Misplaced Pages

#616383

60-587: Cygnus is typically launched using its parent company's Antares rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virgina, however it is able to fly on other launch vehicles. After the failure of an Antares rocket destroyed Cygnus CRS Flight 3 and damaged the Wallops facility, two Cygnus missions were launched with Atlas V rockets in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, two Cygnus missions have launched on

120-589: A Cygnus cargo spacecraft on the Orb-3 resupply mission failed catastrophically six seconds after liftoff from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility , Virginia . An explosion occurred in the thrust section just as the vehicle cleared the tower, and it fell back down onto the launch pad. The range safety officer sent the destruct command just before impact. There were no injuries. Orbital Sciences reported that Launch Pad 0A "escaped significant damage", though initial estimates for repairs were in

180-615: A Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. While an optional third stage is offered, it has never been used due to the Cygnus spacecraft's integrated service module. Antares made its maiden flight on April 21, 2013, launching the Antares A-ONE mission from LP-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) with a Cygnus mass simulator. Later that year, on September 18, the rocket successfully launched Orb-D1 ,

240-465: A spacecraft bus and uses nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine for propellant; it is intended to precisely place payloads into their final orbits. The Star 48-based stage uses a Star 48BV solid rocket motor and would be used for higher energy orbits. The Orion 38 is used on the Minotaur and Pegasus rockets as an upper stage. The 3.9-meter (13 ft) diameter, 9.9-meter (32 ft) high fairing

300-667: A Cygnus mass simulator. On December 10, 2009, Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) test-fired their Castor 30 motor for use on the second stage of the Antares rocket. In March 2010, Orbital Sciences and Aerojet completed test firings of the AJ-26 engines. Originally designated the Taurus II, Orbital Sciences renamed the vehicle Antares, after the star of the same name , on December 12, 2011. As of April 2012, development costs were estimated at $ 472 million. On February 22, 2013,

360-607: A hot fire test was successfully performed, the entire first stage being erected on the pad and held down while the engines fired for 29 seconds. The first stage of Antares burns RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX). As Orbital had little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, the first stage core was designed and is manufactured in Ukraine by Pivdenne Design Office and Pivdenmash and includes propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware. Like

420-527: A new first stage developed in partnership with Firefly Aerospace . The new first stage, similar to Firefly's MLV launch vehicle, will incorporate composite structures and seven Miranda engines, increasing Antares's payload capacity. The second stage is a Castor 30 -series solid-fuel rocket, derived from the Castor 120 solid motor used in Orbital's Minotaur-C (the original Taurus I), and itself based on

480-405: A payload capacity of 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb), an increase of 32%, and a pressurized cargo volume of 27 cubic metres (950 cu ft), an increase of 19.5%. To launch the added weight, Orbital used the more powerful Castor 30XL solid-fuel rocket as a second-stage. Starting in mid-2025, a further enlarged "Mission B" Cygnus will be introduced with a length of 7.89 meters (25.9 ft),

540-541: A payload capacity of 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb), an increase of 19.5%, and a pressurized cargo volume of 36 cubic metres (1,300 cu ft), an increase of 15.5%. During a typical CRS missions, Cygnus maneuvers close to the International Space Station, where the Canadarm2 robotic arm grapples the spacecraft and berths it to a Common Berthing Mechanism , typically the nadir port of

600-428: A second attempt on April 20 was scrubbed due to high altitude winds. At the third attempt on April 21, the rocket lifted off at the beginning of its launch window. The launch window for all three attempts was three hours beginning at 21:00 UTC (17:00 EDT ), shortening to two hours at the start of the terminal count, and ten minutes later in the count. On October 28, 2014, the attempted launch of an Antares carrying

660-457: A second competition. Orbital Sciences Corporation participated in this second round, proposing a largely "off-the-shelf" design. The spacecraft, named Cygnus, would be built around a service module based on Orbital's Star Bus , a satellite bus in use since 1997, which would be attached to a pressurized cargo module built by Thales Alenia Space , which had also built the MPLM cargo module used by

SECTION 10

#1732790244617

720-506: A typical launch sequence of Antares-100 series rockets, such as for launching a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The coast phase is required because the solid-fuel upper stage has a short burn time. GEOStar The GEOStar is a family of satellite buses designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems . The family initially focused on small geostationary communications satellites. The first iterations addressed

780-539: Is being optimized for the CRS-2 contract. The initial design of the Castor 30XL was conservatively built, and after gaining flight experience it was determined that the structural component of the motor case could be lightened. Antares offers three optional third stages: the Bi-Propellant Third Stage (BTS), a Star 48 -based third stage and an Orion 38 motor. BTS is derived from Orbital's GEOStar ,

