Antares (Taurus II)

[Seerndv]

Хочется задать риторический вопрос:
- Так какая железка полетела на предыдущих испытаниях?

[Космос-3794]

Первый полет Taurus 2 запланирован не ранее декабря, но представители компании говорят что вероятнее перенос на начало следующего года (ориентировочно на январь).
В среду состоялся полностью успешный прожиг одного из двух двигателей, которые будут задействованы в первом пуске. Длительность прожига составила 54 сек. Длительность работы двигателей в реальном полете - ок. 4-х минут.
Испытания второго двигателя запланированы на октябрь, после чего оба двигателя будут отправлены на Wallops для интеграции с украинской первой ступенью. (Двигатели проходят приемочные огневые испытания в центре Стенниса, Миссиссиппи, и в случае успеха отправляются на космодром).
Прожиг состоявшийся в среду был первым после июньской аварии из-за разрыва (в результате потери прочности) линии подачи горючего, его разлива и возникшего на стенде пожара.
"Главной причиной явилась корозионное растрескивание под воздействием механического напряжения. Этим двигателям уже 40 лет. Мы их тщательно проверяли, но возможно образование трещин там где мы не подозревали и соответственно не осуществляли проверок" - Culbertson, вице-президент Orbital Sciences Corp. - "Падение давления привело к останову работы двигателя, поэтому ущерб от пожара незначителен. Двигатель может быть отремонтирован в случае необходимости".
Первый пуск Taurus 2 состоится не ранее января из-за задержек работ на стартовом комплексе, в частности сертификации сварочных работ стартовых конструкций и повторной очистки некоторых заправочных емкостей.
Второй полет Taurus 2 может быть осуществлен в течении двух месяцев в случае успешности первого.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1109/30aj26/index.html

[Salo]

Пуски Taurus 2 и Falcon 9, планировавшиеся на этот год, будут сдвинуты на январь и февраль соответственно. Второй полет Taurus 2 с грузовиком Cygnus, запланированный на февраль, состоится не ранее мая (согласно внутреннему манифесту NASA).
Пресс-секретарь Orbital Sciences, Barron Beneski, признал что вероятно пуска в этом году не будет и уточненный график полетов по программе COTS будет опубликован 21 октября.
Проблемы с сертификацией оборудования хранения и заправки топливных компонентов на космодроме Wallops сдвигают сроки ноябрьского прожига первой ступени и первого пуска носителя Taurus 2.

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/111007-orbital-spacex-delays.html

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/TaurusII/

AJ26 Engine Acceptance Test Successful[/size]

September 2011

On September 26, 2011 Orbital, Aerojet and the NASA Stennis Space Center successfully conducted an acceptance hot fire test of one of the two AJ26 flight engines that will power the first stage of the Taurus II launch vehicle on its inaugural mission later this year.  The test gauged the engine's performance to ensure its operation during an actual launch.  The engine will now go to Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia where it will be integrated with the Taurus II first-stage core, as a main engine assembly.

Meanwhile, the two AJ26 engines that will be used for the stage one hot fire test on the pad later this fall, are in the Taurus II Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) and are in the process of being integrated with thrust frame structure that will then be mated to the first stage core.  The hotfire test at Pad 0A is scheduled to occur later this fall.

Testing of the various systems at Pad 0A continue as well, including the water deluge system, the fuel tanks and feed lines.  A pathfinder test to transport a representative stage one core on the one mile journey from the HIF to the Pad and erect it in launch position will occur in early October.
[/size]

TEL Pathfinder Rolls Out, Main Engine System Processing Continues[/size]
October 2011

As the program counts down to the first stage one hot fire test on the pad later this fall, there is plenty of activity at Wallops. A simulated stage one "pathfinder" rolled out of the HIF on the Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) and made the one mile journey to the pad where it will be fit checked and raised to the vertical position in a test of the hydraulic actuators. The team will then mate the pathfinder with the pad to fit check the electrical, fuel, and air conditioning connections and test the rapid retract system for launch. Finally, the pathfinder will be filled with water and rotated as a structural proof test of the TEL and hydraulic systems.

Meanwhile, inside the HIF, work continues on the integration of the stage one core for the hot fire test. The AJ26 engines to be used for the test have been mated to the thrust frame to create the Main Engine System (MES). The MES will then be rotated and mated with the stage one core in the coming weeks followed by integrated stage level verification testing.

