SkySat 8, SkySat 9, SkySat 10, SkySat 11, SkySat 12, SkySat 13, CPOD A, CPOD B, MinXSS 2, RANGE A, RANGE B, COPPER 2 - Minotaur-C XL (3210) - Vandenberg SLC-576E - 31.10.2017, 21:37 UTC

Автор tnt22, 05.09.2017 20:13:27

« назад - далее »

0 Пользователи и 1 гость просматривают эту тему.

Печать
Вниз Страницы 1 2 3 4 Все
Действия пользователя

tnt22

#25
31.10.2017 12:10:45
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/30/familiar-rocket-with-new-name-returns-to-flight-tuesday/
ЦитироватьFamiliar rocket with new name returns to flight Tuesday
October 30, 2017 Stephen Clark


Orbital ATK's Minotaur-C rocket stands on its launch pad Monday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

More than six years after back-to-back failures left the Taurus rocket with an uncertain future, a redesigned version of the launcher sporting a new name is set to loft 10 small Earth-imaging satellites into orbit Tuesday fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Спойлер
Now dubbed the Minotaur-C, the four-stage rocket built and operated by Orbital ATK is standing on a launch pad overlooking the rugged Pacific coastline, ready for a 10-minute trip into orbit set to begin at 2:37 p.m. PDT (5:37 p.m. EDT; 2137 GMT) Tuesday, the opening of a 30-minute window.

Ground crews spent the last few weeks assembling the rocket at Space Launch Complex 576-East, an austere launch pad at Vandenberg that was last used in March 2011 on the most recent Taurus flight.

That flight ended in failure, when the Taurus rocket's payload shroud clung to the vehicle as it climbed into space, preventing NASA's Glory climate research satellite from reaching orbit. A similar payload fairing failure doomed the previous Taurus flight in 2009, resulting in the loss of another NASA-funded Earth science mission.

The payload fairing was supposed to drop away from the top of the rocket in a clamshell-like fashion a few minutes after liftoff.

The mishaps prompted NASA to switch the launch of the Taurus rocket's sole remaining mission to another rocket, leaving the light-class launcher without an assured future.

But Orbital ATK, then known as Orbital Sciences, revamped the Taurus program in a bid to keep the launcher active, serving a growing slice of the commercial satellite marketplace that has few good U.S. launch options, at least with rockets that have flown before.

"The elephant in the room is that this is a return-to-flight after two failures," said John Brunschwyler, Orbital ATK's Minotaur-C program manager. "We have a significant number of people on the team who were part of those launch campaigns back in 2009 and 2011. Getting back into it, it's surprisingly fresh and people are very motivated."

The Minotaur-C rocket will place six SkySat spacecraft into orbit 310 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth to record high-definition video and high-resolution optical still imagery of locales around the world.

Four smaller Dove CubeSats will also hitch a ride on the rocket, joining the SkySats in a growing fleet of Earth-observing satellites owned by Planet, a San Francisco-based company whose mission is to image the entire globe every day.

Built by Space Systems/Loral, each of the SkySats is about the size of a dorm room refrigerator — measuring 2.5 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet (95 by 60 by 60 centimeters) — and weighs around 242 pounds (110 kilograms).


Artist's concept of SkySat satellites. Credit: Planet

The Minotaur-C rocket launching Tuesday has a different fairing than the Taurus rockets launched in 2009 and 2011. The shroud spans 92 inches (2.3 meters) in diameter, wider than the fairings flown on the last two Taurus rockets.

Investigators probing both fairing failures could not settle on a definite cause, but in both cases, the two halves of the shroud remained on the rocket, weighing it down and keeping it from entering orbit.

The 92-inch fairing design has performed without fault on Orbital ATK's Minotaur 4 rocket, most recently in August. While similar in design, its separation mechanism is not identical to the one on the smaller fairing.

"All of our missions receive an incredible amount of scrutiny and independent review," said Phil Joyce, Orbital ATK's vice president of small launch programs. "We did that twice again for this mission, (with) added layers of additional deep dives and other things not only on the fairing, which has been flight-proven on other vehicles ... but everything about the changes that we made to the vehicle to take it from the Taurus to Minotaur-C.

"We feel really good about this launch coming up on Tuesday," Joyce said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

"So does that make it any less nerve-racking? No, but it's exciting, and I think we've beaten back as many worries as we could have," Brunschwyler said.

Changes from the Taurus XL rocket include modified avionics and guidance systems originally developed for Orbital ATK's Minotaur 1 and Minotaur 4 boosters, which use decommissioned Minuteman and Peacekeeper missile motors.


Six SkySat satellites and four Dove CubeSats for Planet are aboard the Minotaur-C rocket, which has been nicknamed "Planet Express." Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

Officials said sharing engineering teams and components between the Minotaur, Minotaur-C and the company's air-launched Pegasus rocket will reduce overhead costs.

"There are some Taurus components that remain in the system, but one of the reasons we changed the name was we're going to a more common avionics between our Minotaur program, the Minotaur-C, and the Pegasus to maximize the commonality and to really drive down cost," Joyce said. "That's what we're all about at Orbital ATK, is driving down the cost of our small space launch offerings, and this is a step on that road."