840-457: Is in development which will include: Stage 1 core updates including structural reinforcements and optimization to accommodate increased loads. (Also) certain refinements to the RD-181 engines and CASTOR 30XL motor; and Payload accommodations improvements including a 'pop-top' feature incorporated in the fairing to allow late Cygnus cargo load and optimized fairing adapter structure". Previously, it

900-462: Is manufactured by Northrop Grumman of Iuka, Mississippi , which also builds other composite structures for the vehicle, including the combined fairing adapter, dodecagon, motor cone, and interstage. On January 14, 2016, NASA awarded three cargo contracts via CRS-2. Orbital ATK's Cygnus was one of these contracts. According to Mark Pieczynski, Orbital ATK Vice President, Flight Systems Group, "A further improved version [of Antares for CRS-2 contract]

960-458: Is manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in Turin , Italy. The first "Standard" PCMs had a length of 5.14 meters (16.9 ft), a payload capacity of 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb), and a pressurized cargo volume of 18.9 cubic metres (670 cu ft). The fourth and all subsequent Cygnus spacecraft are the "Enhanced" variant. These have a stretched PCM with a length of 6.39 meters (21.0 ft),

1020-593: The Antares 100 series , Atlas V , Antares 200 series and Falcon 9 Block 5 . Each mission is named for a notable member of the Human spaceflight community. Antares (rocket) Antares ( / æ n ˈ t ɑː r iː z / ), known during early development as Taurus II , is an American expendable medium-lift launch vehicle developed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman ) with financial support from NASA under

1080-572: The Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program awarded in February 2008, alongside the company's automated cargo spacecraft, Cygnus . Like other launch vehicles developed by Orbital, Antares leveraged lower-cost, off-the-shelf parts and designs. The first stage is liquid fueled , burning RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Due to Orbital's limited experience with large liquid stages,

1140-833: The Falcon 9 rocket in 2024 with one more scheduled to launch in 2025, operated by CRS competitor SpaceX . In addition to Cygnus, ISS resupply missions have been flown by the Russian Progress spacecraft , the European Automated Transfer Vehicle , the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle and the American SpaceX Dragon . Cygnus is the Greek word for swan and the name of a constellation . After

1200-495: The GEOStar-3 platform. Not only was this a bigger platform that could generate up to 8 kW of power, but it also offered a satellite stacking feature for a dual launch option. On April 29, 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it would merge with Alliant Techsystems to create a new company called Orbital ATK, Inc. On February 9, 2015, Orbital ATK started operating as an entity. During 2015, Orbital ATK would introduce

1260-518: The Orb-3 launch failure in October 2014, likely caused by an engine turbopump, the Antares 100-series was retired. Because of concerns over corrosion, aging, and the limited supply of AJ26 engines, Orbital had selected new first stage engines to bid on a second major long-term contract for cargo resupply of the ISS . After the loss of the Antares rocket in October 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that

SECTION 20

#1732790244617

1320-675: The Unity module . Cygnus does not provide cargo return capability. However, it can be loaded with obsolete equipment and trash which will burn up as the Cygnus makes a destructive reentry . An earlier proposed version of Cygnus would have replaced the PCM with the Unpressurized Cargo Module (UCM), based on NASA's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier , and would have been used to transport unpressurized cargo, such as ISS Orbital Replacement Units . Another proposed variant would have replaced

1380-602: The Zenit —also manufactured by Pivdenmash—the Antares vehicle has a diameter of 3.9 m (150 in) with a matching 3.9 m payload fairing . The Antares 100-series first stage was powered by two Aerojet AJ26 engines. These began as Kuznetsov NK-33 engines built in the Soviet Union in the late 1960s and early 1970s, 43 of which were purchased by Aerojet in the 1990s. Twenty of these were refurbished into AJ26 engines for Antares. Modifications included equipping

1440-465: The $ 20 million range. Orbital Sciences formed an anomaly investigation board to investigate the cause of the incident. They traced it to a failure of the first stage LOX turbopump, but could not find a specific cause. However, the refurbished NK-33 engines, originally manufactured over 40 years earlier and stored for decades, were suspected as having leaks, corrosion, or manufacturing defects that had not been detected. The NASA Accident Investigation Report

