime, on-orbit repair, maneuver without regret, and debris mitigation and removal. The Space Superhighway is the space infrastructure needed for the 21st century.
Document ID
20220012880
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Deborah Tomek (Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Dale Arney (Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
John Mulvaney (Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Christina Williams (Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Jill McGuire (Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Brian Roberts (Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Jeramie Broadway (Marshall Space Flight Center Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, United States)
Karl Stolleis (United States Air Force Research Laboratory Edwards AFB, CA, USA)
Josh Davis (The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo, California, United States)
Greg Richardson (THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION El Segundo, California, United States)
Christopher Stockdale (Analytical Mechanics Associates (United States) Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2022
Subject Category
Space Transportation And Safety
Report/Patent Number
IAC-22-D3.1.2.x73702
Meeting Information
Meeting: 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2022)
Location: Paris
Country: FR
Start Date: September 18, 2022
End Date: September 22, 2022
Sponsors: International Astronautical Federation (IAF)