Orbital ATK's future in the commercial launch market, at least for now, could hinge on proving the Minotaur-C's reliability and making the solid-fueled rocket affordable.

U.S. law prohibits Orbital ATK from selling Minotaur 1 and Minotaur 4 launch services to commercial customers because they use retired missile parts, surplus hardware that proponents of the provision say would slow development of new commercial rockets by undercutting their costs.

Orbital ATK has pushed to end the ban, which keeps the Minotaur 1 and Minotaur 4 rockets walled off from the commercial market and available only to launch U.S. military payloads.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has netted new business in recent years, sometimes launching dozens of small satellites for companies and universities based in the United States, Europe and elsewh ere

Europe's Vega rocket, marketed by Arianespace, has also found a niche in launching small-sized Earth observation satellites, often for governments without a vibrant domestic launch capability, such as Vietnam, Peru, Morocco and Kazakhstan.

Orbital ATK wants to compete for those launch opportunities.

The Minotaur rockets employing retired missile motors are less expensive than the Minotaur-C, even with Orbital ATK's latest cost reduction measures, Joyce said.

"We do see this part of the market as potentially very significant, so we're looking and continuing to evolve the Minotaur-C and its propulsion system to drastically reduce the cost of the classic Taurus to what we're going to be able to offer going forward," Joyce said.

Corporate executives touted the 2015 merger of Orbital Sciences and ATK as another way to achieve cost savings.

The Minotaur 1 uses two booster stages from decommissioned Minuteman missiles, and the Minotaur 4 family is powered by three rocket motors from the Peacekeeper missile program. Both versions of the Minotaur have commercially-produced upper stage motors to place satellites in orbit.

The Minotaur-C's first stage — called Stage 0 by Orbital ATK — is a Castor 120 rocket motor that is the commercial equivalent of a Peacekeeper first stage. Derivatives of Orbital ATK's Orion 50 and Orion 38 rocket motors will do the rest of the job of climbing into orbit.

By default, the commercially-produced rocket motors are more expensive to ready for a launch than government-furnished missile components.

Orbital ATK has sold recent Minotaur 1 and Minotaur 4 missions to the U.S. Defense Department for less than $30 million. While launch costs for Tuesday's mission have not been disclosed, data published in a Government Accountability Office pegged a Minotaur-C launch at a cost between $40 million and $50 million.

"We're not going to get down in the price range of Minotaur ICBM launch vehicles with Minotaur-C, but having said that, a lot of the common avionics and other processes that we're starting to apply to all of our launch vehicles will bring down the cost of all of those," Joyce said. "The Minotaur launch vehicle with the propulsion systems provided the government for government payloads has that advantage."
[свернуть]

tnt22

#26
31.10.2017 12:59:56
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/30/timeline-of-minotaur-c-launch-with-skysats-and-doves/
ЦитироватьTimeline of Minotaur-C launch with SkySats and Doves
October 30, 2017 Stephen Clark


Credit: Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK's Minotaur-C rocket will deliver 10 commercial Earth observations satellites into a 310-mile-high (500-kilometer) orbit for Planet during a 20-minute flight sequence.
Спойлер
The four-stage rocket, formerly known as the Taurus, is standing on a launch pad overlooking the rugged Pacific coastline, ready for its trip into orbit set to begin at 2:37 p.m. PDT (5:37 p.m. EDT; 2137 GMT) Tuesday, the opening of a 30-minute window.

The 104-foot-tall (32-meter) Minotaur-C is carrying six 242-pound (110-kilogram) SkySat satellites and four Dove CubeSats, each weighing about 10 pounds (3 kilograms). The commercial satellites are owned by Planet, a San Francisco company established to collect imagery with a globe-spanning network of surveillance craft for users that include Google, the U.S. and foreign governments, scientists, businesses and private citizens.

It will take around 10 minutes for the Minotaur-C rocket to deliver the six SkySats and four Doves to orbit.

The first stage Castor 120 rocket motor will propel the 104-foot-tall (32-meter) vehicle off the pad at Vandenberg and guide it to the south, generating more than 400,000 pounds of thrust during a burn lasting nearly one-and-a-half minutes.

After burnout of the first stage, an Orion 50S XLT second stage motor will ignite at T+plus 1 minute, 25 seconds, to continue climbing into space. Ignition of the third stage Orion 50 XLT is programmed for T+plus 2 minutes, 51 seconds, followed by separation of the Minotaur-C's payload fairing about seven seconds later at an altitude of 99 miles (160 kilometers)

The rocket will coast more than four minutes after burnout of the third stage motor. The Minotaur-C's Orion 38 fourth stage is scheduled to fire at T+plus 9 minutes, 16 seconds, and complete its burn a little more than a minute later, completing the powered phase of the mission.

The first four SkySats will release from their dispenser at 20-second intervals beginning at T+plus 13 minutes, 22 seconds, followed by separation of a bulkhead at T+plus 15 minutes, 22 seconds, to reveal the other two SkySats for deployment.

