cargo lens
taking into account the cabin’s curved profile and additional height from tracks-with-rollers loading equipment. The shipments require special handling. Goodisman said a suitable cable connection must be facilitated between the satellite container in the cargo cabin – which is not fully pressurized during flight so cannot be accessed – and the cargo attendant flying in the fully pressurized crew cabin. This allows in-flight monitoring of g-force, pressure and temperature that might impact the satellite. Satellite containers sometimes come with their own generator unit, Goodisman added. “We develop procedures to allow the generator to provide power to the satellite container for as long as possible during the onload and offload activities. The generator cannot be run during the flight.
CANAVERAL EXPERIENCED
The first stage of SpaceX’s Thaicom8 Falcon9 returns to Port Canaveral in June 2016.
we could have cargo moving once a month for the aerospace industry,” Credit: Michael Seeley / Cabrera said. We Report Space SpaceX has leased an area at Port Canaveral from a unit of the Gulftainer Group that is under a 35-year concession to operate the container terminal at the port. A typical move involves a reusable rocket that was landed off the Florida coast on a transport module. That bargelike module, with the rocket resting upright, is towed into the Gulftainer terminal, where the rocket is offloaded onto a specialized flatbed truck for transport to Kennedy Space Center. Of course, the recent SpaceX rocket explosion, “This cargo needs to be handled with white gloves. in which no one was hurt, highlights the fact that, But I must say we handle automobiles just like we do for all the potential the rockets – very carefully.” – Alberto Cabrera space industry may have, it remains a risky business. Indeed, what the space “We also agree with our customers on The handling of space cargo has yet industry will ultimately mean to the suitable in-flight temperature and presto become an everyday occurrence at project cargo business remains way up in sure conditions in the cargo cabin,” he Port Canaveral, but Cabrera said such the air. BB said. “Such preparations even extend to shipments are moving through at a pace instructions to the pilot to ensure he does of about six a year, with SpaceX having not descend too rapidly as the satellite indicated plans calling for about one A veteran transportation writer for the past and container can have limits to the rate move per month. 40 years, U.S.-based Paul Scott Abbott of pressure change they can experience.” “I foresee in the next year or so that specializes in maritime topics. 36 BREAKBULK MAGAZINE www.breakbulk.com
Port Canaveral’s Cabrera also made a point of noting the sensitive handling necessary for costly space cargoes, commenting: “This cargo needs to be handled with white gloves. But I must say we handle automobiles just like we do rockets – very carefully. If we can move rockets, we sure can handle paper, lumber, steel and just about any other breakbulk out there.” Port Canaveral has decades of experience handling space system components, with longtime Port Canaveral terminal operator Ambassador Services Inc. having handled shipments for the U.S. Space Shuttle program as far back as the 1980s. As Cabrera put it: “We’re in a great location to serve this cargo. This is really neat cargo.”
ISSUE 5 / 2016