WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) tested Rocket Cargo point-to-point delivery (P2D) capabilities aboard a commercial rideshare launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 20.
Rocket Cargo is an AFRL research and development project to determine the viability of using large commercial liquid-propellant rockets to rapidly deliver materiel anywhere on the globe on tactical timelines. The recent Rocket Cargo test used a SpaceX Starfall capsule with instrumentation to measure temperature, shock, and vibration of the cargo environments. The capsule carried AFRL agile cargo pod designs built to host various loads for P2D anywhere on Earth.
“Any day you launch a rocket is a good day, but today was more than just another big rocket launch,” said Brig. Gen. Douglas P. Wickert, Department of the Air Force Technology Executive Officer and AFRL commander. “Today’s launch was another demonstration of how AFRL is partnering with industry to burn down risk, collect hard data and deliver war-winning technologies for the operational force.”
Using a SpaceX Starfall capsule, AFRL analyzed the use of lab-developed agile cargo pods to transport cargo through space. Each pod contained representative mission equipment and environmental sensors to evaluate payload integrity during launch and reentry. Researchers paid special attention to the electronics equipment and survival gear, including a SATCOM-enabled tracker, batteries, a reverse osmosis desalinator, survival gear, and emergency medical equipment. In addition, engineers conducted a fit check of a UNI-PAC III life raft inside the Starfall capsule for potential use in future tests.
“This was a critical achievement to demonstrate the potential of Rocket Cargo delivery for point-to-point rapid global mobility for the Future Force," said Adam Remaly, director of the AFRL Technology Transition Office. "The cross-discipline collaborations and ability to unleash the speed of our defense industrial base are key to maximizing capability and winning the future.”
A key difference between Rocket Cargo and other efforts is the larger total cargo delivery capacity of tens of tons per launch. For the Joint Force, this could one day support rapid global mobility to contested environments and austere sites without access to runways and roads, including contested logistics, expeditionary operations, rescue operations, disaster relief, and response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards.
Iterative testing will aid in the eventual delivery of critical cargo at speed and scale to any point on the globe. AFRL is working with multiple commercial vendors and small businesses for near-term solutions, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Sierra Space, Anduril, Inversion Space and Outpost Space. AFRL is also exploring options to leverage commercial investment in launch vehicles as well as commercial capsule reentry technologies for in-space manufacturing.
AFRL continues to assess rocket and reentry capsule capabilities across the commercial vendor base and is exploring potential uses for quickly transporting critical Department of War materiel to locations across the globe.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the Department of the Air Force’s primary scientific research and development center and one of six centers within Air Force Materiel Command. AFRL leads the discovery, development and delivery of technologies for air, space and multidomain. With a workforce spanning seven mission areas at more than 40 locations worldwide, AFRL conducts research ranging from basic science to advanced technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.