Ore Tugs

Perhaps the single most mission-critical element of the Bountiful Sky project, the ore tugs were built to launch loads of lunar ore from low lunar orbit to the main hab using a tether. Because of the greater momentum transfer involved with this task, the ore tugs were much larger than the crop tugs, though the basic principle was the same.

Because the ore tugs launched the packages upward, they needed greater thrust to overcome their downward momentum before reaching the Moon's surface.

Construction
The first ore tugs were built from components in the Bullets. Many problems were encountered during construction.

Operation Cycle

 * Tug on station
 * Rendezvous with ore package
 * Begin deploying cable
 * Separate from package
 * Return to station