AFRL Tetra-5 CDR Completed by Orion Space Solutions
AFRL Tetra-5 CDR Completed by Orion Space Solutions
Will Now Proceed to Design Assembly, Integration, and Testing
The Critical Design Review (CDR) for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC) and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Tetra-5 program has been completed by Orion Space Solutions and its partners. The Tetra-5 mission will demonstrate multi-agent autonomous Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Docking (RPOD) for on-orbit refueling.
"Having completed a successful CDR, Orion Space Solutions and our extended team look forward to our ongoing close teamwork with the government to begin production work on the Tetra-5 vehicles and sensors."
William Armijo, Orion Space Solutions
The constellation of three prototype spacecraft will have at least a two-year mission life at Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). Orion and its team will demonstrate key docking capabilities for on-orbit refueling and next-generation autonomous collaboration techniques for inspection as a precursor for on-orbit servicing and anomaly resolution.
"Having completed a successful CDR, Orion Space Solutions and our extended team look forward to our ongoing close teamwork with the government to begin production work on the Tetra-5 vehicles and sensors," said William Armijo, Orion's Vice President of Space Systems.
The CDR maintained an accelerated pace and was completed within 13 months of the award announcement.
SSC selected Orion, along with their subcontractors Hera Systems, Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton, SCOUT Space Inc., Sedaro, Utah State University, and ICR, Inc. for the Tetra-5 mission to design, develop, and demonstrate its Tetra-5 spacecraft and autonomous collaboration capabilities. This CDR marks a significant milestone for Orion as the company continues to expand its portfolio of space-based solutions.