Antares (Taurus II)

[morpheus]

Вот фотки с твиттера https://twitter.com/OrbitalSciences

[АниКей]

Orbital Begins Antares Rocket Operations at Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport[/size]
-- Rockets First Stage Transported to New Launch Pad to Commence Full-Scale Operations --[/size]
http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/release.asp?prid=829
(Dulles, VA 1 October 2012) – Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that it has commenced Antares launch vehicle operations at the liquid-fuel launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). Following a four-year design, development, construction, test and inspection process, the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), which oversees MARS, has authorized Orbital to begin on-pad operations leading up to flight demonstrations of its Antares medium-class launch vehicle and Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft, the vehicles Orbital will use to fulfill a $1.9 billion NASA contract to deliver essential cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). The MARS launch complex is located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia and is owned and operated by MARS, under the auspices of the VCSFA, which receives its funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"MARS has completed construction and testing operations on its launch complex at Wallops Island, the first all-new large-scale liquid-fuel launch site to be built in the U.S. in decades," said David W. Thompson, Orbital's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Accordingly, our pad operations are commencing immediately in preparation for an important series of ground and flight tests of our Antares medium-class launch vehicle over the next few months. In fact, earlier today, an Antares first stage test article was transported to the pad from its final assembly building about a mile away, marking the beginning of full pad operations."

Over the next several months, the company plans to complete three major program milestones, including an on-pad hot-fire test of the Antares first stage, the maiden flight of a fully operational Antares rocket, and a demonstration mission to the ISS of Orbital's cargo delivery system, prior to commencing operational cargo delivery missions under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) agreement in 2013. This system, developed under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) joint research and development agreement with NASA, is made up of an Antares rocket, a Cygnus advanced maneuvering cargo logistics spacecraft, and ground-based mission operations command and control facilities.

The first of the three milestones, the Antares hot-fire test operation, will demonstrate the readiness of the rocket's first stage and launch pad fueling systems to support the upcoming flights. The hot-fire test involves firing Antares' dual AJ26 rocket engines that will generate a combined total thrust of 680,000 lbs. for approximately 30 seconds while the first stage is held down on the pad. The hot-fire operation is expected to be conducted in four to five weeks following integration and check-out of the Antares first stage test unit with the launch complex's fueling systems.

The hot-fire test will be followed about one month later by the maiden flight of the Antares rocket, which will carry a Cygnus mass simulator payload that will be heavily instrumented to gather data on the launch environment aboard Antares. In addition, four small "pico satellites" will be deployed from two dispensers that will be integrated with the mass simulator.

The last of the three COTS test milestones will be the COTS demonstration mission to the ISS. For this mission, a fully operational Cygnus spacecraft will be launched into orbit by Antares and, following an extensive series of in-orbit tests, will autonomously rendezvous and berth with the ISS. The first Cygnus will deliver approximately 550 kg of cargo upon its arrival and will remove about 1,000 kg of disposal cargo upon its departure from the orbiting laboratory.

[АниКей]

Orbital начинает испытания ракеты для своего космического грузовика
[/size]
20:03 01/10/2012 http://www.ria.ru/science/20121001/763756494.html

МОСКВА, 1 окт - РИА Новости. Специалисты компании Orbital Sciences начали наземную отработку ракеты-носителя Antares, с помощью которой в дальнейшем будут запускаться к МКС коммерческие грузовые корабли Cygnus, сообщает пресс-служба компании.

Orbital Sciences наряду с компанией SpaceX в декабре 2008 года получила от НАСА контракты по доставке грузов на МКС - CRS-контракты (Commercial Resupply Services). При этом на долю SpaceX пришелся заказ на 12 полетов, а на долю Orbital Sciences - восемь рейсов. В рамках этого проекта Orbital создает "легкий" грузовик Cygnus, который сможет выводить на орбиту - в зависимости от конфигурации - груз весом от 2 до 2,7 тонны, что в два-три раза меньше, чем Dragon.

Для запуска корабля Cygnus ("Лебедь") будет использоваться ракета Antares (бывшая Taurus II), для нее компания в течение четырех лет создавала пусковой комплекс на площадке испытательного центра НАСА на острове Уоллопс (штат Виргиния) - "Среднеатлантический региональный космопорт" (Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport - MARS).

Теперь Агентство по надзору за коммерческой космической деятельностью штата Виргиния (Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority - VCSFA) выдала Orbital разрешение на начало работ с ракетой на этой площадке.

"Это первый построенный в США за последние десятилетия новый стартовый комплекс для ракет на жидком топливе", - отметил президент Orbital Дэвид Томпсон (David Thompson).

По его словам, в следующие несколько месяцев будет проведена серия наземных и летных испытаний ракеты, в частности, огневые испытания двигателей первой ступени, первый запуск полноценного "Антареса", а затем первый демонстрационный полет "Лебедя".

