A Cis-Lunar Propellant Infrastructure for Flexible Path Exploration and Space Commerce

This paper describes a concept for a cis-lunar propellant infrastructure that exploits lunar water for propellant production and delivers it to users in c is-lunar space. The concept supports multiple goals: to provide responsive economi cal space transportation beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), enable in-space commerce, and support the multiple destinations of “flexible path” exploration. This concept is “game changing” because it would fundamentally affect the architecture of future space operations, provide greater access to space beyond Earth orbit, and broaden participation in space exploration. The challenge is to create the infrastructure with minimum development costs and yet assure that operational costs do not diminish its benefits. The approach to achieving these objectives includes employing telerobotics, avoiding maintenance intensive machinery, exploiting the natural lunar environment, employing directed energy technologies for resource extraction, and processing and establishing a robust electric power infrastructure. Since the main exported product is propellants , the infrastructure also includes the means of stockpiling, packaging, and delivering propellants to users at various rendezvous points in cis-lunar space ranging from LEO to the lunar orbit. The product delivery aspect will also include a mix of technologies including cryopropellant management, reusable lunar landers, propellant tankers, orbital transfer vehicles, aerobraking technologies, and electric propulsion. To minimize operational cost, the infrastructure is entirely telerobotic. Resource-intensive human flight operations are deferred until the infrastructure is operational and capable of supporting human missions . Ultimately, the infrastructure is intended to reduce the cost of both robotic and human space missions. This infrastructure is not strictly dependent on human missions to justify the investment and can be scalable and would serve a wide user base ranging from commercial satellite servicing to large-scale human exploration missions. A cis-lunar propellant and logistics infrastructure dramatically reduces the size and cost of launch vehicles for missions beyond Earth orbit. Since it can extend the effective reach of existing vehicles, in effect, it provides access to deep space to any user capable of reaching LEO. The cis-lunar propellant and logistics infrastructure is sustained without the need for dedicated logistics launches. This paper introduces the concept where users of the infrastructure can buy propellant services by trading logistics packages with the infrastructure. This process of exchanging logistics for propellants can be regarded as an early form of in-space commerce.