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89-727: 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 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
178-584: 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
267-615: 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 ,
356-462: 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
445-662: 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,
534-564: A contract with Thales Alenia Space , Orbital is conducting integration and test services for Iridium NEXT , the next-generation satellite constellation of Iridium Communications Inc. Orbital will integrate the communications payloads and platforms for 81 low-Earth orbit Iridium NEXT satellites and test the systems at its satellite manufacturing facility in Gilbert, Arizona. Orbital Imaging spacecraft are designed to provide commercial Earth imaging services. The OrbView series of spacecraft paved
623-448: A definitive agreement with Alliant Techsystems to combine Orbital and ATK's Aerospace and Defense (A&D) Groups to create a US$ 4.5 billion (combined calendar year 2013 annual revenue), 13000-person company. The new company was called Orbital ATK, Inc . On 18 September 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$ 7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$ 1.4 billion in debt. Orbital ATK shareholders approved
712-528: A follow-on Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) contract to build and demonstrate a new rocket, Antares , to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). The CRS contract authorized eight missions from 2012 to 2015 carrying approximately 20,000 kg of cargo to ISS as well as disposal of waste. These launches were to take place from the new state-of-the-art MARS Pad 0A. On MARS Pad 0B, VCSFA made modifications and upgrades to launch
801-604: 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
890-534: A leading supplier of 1.5 - 5.5 kilowatt Geosynchronous-Earth Orbit (GEO) communications satellites used to provide direct-to-home TV broadcasting, cable program distribution, business data network capacity, regional mobile communications and similar services. With its new GEOStar-3 satellite platform, Orbital is extending its capabilities with up to 8 kW of total satellite payload power. The list of Orbital built GeoStar satellites are provided next. LEO communications satellites Orbital
979-430: A new company called Orbital ATK. The merger was completed on 9 February 2015 and Orbital Sciences ceased to exist as an independent entity. On 18 September 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$ 7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$ 1.4 billion in debt, and on 6 June 2018, the acquisition was completed, and Orbital ATK became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. As of 1 January 2020,
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#17327811634841068-555: A new facility in Chandler, Arizona in 1989 to house the company's expanding rocket business. In 1990, the company successfully carried out eight space missions, highlighted by the initial launch of the Pegasus launch vehicle, the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle (the claim of being the first privately developed space launch vehicle can be contested as Pegasus received significant funding from NASA and DARPA , and
1157-630: A predecessor private rocket exists, the Conestoga rocket). Shortly following the successful Pegasus launch, Orbital conducted an initial public offering (IPO) in 1990 and began trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In 1993, Orbital established its headquarters in Dulles, Virginia . In 1994, Orbital successfully conducted the inaugural launch of the Taurus (now renamed as Minotaur-C ) launch vehicle. In
1246-424: 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
1335-485: 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. Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital ) was an American company specializing in
1424-641: Is liquid fueled , burning RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Due to Orbital's limited experience with large liquid stages, 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
1513-600: Is a recipient of a large portion of the Federal budget for Space. Finally, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Virginia ranks first in the number of scientists and engineers as a percentage of the workforce, third in the concentration of high-tech jobs as a percentage of the workforce, and sixth in non-industry investment in research and development. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport has three active orbital launch pads. Pad 0A
1602-478: Is also a provider of low-Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellites, having conceived, built and deployed the ORBCOMM network. ORBCOMM was the first global communications network to employ a constellation of LEO satellites. From 1994–1999, Orbital built and deployed 35 satellites, and integrated five “gateway” ground stations and a network operations center to manage the satellites and process their data. Under
1691-591: 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 ,
1780-622: Is capable of delivering 2,000 kg of pressurized cargo to the ISS. An enhanced version to be flown in later CRS missions is able to deliver 2,700 kg of pressurized cargo. The first of the eight contracted Cygnus missions to the ISS was completed on 18 February 2014. The October 28, 2014, launch failure was the third contracted Cygnus mission to the ISS. Orbital's Missile Defense Systems product line consists of interceptors and target vehicles. GEO communications satellites With its proprietary GEOStar-2 satellite platform, Orbital has become