1500-534: The 200 series adapted the originally ordered 100 Series stages ( KB Pivdenne / Pivdenmash , Zenit derived), it requires under-throttling the RD-181 engines, which reduces performance. The Antares was upgraded to the Antares 230+ for the NASA Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract. NG-12, launched November 2, 2019, was the first NASA CRS-2 mission to ISS using the 230+ upgrades. The most significant upgrades were structural changes to

1560-432: The Antares 100. Orbital adapted the existing core stage to accommodate the increased performance in the 200 Series, allowing Antares to deliver up to 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) to low Earth orbit. The surplus performance of the Antares 200-series will allow Orbital to fulfill its ISS resupply contract in only four additional flights, rather than the five that would have been required with the Antares 100-series. While

1620-512: The Antares 230 performed its maiden flight with Cygnus OA-5 in October 2016. One further mission was launched aboard an Atlas in April 2017 ( Cygnus OA-7 ), fulfilling Orbital's contractual obligations towards NASA. It was followed by the Antares 230 in regular service with Cygnus OA-8E in November 2017, with three further missions scheduled on their extended contract. Note: Cygnus CRS OA-4 ,

1680-487: The Antares 230 variant. Originally scheduled for 2012, the first Antares launch, designated A-ONE was conducted on April 21, 2013, carrying the Cygnus Mass Simulator (a boilerplate Cygnus spacecraft ) and four CubeSats contracted by Spaceflight Incorporated: Dove 1 for Cosmogia Incorporated (now Planet Labs) and three PhoneSat satellites— Alexander , Graham and Bell for NASA. Prior to

1740-693: The ISS through 2016 in eight Cygnus spacecraft flights. To propel Cygnus into space, Orbital developed the Antares rocket , which also leveraged lower-cost, off-the-shelf parts and designs. Construction and design of the first stage was subcontracted to Ukrainian companies and used refurbished NK-33 engines, remnants of the Soviet N1 moon rocket. The second stage was the Castor 30 , which Orbital had previously used on another rocket project (the Minotaur-C ) and

1800-562: The ISS. In June 2008, it was announced that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport , formerly part of the Wallops Flight Facility , in Virginia , would be the primary launch site for the rocket. Launch pad 0A (LP-0A), previously used for the failed Conestoga rocket, would be modified to handle Antares. Wallops allows launches which reach the International Space Station's orbit as effectively as those from Cape Canaveral , Florida, while being less crowded. The first Antares flight launched

1860-532: The PCM with the Return Cargo Module (RCM), which would have allowed Cygnus to return cargo to Earth. In August 2023, Northrop Grumman announced a further enlarged Mission B version of Cygnus, with a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) stretch to the payload module and payload mass increased to 5,000 kg (11,000 lb). This version is expected to enter service with the NG-23 mission in 2025 (the first to use

Cygnus (spacecraft) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1920-643: The Russian RD-181—a modified version of the RD-191 —would replace the AJ-26 on the Antares 200-series. The first flight of the Antares 230 configuration using the RD-181 launched on October 17, 2016, carrying the Cygnus OA-5 cargo to the ISS . The Antares 200 and 200+ first stages are powered by two RD-181 engines, which provide 440 kilonewtons (100,000 lbf) more thrust than the dual AJ26 engines used on

1980-646: The Space Shuttle, the cargo module for the European ATV spacecraft and several permanent modules on the ISS. Cygnus was awarded a COTS contract worth $ 170 million in February 2008, which was later increased to $ 288 million. On 23 December 2008, NASA awarded Orbital Sciences a $ 1.9 billion contract under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program. Under this contract, Orbital Sciences agreed to deliver up to 20 tons of cargo to

2040-436: The agency proposed a new approach: commercial companies would operate spacecraft, while NASA would act as a customer. To encourage innovation, NASA offered funding through the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to support the development of new spacecraft and launch vehicles. On February 19, 2008, NASA announced that it would award Orbital Sciences Corporation a COTS contract worth $ 171 million. Orbital

2100-606: The commercial space industry by creating two medium-lift launch vehicles. While SpaceX's Falcon 9 has achieved significant commercial success, Antares has not. To date, NASA remains Antares's sole customer, and Cygnus its only payload. As the Space Shuttle program neared its end, NASA sought to develop new capabilities for resupplying the International Space Station (ISS). Departing from the traditional model of government-owned and operated spacecraft,

2160-476: The construction was subcontracted to the Ukrainian companies Pivdenne and Pivdenmash . Initially, the Antares 100 series used refurbished NK-33 engines, remnants of the Soviet N1 moon rocket. However, after a catastrophic explosion, the Antares 200 series transitioned to newly built Russian RD-191 engines. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Northrop Grumman announced plans for the Antares 300, featuring

