PHASE I OUTPOST


The test CM crew will be sent home, and the test CM itself will be replaced by the Phase I Outpost spacecraft configuration. It will consist of the same tCM1_04–04–46–4049 as the test CM, along with one Utility Vehicle (UV) and the two inchworm RCSs.

Additionally, the spacecraft will attach to a Garage that will hold various tools, hardware, spare parts, etc. that might be needed during their time in orbit. The UV will be situated in the middle, with the CM on top and the Garage on the bottom (Image 1).
Image 1: Phase I outpost configuration
The spacecraft parts can easily fit into the RV cargo bay and has a mass that is well below the maximum capability (Table 1).

CREW MODULE

4,049

kg

UTILITY VEHICLE

5,217

kg

REMOTE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM

65

kg

REMOTE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM

65

kg

GARAGE

272

kg

TOOLS, SPARE PARTS, ETC.

7,500

kg

TOTAL PAYLOAD MASS

17,168

kg

Table 1: Phase I Expeditionary mass

The Outpost will be in orbit slightly behind the planned position of the future space station, keeping the location free of debris from accidents. This will require that the RVs launch a few minutes early until the flight testing phase is over.

After the 4 astronauts have been transferred aboard, they will verify that all systems are "GO" and will now be ready to being the next phase of flight testing.

Their mission is to flight test the remaining four vehicles:
  1. Orbital Vehicle (OV)
  2. Propellant Module (PM)
  3. Lunar Vehicle (LV)
  4. Cislunar Vehicle (CV)
The OV will be the first vehicle sent to them for testing.

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