Antares (Taurus II)

[Dave Bowman]

zaitcev пишет:
 

Bell пишет:
 

если нет гарантированных заказов на будущее.

Ну вот "Таурус" вполне мог бы стать таким "гарантированым заказом". А со временем и новые модификации придумали бы

[SpaceR]

Скажите, а какова стоимость контракта? Сколько "Южмаш" получит за этот заказ?

В принципе для начала можно прикинуть, а сколько вообще ступеней Тауруса Южмаш может сделать в ближайшие годы при оптимистичном прогнозе - исходя из того, сколько полетов  к МКС и за какой период времени запланировано по контракту между НАСА и Орбитал по доставке грузов

Ну насколько я знаю 18 шт до 2019 года

Где-то около того, но в отдаленной перспективе. На первом этапе вроде бы речь шла о заказе на ~10 изделий. Хотя на 100% не поручусь.

З.Ы. А стоимость контракта никто не узнает - коммерческая тайна...

[Dave Bowman]

Скажите, а какова стоимость контракта? Сколько "Южмаш" получит за этот заказ?

В принципе для начала можно прикинуть, а сколько вообще ступеней Тауруса Южмаш может сделать в ближайшие годы при оптимистичном прогнозе - исходя из того, сколько полетов  к МКС и за какой период времени запланировано по контракту между НАСА и Орбитал по доставке грузов

Ну насколько я знаю 18 шт до 2019 года

Где-то около того, но в отдаленной перспективе. На первом этапе вроде бы речь шла о заказе на ~10 изделий. Хотя на 100% не поручусь.

З.Ы. А стоимость контракта никто не узнает - коммерческая тайна...

я слышал про 18 ракет и стоимость корусов для них за 195 млн дол.

[SpaceR]

Ближе к теме...

Не раскрыта тема Таурусов...

Как я понимаю под Таурусы будут делаться только корпуса.

Топливные отсеки О и Г первой ступени со всей нужной начинкой, хвостовой отсек и отсек удержания. В сумме называется "основная конструкция первой ступени".
Прочее Орбитал сам обеспечивает, хотя украинские спецы участвуют в сборке и испытаниях.

[Salo]

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

[Salo]

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/nov/HQ_10-296_NASA_Test_New_Rocket_Engine.html

NASA Test Fires New Rocket Engine For Commercial Space Vehicle[/size]  
 
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi conducted a successful test firing Wednesday of the liquid-fuel AJ26 engine that will power the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle. Orbital and its engine supplier, Aerojet, test-fired the engine on Stennis' E-1 test stand. The test directly supports NASA's partnerships to enable commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station.

The initial test, the first in a series of three firings, lasted 10 seconds and served as a short-duration readiness firing to verify AJ26 engine start and shutdown sequences, E-1 test stand operations, and ground-test engine controls.

The test was conducted by a joint operations team comprised of Orbital, Aerojet and Stennis engineers, with Stennis employees serving as test conductors. The joint operations team and other NASA engineers will conduct an in-depth data review of all subsystems in preparation for a 50-second hot-fire acceptance test scheduled several weeks from now. A third hot-fire test at Stennis also is planned to verify tuning of engine control valves.

"Congratulations to Orbital and Aerojet for successfully completing another major milestone," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This brings us one step closer to realizing NASA's goals for accessing low Earth orbit via commercial spacecraft."

The AJ26 engine is designed to power the Taurus II space vehicle on flights to low Earth orbit. The NASA-Orbital partnership was formed under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services joint research and development project. The company is under contract with NASA to provide eight cargo missions to the space station through 2015.

"With this first test, Stennis not only demonstrates its versatility and status as the nation's premiere rocket engine test facility, it also opens an exciting new chapter in the nation's space program," said Patrick Scheuermann, Stennis' center director. "We're proud to be partnering with Orbital to enable the wave of the future -- commercial flights to space and eventual resupply of cargo to the International Space Station."

In addition to the Orbital partnership, Stennis also conducts testing on Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's RS-68 rocket engine. The AJ26 is the first new engine in years to be tested at Stennis. Operators spent more than two years modifying the E-1 test stand in preparation. Work included construction of a 27-foot-deep flame deflector trench, major structural modifications and new fluid and gas delivery systems.

[Salo]

http://www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=15673143&PageNum=0

НАСА объявило об успехе испытаний жидкостного двигателя к "Таурус-2" [/size]

12.11.2010, 03.13   
   
ЛОС-АНДЖЕЛЕС, 12 ноября. /ИТАР-ТАСС/. На полигоне космического центра НАСА им. Джона Стенниса состоялось первое наземное испытание жидкостного двигателя "Эй-Джей-26" для первой ступени ракеты-носителя "Таурус-2", предназначенной для доставки в будущем грузов на Международную космическую станцию /МКС/. Тест продолжался 10 секунд и "прошел успешно", сообщило в четверг космическое ведомство США.

Целью испытания была проверка надежности работы двигателя в режимах "старт" и "остановка". Тест проводили специалисты центра НАСА, расположенного в штате Миссисипи. Им же поручено провести подготовку к второй очереди испытаний, которая рассчитана уже на 50 секунд и состоится через несколько недель. Третья очередь испытаний, предусматривающая проверку клапанов управления двигателя, также пройдет в космическом центре им. Джона Стенниса.

