Document AEG-LH-003 // Rev 3 — Heavy Freight Respec

EARTH–AEGIS
LONG-HAULER

Interorbital Heavy Freight Transport // Structural Spine Architecture

● Freight Primary Crew Optional

BASELINE CARGO: 50 T

MAX CARGO: ~90 T (TANDEM)

PROPULSION: ION + METHALOX

AUTONOMY: DEFAULT OPERATING MODE

CLASS: STRUCTURAL SPINE / MODULAR CONSIST

01 — Concept

Heavy Freight First

The Earth–Aegis Long-Hauler is a modular interorbital freight vehicle designed around a structural spine architecture. Its primary mission is delivering the physical components of Aegis Station — and general lunar-orbit cargo — from LEO to LLO. Personnel transport is a secondary, optional capability enabled by bolt-on crew modules when required.

The vehicle is designed as infrastructure, not a spacecraft. Predictable, reusable, schedule-driven. Default operating mode is fully autonomous. Crew, when present, are technical specialists accompanying critical deliveries — not mission crew.

Design Driver A single loaded tank cartridge (~45 T, 10m × Ø2.5m) is the defining payload. The vehicle is sized around this. Previous specs drove cargo capacity from propulsion limits upward — this revision drives propulsion requirements from payload mass downward.

02 — General Specifications

Vehicle Parameters

Configuration

Structural Spine + Modular ConsistCommand module and propulsion stack are permanent; cargo cradles and crew module bolt on

Total Length

60–90 metersdependent on cargo consist — single cartridge vs tandem changes overall length

Baseline Cargo

50 metric tons (single heavy cartridge)e.g. one loaded tank cartridge ~45 T with margin

Tandem Cargo

~90 metric tonstwo cartridges on spine; requires kick stage sizing to match — see propulsion

Crew Capacity

0 (autonomous) / 8–12 technicians (crewed config)optional crew module; not standard fit on cargo runs

Transfer Duration

5–7 dayschemical TLI burn + ion cruise; dependent on cargo mass

Reusability Target

30–50 missionsdepot-based inspection and refurbishment between runs

Autonomy

Full autonomous operation — default modeblackout-tolerant; mission control oversight, not supervision

Docking Interfaces

NASA/ESA standard (fore and aft)forward port for station/depot docking; aft for tug or staged assist

03 — Mission Evolution

Operational Phases

PHASE 0

Precursor Delivery

Cargo-only runs. First station hull segments, node modules, and structural hardware. Builds route operations and refueling depot dependency before station exists. No crew modules fitted.

PHASE 1

Construction Logistics

Primary build-out phase. Repeated runs of tank cartridges, power system hardware, shielding panels, and assembly equipment. Return runs carry waste and empty hardware. Tandem cartridge runs if depot refueling is operational.

PHASE 2

Ongoing Operations

Station operational supply. Cargo for lunar lander transfer staging. Replacement hardware and consumables. Crewed runs when specialist delivery requires on-site technicians. Regular schedule, autonomous by default.

Lander Transfer Note The Long-Hauler does not land. Cargo destined for the lunar surface is transferred to landers in lunar orbit. Lander payload capacity (typically 1–10 T to surface for near-term vehicles) constrains individual cargo unit sizing for surface-bound goods — but this does not affect the hauler's own cargo architecture. Station-bound hardware has no such constraint.

04 — Cargo Architecture

Structural Spine & Cradle System

The defining structural feature is a central load-bearing spine running the length of the vehicle. Tank cartridges and large cargo items mount to the spine via purpose-built cradles rather than fitting inside a pressurized hull. This allows cargo cross-section to be independent of the vehicle's module diameter, and enables tandem cartridge loading without vehicle redesign.

Cargo Capacity vs Payload Types

SINGLE TANK CARTRIDGE

~45 T

BASELINE TARGET

50 T

HULL RING SEGMENT

~30 T est.

POWER / REACTOR MODULE

~25 T est.

TANDEM CARTRIDGES

~90 T

Tandem Constraint Tandem cartridge runs (~90 T) are feasible structurally but drive the kick stage sizing significantly. This configuration should be treated as an enhanced variant requiring a larger or staged methalox booster, not the baseline design case.

Mounting System

Spine-mounted cradles with structural hard points rated per cartridge massEVA and robotic compatible; standardized interface across cartridge types

Cartridge Spec

~10m length × Ø2.5mcylindrical; dense — ~45 T loaded. Cradle accommodates end caps and feed interfaces

ISO Pallet Cargo

Supported via adapter cradles for smaller/mixed loadsequipment, spares, lander-transfer cargo in smaller units

External / Oversized

Large structural elements (hull rings, solar truss sections) on extended spine mountsmass balance must be maintained; mission planning responsibility

05 — Propulsion & Power

Drive Systems

Primary Drive

Ion / Hall-Effect Array

Continuous low-thrust cruise phase. High specific impulse. No flip required. Scales with power available. Primary workhorse across the majority of transit time.

