We’re happy to report we’ve released the first version of our Sherpa Payload User’s Guide, a resource for customers seeking information about how the Sherpa family of Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) can help deliver their satellites to specific destination orbits while benefiting from the cost effectiveness of rideshare missions.

Spaceflight has flown three Sherpa OTVs including Sherpa-FX and Sherpa-LTE variants on two different missions in 2021, successfully deploying all 50 customer spacecraft. More Sherpa missions, including our Sherpa-ES mission to GEO, are slated for launch later in 2022.

“Since we announced the successful launch of our first Sherpa-FX OTV in January of 2021, we’ve been receiving many inbound inquiries from customers keen to know how Sherpa can help get their spacecraft to Low Earth Orbit more cost effectively,” said Spaceflight President and CEO, Curt Blake. “After we announced the successful launch of our first propulsive Sherpa-LTE in June of 2021, and talked about our plans for Sherpa-ES to fly around the Moon in 2022, even more customers have been contacting us to find out how Sherpa can help get them to specific, hard to reach places in space.”

The Sherpa Payload User’s Guide provides details on the capabilities and technologies of the entire family of Sherpa OTVs, including:

• Sherpa-FX: a non-propulsive Sherpa designed to enable multiple small satellites to be deployed from a single port
• Sherpa-AC: a non-propulsive Sherpa with attitude control, designed for deployment or operation at specific attitudes
• Sherpa-LTE: an electric propulsion OTV enabling high delta-V maneuvers to be performed efficiently
• Sherpa-LTC: a chemical propulsion OTV enabling rapid maneuvers for fast injection of satellites to destination orbits
• Sherpa-ES: a larger, higher impulse chemical propulsion OTV enabling missions to Geostationary Earth Orbit, Lunar Orbit, or anywhere in the Cis-lunar system

“We believe Sherpa will be key to achieving our vision of helping customers get to space exactly where and when they want,” Blake added. “The release of the Sherpa Payload User’s Guide will make it easier for customers to plan their missions to make full use of Sherpa’s capabilities, and is a step toward realizing that vision.”

Please contact sales@spaceflight.com with any questions.