System Integration Comparison Between Inflatable and Metallic Spacecraft Structures

Inflatable spacecraft structures are an alternative to traditional pressurized metallic structures that provide significant launch volume savings. A flexible primary structure, however, has a number of design and construction details that must be considered when moving from a metallic architecture to one based on softgoods. It is not only necessary to compare the structural mass and volume differences, but also examine the overall system integration changes that are required to implement a large-scale inflatable spacecraft. This paper compares inflatables with traditional metallic spacecraft by reviewing the integration of sub-systems in each vehicle and identifying the key differences. Additionally ground integration and prelaunch considerations are detailed, along with differences in requirements for environmental and human factors. The paper concludes with a discussion of future in-space and surface applications for inflatable structures.