The first launch of the Increased Capacity Cargo Transportation Spacecraft (ICCTS) for logistic support of the International Space Station (ISS) is possible after 2020.
Preliminary design work on the ICCTS is to be completed in December 2016, there are no plans to develop a cargo-return version of the spacecraft.
Launches of ICCTS will be carried out from Baikonur launch site using infrastructure originally developed for Soyuz MS and Progress MS spacecraft. Upon completion of flight tests the new spacecraft will completely replace the currently used logistics spacecraft Progress MS.
”With the new spacecraft developed, we will be able to send up more cargo per one launch. This will significantly improve the cost effectiveness of launches of logistic spacecraft to both the ISS and to the station, which is going to replace it. For us this is very important», – pointed out Director General of RSC Energia Vladimir Solntsev.
UK low-cost carrier EasyJet is looking at using unmanned air vehicles to reduce the logistics burden in quickly supplying spares to grounded aircraft.
While the airline currently transports spares primarily by road, a vertical take-off and landing UAV could speed up the process and help to ensure aircraft are back flying as soon as possible.
The compensation that the carrier has to pay to customers if delays exceed 3h – as mandated by the EU – makes the speed of delivery of parts and the assessment of aircraft very appealing, EasyJet head of engineering Ian Davies told the AUVSI Unmanned Systems Europe conference in Brussels today.
"We need to be able to transport things using a 200kg [440lb] payload," says Davies, noting that UAVs are traceable and can fly encrypted missions.
Spares warehouses are typically situated near airports, so it would be a simple "A to B" flight, he adds.
A light-aircraft-sized tiltrotor with a larger payload could also carry out hub-to-hub flights across country or even to neighbouring countries, providing "instant availability for moving parts".
Although a 200kg payload would be ideal, aircraft with 50kg capacity could be more readily available and a shorter-term option, says Davies.
