Spaceflight

^{Rob Coppinger / London}

Oklahoma-based Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) and Alcatel Alenia Spazio North America (ASNA) are jointly developing pressurised and unpressurised cargo modules for the International Space Station (ISS). Last week the two companies announced that work had already begun on the modules and that they had signed a strategic letter of intent.

RpK is bidding for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration competition, which offers a Space Act agreement and funds for selected companies to prove an ISS supply capability by 2010.

RpK wants to use the proposed two-stage Kistler K-1 rocket to deliver the ASNA/RpK cargo modules. ASNA has previously developed and manufactured three multipurpose logistic modules for ISS supply and major elements of the European Space Agency’s Columbus ISS laboratory. “These modules will enable the RpK K-1 to deliver the [COTS] requested 8,400kg [18,500lb] of upmass to the ISS annually [and] deliver the requested 3,000kg of downmass,” says RpK president Randy Brinkley.

The K-1 was developed by Kistler Aerospace, which teamed with Rocketplane earlier this year. Formed in 1993 Kistler spent $624 million producing a primary K-1 structure and testing the rocket’s engine before entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2003 and emerging in March this year.

Orbital flight tests and commercial operations will be conducted from Woomera, Australia.