Universal Space Interface Standard (USIS) is a physical interface between medium to large crewed or uncrewed spacecraft such as satellites,

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

s and service tugs. It is designed to be suitable for adoption as an

industry standard ''Industry Standard'' is the sixth studio album by the Dregs, released in 1982. The album garnered the group their fourth Grammy nomination. This was the final album by the Dregs before their split in 1983, and their last one for 12 years until ...

. Development is currently being undertaken by Mark Hempsell at Hempsell Astronautics Ltd. The rationale for the creation of an industry standard for spacecraft interfaces is that the number of applications for space vehicles is likely to increase greatly in the future (

space tourism Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, ...

being a recent example). If each craft is utilising a common interface many new applications become feasible. This is somewhat analogous to the benefits which have been gained by widespread adoption of the

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

connector in computing or even the standardisation of

AC power plugs and sockets AC power plugs and sockets connect devices to mains electricity to supply them with electrical power. A plug is the connector attached to an electrically operated device, often via a cable. A socket (also known as a receptacle or outlet) is fi ...

across some parts of the world.

Design

The fundamental purpose of USIS has been stated to "be a standard connection that maximises the interconnectivity between independent systems in both the open space (orbital) and celestial body surface environments". To achieve this USIS must be suitable for a range of connection types, from ground made connections to hard docking between orbiting spacecraft. It must also be highly interconnectable (for example being fully androgynous, any two USISs being compatible), capable of bearing expected loads, capable of soft capture, and be able to sever the connection in a controlled manner. USIS also needs to be able to facilitate data, power and resource transfer when connected, and allow easy passage of personnel who are not necessarily trained astronauts in anticipation of the

Space Tourism Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, ...

industry. Three potential designs have been proposed for the USIS concept, one from

Reaction Engines Reaction Engines Limited (REL) was a British aerospace manufacturer founded in 1989 and based in Oxfordshire, England. The company also operated in the USA, where it used the name Reaction Engines Inc. (REI). REL entered administration on 31 ...

, one from

Qinetiq QinetiQ ( as in '' kinetic'') is a British defence technology company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire. It operates primarily in the defence, security and critical national infrastructure markets and run testing and evaluation capabili ...

and one most recently from Hempsell Astronautics.

References

{{Spacecraft Docking Systems Spacecraft components Spacecraft docking systems