Rocket Cargo Vanguard

Transporting cargo in the cosmos seems unimaginable. The $3-$5 per pound using a C-5M aircraft represents the floor when comparing costs. As a sanity check on that calculation, the typical cost of a commercial airline ticket is $500-$600 for a passenger weighing 200 lbs which brings the cost of an airline to be $2.50 to $3 per pound. The cost of space launch is much higher - $10,000 to put a pound of payload in Earth orbit.

According to open source SpaceX pricing information, the Falcon 9 has the performance to launch 50,265 lbs to low earth orbit (LEO) for $52 million per launch and the Falcon Heavy has the performance to launch 140,660 lbs to LEO for $90 million per launch. This equates to $1233 per pound for the Falcon 9 and $640 per pound for the Falcon Heavy. In his speech to the 68th International Astronautical Congress on September 28th, 2017, Elon Musk discussed using the BFR for Earth to Earth Transport and presented a table of various locations around the world and the time it would take to travel via space. With a fleet of 50 of SpaceX’s BFR launch vehicles, the DoD could double the capacity of the organic strategic airlift fleet for one day. The second day is a different matter, since it is still unknown how the rocket vehicle could be recovered back to the origin and will depend on infrastructure at the destination. It could possibly be re-fueled and returned with cargo or could be sent back via surface ship or other methods.

According to SpaceX's "Capabilities & Services" statement, a single Falcon 9 rocket, fully loaded with fuel and launching the biggest payload it can carry to Low Earth Orbit (22.8 metric tons), costs $62 million. If Musk's marginal cost figures are at least somewhat correct, SpaceX's cost to a launch a newly built Falcon 9 is about $50 million. According to Elon Musk, the marginal cost for a reused Falcon 9 launch is about $15 million. He explained that the majority of this amount was represented by the $10 million it costs to manufacture a new upper stage. It is not reusable (and never will be), so it is necessary to make a new one for each launch. The Pentagon awarded SpaceX with five of the six GPS III satellite launch contracts to date. Those five launch contracts total $469.8 million, or $94 million per launch. In 2020 the Space and Missiles Systems Center modified the contracts for SpaceX’s next two GPS III satellite launches to allow reuse, a move that the military estimated will save about $64 million, or $32 million per launch. This indicates the price of a reused Falcon 9 is $62 million, not $15 million.

Philip Bono was a renowned space engineer who was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 13, 1921. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1947 with a B.E. degree in mechanical engineering, and served three years in the U.S. Naval Reserves. After graduation in 1947, Mr. Bono worked as a research and systems analyst for North American Aviation. His first "tour" with Douglas Aircraft Company was from 1949 to 1951, doing structural layout and detail design. From 1951 to 1960, he worked primarily in structures design at Boeing. A 1963 NASA contract to Douglas Aircraft Company was to produce a conceptual design for Philip Bono's "Reusable Orbital Module Booster and Utility Shuttle (ROMBUS)," to orbit and return to touch down with legs like the lunar landing module's. Jettison of eight strap-on hydrogen tanks for recovery and reuse was part of the concept.

Bono proposed development of intercontinental ballistic troop transport capable of carrying 1,200 troops to any trouble spot on earth in 45 minutes. Such an Ithacus rocket transport would be ideal for helping stamp out “brush fire” conflicts, according to engineers Philip Bono and George C. Goldbaum of Douglas Aircraft who spoke at AIM annual meeting in July 1964. If funds were committed to project, they considered the ICBM transport system might be operational by 1975. On 11 July 1964 the Journal of the Armed Forces noted that Philip Bono, with Missile and Space Systems Div. of Douglas Aircraft Co., had redeveloped Ithacus (formerly Icarus) , his study concept of a spacecraft which could move 132 tons of cargo or 1,200 troops anywhere in the world in 30 or 40 min. Ithacus was formerly conceived for launch from fixed land site, but under the new concept, there would be seaborne launch from nuclear aircraft carrier of Enterprise class. This would reduce vulnerability of the system.

In 2002 the forward-leaning Marines officially documented a need to transport “small numbers of combat Marines…at sufficient speed to ensure the relevance of global terrestrial force projection at the earliest stages of conflict.” They have stated the desire to use space as the transport medium. With certain technological advances, the space domain may provide the solution, perhaps the only solution, for this USMC transportation requirement.

As stated in their 2002 Universal Needs Statement (UNS) for the Small Unit Space Transport and INsertion (SUSTAIN) capability, “the Marine Corps needs a capability to transport small, mission-tailored units through space from any point on the globe to a contingency at any other point on the globe within minutes.”

United States Special Operations Command expanded upon these thoughts in its 2004 Special Operations Forces Space Enabling Concept (SOFSEC). They foresaw that a dangerous, uncertain strategic environment with a dramatically increasing range of threats will continue to pose challenges in the future. Tapping into the global reach capabilities that space power offers would allow the US and its Allies to handle the complex contingencies that will continue to litter the international landscape.

