The Air Force Research Laboratory conducted its first operational test of the Rocket Cargo project during a commercial spaceflight on Oct. 20 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The project is a research and development effort to determine whether large commercial rockets can rapidly deliver military equipment anywhere in the world. The test used a SpaceX capsule carrying instrumentation to measure temperature, shock and vibration during launch and reentry, along with cargo pod designs built for various delivery loads.
Each pod contained mission equipment and environmental sensors, with particular attention to electronics including satellite communication trackers, batteries, a reverse osmosis desalinator, survival gear and emergency medical equipment. Engineers also measured the capsule design to potentially include a life raft in future tests.
A key advantage of Rocket Cargo over similar efforts is its larger cargo-delivery capacity per launch. Potential applications include supporting operations in contested environments, expeditionary operations, rescue and disaster relief missions, and response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies.
"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, the lab's Technology Transition Office director.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is working with multiple commercial vendors and small businesses on near-term solutions and exploring ways to leverage commercial investment in launch vehicles and capsule reentry technologies.