貨運飛船是一種為運送物資到達太空而專門設計的航天器，通常為一次性使用，但也有可重複使用設計。主要任務是向空間站定期補給食品、貨物、燃料和儀器設備等維持空間站運營的必需品。它是空間站物資和補給的主要來源，也是空間站最為重要的後勤保障系統之一。
| 貨運飛船 | |
|---|---|
   .jpg) 現役中的貨運飛船: 1、天舟號貨運飛船（左上） 2、進步號貨運飛船（右上） 3、擴展型天鵝座號貨運飛船（左下） 4、貨運龍2號飛船（右下） |
目前現役的貨運飛船型號有：俄羅斯的進步號太空船、中國的天舟號貨運飛船、SpaceX的貨運版龍飛船2號以及諾格創新系統的擴展型天鵝座貨運飛船。
功能
貨運飛船的主要任務是向空間站定期補給食品、貨物、燃料和儀器設備等維持空間站運營的必需品，並以此為基礎設計和建造；以龍飛船為例，其主要結構分為加壓貨艙（外形酷似載人飛船的返回艙，集成有控制和動力系統，同時是目前為數不多的返回式貨運飛船貨艙）以及非加壓貨艙（外形酷似載人飛船的推進艙，安裝有太陽能帆板，可供機械臂從其末端取出貨物，任務結束前被拋棄）[1]。視任務不同，貨運飛船的構型也可變化：以天舟飛船為例，其貨艙可按任務需要而設置為全密封、半密封和全開放構型[2]。
除運送貨物之外，貨運飛船亦存在許多其他用途，諸如空間站軌道的維持以及燃料加註：由於現有的大部分空間站均運行在近地軌道而會受到殘存的大氣阻力影響並逐漸降低軌道高度，故需在其運行高度降低到一定程度前進行軌道抬升，而攜帶較多燃料的貨運飛船便可在空間站的軌道維持方面能發揮重要作用[3]。通常來說，貨運飛船既可以直接使用其自帶的推進系統來為空間站抬升高度，也可在軌進行燃料補加（如進步號和天舟號）。
目前大部分貨運飛船屬於一次性航天器，會在其任務末期脫離空間站並攜帶一系列空間站產生的廢品再入大氣層燒毀，在某種意義上承擔着空間站「垃圾桶」的作用[4]。然而現在也有諸如龍飛船等返回式貨運飛船可供空間站貨物以及實驗數據的下行運輸[5]。
貨物類型
- Experimentation Equipment
- Phase Change Heat Exchanger
- Heat exchangers are devices used to maintain critical temperatures inside spacecraft. Heat exchangers may remedy the problem of not being able to regulate temperature in space because it has no atmosphere. The phase change heat exchanger has two modes of operation.[6] In the first mode, which uses a freeze cycle, heat exchange fluid is given to the upper flow passageway, which freezes the phase change material at the top.[7] The liquid phase change material at the top is then displaced by the newly-formed phase change material falling to the bottom. In the second mode, which uses a melt cycle, heat exchange fluid is given to the lower passageway to melt the phase change material at the bottom, causing the newly-formed liquid phase change material to be displaced towards the top.[7]
Graph generalizing process in a heat exchanger
- Heat exchangers are devices used to maintain critical temperatures inside spacecraft. Heat exchangers may remedy the problem of not being able to regulate temperature in space because it has no atmosphere. The phase change heat exchanger has two modes of operation.[6] In the first mode, which uses a freeze cycle, heat exchange fluid is given to the upper flow passageway, which freezes the phase change material at the top.[7] The liquid phase change material at the top is then displaced by the newly-formed phase change material falling to the bottom. In the second mode, which uses a melt cycle, heat exchange fluid is given to the lower passageway to melt the phase change material at the bottom, causing the newly-formed liquid phase change material to be displaced towards the top.[7]
- Nanotube Solar Cell
- A nanotube solar cell is a solar cell designed by the aerospace company Nanoracks that absorbs sunlight more efficiently than traditional solar cells. The Nanotube Solar Cell is three-dimensional, which allows it to have access to the Sun's light in space at every angle while being stationary itself.[8] It is composed of 3-D, carbon nanotube-based photovoltaic devices and copper-zinc-tin-sulfide photo absorbers. They can be implemented into a space station's solar panels to allow for higher power production and usage efficiency.[8] The efficiency of Nanotube Solar Cells also allow for the station to have higher reserves of power to run numerous experiments.[9]
- Biomolecule Sequencer
- A biomolecule sequencer is a tool that can be used by crew members to sequence the DNA of microorganisms outside of Earth.[8] Before the production of the biomolecule sequencer, DNA sequencing was limited to Earth because of the equipment and materials required. The new technology eliminates this restriction, with the added benefit of being able to be used in space. The device can also be used to test the DNA of crew members to monitor their health and bodily reactions to space station projects.[10] In the event that a research study needs to be performed on a space station, the biomolecule sequencer can be used to gather needed biological data.[11]
NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins used a biomolecule sequencer in the first-ever sequencing of DNA in space
- A biomolecule sequencer is a tool that can be used by crew members to sequence the DNA of microorganisms outside of Earth.[8] Before the production of the biomolecule sequencer, DNA sequencing was limited to Earth because of the equipment and materials required. The new technology eliminates this restriction, with the added benefit of being able to be used in space. The device can also be used to test the DNA of crew members to monitor their health and bodily reactions to space station projects.[10] In the event that a research study needs to be performed on a space station, the biomolecule sequencer can be used to gather needed biological data.[11]
- Phase Change Heat Exchanger
- Essential Equipment
- Compressed Air
- Compressed air is used by astronauts to manage their air supply.[12] It is also utilized for research experiments, and to power boosters for both the ISS and other space vehicles.[12] Compressed air equipment sent to the ISS must be very efficient and low power due to the nature of space to break up fluids.
