Outpost to build a revolutionary 'ferry' that will transport cargo from the ISS to Earth

Cargo Ferry – the NASA and Outpost collaboration

The evolution of the cargo ferry is a collaboration of Outpost and NASA through the Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (SAA). This collaboration helps develop NASA's Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) that will order injury-leading payload Earth return from orbit.

Outpost, Nanoracks, and Spaceflight have teamed up to launch the revolutionary Cargo Ferry project in an effort to make Earth-return of cargo faster and more cost-efficient. 

This technology promises a solution for scientists with valuable non-human samples as well as small payloads that can now be returned quickly at low prices – opening doors not just on the ISS National Lab but also throughout the lower-Earth orbit.

Outpost Founder Jason Dunn emphasizes: The Ferry will drive down costs while boosting throughput capabilities; it could provide opportunities never before seen across multiple industries.

It might provide a solution for emergency evacuations from commercial LEO destinations

The International Space Station's limited storage space means hard choices have to be made when new payloads arrive. To create more room on board, items must be down-massed or removed entirely – but dedicated cargo return is still an unsolved challenge for commercial LEO destinations looking to maximize the speed of their Earth-based iterations. 

Outpost seeks to solve this issue by creating a future human-rated version of Cargo Ferry that could one day provide emergency evacuations from private stations in orbit.

The ferry will be more appropriate for CLDs, which are anticipated to be smaller than ISS and fixed heat shield systems. Given that the heat shield is deflated during the whole journey up to the very last entry, it will be more directly scalable to heavier cargo. This implies that it would require less space for storage at CLD and launch to LEO.

Outpost is on a mission to revolutionize the way we interact with space

Outpost has created an innovative, reusable satellite – their first product – which enables users to launch payloads into orbit and iterate (replicate) quickly upon its return. The fast-paced process of iteration in space will reduce costs while helping create a more sustainable industry for both Earth and our celestial neighbors. 

Outpost pioneers this sustainability throughout all development phases as they strive toward new heights.