Space truck design can carry up to 400 kg of cargo into orbit

Plasmos company will provide space transportation services and bring goods to Earth using space trucks.

Design of Plasmo’s space truck. (Photo: Plasmo).

Space Truckpowered by Plasmos’ dual-mode propulsion system, will transport cargo to an altitude of 1,400 km, “enabling in-space manufacturing, last mile transportation, point-to-point transportation, on-orbit maintenance and waste collection”shared Ali Baghchehsara, CEO of Plamso, on February 9.

Different configurations of the 3D printed space truck will travel to low Earth orbit as cargo on the launch vehicle. In Flatbed configuration, the space truck can transport a satellite weighing 400 kg. In Musketeer configuration, the space truck has enough space for 4 75 kg satellites and 6 kg of other cargo. For in-orbit maintenance, Plasmos plans to produce vehicles equipped with robotic arms, allowing satellites to be refueled and spacecraft repaired.

Plasmos’ vehicle is also capable of landing cargo within a one square kilometer area during the return flight to Earth. The company plans to conduct the first technology demonstration test flight in January 2024. The design presented by the company is attracting the attention of many potential customers and partners, including the US government’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) program, specialized in identifying commercial technologies that can be applied in the military team.

Plasmos has made great strides since its founding in 2021. Velo3D, a metal fabrication startup working with SpaceX and many other launch service providers, is responsible for printing the first space truck for Plasmos. During the test flight, Plasmos will carry RebelSat, a cubesat satellite built by students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to test cold air propulsion.

Article source: VnExpress