All six SkySats should be away from the rocket by T+plus 17 minutes, and the Dove CubeSats will separate in pairs before the 20-minute mark of the mission.

The Minotaur-C launch team will lose contact with the rocket when it passes out of range of a tracking station shortly before beginning the satellite separation sequence. Officials will confirm the final success of the launch when the SkySats pass over another ground antenna soon after deployment in orbit.
[свернуть]

tnt22

#27
31.10.2017 13:06:35
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/31/photos-minotaur-c-rocket-awaits-liftoff-from-california/
ЦитироватьPhotos: Minotaur-C rocket awaits liftoff from California
October 31, 2017 Stephen Clark

Standing on a seaside launch pad overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a Minotaur-C rocket is set for launch Tuesday from California's Central Coast with 10 Earth observation satellites manufactured in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Спойлер
These photos show the Minotaur-C rocket, which stands about 104 feet (32 meters) tall, poised on a launch pedestal at Space Launch Complex 576-East, an austere facility offering an expansive view of the Pacific Ocean.

Six SkySat satellites and four Dove CubeSats are closed up inside the Minotaur-C's payload fairing for launch Tuesday at 2:37 p.m. PDT (5:37 p.m. EDT; 2137 GMT) at the opening of a 30-minute window.

Formerly known as the Taurus rocket, the four-stage Minotaur-C features modified avionics and other changes introduced since two Taurus launch failures in 2009 and 2011. The Taurus has flown nine times to date, six times successfully.

Read our full story for details on the mission.

These photos show the Minotaur-C on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.


Credit: Orbital ATK


Credit: Orbital ATK


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
[свернуть]

tnt22

#28
31.10.2017 19:40:07
Цитировать Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 2 ч. назад

FEATURE ARTICLE: Orbital ATK Minotaur-C set for SkySat mission out of Vandenberg - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/10/orbital-atk-minotaur-c-skysat-mission-vandenberg/ ... - By William Graham. 10 Satellites riding to orbit from Vandenberg's picturesque SLC-576E. T-0 14:37 local time.
Спойлер


[свернуть]
Цитировать
Orbital ATK Minotaur-C set for SkySat mission out of Vandenberg

tnt22

#29
31.10.2017 20:04:22
Цитировать10/31/2017 19:28

The weather outlook for today's launch window predicts favorable conditions, with a 0 percent chance of violating weather constraints.
Спойлер
The official weather forecast issued by the U.S. Air Force calls for overcast skies, light winds and good visibility along California's Central Coast. The clouds are not a concern for the Minotaur-C launch.

"Following the passage of a low pressure region down the coast, a trough will be making its way through the range by the morning of launch," forecasters wrote. "This passage with thicken, then lift the marine layer, with drizzle in the morning. By T-0, visibility will have improved to 5-7 miles, with a stratus deck at around 1,000 feet lingering over the coast and slightly inland.

"Winds throughout will show a shift during the passage of the trough, but by T-0 will be relatively light at 5-10 knots and out of the northwest."

Cool temperatures between 57 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit are expected at 2:37 p.m. PDT (5:37 p.m. EDT; 2137 GMT).
[свернуть]

Старый

#31
31.10.2017 20:30:02
Какая уродливая ракета!  :evil:
1. Ангара - единственная в мире новая РН которая хуже старой (с) Старый Ламер
2. Назначение Роскосмоса - не летать в космос а выкачивать из бюджета деньги
3. У Маска ракета длиннее и толще чем у Роскосмоса
4. Чем мрачнее реальность тем ярче бред (с) Старый Ламер

tnt22

#32
31.10.2017 21:12:09
Цитировать10/31/2017 21:06

Mission managers and the launch crew are reporting for duty for today's flight of the Minotaur-C rocket carrying 10 commercial Earth observation satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Спойлер
Final launch preparations are underway at the SLC-576E pad as workers finish configuring the complex for the 2:37 p.m. PDT (5:37 p.m. EDT; 2137 GMT) liftoff.

The simplistic launch site does not have a mobile service gantry. So there's no tower rollback to deal with like other rocket launches.

And this is a solid-propellant vehicle. So no fueling operations are conducted during the countdown.

Power-up of the Minotaur-C vehicle is scheduled around 12:40 p.m. PDT (3:40 p.m. EDT; 1940 GMT) to begin final preflight checkouts.
[свернуть]

tnt22

#33
31.10.2017 21:42:57
Цитировать Orbital ATK‏Подлинная учетная запись @OrbitalATK 3 мин. назад

Scene from inside mission control here at Vandenberg Air Force Base as we count down to today's #MinotaurC launch @planetlabs @30thSpaceWing
Спойлер
[свернуть]

instml

#36
01.11.2017 02:06:31
ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Какая уродливая ракета! :евил:

Заправочная башня внушает :)
Go MSL!

tnt22

#39
01.11.2017 01:13:55
ЦитироватьARCHIVE: Launch of Minotaur-C with 6 SkySat Satellites

Space Videos
(44:36)
Печать
Вверх Страницы 1 2 3 4 Все
Действия пользователя