1869-615: Is currently scheduled for 2017. Orbital's heritage programs in advanced flight systems include the NASA X-34 and X-43 programs, and the Orion Launch Abort System , among others. Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport ( MARS ) is a commercial space launch facility located at the southern tip of NASA 's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia, just east of
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#17327811634841958-457: 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
2047-460: 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]
2136-610: Is one of two companies providing commercial cargo resupply services to the ISS for NASA. Orbital's medium-class rocket - Antares is used to launch the Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft to deliver cargo to the ISS. Under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, Orbital will perform eight cargo missions to the ISS. Operational flights began in 2013 from the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island in Virginia. In addition,
2225-639: The Delmarva Peninsula and south of Chincoteague , Virginia , United States. It is owned and operated by the Virginia Spaceport Authority . The Virginia General Assembly created the political subdivision Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), also known as Virginia Space, in 1995 to promote the development of the commercial space flight industry, economic development, aerospace research, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education throughout
2314-583: The Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) program for the U.S. Air Force . The wide-field of view sensor was hosted on an Orbital-built commercial GEO communications satellite. Orbital's hosted payload program takes advantage of the high frequency of commercial satellite launches and the excess resources that typically exist on a commercial communications satellite to provide frequent and low-cost access to space for National Security Systems. Orbital's current advanced flight systems programs include
2403-592: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The TMS unit combined satellite navigation and wireless communications to enable transit control centers to manage the dispatch of public transit, highway service vehicles and commuter light rail systems. As of 2008, the technology was used by more than 60 clients, exceeding 27500 vehicles, or more than 30% of the United States and Canada fleet. TMS clients included some of
2492-515: 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
2581-696: The Secretary of Commerce and Trade of Virginia and the Secretary of Business and Economic Development of Maryland to form a working group to develop a concept and implementation plan for joint governance, operation, and administration of the commercial spaceport at Wallops Island. As such, the Virginia Space Flight Center was renamed as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), reflecting the location of
2670-600: 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
2759-463: 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
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2848-586: 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
2937-640: The 35-satellite ORBCOMM data communications network, and the 81 spacecraft (integration and test) for the IridiumNEXT constellation. Earth imagery and high resolution digital imaging satellites such as the OrbView series are also developed and manufactured by Orbital. The science and environmental satellites developed by Orbital perform scientific research, carry out deep space exploration (e.g. Dawn spacecraft), conduct remote sensing missions (e.g. Landsat 4, 5 and 8 ), and demonstrate new space technologies. In
3026-428: 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
3115-512: 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 ,
3204-483: 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
3293-501: The Antares 300, featuring 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
3382-669: The Commonwealth. This initiative was done from the recommendations of the Batten College at Old Dominion University , with Dr. Billie Reed, a longtime professor at the University, installed as its Executive Director. In 1997, Virginia Space entered into a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA, which provided for permitted use of land on NASA Wallops Island for the MARS launch pads. Virginia Space also applied for and
3471-632: 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
3560-775: The NASA Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission to the Moon in mid-2013 on a new Orbital Sciences Minotaur V launch vehicle. Also in mid-2013, the USAF launched ORS-3 from MARS Pad 0B. MARS is one of only several sites licensed by the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation to launch to orbit. Additionally, Virginia is home to the NASA Langley Research Center (LARC) and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and as such
3649-641: 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
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3738-535: The U.S. missile defense systems. In the last 10 years, Orbital conducted nearly 50 major launches for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the U.S. Air Force , the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy to develop, test and enhance U.S. missile defense systems. Orbital's Advanced Programs Group focused on developing and producing human-rated space systems, satellites and related systems for national security space programs, and advanced flight systems for atmospheric and space missions. In support of human space systems, Orbital