High Ops Tempo – Energetic Access to Globe & Launch Experiment (HOT EAGLE) was Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) paper study completed in 2006 for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to examine the feasibility of SUSTAIN. DARPA did not decide to fund HOT EAGLE after this seedling effort.

The Air Guardian study by Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) in 2015 performed initial mission analysis on a CONUS based network of re-usable launch vehicles that could reach any target in the world within an hour that would be capable of delivering an ISR package, humanitarian aid, or small amount of people and cargo (Hellman & Germain, 2015). The study did not narrow selection down to a single vehicle but instead evaluated 13 different proposed systems against various attributes including flight time, cost per sortie, reliability, survivability, proposed initial operational capability (IOC) timeline, and others. One of the key takeaways from the study included cargo missions are feasible but the payload amount would be limited. Also, a large leap in technology would be required to make personnel missions feasible.

Air University’s 2017 Fast Space study was a white paper describing how the U.S. Air Force could leverage new concepts and technology to build a compelling strategic advantage through the use of space. The architecture proposed included aviation-like sortie access, affordable payloads, robust communications systems, network of ISR systems, and worldwide effects with a rapid launch-on-demand system.

Transporting cargo in the cosmos may seem unimaginable, but the innovative capability could become a reality in the not too distant future. U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) certainly thinks so. “Think about moving 80 short tons, the equivalent of a C-17 payload, anywhere on the globe in less than an hour,” U.S. Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, commander, USTRANSCOM, said during his virtual remarks at the Airlift/Tanker Association’s (A/TA) Conference on Oct. 28. “We should challenge ourselves to think differently about how we will project the force in the future, and how rocket cargo could be part of that.

Lyons reiterated the combatant command’s commitment in partnering with industry as they develop – within the next 5 to 10 years – a space transportation prototype that may allow the command to complement its air, sea, and land logistics operations.

“I’ve seen how fast some commercial space transportation providers are developing game-changing capabilities, and a 2021 proof of principle to deliver, perhaps, humanitarian assistance somewhere around globe, on a rocket transport mission, is well within the realm of possibility,” Lyons told the virtual audience. Proof of principle refers to early stage trials and experiments.

“USTRANSCOM has identified that commercial, point-to-point space transportation may provide a unique capability, enabling the command to better support moving equipment and eventually people quickly around the globe to meet our national objectives, global emergencies, and natural disasters,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nirav Lad, principal investigator for space transportation Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), USTRANSCOM’s Strategic Plans, Policy and Logistics Directorate. “We continue to assess point-to-point space transportation from multiple perspectives to determine the viability for USTRANSCOM to be among the customers of a healthy commercial space transportation market.”

The Department of the Air Force announced 07 June 2021 its fourth Vanguard program focused on Rocket Cargo signaling another step toward someday using rockets to deliver cargo for the Department of Defense (DOD). U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is partnering with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to explore commercial capabilities in the field of space travel for global logistics. AFRL is leading a science and technology effort to determine the viability and utility of using large commercial rockets for Department of Defense global logistics, potentially expanding the portfolio of capabilities the USSF presents to combatant commanders.

“Being able to move payloads across the globe in under an hour is the logistics of tomorrow,” U.S. Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, commander, USTRANSCOM, said following the funding of the AFRL study. Lyons announced USTRANSCOM’s partnership with SpaceX, XArc, and AFRL to explore for point-to-point space travel for logistics during the annual National Defense Transportation Association and USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting in October 2020. “This is not a fantasy,” Lyons said. “They’re making a lot of progress … it’s a very exciting time and I look forward to being fully engaged in the journey.”

“We must challenge ourselves to think differently about projecting the force of the future, and how rocket cargo can be part of our logistic enterprise. Within the next five to 10 years, space transportation will allow the command to complement its air, sea, and land logistics operations” Lyons said. “And that will provide senior leaders a completely redefined variable in decision making and the advantage of time.”

The Rocket Cargo Vanguard opens the door to key data from commercial partners for better understanding the challenges of landing at an austere site or even on a maritime platform. SpaceX plans to launch multiple Starship prototypes in 2021. With each commercial launch and test, DOD and industry move closer to making space transportation a reality.

Point-to-point space transportation presents a fundamental shift in the way the DOD could respond to contingencies and disasters by potentially reducing the number of days required for planning, coordination, and execution. In conjunction with capacity, the speed of space transportation shows the potential to offer more options and greater decision space for leaders while creating dilemmas for adversaries.

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Moore is managing the partnerships and guiding the thought leadership for USTRANSCOM’s vision. “The DOD has explored space transportation in the past,” he said. “Today, multiple factors are at play and it is the convergence of favorable costs, capacity, speed and access that makes commercial space mobility and logistics increasingly attractive.”

Point-to-point space transportation shows the potential to provide movement of vital resources while eliminating en route stops and other challenges, such as diplomatic approvals for access and overflight. Once orbital, vehicles have the capability to reach any point on earth.

In the past, the U.S. government led the technology development and bore the brunt of the cost. Today, commercial space launch providers, SpaceX and others, are rapidly developing and funding reusable transportation capabilities with payload capacities that may prove beneficial for strategic logistics.

