DAF26BX02-NV504 — Project Able Baker: Maritime Re-purposing of Offshore Infrastructure for Resilient Launch-Vehicle Recovery
Award Maximum: $150,000 Period of Performance: 3 months Phase Type: Phase I
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this Phase I effort is to design and demonstrate the feasibility of a Sea-Based Recovery Station (SBRS) prototype capable of repurposing decommissioned offshore oil platforms into resilient landing pads for reusable launch-vehicle boosters. The solution should include structural modification approaches and analytical models capable of supporting the impact-load requirements of heavy-lift launch stages (current and next-generation heavy-lift launch stages). The resulting capability should enable scalable maritime recovery operations that support the Department of the Air Force's (DAF) objectives for Space Access and cost-effective launch sustainment.
DESCRIPTION: This project seeks to enhance launch cadence and operational flexibility by exploring innovative maritime recovery options. Simultaneously, hundreds of offshore oil and gas platforms in federally controlled waters are reaching the end of their operational lifecycle. Traditional decommissioning and full-removal processes are capital-intensive, costing upwards of $1.6 billion per platform, and often cause significant disruption to established marine ecosystems.
Project Able Baker seeks to address these challenges by developing a Sea-Based Recovery Station (SBRS) framework—a modular, resilient, and environmentally conscious solution that repurposes existing offshore infrastructure into landing pads for heavy-lift launch vehicles. This approach aims to provide the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and its commercial partners with a distributed network of recovery sites that enhance launch cadence, reduce sonic-boom exposure, and leverage existing maritime infrastructure to lower operational costs. The solution should be capable of:
Structural Engineering & Load Management: Designing reinforcement protocols to accommodate the specific plume, vibration, and high-intensity point-load dynamics of modern heavy-lift stages (e.g., Falcon 9, Vulcan, and New Glenn class).
Maritime Infrastructure Integration: Utilizing existing topside platforms for station-keeping, power, and logistics support to minimize the need for new construction.
Environmental & Ecosystem Preservation: Aligning with "Rigs-to-Reefs" precedents to ensure that the repurposing process preserves established artificial reef habitats; integrating continuous monitoring systems (e.g., pH, turbidity, and high-fidelity imaging) to ensure ecological health.
Advanced Safety & Operational Control: Implementing passive/active flame deflection, remote fire suppression systems, and precision navigation aids for autonomous landing guidance.
Rapid Turnaround Logistics: Establishing a framework for rapid deck-turnaround logistics, utilizing integrated barge or Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) systems to move boosters from the landing pad to transit vessels.
Regulatory & Strategic Alignment: Navigating the regulatory landscape for federal-waters operations to streamline permitting and avoid the catastrophic decommissioning costs associated with full platform removal.
This topic seeks a robust framework that delivers structural resilience, cost-avoidance, and environmental stewardship. By repurposing legacy offshore assets, Project Able Baker will directly support the USSF's objective for Space Access while providing a scalable, sustainable model for future maritime launch recovery.
PHASE I: Establish the technical and economic feasibility of the Sea-Based Recovery Station (SBRS) framework, a solution for repurposing decommissioned offshore oil platforms into landing pads for reusable launch vehicles. This Phase I effort focuses on structural load analysis, environmental impact assessment, and the development of a regulatory roadmap for operations in federal waters. Key activities may include:
Site Selection & Structural Modeling: Identify a minimum of three candidate offshore platforms and perform Finite Element Method (FEM) load modeling to evaluate their capacity to withstand the plume, vibration, and impact dynamics of heavy-lift launch vehicles.
Environmental & Ecosystem Analysis: Conduct a baseline survey of target offshore sites to document existing reef ecosystems; develop strategies to align platform repurposing with "Rigs-to-Reefs" precedents to preserve marine habitats.
Operational Risk & Safety Modeling: Analyze range-safety constraints, including acoustic impact and sonic-boom footprints, to determine site viability relative to maritime traffic and coastal populations.
Economic Feasibility Study: Perform a life-cycle cost comparison between SBRS conversion and traditional platform removal/disposal methods to quantify cost-avoidance benefits for the DAF and commercial launch partners.
Regulatory Pathway Formulation: Engage with key oversight authorities, including the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to map the permitting requirements and develop draft memoranda of understanding (MOUs) for federal-waters operations.
Deliverables may include:
Feasibility & Trade Study: A comprehensive report ranking candidate platforms based on structural capacity, logistical accessibility, and cost-avoidance potential.