 Processing also continues in parallel on the Taurus II vehicle that will be used for the Test launch, while the ship carrying the third stage one core to be delivered from the Ukraine is due in port late in the week of October 3.

On the launch pad itself, final construction activities are completing and pad system checkouts are commencing.  The water deluge system used for acoustic suppression and pad cooling has been tested twice using 148,000 gal of water in each test, which has allowed for tuning of the water flow orifices and nozzles.  The large water tank at the launch pad is oversized for the launch event in order to accommodate the 27 second stage test planned on the pad.  The adjacent liquid fueling facility has also been the focus of much work including final connections of piping and subsequent pressure integrity tests.  Each fueling system will undergo rigorous functional testing to verify proper operation under remote control prior to connection to the test vehicle.[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/10/10/oscs-thompson-receives-international-von-karman-wings-award/
OSC's Thompson Receives International Von K

[Космос-3794]

Губернатор Вирджинии, Bob McDonnell, 17 октября посетил Wallops и ознакомился с ходом работ по интеграции РН  Taurus II, и в частности ее второй ступени.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/news/VAgovvisit.html

[Dude]

проводка проложена совсем не по-индийски

[Космос-3794]

Здесь можно и другие слайды посмотреть - http://www.examiner.com/dc-in-washington-dc/va-governor-visits-east-coast-spaceport-picture#slide=38704561

[Salo]

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/TaurusII/

Updated Taurus II & COTS/CRS Development & Flight   Milestones[/size]

October 2011

Orbital has released an updated   milestones chart to the reflect the most current projections for the   integration, testing and operations of its Taurus II and Cygnus spacecraft   for the COTS and CRS programs.[/size]



The Latest on Taurus II and Cygnus[/size]

October 2011

Here are the latest scenes from our operations at Wallops Island launch site:


Our latest aerial view of the launch complex at Wallops Island.  This photo was taken by CEO Dave Thompson as he traveled to Wallops to meet with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.


A recent test of the Transporter Erector Strongback tilted a stage one mass simulator to a vertical position on the pad.


Hardware in the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at Wallops - virtually all the hardware required to carry out the static fire test and Taurus II test flight is already on site.[/size]

[Lanista]

а когда 2ю 1ю ступень доставили?

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/111021-orbital-revises-taurus-debut.html

Orbital Revises Schedule for Taurus 2 and Cygnus Debuts[/size]
By Peter B. de Selding

    PARIS — Satellite and rocket builder Orbital Sciences on Oct. 20 said the inaugural launch of its Taurus 2 rocket and the vehicle's delivery of supplies to the international space station have been postponed again, by between two and three months, following delays in making the rocket's launch base ready for operations.

    The Wallops Island, Va., launch base, being developed by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, will not be completed before the week of Oct. 24, with final certification and handoff to Orbital expected in early January, the company said.

    Assuming that schedule holds firm, Orbital will conduct a test of the Taurus 2's first stage on the launch pad in late January, and the inaugural Taurus 2 flight in late February or early March.

    This will be followed, in early May, by a Taurus 2 flight carrying the Cygnus station cargo vehicle, a flight during which Cygnus is expected to demonstrate its ability to berth with the station.

    The first operational space station cargo-delivery mission for Taurus 2 and Cygnus will occur in late August or early September under this revised schedule, Orbital officials said.

    In a conference call with investors, Orbital Chief Executive David W. Thompson said development of the Taurus 2 rocket and the Cygnus supply vehicle are proceeding well. In particular, he said, Orbital and its supplier, Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif., are returning to regular deliveries of the Russian-designed AJ-26 first-stage engine to the Wallops Island facility following a fire during an engine test in June.

    The fire was attributed to a fuel line defect that required remedial work on about one-third of the several dozen engines. Thompson said four flight-ready AJ-26 engines are already at Wallops, with several more to arrive in December.

    Dulles, Va.-based Orbital and NASA are dividing the cost of preparing Taurus 2 and Cygnus under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract. This contract includes a first test flight of Taurus 2, and the demonstration flight of Taurus 2 with the Cygnus supply carrier.

    Once this contract is concluded with a successful Taurus 2-Cygnus demonstration, Orbital will begin delivery of eight Taurus 2-Cygnus launches under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

    With Taurus 2 and Cygnus apparently on track, the only holdup for the launch is the preparation of the spaceport, Thompson said.

    "Additional work had to be performed to more thoroughly clean the propellant and pressurization tanks delivered last year but not maintained in a proper way, and some structural rework on the launch mount, which supports the rocket," Thompson said during the conference call. He said the necessary work on the launch structure is the result of a lack of subcontractor management by the Virginia Spaceport Authority.

