Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021), St Petersburg, Russian Federation, 14-18 June 2021. Copyright ©2021 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved. GLEX-21-7.3.2 Page 1 of 10 GLEX-21-7.3.2 NEW HORIZONS FOR EXPLORATION VIA FLEXIBLE CONCEPTS BASED ON BUILDING BLOCKS USING THE STANDARDIZED ISSI (INTELLIGENT SPACE SYSTEM INTERFACE) MODULAR COUPLING KIT BY IBOSS Thomas A. Schervan a* , Joerg Kreisel b , Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Schroeder c , Dennis R. Wingo d a iBOSS GmbH, Dennewartstrasse 25-27, D-52068 Aachen, Germany, thomas@iboss.space b JKIC (JOERG KREISEL International Consultant - Independent Space Business + Finance Advisors), Melanieweg 25, 52072 Aachen, Germany, jk@jkic.de c SLA RWTH Aachen University, Wüllnerstrasse 7, D-52062 Aachen, Germany, kai-uwe.schroeder@sla.rwth- aachen.de d Skycorp Incorporated, Building 555, NASA Research Park, Moffet Field, CA 94035, USA, wingod@skycorpinc.com * Corresponding Author Abstract Exploration - a motor of humankind and a long-term driver of space development - has evolved as a one of the future core areas for the global space arena with challenges and opportunities regarding technology, systems, missions, operations, and business alike. And NewSpace will drive this with new approaches. Space exploration missions and business span over manifold themes across the solar system and beyond, involving robotics, habitats, manufacturing, resource exploitation and more. Large space structures, logistics and warehousing will become common space infrastructure elements toward the ultimate goal of the economic development of the solar system. Cost and flexibility will become key to create economy of scale effects as routine operations suggest. The upswing of innovative commercial NewSpace ventures and general space industry trends suggest a move toward higher lot sizes of systems, subsystems, and components, thus, series production, supports space industrialization. At large, these developments and concepts will benefit from cooperative design and plug-and-play (PnP) principles, which in turn are centered around standardized interfaces per se - as well as modularity as enabling system philosophy. With On-Orbit Assembly (OOA), On-Orbit Servicing (OOS), On-Orbit Manufacturing (OOM), Active Debris Removal (ADR) and In-Space Recycling (ISR) or other supporting services. Modular concepts and standardization of space infrastructure elements have been investigated for decades and are now gradually becoming a reality as the CubeSat revolution has shown in a first step. Standard interfaces are considered fundamental enablers for new dimensions of flexibility and entirely new space systems, operations, and business. New standards are intended to provide the foundation for a new commercial repertoire of robust space-based capabilities and a future in-space economy. Hence, OSAM (On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing) will become a driver of future space infrastructure design, operations, and business. This paper elaborates on the iSSI (intelligent space system interface), a fully modular interface by iBOSS, which is the most advanced and mature multi-functional and multi-purpose potential space system interface standard candidate. Modularity by design is the main differentiator providing a variety of functionalities and enabling manifold applications. The iSSI modular coupling kit by iBOSS meets a broad range of requirements, simply by adding modules to the baseline interface, and thus without variants of its unit. Core is the patented intelligent space system interface iSSI, the fastest (coupling), the most compact and the lightest solution of its kind and industry manufactured solution to date. The iSSI technology, its specialties and specs will be presented, followed by selected applications, and use cases and associated benefits in the context of ongoing activities with industry and agencies in different continents. Finally, enhancing capabilities and effects regarding flexibility, design, architecture, and operations will be sketched based on advanced concepts for e.g., improved AIT, lunar landers, space payload management, orbital logistics and more. The authors and partners involved have longstanding experiences, background, and visibility in the global commercial space arena with involvement in multiple innovative new business endeavors’ comprising dedicated expertise in space commercialization and innovation, new business creation and finance, international partnerships, commercial prototyping, and series manufacturing Keywords: space system interface, adapter, space connector, standard interface, androgynous, modular, building blocks, iSSI (intelligent Space System Interface) Modular Coupling Kit, iBOSS GmbH, iBLOCK, plug-and-play (PnP) on-orbit servicing (OOS), on-orbit assembly (OOA), multi-functional, fail-safe, Lunar Power Lander