3827-524: The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (Virginia Space). In December 2019, Rocket Lab said it had built and completed Launch Complex-2 (LC-2) (located at 37°50′00″N 75°29′18″W / 37.833266°N 75.4882304°W / 37.833266; -75.4882304 ( Wallops Island Launch Complex-2 ) ), a new launch pad near Pad 0A, and was ready to support missions just 10 months later with
3916-436: 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
4005-410: The areas that its customers are pursuing. The Orbital employees often work side-by-side with the customers' technical staff at their facilities. They perform a wide range of functions, from system-level efforts such as special payload equipment and training support for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions to component-level tasks including development of high-energy microwave transmitters for
4094-929: The buyout on 29 November 2017. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the acquisition with conditions on 5 June 2018, and one day later, Orbital ATK were absorbed and became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems . Orbital was a provider of small- to medium-class satellites. Since the company's founding in 1982, Orbital has delivered 150 spacecraft to commercial, military and civil customers worldwide. To date, these spacecraft have amassed well over 1000 years of on-orbit operations. The communications and imaging satellites developed by Orbital are smaller and more affordable. The geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communications satellites provide commercial satellite services such as direct-to-home digital television , business data transmission, cable program distribution and wireless communications. In addition, Orbital also provides constellations of low Earth orbit communications satellites such as
4183-526: 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,
4272-444: The company is exploring opportunities to adapt the Cygnus design for other possible space exploration applications. For National Security Space systems, Orbital provides products ranging from smaller, more affordable spacecraft busses to hosted payload applications. For Advanced Flight systems, Orbital is applying its to design and build an intermediate-class air-launched rocket system for Stratolaunch Systems . Orbital has developed
4361-429: The contract with Stratolaunch Systems to design a new intermediate-class rocket to be carried aloft and launched from the largest aircraft ever built- Stratolaunch carrier aircraft . Orbital is responsible for the program's overall systems engineering, and the development, production, test, and operations of the air-launch rocket and related ground operations, including payload and launch vehicle integration. A demo launch
4450-457: The cost and accelerate the development and deployment of national security space systems. For example, Orbital's GEOStar-1 spacecraft provides a compact platform optimized for GEO missions (adaptable for MEO for launch aboard Minotaur , Falcon , and EELV launch vehicles to deliver resilient capabilities in a relatively short period of time (years instead of decades). Orbital's hosted payload capabilities in national security systems include
4539-500: The design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other government customers. In 2014, Orbital merged with Alliant Techsystems (ATK) to create a new company called Orbital ATK , which in turn was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Orbital was headquartered in Dulles, Virginia and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange with
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#17327811634844628-414: The development of the Antares space launch vehicle, Orbital is extending its capabilities to provide medium-class launch services for U.S. government , commercial and international customers. The inaugural launch of Antares occurred on 21 April 2013 from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) at Wallops Island , Virginia. Orbital is also a major provider of suborbital target and interceptor launch vehicles for
4717-404: The early 2000s, Orbital continued expanding its missile defense systems business with a US$ 900 million award to develop, build, test and support interceptor booster vehicles. In 2006, Orbital conducted its 500th mission since the company's founding with products that included satellites, launch vehicles, and missile defense systems. In 2007, the first interplanetary spacecraft built by Orbital, Dawn
4806-459: 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
4895-488: 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+
4984-400: The facilities as opposed to the singular state. MARS is approved for launch azimuths from 38° to 60°, making it an ideal location from which to launch to the International Space Station (ISS). In 2007, NASA selected Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation (Northrop Grumman) to participate in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program and then selected Orbital for
5073-529: The fast-growing Geosynchronous (GEO) communications satellite market. In 2010, Orbital acquired the Gilbert, Arizona -based satellite development and manufacturing unit from General Dynamics (General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, formerly Spectrum Astro) to complement its main satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. On 29 April 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it had entered into
5162-417: 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
5251-445: 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
