A space tug vehicle is a special type of spacecraft that helps carry payloads from one orbit to another. We use Tug vehicles to transfer small satellites from LEO to a different orbit. These missions are known as lunar transfer or geostationary orbit transfer.

When a rocket launches in space, supplies with the necessary accessories and fuel to last its mission. Many rockets meant for a prolonged period of space exploration were either supplied with the necessary fuel or had solar panels built into them. Also, if the spacecraft is manned, it will contain necessary food and other equipment to help the astronauts survive.

Scientists started developing a tug in space right after World War II. Such projects’ purpose was to successfully transfer cargo for permanent satellites orbiting the Earth. As part of the Space Transportation System (STS), NASA started working on tug vehicles for the first time in the 1960s and 1970s.

What is the space tug module?

A space tug module is a reusable and multi-purpose vehicle that helps scientists deliver cargo for spacecraft already in orbit. The space tug purpose completely depends on the scientists behind each vehicle.

Primarily, a space tug transport module finishes out of a propulsion system. However, separate modules can be added on top of it to accommodate astronauts. Also, if a tug vehicle has to land on the Moon or any other planet, it adds a different module to its main body that will help the tug vehicle land on a solid surface.

However, in the aftermath of the Apollo program, the budget for researching tug vehicles stops.

Reusable Space Tug Clean Up Missions

At present, ten thousand satellites are orbiting our planet, and some of them are already defunct. Not only do these satellites serve no practical purposes, but they are also starting to fall apart, gradually turning into space junk.  As more private companies and governments send their satellites to space, the amount of space debris will only keep growing. According to a study, more than 128 million space debris, less than 1 cm in size, is already free-floating in our orbit.

One possible application of space tug vehicles is to clean up our planet’s orbit. According to one such project, People use space tug vehicles to remove all space debris from orbit and take functional satellites to a different orbit, away from space junk clutter.

Space Tug Systems

Unlike regular spacecraft, a space tug vehicle uses a different type of fuel. Some companies are working on jet fuels that will work by heating water. This engine uses solar energy and converts it into electricity. Then, it uses it to produce microwaves, which uses to heat water. Once the water reaches temperatures as high as the sun’s surface, it releases plasma. Space tug vehicles can then move forward without having to carry fuel from Earth.

Along with helping clear up our orbit, the space tug vehicles can work as small orbital launch vehicles, helping to take small satellites into space. As they are relatively small in size, tug vehicles only need a good amount of propulsion to defy Earth’s gravity and reach orbit.

In Europe, the concept of today’s space tugs originated from an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), developed by the ESA for space cargo transport. ESA’s ATV uses to resupply the International Space Station.

This vehicle is often compares with the Apollo rocket when it comes to size and payload capacity. ATV is also dubbing the fastest and the most modern space tug vehicle out there because it can carry more than 7.5 tons of cargo and fuel to the International Space Station.

Once launched, ATV can stay in orbit for a long time. This way, astronauts will not have to unload the cargo as soon as ATV reaches them. They can go on in and out of ATV until they have exhausted their supply of fresh food, gadgets, scientific equipment, and other supplies. ATV can chart a path to get back on Earth and schedules for launch when all supplies deplete if necessary.

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Conclusion

Still, most recent tug vehicle projects focus on debris removal. As the aerospace companies keeps moving forward, we need tug vehicles to clean up all debris circling in our planet’s orbit. Only then can we seriously consider further space exploration because the number of free-floating space junk in low earth orbit poses a danger to operational spacecraft and its manned crews. However, once we remove most (if not all) space debris, the spacecraft can safely travel through LEO to other destinations.

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It will be the utmost powerful rocket in the world in history! Can put crew and cargo into orbit. They are allowing the public to travel to the moon, Mars, and beyond!

“Consciousness is a rare and precious thing. We should take all thinkable steps to preserve the light of Consciousness. We should do our maximum to become a multi-planetary species, to expand Consciousness beyond Earth, and this does now.” “”

-Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO

The ship consists of a fully reusable second stage, the Spaceship. It is a spacecraft with a capacity of 100 people and an integrated payload section that can carry more than 100 tons. It will enable long-term flights with a propulsion capacity of up to 1,200 tons.

The lower third of the Spaceship will contain the engine and six raptor engines, including three raptors at sea level for atmospheric flight and three vacuum-optimized raptors for propulsion in space. The Raptor engine could generate more than 200 tons of thrust at full speed.

THERMAL SHIELD

The Spaceship is complete up of stainless steel, which is heat resistant and very durable. The shift to stainless steel, made from the lightweight and expensive carbon fiber composite from which other rockets made, is that the colder the steel, the stronger it becomes. It makes it ideal for flights in the freezing pits of space.

It also has a problematic melting point, which makes it more resistant to hot reentry from Earth’s atmosphere. And it’s cheaper, around 2% of the cost of carbon fiber. It is ideal for SpaceX because, in the long run, they want to build as many ships as possible to become a space-ready civilization.

Since stainless steel is already heat resistant, the starship will only include a heat shield on half of its surface, the retracted side of the vehicle, for additional protection. This heat shield is of heat resistant hexagonal ceramic tiles. The plates are hexagonal to ensure that there is no straight path for the superheated gas to accelerate through the gaps.

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Fins

The design includes large fins that move to orient the vehicle during reentry and landing. Two fins are steerable while a smaller “downwind fin” is added, which is used as a leg and is not steerable. The large fin on the ground could also help create the drag, which is essential for the starship’s controlled descent.

Take-off and landing stability would control by the rapid movement of the rear and front ailerons and ACS (Attitude Control System) engines of the spacecraft.

REFUEL

SpaceX will be able to refuel Spaceship in space using another rocket-filled vehicle that can be launched from the moon and is powered only by its Raptor engines.

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SUPER HEAVY ROCKET

The Spaceship will be mount over the stainless steel Super Heavy rocket thrust to exit Earth’s atmosphere. In space, Super Heavy detaches itself from the ship to return and land vertically on Earth for reuse.

The Super Heavy Booster has actuated (steerable) grinding ribs near the top of the rocket that uses for a controlled landing. Similar to the Falcon 9 rocket SpaceX uses today.

Super Heavy will have six landing legs, a diameter of 9 meters, and a height of 68 meters.

RAPTOR ENGINES

The number of engines may vary from flight to flight. Elon Musk said the missile could accommodate up to 37 raptor engines, and each mission would likely require at least 24 raptors.

It will have a massive capacity of 3,300 tonnes of fuel.

Star-ship and Super Heavy combined are 118 meters high, 9 meters in diameter, and constitute a fully reusable transport system.

SpaceX developed the Raptor full-flow graduated combustion rocket engine to make fuel more efficient, powerful, and more affordable – and lower the price as production increases.

Musk said:

Inspections are only necessary after numerous flights if the instrumentation shows it. Use of hydro static bearings certainly helps. ”

Each raptor is 1.3 meters and 3.1 meters in height. Raptors run on cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen (LOX). It can be complete on arrival on Mars by extracting carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere and groundwater.

Thus, future Martians will have the opportunity to build a fuel installation to refuel and return to Earth.

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