Kick Stage

Methalox — Retained & Refuelable

Required for TLI and lunar orbit capture. Sized for 50 T baseline cargo. Stays attached for return burns. Refueled at LEO depot or Aegis Station. Tandem runs require enlarged or staged booster — flagged as variant.

Attitude Control

RCS — Monopropellant

Docking approach, attitude hold during ion cruise, emergency reorientation. Distributed pods fore and aft along spine.

Power System

Solar Array 300–450 m²

Enlarged vs previous spec to drive ion array at heavy cargo mass. Kilopower-class fission reactor as enhanced variant for deep-space extension or high-power ion configuration.

Thermal Control

Active Loops + Radiator Block

Dedicated module. Survivable across TLI burn, extended coast, and capture burn thermal cycles.

Autonomy

Full Autonomous Navigation

Default operating mode. Blackout-tolerant. Mission control oversight rather than active supervision. Crew presence does not alter navigation authority.

Critical Dependency The retained kick stage strategy requires methalox refueling capability at either a LEO depot or Aegis Station. This is not a background assumption — it is a hard infrastructure dependency that must be resolved in parallel with vehicle development. Without it, the vehicle reverts to expendable kick stages per run, significantly increasing operating cost.

06 — Modular Architecture

Consist Configurations

Standard Freight Run

CMD — Command Module (permanent)

SPINE — Structural spine with cradles

CGO — 1–2 cartridges or mixed cargo

PWR — Power & Radiator Block

PROP — Propulsion Stack

[ NO CREW MODULE ]

Fully autonomous. No crew module fitted. Maximum cargo capacity. Default configuration for all Phase 0–1 runs and routine Phase 2 supply.

Technical Crew Run

CMD — Command Module

CREW — Optional crew module (8–12 techs)

SPINE — Structural spine with cradles

CGO — Reduced / critical cargo

PWR — Power & Radiator Block

PROP — Propulsion Stack

Crew module inserted aft of command module. Reduces available cargo spine length. Used when specialist technicians must accompany critical hardware delivery. Not a routine configuration.

Module Descriptions

Command Module

Navigation, docking, communications, autonomous systems management. Forward docking port. RCS clusters fore. Antenna array. Full blackout-tolerant autonomy stack. Permanent fixture — never removed from vehicle.

PERMANENT

Crew Module (Optional)

8–12 technician berths. Basic galley, hygiene pod. Water-wall radiation buffering. Mounts between command module and cargo spine. Not fitted on standard freight runs. When fitted, reduces cargo capacity and adds mass to propulsion budget.

OPTIONAL

Structural Spine + Cradle System

Central load-bearing spine running full cargo length. Cradle hard points rated for cartridge mass (~45 T each). Supports 1–2 cartridges in tandem or mixed cargo adapters. EVA and robotic compatible interfaces throughout. Permanent structural element.

PERMANENT

Power & Radiator Block

Solar array mounts (300–450 m² total). Thermal loop management, coolant reservoirs, battery racks. External radiator fin array. Primary power conditioning. Sized for ion drive demand at full cargo mass.

PERMANENT

Propulsion Stack

Ion/Hall thruster array (primary cruise). Methalox kick stage (retained, refuelable) for TLI and capture burns. RCS aft cluster. Aft docking interface. Propellant tanks and feed lines. Sized for 50 T baseline cargo; tandem variant requires enlarged booster.

PERMANENT

07 — Open Architecture Questions

Unresolved Items

Refueling infrastructure: methalox availability at LEO depot or Aegis Station is a hard dependency for the retained kick stage strategy. Without it, operating economics revert to expendable kick stages. Must be resolved in parallel with vehicle development.

OPEN

Tandem cartridge kick stage sizing: ~90 T cargo mass requires a significantly larger or staged methalox booster. Delta-v budget for TLI and capture at this mass is not yet closed. Treat tandem runs as an enhanced variant until propulsion analysis is complete.

TBD

Spine structural analysis: bending moments and thermal gradients across a 60–90m structure carrying asymmetric cargo loads (one cartridge vs two) need to be characterized. Mass balance constraints for different consists must be defined.

TBD

Cartridge interface standard: cradle hard points must conform to a defined interface standard shared with the station assembly team so cartridges delivered by the hauler can be directly integrated into Aegis Station without rehandling hardware.

OPEN

Radiation exposure for technical crew: non-specialist workers aboard for crewed runs operate under occupational radiation limits. Water-wall shielding in the crew module is the baseline — adequacy for 5–7 day transit needs dosimetry confirmation.

NOTED

Flip-and-burn crew protocol: TLI and capture burns require vehicle reorientation with crew aboard on crewed runs. Restraint procedures and burn sequencing for non-astronaut technicians need to be defined as a crew operations document.

NOTED