In August 2023, Voyager’s self-built payload, Gambit, was successfully installed on its Bishop Airlock on the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone and setting the stage for future enhanced utilization of the ISS.
Voyager’s Exploration team recently celebrated Gambit’s first transfer on Bishop, marking another small step for Gambit, and one giant leap for external payload operations. With the help of ISS robotics, Gambit was relocated from Bishop external site “D” to external site “C”. Over the course of 2024, Gambit will make its way around Bishop to examine the four remaining external payload sites and gather video and environmental data for future payload use.
Leveraging its suite of external sensors, Gambit aims to serve as a testing platform, demonstrating robotic transfer and installation processes at external sites. Gambit’s relocation cements the potential of both Gambit and Bishop’s external payload sites, enhancing current abilities of the ISS and setting the stage for future commercial space stations, like Starlab.
Voyager designed, built and flew both Gambit and Bishop – with the latter serving as the first permanent, commercial addition to the ISS. Gambit’s sensors work to verify the functionality of Bishop’s external sites and gather environmental data critical to future payloads. This data is invaluable to ensuring the success of upcoming scientific missions and commercial endeavors, both poised to leverage these sites.
Transported to the Space Station within the pressurized stowage of NG-19 in 2023, Gambit was transferred from inside the station to the Bishop Airlock external site using the Voyager’s Payload Transfer Flight Support Equipment (FSE). With this achievement, external site D was verified operational, and ready for use by GITAI’s S2 payload.