5340-821: The first launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2020. At a press conference on the same day at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the Space Test Program of the United States Air Force (now United States Space Force ) was announced as the planned first customer for the Electron launch vehicle from LC-2. The mission was planned to launch a single research and development micro-satellite. This plan did not occur. For LC-2 missions, Electron rockets are fully assembled at an offsite integration facility before being trucked to
5429-542: 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
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#17327811634845518-872: The last 10 years, Orbital has built more scientific and environmental monitoring satellites for NASA than any other company. Orbital's space launch vehicles are considered the industry standard for boosting small payloads to orbit. The Pegasus launch vehicle is launched from the company's L-1011 carrier aircraft, Stargazer and has proven to be the industry's small space launch workhorse, having conducted 40 missions from six different launch sites worldwide since 1990. The Minotaur ground-launched launch vehicles combine Pegasus upper-stages with either government-supplied or commercially available first-stage rocket motors to boost larger payloads to orbit. Minotaur IV combines decommissioned Peacekeeper rocket motors with proven Orbital avionics and fairings to provide increased lifting capacity for government-sponsored payloads. With
5607-399: 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
5696-727: The mission requirements and budget. Astrophysics satellites Orbital's current and heritage astrophysics satellites are as listed below: Remote sensing/Earth observation Orbital's current and heritage Remote Sensing/Earth Observation satellites are as listed below: Heliophysics Orbital's heritage Heliophysics satellites are as listed below: Planetary exploration Orbital's heritage Planetary Exploration Heliophysics satellites are as listed below: Orbital's national security systems range from smaller, more affordable spacecraft buses (e.g. disaggregated systems) to hosted payload applications. Orbital advocates disaggregated systems because conceptually disaggregated systems can lower
5785-603: The name was changed to Space Systems under a large restructuring and rebranding initiative. Orbital was founded and incorporated in 1982 by three friends who had met earlier while at Harvard Business School — David W. Thompson, Bruce Walker Ferguson , and Scott L. Webster. Initial capitalization for Orbital was provided by Fred C. Alcorn, a Texas oilman and Sam Dunnam, a Texas businessman in September 1982. In 1985, Orbital procured its first contract for providing up to four transfer orbital stage (TOS) vehicles to NASA . In 1987,
5874-568: The nation's largest fleet management systems, such as Los Angeles , Chicago , and Washington, D.C. In 2008, the technology services provider Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) Inc. agreed to buy the Transportation Management Systems unit for US$ 42.5 million. The sale transferred an estimated 130 to 140 Orbital employees based in Columbia, Maryland , to ACS. Orbital's primary locations are listed below- With
5963-577: The next planned launch in March 2016. On September 30, 2015, the spaceport announced repairs on pad 0A had been completed. Following the Cygnus NG-19 launch in August 2023, Pad 0A was taken offline for the pad and facilities to be upgraded to support the new Antares 330 rocket, which will have approximately twice the thrust as its predecessor, Antares 230+. The pad and transporter erector must accept
6052-517: The operational concept and completed the preliminary design for the air-launched rocket. It will be responsible for the development, production, test and operations of the full system and related ground operations. The Technical Services Division (TSD) provided engineering, production and technical management expertise primarily for space-related science and defense programs. Typically, it supplies specialized personnel — engineers, scientists, technicians and other professionals — with specific knowledge in
6141-425: The pad and installed on the launch mount. The first launch from LC-2 successfully occurred on January 24, 2023. An Electron rocket carried three satellites to orbit in a mission named "Virginia is for Launch Lovers", the launch title referencing Virginia's well-known tourism slogan " Virginia is for Lovers ". Since then, LC-2 has seen several orbital Electron launches, including a handful of suborbital missions by
6230-454: 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
6319-464: The rocket on its launch pad about 24 hours prior to launch". The facility suffered significant damage during the 28 October 2014 Antares launch failure , according to NASA officials in the immediate aftermath. Preliminary estimates for rebuilding the pad indicated the cost should be no more than US$ 20 million . By May 2015, that estimate had been revised down to US$ 13 million and repairs were expected to be completed by September or October 2015 with
6408-411: 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
6497-513: The seeds for the Orbcomm constellation were planted when Orbital began investigating a system using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to collect data from remote locations. In 1988, Orbital acquired Space Data Corporation in Arizona — one of the world's leading suppliers of suborbital rockets — thereby broadening its rocket business and manufacturing capabilities. This was followed by the opening of
