Advantages
Because a large portion of a rocket is propellant at time of launch, proponents point out several advantages of using a propellant depot architecture. Spacecraft could be launched unfueled and thus require less structural mass. An on-orbit market for refueling may be created where competition to deliver propellant for the cheapest price takes place, and it may also enable an economy of scale by permitting existing rockets to fly more often to refuel the depot. If used in conjunction with a mining facility on the moon, water or propellant could be exported back to the depot, further reducing the cost of propellant. An exploration program based on a depot architecture could be cheaper and more capable, not needing a specific rocket or a heavy lift such as the SLS. to support multiple destinations such as lunar, lagrange points, asteroids, and mars.
NASA studies have shown cheaper and faster alternatives than the Heavy Lift Launch System and list the following advantages
- Tens of billions of dollars of cost savings to fit the budget profile
- Allows first NEA/Lunar mission by 2024 using conservative budgets
- Launch every few months rather than once every 12–18 months
- Allows multiple competitors for propellant delivery
- Reduced critical path mission complexity (AR&Ds, events, number of unique elements)
Read more about this topic: Propellant Depot
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