SpaceDev and Lockheed Martin have joined forces to investigate the development and marketing of low-cost access to orbit for small payloads.
The delivery service will be based on the Lockheed Athena booster and SpaceDev's standardised MiniSIL spacecraft buses. Two SpaceDev craft would fly on the Athena, carrying science and technology demonstration payloads.
The delivery service will be sold from a commercial price list, which ranges from $4 million for a 25-50kg (55-110lb) payload taking up one slot on a spacecraft, to $17 million for occupation of the whole spacecraft.
Making primary payloads of what have previously been seen as secondary ones will mean that business customers "can be assured a ride into space on schedule and a programme designed just for them", says Lockheed.
The companies believe that this "multimillion dollar" industry could account for 10-30% of Athena's business. The Athena 1 and 2 family, which first flew in 1995, has had three launch successes and two failures.
"The selection of the Athena is important to us because it implements another part of our strategic plan to become a full-service vertically integrated space company offering a complete range of low cost space products and services," says Jim Benson, chief executive and founder of SpaceDev.
Source: Flight International
