QinetiQ Space designing new docking station for ISS
Kruibeke aerospace company QinetiQ Space has won the contract to develop a new coupling mechanism for aircraft to dock on the International Space Station
Contract worth €5 million
QinetiQ will develop a technical model for the new International Berthing Docking Mechanism (IBDM). The current contract, due to run until 2015, includes the development of an engineering model to be tested on the ground. That should lead to a following development contract, lasting until 2017.
“Until now, the ISS worked mainly with hard-coupling mechanisms, specially designed for large spacecraft, like the Space Shuttle,” explained QinetiQ managing director Erik Masure. “The coupling of the new generation of lighter spacecraft with the ISS has to take place at sufficiently high speeds to ensure a reliable seal. The IBDM is a soft docking system, designed to allow the force required for such a landing to be considerably reduced and to improve the reliability of the process.”