Огневые испытания, как ожидается, состоятся через четыре-пять недель после сборки и установки ракеты на площадке, а через месяц - первый старт "Антареса" с масс-габаритным макетом корабля и четырьмя "пикоспутниками". "Пикоспутниками" считают спутники с массой менее одного килограмма. Обычно они создаются для работы в группе, иногда с наличием более крупного спутника.

По итогам этого теста первый Cygnus отправится к МКС с грузом около 550 килограммов. Компания рассчитывает, что первый коммерческий рейс по доставке груза на МКС состоится в 2013 году.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/Antares/

Antares Post Hurricane Update

November 2, 2012

Following initial post-Hurricane Sandy inspections and a more thorough review conducted over the last two days, it appears the Antares first stage "weathered" the storm in good condition, as did the launch pad and supporting facilities on Wallops Island. The pre-storm precautionary procedures the team put in place were successful. Beginning today, the team is getting back to normal operations, leading to a series of three "wet dress rehearsals" (fueling and defueling the rocket to test the launch complex's systems) and a "hot fire" test during which the rocket's dual main engines will run at full thrust for about 30 seconds while the first stage is held down on the pad, projected to take place in November. Once these tests are complete and data is analyzed, a launch date for the test flight of Antares will be determined.

[Salo]

Фото:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg973959#msg973959

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ds

[Salo]

[Salo]

[SpaceR]

Крепкая ступень получилась.
Выстояла шторм, как башня. Точнее - как МАЯК.  

[Apollo13]

тему порвало

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/11/05/mars-gets-new-director/
 
MARS Gets New Director
Posted by Doug Messier on November 5, 2012, at 1:00 pm in News



Wallops Island, VA (MARS PR) – Mr. Sean Mulligan has been sel ected to fill the position of Director, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (or MARS Director) for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA). Sean will report directly to Executive Director of VCSFA, Dale Nash. He will begin in his new position Monday, November 5, 2012.

All MARS functions (whether direct or subcontractor) including the Operations, Engineering, Planning, Maintenance, Facilities, and Security, will report directly to this position. This position during MARS launch operations is the primary interface with the NASA Range and Mission Management Office for day-to-day MARS direct launch mission support functions. This position will also be the primary interface for spaceport activities for launch customers. The Director of MARS will also serve as the primary liaison with NASA Wallops Flight Facility organizations.

Safety and Quality will report hard-line to the Executive Director of VCSFA; however both organizations will receive direction fr om the MARS Director for day-to-day activities. The Program Management, Financial Management, Subcontract Management and Administration will report to the Executive Director but will require close coordination and possible colocation with MARS Operations. The Deputy Executive Director of VCSFA, Zigmond Leszczynski, will act as primary liaison between the VCSFA office functions and the MARS Director to facilitate effective support for the spaceport operations.

Sean has served as a key individual in both technical and leadership roles throughout the design, construction, activation and validation of Pad 0A. His experience and knowledge will continue to benefit VCSFA, its partners and customers in his new role as the MARS Director. Please continue to support Sean in his new role as the MARS Director.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg980363#msg980363

Galactic Penguin SST пишет:

This article reports that the first flight of the Antares has been pushed back into 2013, but the article is behind a pay wall: http://www.spacenews.com/article/no-antares-flight-until-2013-orbital-nasa-say

Are there any other sources?

russianhalo117 пишет:

From my inbox chat with strangequark (From OSC?)

Quote from: russianhalo117 on 07-11-2012, 14:44:37
7K Test Fire Status: When in November is the test fire expected?

Quote from: strangequark on 09-11-2012, 09:01:47

Depends on how the 5K test goes (they load with propellant, and run the countdown up to point of ignition, then stop). If all goes well, then 7K should be November 30.

[Посторонний]

Огневые испытания двигателей первой ступени проводили?

[Salo]

Пока даже ХСИ не проводили.

[Посторонний]

Salo пишет:
Пока даже ХСИ не проводили.

Понятно. Ураган все планы поменял.

[Salo]

Посторонний пишет:

Salo пишет:
Пока даже ХСИ не проводили.

Понятно. Ураган все планы поменял.

Не думаю, что дело именно в урагане.

[Frontm]

Salo пишет:

Посторонний пишет:

Salo пишет:
Пока даже ХСИ не проводили.

Понятно. Ураган все планы поменял.

Не думаю, что дело именно в урагане.

Да просто кишка у них тонка. 
ОСИ Союз-2.1В ждут. А то может и вообще пуска.

[Посторонний]

А когда они собираются огневые испытания провести?

[Salo]

Frontm пишет:

Salo пишет:

Не думаю, что дело именно в урагане.

Да просто кишка у них тонка.  
ОСИ Союз-2.1В ждут. А то может и вообще пуска.

ХСИ провести это никак не мешает.