    Beyond the NASA space station resupply contract, Orbital hopes to sell Taurus 2 vehicles for other NASA missions including science and Earth observation satellites. NASA and Orbital are negotiating Taurus 2's addition as a NASA-approved vehicle for satellite launches, Thompson said.

    The U.S. Air Force is expected to issue a request for bids from prospective launch-service suppliers late this year or early in 2011. Orbital will respond to this bid request in hopes of being placed on the Air Force's list of approved rockets for future military missions.

    Launches of commercial telecommunications satellites from the Wallops Island facility would be difficult given the facility's location and the power of the Taurus 2. But commercial Earth observation satellites could be launched there, and Thompson said talks with commercial Earth observation satellite owners were under way.

    Orbital has won two orders this year for commercial telecommunications satellites — from SES of Luxembourg and Thailand's Thaicom satellite operator. Thompson said the company is confident it will win a third order before the year is out, a year in which the total commercial telecommunications satellite market is expected to register between 18 and 20 satellite orders.

    For 2012, Thompson said Orbital expects to win three orders for commercial geostationary-orbit telecommunications satellites out of a global telecommunications satellite market that is expected to reach between 20 and 22 spacecraft. The company continues to seek an inaugural customer for a proposed higher-power version of its current commercial telecommunications satellite product line.

    The recent successful launches of satellites for SES and Luxembourg- and Washington-based Intelsat resulted in two commercial satellites being removed from Orbital's backlog. SES and Intelsat had included two other satellites as options in existing contracts with Orbital that would have been exercised in the event of a launch failure, Thompson said.

    Four more Orbital-built commercial telecommunications satellites are scheduled for launch in 2012 — one each for Intelsat, Avanti Communications of London, Star One of Brazil and the government of Azerbaijan.

    For the nine months ending Sept. 30, Orbital reported revenue of $1.01 billion, up 6.5 percent over the same period a year ago. Operating income, at $57.6 million, was up 8.7 percent.[/size]

[pkl]

Улыбнуло лицо мужика в центре. Это губернатор?

[Salo]

А так тоже непонятно кто из них губернатор?

ЗЫ: кстати иллюстрация к легенде о вечно улыбающихся американцах. :wink:

[Космос-3794]

Улыбнуло лицо мужика в центре. Это губернатор?

Это Дэвид Томпсон - Босс (главный исполнительный директор) Орбитал Сайенсис (Orbital Sciences CEO David Thompson).

[Петр Зайцев]

А так тоже непонятно кто из них губернатор?

PROTIP: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/

[SpaceR]

а когда 2ю 1ю ступень доставили?

Давненько уж. Тут в теме ранее уже вроде сообщали.

Счас готовим к отправке 3ю и 4ю, и заодно занимаемся анализом возможности снижения массы.

[SpaceR]

проводка проложена совсем не по-индийски

Мне кажется, что это стендово-испытательные цепи, в лёт не пойдут.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/TaurusII/

Another Successful AJ26 Engine Test[/size]

 On November 17, 2011 Orbital, Aerojet and the NASA Stennis Space Center conducted another successfully acceptance hot fire test of an AJ26 flight engine.  The test gauged the engine's performance to ensure its operation during an actual launch. The engine will now go to the Wallops Island Flight Facility launch site in Virginia where it will be integrated with the Taurus II first-stage core, as a main engine assembly.  There are currently three first-stage core structures at Wallops Island[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/TaurusII/

First Main Engine System Mated to Taurus II[/size]

  November 2011
  The mate of the dual engine main engine system (MES) was accomplished for the first time on November 20, 2011 moving the Taurus II program closer to the integrated stage 1 hot fire on the launch pad early next year.  The MES is comprised of two Aerojet AJ-26 engines, the thrust frame which connects the MES to the stage 1 airframe and liquid propulsion tanks, and the hydraulic actuator steering control system that is mounted on the thrust frame.  The mate operation went very smoothly and confirmed the operation of the ground support equipment and the manufacturing tolerances for the myriad of components which fit together in the structures.  The stage 1 assembly will now proceed into simulation testing of the on-pad hot fire and is forecasted to be ready in January to be able move to the launch pad.  With the launch pad checkout and certification quickly approaching, the hot fire test will be conducted early in 2012, clearing the way for the first launch mission a short time later.[/size]