- Compressed Air
_and_cold_stream_(R11)_in_heat_exchanger.png)
分類
中文語境中的貨運飛船因其內置有可供航天員正常活動的生命保障系統而被歸類為載人航天器的一種。目前現有的貨運飛船除龍飛船之外均屬一次性航天器，且多在近地軌道活動。
| 航天器 |
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型號列表
- 日本的HTV-X貨運飛船 ：為H-II運送載具的後繼型號。設計相較其前型改進幅度較大，目前有計劃將其用作未來的月球門戶空間站的物資補給渠道之一。
- 追夢者號穿梭機 [17]：一種可重複使用的無人自動貨物補給飛船，基於該型號的載人版本研製，由內華達山脈公司開發。
- 美國的龍XL號飛船（Dragon XL）：由Space X開發的一種無人貨運飛船，一次性使用，將是未來NASA在月球軌道上的月球門戶空間站的重要物資來源[18]。
- 俄羅斯的聯盟GVK號貨運飛船：為進步號貨運飛船的後繼型號。可重複使用，能將一部分空間站的科學樣品帶回地球。[19]
- 中國輕舟貨運飛船，用於中國空間站低成本貨物運輸系統。
- 中國昊龍貨運穿梭機，可重複使用，用於中國空間站低成本貨物運輸系統。
- 2007年10月，來自基斯特火箭飛機公司（英語：Rocketplane Kistler）[20]的「基斯特K-1」發射載具的相關商業補給計劃合同因其方案未能達到NASA要求而被迫中止。此後軌道科學公司的天鵝座號飛船繼承了該合同。[21][22]
| 貨運飛船 | 進步號 | 穿梭機的多功能模塊 | 自動運載飛船（ATV） | HTV貨運飛船 HTV-X貨運飛船[23] |
龍飛船 龍飛船2號 |
天鵝座號飛船 | 天舟貨運飛船 | 逐夢者太空飛機 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 起飛質量 | 2,2–2,4 t | 9 t | 7,7 t | 6,0 t 5,8 t |
6,0 t[24][25] | 2,0 t (2013) 3,5 t (2015)[26] 3,75 t (2019)[27][28] |
6,5 t (2017) 6,8 t (2021)[29] 7,4 t (2023)[30] |
5,5 t[31] |
| 着陸質量 | 150 kg | 9 t | – | 20 kg (ab HTV-7) | 3,0 t[24][25] | – | – | 1,75 t[31] |
| 運載火箭 | 聯合系列 | 穿梭機 | 亞利安5號 | H-IIB H3 |
獵鷹9號 | 安塔瑞斯 / 擎天神5號 | 長征七號 | Vulcan |
| 成本估算 | 65 Mio. USD[32] | 450 Mio. USD[33] | 600 Mio. USD[34] | HTV: 300–320 Mio. USD[35][36] | 150/230 Mio. USD[37] (Dragon 1/2) |
260/220 Mio. USD[37] (Cygnus 2/3) | 570 Mio. Yuan[38] | |
| Hersteller | 能源火箭 | 泰雷茲阿萊尼亞宇航公司 (MPLM) | 空中巴士國防航天 | 三菱電機 | SpaceX | 軌道科學公司 | 中國空間技術研究院 | 內華達山脈公司 |
| 服役時間 | 1978年至今 | 2001–2011 | 2008–2015 | 2009–2020 | 2012–2020 2020至今 |
2014年至今 | 2017年至今 | 預計2023年夏[39] |
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參考文獻
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