2220-462: The engines for gimballing , adding US electronics, and qualifying the engines to fire for twice as long as designed and to operate at 108% of their original thrust. Together they produced 3,265 kilonewtons (734,000 lb f ) of thrust at sea level and 3,630 kN (816,100 lb f ) in vacuum. Following the catastrophic failure of an AJ26 during testing at Stennis Space Center in May 2014 and

2280-493: The enhanced Castor 30B for subsequent flights. The Castor 30B produces 293.4 kN (65,960 lb f ) average and 395.7 kN (88,960 lb f ) maximum thrust, and uses electromechanical thrust vector control. For increased performance, the larger Castor 30XL is available and will be used on ISS resupply flights to allow Antares to carry the Enhanced Cygnus. The Castor 30XL upper stage for Antares 230+

2340-563: The fabrication of the HALO, and for integration with the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), being built by Maxar . The following list includes only missions that have flown and six planned missions. As of August 2024 one more mission is planned to be launched on the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 , and three from Wallops on an Antares 330 . Cygnus is the only cargo freighter to launch on four different launch vehicles:

2400-417: The first Cygnus mission to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). Following the successful completion of these two COTS demonstration missions, Antares and Cygnus have been awarded two Commercial Resupply Services contracts, encompassing a total of 25 missions to the ISS. The COTS program also funded the development of SpaceX 's Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, aiming to stimulate

2460-445: The first Enhanced Cygnus mission, and Cygnus OA-6 were propelled by Atlas V 401 launch vehicles while the new Antares 230 was in its final stages of development. Cygnus CRS OA-7 was also switched to an Atlas V 401 and launched on April 18, 2017 Note: Cygnus NG-20 and Cygnus NG-21 were, Cygnus NG-22 will be propelled by Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicles while the new Antares 330 is in development. The following table shows

Cygnus (spacecraft) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2520-475: The first scheduled Cygnus resupply mission arrived at the space station; the capsule carried Christmas presents and fresh fruit for the astronauts. Its arrival was delayed, first by the need to repair the station, and then by frigid weather at the launch site and solar flares that forced postponements. With the December 2015 launch of Orb CRS-4 on Atlas V, the enhanced version of Cygnus made its debut. While it

2580-543: The intertank bay (between the LOX and RP-1 tanks) and the forward bay (forward of the LOX). Additionally, the company is working on trajectory improvements via a "load-release autopilot" that will provide greater mass to orbit capability. In August 2022, Northrop Grumman announced that it had contracted Firefly Aerospace to build the 300-series first stage, which is similar to Firefly's in-development MLV launch vehicle, and features

2640-400: The launch, a 27-second test firing of the rocket's AJ26 engines was conducted successfully on February 22, 2013, following an attempt on February 13 which was abandoned before ignition. A-ONE used the Antares 110 configuration, with a Castor 30A second stage and no third stage. The launch took place from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island , Virginia . LP-0A

2700-681: The new Antares 330 launch vehicle). In August 2019, NASA decided to sole source its design for the Minimal Habitation Module (Habitation and Logistics Outpost, or HALO) of the Lunar Gateway to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, which offered a minimalist 6.1 m (20 ft) by 3 m (9.8 ft) design based directly on the Enhanced Cygnus, as well as a larger 7 m (23 ft) by 4.4 m (14 ft) design having radial docking ports, body-mounted radiators (BMRs), batteries and communications antennas added on

2760-404: The outside. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems opted to build the minimalist design, which offered the advantage of component compatibility and expedited testing of life support systems on existing Cygnus spacecraft. On 5 June 2020, NASA awarded Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems a $ 187 million contract to complete the preliminary design of HALO. NASA will sign a separate contract with Northrop for

2820-522: The platform under the STAR-1 designation. It was able to sell three STAR-1 satellites to B-SAT of Japan, BSAT-2a , BSAT-2b and BSAT-2c . Orbital then introduced a new version of the platform known as STAR-2 . Its first launch was with the sale of the satellite bus only, with N-STAR c . With the introduction of the LEOStar satellite bus, STAR-2 was renamed as GEOStar-2 , a platform that eventually

2880-456: The previous first stages, which are manufactured in Ukraine and use RD-181 engines from Russia. The second stage is an Orbital ATK Castor 30 -series solid-fuel rocket , developed as a derivative of the Castor 120 solid motor used as Minotaur-C 's first stage, itself based on a LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. The first two flights of Antares used a Castor 30A, which was replaced by