Environmental Baseline Report: Geographic Information System (GIS)-layered survey data documenting ecosystem health and proposed strategies for habitat preservation.
Range Safety & Acoustic Assessment: Integrated Keyhole Markup Language (KML) overlays detailing sonic-boom footprints and zone-specific range-safety models.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: A data-driven update on lifecycle expenditures contrasting SBRS conversion against legacy removal/drone-ship alternatives.
Regulatory Roadmap: A detailed strategy document including draft MOUs, Request for Modification (RFM) templates, and a timeline for necessary federal permitting.
PHASE II: Advance Project Able Baker from a Phase I feasibility study to the development and physical validation of a Sea-Based Recovery Station (SBRS) prototype. This phase will focus on engineering the structural modifications required for platform repurposing and conducting representative testing to confirm the platform's resilience against the mechanical and acoustic loads of heavy-lift launch vehicles. Key activities may include:
Engineering Design & Certification: Develop a Class III SBRS design package, including detailed structural modifications, and initiate the formal certification path with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and other relevant regulatory bodies.
Modular Infrastructure Prototyping: Fabricate and install a modular reinforcement kit on a representative deck section of an offshore structure to validate construction techniques and material resilience.
Physical Validation Testing: Execute controlled testing—such as inert-mass drops (10–25 tons) or static-fire simulations—to capture high-fidelity strain, vibro-acoustic, and plume-interaction data.
Environmental Mitigation & Monitoring: Refine the reef-impact delta assessment, implementing concrete mitigation strategies and integrating continuous sensing hardware (e.g., pH and turbidity sensors) to monitor ecological health in real-time.
Digital Twin Advancement: Update the system's digital twin model to incorporate physical test data, ensuring it accurately simulates impacts from boosters with a gross lift-off mass of up to 300 tons.
Deliverables may include:
Class III SBRS Design Package: Comprehensive blueprints and structural specifications validated for maritime offshore deployment.
Prototype Test Report: Detailed analysis of vibro-acoustic, strain, and plume-interaction data captured during inert-mass or static-fire testing.
Certification Strategy Document: An executed plan outlining the steps for final ABS/application programming interface (API) compliance.
Environmental Impact & Mitigation Report: A finalized plan for maintaining local marine ecosystems, including hardware specifications for continuous reef-health monitoring.
Updated Digital Twin & Simulation Suite: A high-fidelity model capable of predicting structural stress under various heavy-lift launch vehicle recovery scenarios.
Operational Transition Plan: A roadmap for moving from prototype testing to a full-scale offshore landing pad facility, aligned with DAF and commercial launch requirements.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Project Able Baker will transition into an operational maritime infrastructure network, providing a distributed, scalable capability for the recovery of heavy-lift launch vehicles. By repurposing legacy offshore assets, the system provides a strategic alternative to traditional coastal launch-landing operations, significantly increasing launch cadence while reducing acoustic and debris risks. Potential military applications include:
Space Access: Provides a resilient, secondary network of recovery pads that function independently of contested or congested coastal infrastructure, ensuring persistent capability for USSF and Joint launch missions.
Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS): Enables rapid recovery and turn-around of launch hardware in deep-sea or high-latitude environments, critical for responsive space access.
Logistics & Strategic Basing: Offers a novel framework for maritime logistics, repurposing platform topsides for autonomous refueling, staging, and booster processing support.
The repurposed SBRS infrastructure offers a high-value, dual-use utility for the global maritime and aerospace sectors. Potential commercial applications include:
Commercial Launch Recovery: Provides launch providers with a scalable, modular solution for stage recovery, reducing dependence on expensive, custom-built drone ships and facilitating higher launch frequencies.
Infrastructure Decommissioning & Environmental Stewardship: Offers a repeatable, low-cost "Rigs-to-Reefs" model for offshore energy decommissioning firms, transforming a massive liability (removal cost) into a high-utility asset.
Environmental & Oceanographic Research: Serves as a platform for environmental agencies and research institutions to deploy permanent ecological monitoring stations, leveraging the SBRS power and data connectivity for long-term reef and marine health studies.
Project Able Baker will be transitioned through coordination with Space Systems Command (SSC), the Space Access Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) office, and relevant maritime regulatory bodies. In parallel, commercial licensing and facility-sharing opportunities will be explored with aerospace launch providers, offshore energy firms, and environmental stakeholders interested in sustainable maritime infrastructure.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at Phase III Entry: TRL 8–9, following successful validation of structural reinforcement protocols, certification by maritime authorities, and demonstration of multiple-cycle booster recovery operations.