TMP

Using the experience gained in the Skif program, KB Salyut proposed a heavy Energiya-launched space factory to produce ultra-pure semiconductor alloys and crystals. First announced in 1990, the factory was called TMP (“Technological Production Module’’) and had a launch mass of 102 tons and in-orbit mass of 88 tons. It was about 35 m long with a main diameter of just over 4 m. The spacecraft consisted of a Laboratory Compartment based on the main core cylinder of the Proton rocket’s first stage, and an Instrument Cargo Compartment derived from the FGB. Solar arrays extended from both compartments, producing 60 kW for a mission exceeding five years.

The on-board production complex, derived from that of Mir’s Kristall module, would weigh a total of 25 tons. The finished products would return to Earth in ballistic or gliding-type return capsules that could each hold up to 140 kg of materials. Robotic manipulator arms would be used to remove a capsule from storage, load it, and then transfer it to a small airlock for ejection. The TMP had two docking ports to receive Progress resupply ships and Soyuz spacecraft or air-launched MAKS space – planes, with crews being able to spend up to 10 days aboard the facility to unload supply ships and perform maintenance work. In KB Salyut’s vision, the TMP was only the final step in a phased program for space-based materials processing, which also included the launch of small 1.2-ton capsules and bigger 20-ton vehicles [61].