6586-505: The success of Cygnus Orb-D1 and Cygnus CRS Orb-1 . Orbital Science made a number of strategic acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s to strengthen its position in the satellite market. In 1994, Orbital completed acquisition of Fairchild Industries ' subsidiary Space and Defense Corporation, and merged the Fairchild Space business with its own satellite design and manufacturing division. The electronics business of this subsidiary
6675-404: The successful demonstration in September 2013 of the Cygnus spacecraft and the Antares launch vehicle under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, Orbital commenced regular ISS cargo missions under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The total NASA contract to Orbital is worth $ 1.9 Billion for providing eight pressurized cargo missions to the ISS. Cygnus
6764-705: The ticker symbol ORB . Orbital's primary products were satellites and launch vehicles , including low Earth orbit (LEO), geosynchronous Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications , remote sensing , scientific and defense missions; ground- and air-launched launch vehicles that delivered satellites into orbit; missile defense systems that were used as interceptor and target vehicles; and human-rated space systems for Earth orbit, lunar and other missions. Orbital also provided satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories. On 29 April 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it would merge with Alliant Techsystems to create
6853-449: 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
6942-773: The way for today's space-based Earth imaging industry. In addition to the OrbView satellites the company also built the GeoEye-1 high resolution imaging satellite. Orbital LEOStar-2 and -3 spacecraft platforms are designed to support a variety of multispectral, visible and thermal imaging payloads. A list of commercial imaging satellites built by Orbital is provided next. Orbital built Science and Environmental satellites conduct astrophysics , Remote sensing/Earth Observation , heliophysics , planetary exploration and technology demonstration missions. These satellites are built on Orbital's LEOStar-1,-2, or -3 satellite platforms depending on
7031-642: The wider diameter of the new first stage, and the HIF must be lengthened. In addition, the complex is being upgraded to support the future Northrop Grumman Medium Launch Vehicle, based on the Antares 330 but sporting a liquid-fueled second stage. For sound suppression and cooling the pad during launches, there is a 307 ft (94 m)-tall water tower Pad 0A is located at 37°50′02″N 75°29′16″W / 37.833959°N 75.4878331°W / 37.833959; -75.4878331 ( Wallops Island Launch Pad 0-A ) . Pad 0B became operational in 1999, and
7120-479: 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
7209-504: Was built in the 1990s for the Conestoga rocket, which made its only flight in 1995. The launch tower was subsequently demolished in September 2008, and the pad has since been rebuilt for use by the Northrop Grumman Antares . The pad modifications for Antares included the construction of a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) for launcher/payload mating and a wheeled transporter/erector that will "roll out and erect
7298-487: 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
7387-675: Was granted an FAA license to launch to orbit. This led to the establishment of the Virginia Space Flight Center , located on the southern portion of NASA Wallops Island. At the time, the Center served as a collective partnership that included the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) , Old Dominion University , and Virginia Space. In July 2003, Governors Robert Ehrlich of Maryland and Mark Warner of Virginia signed an agreement that directed
7476-521: Was later sold off in 2000. In 1997, Orbital acquired CTA, Inc, a company that, under the spacecraft design engineering and business leadership of Tom van der Heyden - designer of the GEOStar spacecraft - had designed and built the first geostationary "lightsat" under contract to Indonesia for Asia's first Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) television broadcast program, and the world's first S-Band television broadcast satellite - providing an entry into
7565-480: Was launched on an eight-year, three-billion-mile journey to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. A major milestone in the company's history was in 2008 when it received a long-term NASA contract to provide cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) with a value of approximately US$ 1.9 billion for missions from 2011 to 2015. Orbital used its Cygnus spacecraft and Antares launch vehicle to transport cargo to ISS following
7654-570: 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
7743-453: Was subsequently upgraded with the construction of a mobile service tower , which was completed in 2004. It remains active, and is currently used by Northrop Grumman Minotaur rockets. However, the Minotaur launch rate has decreased in recent years, leaving multi-year gaps between launches from Pad 0B. Pad 0B hosted the only Minotaur V launch, carrying the LADEE lunar orbiter, in 2013. This
7832-462: Was the first (and so far only) beyond-Earth mission to launch from Wallops. Pad 0B is located at 37°49′52″N 75°29′29″W / 37.8311576°N 75.4913829°W / 37.8311576; -75.4913829 ( Wallops Island Launch Pad 0-B ) In October 2018, Rocket Lab announced that it had selected MARS as its second launch site, called Rocket Lab Launch Complex-2 . The company began construction in February 2019, together with
7921-401: 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
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