ATLANTA, Georgia, March 2nd, 2021 – SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. announces the recent award from the U.S. Air Force to develop its envisioned system for global autonomous delivery of an on-demand Personnel Recovery Kit (PRK). SpaceWorks’ Air-launched Drone Delivery Device (AD3), shown below, will leverage emerging commercial capabilities to provide a solution for PRK deceleration and delivery from deployment speeds of up to Mach 6. The contract was awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Transformational Capabilities Office (TCO).
The AD3 system is designed to quickly deploy and deliver PRKs anywhere in the world from various military aircraft, providing readily accessible life-saving capabilities and equipment to the warfighter. This optimized, low-cost solution is fully functional in a GPS denied environment and features evasive maneuverability and very precise final mile delivery accuracy.
“SpaceWorks has the potential to be a part of a true technological breakthrough to provide Transformational Capabilities for downed pilots in need of immediate supply,” said Cayley Dymond, Air Force customer on the AD3 project. “I’m excited to provide support and help SpaceWorks progress their innovative solution.”
The AD3 solution for PRK delivery leverages developments from SpaceWorks’ space-based line of entry capsules, including the RED-25 and RED-4U that provide on-demand low-cost, autonomous downmass capabilities from Earth orbit.
The intent of this 16-month effort is to develop and demonstrate the AD3 device to a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 through extensive design and analysis, culminating in prototype demonstrations via flight test. “We are excited to build on our heritage line of RED Capsules to provide a crucial capability to the Air Force”, said Tyler Kunsa, the AD3 and RED Program Manager at SpaceWorks.
“This is a great opportunity for us to fulfill a pressing military need by tapping into the unique capabilities and inventiveness of our team,” said Dr. John Bradford, Chief Technical Officer at SpaceWorks. “We look forward to bringing this life-saving system to bear for the warfighter.”
PAIRS 96TW-2021-0046
About SpaceWorks Enterprises:
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI), based in Atlanta, Ga., specializes in advanced concept analysis, systems engineering, product development, and economic consulting for a broad and diverse customer base. SpaceWorks is dedicated to advancing the state-of-the-art in the aerospace industry, from the early design phase to rapid prototyping and flight demonstration.