“Since industry bears the bulk of development costs, the government is in an opportune position to influence designs and be postured to utilize future capabilities,” said Moore. The strategy aligns with the 2020 National Space Policy to develop government systems only when no suitable or cost-effective service is available.

According to Moore, it is similar to how the DOD works with commercial aircraft engineers to ensure compatible defense features such as the 463L pallet system, which is a common size platform for bundling and moving air cargo, and serves as the primary air cargo pallet for the U.S. Air Force, other air forces, and many civilian cargo transport aircraft. On March 3, 2020, USTRANSCOM signed a CRADA with Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), titled Space Transportation Capability for the Joint Force. The two-year collaborative arrangement helps the command assess space launch capability and capacity. It also allows for the collaborative investigation of using commercial space transportation mode to expedite global delivery of DOD materiel and personnel.

Five weeks after signing the SpaceX CRADA, on April 10, 2020, the command executed another one with Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc), titled Space Transportation Basing and Support Concepts for the Defense Transportation System (DTS). This two-year agreement assists the command in understanding the requirements to leverage space transportation systems-basing and support DTS concepts. In addition, the CRADA enables the collaborative investigation of supporting technologies and infrastructure interfaces of ground and orbit facilities to support space transportation to expedite delivery of DOD materiel and personnel.

USTRANSCOM’s next steps in assessing a potential space logistics capability commenced in 2021. First, the command plans to continue leveraging collaborations with industry and fellow combatant commands to enable a long-range, point-to-point, proof of concept trial in 2021. Testing will allow USTRANSCOM and the Department of Defense (DOD) to evaluate the capabilities, limitations, and technical/policy gaps, as well as exercise current policies and procedures.

United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is seeking non-federal partners (“Collaborators”) in industry and/or academia to consider for entry into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) as described in 15 USC 3710a with the government to produce collaborative studies illustrating and demonstrating potential future capabilities for USTRANSCOM. These studies will produce findings on technical and operational maturity and feasibility for use, economics, and risks/benefits of the inclusion of space transportation capabilities in support of worldwide DoD materiel distribution needs.

This is not a solicitation for a procurement contract, nor should this announcement be construed as implying any future solicitation by USTRANSCOM or any other government agency in this area. Participation in CRADAs is not a prerequisite for or factor in future procurement. Potential collaborators who may also seek funded traditional contracts on this subject matter should ascertain that participation in a CRADA will not interfere with or preclude their ability to compete for that work.

Bidder should write their white paper for the purpose of demonstrating their experience, special expertise, and success in developing, modeling, demonstrating and/or operating on-demand space transportation capabilities for point-to-point (terrestrial) delivery of materiel. Bidders hould demonstrate their willingness to enter into a non-paid, limited-time research collaboration with USTRANSCOM. Full details of research under a CRADA will be defined in discussions, if their organization is chosen from respondents to this RFI, and do not have to be fully specified in their whitepaper.

Potential Research Topics

• A. Current state-of-the-practice of space transportation method, as an alternative and complement to traditional air, land and surface modes for DOD global supply chains; risks and benefits observed and projected; and additional research and development needed as indicated by current known opportunities and risks.
• B. A projection of space transportation capabilities including mass and volume capacities and opportunities that will emerge as commercially- and militarily-viable over the next 20 years.
• C. Affordability/cost estimates for space transportation in support of DoD mobility missions, today and over the next 20 years in terms of cost per launch, cost per kilogram, etc.
• D. Feasibility of various modes of launch and landing, including aircraft-launched and including horizontal and combinations of horizontal and vertical launch/landing methods.
• E. Methodology for successful integration of space transportation with existing supply chains (end-to-end distribution) and operations worldwide environments. Projections of realistic time-to-closure (total time of delivery) of logistics requirements for likely scenarios, considering actual duration from demand signal to arrival of cargo to point of need; comparison to traditional modes.
• F. Basing/launch facility placement criteria, corresponding available destinations.
• G. Feasibility/flexibility/limitations for various payloads (dimensions, mass, durability and material handling/packaging requirements).
• H. Resilience of space transportation considering physical, terrorist, and physical infrastructure/cyber threats, weather, electromagnetic countermeasures, etc.
• I. Pre-conditions which must be satisfied by the government for successful implementation of space transportation for DoD mobility missions
• J. Environmental impacts and mitigation methods for employment of space transportation.
• K. Business case and return on investment requirements for both government and commercial parties to enter into long-term space transportation routine (contracted) and surge capability agreements, similar to the existing Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) or Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) programs.
• L. Predicted long-range effects of space transportation operations on factors impacting global climate change and methods of impact mitigation
• M. Other topics as determined by discussion.

Second, doctrinal, diplomatic, statutory, and organizational issues will be addressed to facilitate the standardization of high-frequency, commercial, point-to-point, space launches. USTRANSCOM is examining these subjects and appraising capability usefulness to meet national defense needs, while commercial space transportation providers lead and advance research and development to meet commercial launch requirements.