2940-610: The retirement of the Space Shuttle was announced, NASA began to look for commercial space launch companies who could fly cargo to the ISS. In early 2006, the agency started its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, where it would help fund the development of cargo spacecraft after a competitive process. SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler won contracts in the COTS program, however Rocketplane Kistler failed to meet several financial milestones and on 18 October 2007, NASA announced it would terminate its contract and re-award it after

3000-413: The same composite structures as well as seven Miranda engines producing 7,200 kN (1,600,000 lbf) of thrust—substantially greater than the previous 200-series first stage. Northrop Grumman states that the new first stage substantially increases the mass capability of Antares. The announcement occurred as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , which has jeopardized supply chains for

3060-567: The sub-5 kW commercial segment that was underserved following the retirement of the HS-376 satellite bus. It started with the STARBus on CTA Space Systems , which was later bought successively by Orbital Sciences , Orbital ATK , and most recently Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems . Originally developed by CTA Space Systems , won its first order with IndoStar-1 . Orbital Sciences Corporation acquired CTA in 1997 and continued selling

SECTION 50

#1732790244617

3120-451: The upgrades will be referred to as Antares 230+. The first two test flights used a Castor 30A second stage. All subsequent flights will use either a Castor 30B or Castor 30XL . The rocket's configuration is indicated by a three-digit number, the first number representing the first stage, the second the type of second stage, and the third the type of third stage. A + sign added as suffix (fourth position) signifies performance upgrades to

3180-481: Was a former Conestoga launch complex which had only been used once before, in 1995, for the Conestoga's only orbital launch attempt. Antares became the largest—and first—liquid-fuelled rocket to fly from Wallops Island, as well as the largest rocket launched by Orbital Sciences. The first attempt to launch the rocket, on April 17, 2013, was scrubbed after an umbilical detached from the rocket's second stage, and

3240-418: Was based on a Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. The first Cygnus flight was originally planned to occur in December 2010, but was repeatedly delayed. The Antares made its maiden flight lifting a payload mass simulator to low Earth orbit on April 21, 2013. On September 18, 2013, Antares successfully launched a Cygnus spacecraft on a flight test to rendezvous with the International Space Station. On 12 January 2014,

3300-592: Was based on prior products developed by Orbital including the GEOStar and LEOStar (collectively known as Star Bus ) satellite buses and the Dawn spacecraft . It has a gross mass of 1,800 kg (4,000 lb), 32 thrusters for attitude control and one BT-4 main engine fuelled with 800 kg (1,800 lb) of hypergolic propellants, hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide . The SM is capable of producing up to 4 kW of electrical power via two solar arrays. The PCM

3360-542: Was capable of up to 5.5 kW of power production. Orbital would later introduce the GEOStar-1 platform, capable of only 1.5 kW of power production. It is not to be confused with the original STAR-1, since GEOStar-1 is actually the project Aquila, a platform even smaller than the GEOStar-2 designed for military applications in geostationary orbit and medium Earth orbit . On March 10, 2014, Orbital introduced

3420-437: Was expected to invest an additional $ 150 million, divided between $ 130 million for the rocket booster and $ 20 million for the spacecraft. As part of the COTS program, Orbital would be expected to conduct a successful demonstration of its rocket booster and spacecraft. If both demonstration flights were successful, Orbital would be eligible for a lucrative Commercial Resupply Service contract of $ 1.9 billion for eight flights to

3480-574: Was more direct in its failure assessment. On October 6, 2015, almost one year after the accident, Pad 0A was restored to use. Total repair costs were about $ 15 million. Following the failure, Orbital sought to purchase launch services for its Cygnus spacecraft in order to satisfy its cargo contract with NASA, and on December 9, 2014, Orbital announced that at least one, and possibly two, Cygnus flights would be launched on Atlas V rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station . As it happened, Cygnus OA-4 and Cygnus OA-6 were launched with an Atlas V and

3540-651: Was planned from the beginning to fly on the fifth mission, the Orb CRS-3 failure and subsequent move to Atlas V meant a delay. However, lessons learned on packing and the extra capabilities of the Atlas allowed payload to be increased to 3,500 kg (7,700 lb). The Cygnus spacecraft consists of two basic components: the Service Module (SM) and the Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM). The SM

3600-402: Was understood that these planned upgrades from the Antares 230 series would create a vehicle known as the Antares 300 series. However, when asked specifically about Antares 300 series development, Mr. Pieczynski stated that Orbital ATK has "not determined to call the upgrades, we are working on, a 300 series. This is still TBD". In May 2018, the Antares program manager Kurt Eberly indicated that

#616383