After 24 Years of Hard Work at ARCA, the AMi Exploration Project Is Finally Touching My Soul — AMi, Part XVII
Today I’ll write an article that is more personal. It’s about the very reasons for which I started ARCA Space in the first place, back in 1998: my passion for the human spaceflight and robotic deep-space exploration, and how are these two related to the AMi Exploration program.
Since always I’ve been attracted only by two topics related to spaceflight, the human spaceflight and the robotic deep-space exploration missions. I’ve never been even remotely interested in commercial satellite launches and I’ve always said to my colleagues: “If my only purpose would have been to make money, then I would have probably started a road transportation company.” For a space company however it is difficult to think that you could make money from human spaceflight or robotic exploration missions unless you are financed by the government. However, realistically speaking, taking into account our unconventional approach to spaceflight, involving sustainability and a high level of cost effectiveness, a government funding for ARCA is not going to happen in the foreseeable future. And, honestly, using government money, this is another option for which I’m not very enthusiastic, to say the least.
With the AMi Exploration program, we’ve put together all our expertise gained in the past two decades, expertise that involves mainly the development of extremely cost effective hardware, that should allow us to start the asteroid mining operations, thus opening the gate to unlimited financial resources. And, to reach the point of starting the asteroid mining operations, this is going to cost us $100 million, which isn’t a very long stretch to think that we will be able to secure in the next five years.
But, after more than two decades of hard work at ARCA, my love for human spaceflight and robotic deep-space exploration are still here burning strong in me. In spite of this, it seems that with the AMi Exploration program, I did yet another step that isn’t bringing me close to my passion for human spaceflight and deep-space exploration, or does it?
Through the AMi Exploration’s objectives related to asteroid mining, the potential to open the gate to a virtually unlimited amount of money from space activities could be fulfilled, allowing me to completely avoid my involvement in commercial satelite launches, for which I really have zero interest.
But still, how are the human spaceflight and robotic deep-space exploration fitting into this?
The truth is that I’ve designed the AMi hardware with the potential to be used in the future for the development of human spaceflight and robotic deep-space exploration. Let me explain.
The AMi Cargo is the type of spacecraft design, easily adaptable to a huge array of missions, manned or automatic.
The AMi technology that we are developing today to fly to the asteroids for mining operations, could have in the next two decades other applications such as:
- robotic exploration missions to distant places in the Solar System, including the asteroid belt, Mars, Jupiter or even further;
- planetary defence missions against dangerous asteroids;
- cargo missions to supply food, water and electricity to distant locations in the Solar System;
- cargo missions to ferry water ice from the asteroids to the orbital depot, etc.
By using just water as propellant, with refuel options from various water sources found in Solar System, it will allow the spacecraft to extend its range and perform extremely fast flights to the furthest regions of deep-space.
Looking at the previous human spaceflight programs it was obvious that a rocket able to lift into LEO payloads in the range of 20 tons is more than enough to put a manned-capsule into orbit, and even space station class modules. Also, multiple, extremely cost effective EcoRocket Heavy launches, will allow the assembly into orbit of heavy structures able to perform manned missions from Low Earth Orbit to deep-space.
The EcoRocket Heavy will provide ARCA with an unprecedented sustainable and especially cost effective launch capability, at $5 million/launch, which leads to $208/kg.
It seems that after 24 years of hard work for ARCA, during which I patiently built the team’s competences and capabilities, the AMi Exploration program will give me the opportunity in the next two decades to work on what I was waiting for my entire life.
AMi Exploration is my final project.
When I’ll retire from ARCA, in the next two-three decades, I’ll retire working on the AMi Exploration program, and I really hope that life is going to be good to me, and my work is going to involve also some AMi derivatives related to the human spaceflight and deep-space exploration.
The AMi development program is financed through ARCA’s AMiE Crypto.