Поставщиком жидкостных двигателей "Эй-Джей-26" является компания "Аэроджет", поставщиком носителей "Таурус-2" - компания Орбитал сайенсиз". Последняя заключила контракт с НАСА, который должен позволить космическому ведомству снарядить и отправить на МКС восемь грузов до 2015 года включительно.

В 2008 году украинское конструкторское бюро "Южное" подписало соглашение о проектировании элементов первой ступени ракеты-носителя "Таурус-2" по заказу "Орбитал сайенсиз". Затем заказ был расширен. Южный машиностроительный завод будет выпускать первую ступень носителя целиком. По информации "Орбитал", новая ракета имеет две ступени. Она сможет выводить около 7 тонн груза на низкие орбиты.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1011/12aj26test/

Orbital attains engine feat, targets 2012 for cargo flights[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: November 12, 2010

Orbital Sciences Corp. this week successfully test fired the Russian engine that will propel the Taurus 2 rocket from the launch pad next year, but the accomplishment comes as the company says the first operational flight of its space station cargo freighter is delayed until early 2012.



The AJ26 engine fired for 10 seconds Wednesday at NASA's Stennis Space Center. Credit: NASA

The Taurus 2 rocket and Cygnus resupply spacecraft are under development to partially fulfill the International Space Station's logistics needs after the space shuttle's retirement. SpaceX is designing and testing the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket, and NASA has tapped both companies for commercial cargo services through 2016.

Orbital engineers ignited the Taurus 2's first stage engine Wednesday on a test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

The AJ26 engine fired for 10 seconds to verify start and shutdown sequences, the functionality of the E-1 test stand, and the ground control system, according to statements released by NASA and Orbital.

Two more tests of the engine are planned by the end of 2010. A 50-second firing will serve as an acceptance test for the AJ26, then another test will help engineers tweak engine control valves, the statements said.

The AJ26 is a kerosene-fueled engine modified by Aerojet from the Russian NK-33 powerplant. Each Taurus 2 rocket first stage will be powered by two AJ26 engines.

Kept in storage for four decades, the NK-33 engines were originally designed and built in the 1960s and 1970s for the ill-fated Soviet N1 moon rocket.

Aerojet converts the NK-33 to an AJ26 engine by removing some harnessing, adding U.S. electronics, qualifying it for U.S. propellants, and modifying the system to gimbal for steering, according to company officials.

The NK-33 has been test fired in Russia to ensure the engines remain in good condition after being stockpiled for so long. NASA modified the E-1 test stand at Stennis to support AJ26 acceptance testing, and Orbital plans to route every flight-ready AJ26 engine through Mississippi before shipment to the Taurus 2's launch site at Wallops Island, Va.

"Congratulations to Orbital and Aerojet for successfully completing another major milestone," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the exploration systems mission directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This brings us one step closer to realizing NASA's goals for accessing low Earth orbit via commercial spacecraft."



The first AJ26 production engine is moved into the E-1 test stand at Stennis earlier this year. Credit: NASA

In a conference call with investors last month, Orbital executives said work on the cargo program is slipping behind schedule, pushing the Taurus and Cygnus system's first operational mission until the beginning of 2012. That flight is supposed to haul more than 3,400 pounds of supplies to the space station.

A significant chunk of the delay stems from the Taurus 2's specially-built launch infrastructure at Wallops. Orbital is building a new launch pad, water tower and horizontal integration building on the Virginia coast.

"By the end of the year, the horizontal integration facility, the launch pad and the propellant and gas supply facility will be nearing completing and beginning the test and certification activity," said J.R. Thompson, Orbital's vice chairman and chief operating officer.

Designed and manufactured by Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash in Ukraine, the first model of the Taurus 2 core stage was shipped to Wallops last month from Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

The Taurus 2's second stage, based on the Castor 30 motor built by ATK, should be ready for delivery within a few months.

Officials expect a static fire of the first stage on the launch pad around May.

Orbital is planning a demonstration flight of the Taurus 2 rocket between July and September of 2011, assuming the company receives augmentation funding outlined in NASA's budget blueprint passed by Congress and signed into law in late September.

Congress has not acted on a final fiscal year 2011 budget yet, so the availability of the extra money is unclear. But Orbital officials say an additional test flight will increase the chances of a successful cargo flight in early 2012.

"If Congress's final fiscal year 2011 budget includes NASA's requested augmentation funds for risk reduction work in the COTS program, as we currently expect it will, then we plan to conduct a Taurus 2 test flight with the first launch-ready Taurus 2 rocket but without the Cygnus spacecraft," said David Thompson, Orbital's chairman and CEO.



Artist's concept of the Cygnus cargo freighter approaching the International Space Station. Credit: Orbital Sciences

"We would then follow it with the full-up COTS demonstration mission about three months later with the second launch-ready Taurus 2 rocket," Thompson told investors Oct. 21. "This will permit us to substantially reduce the risk both to the COTS demonstration mission itself, and to the follow-on operational CRS cargo missions, which are due to begin about 15 to 16 months from now in the early months of 2012."

The Cygnus spacecraft service module, built by Orbital in Dulles, Va., is expected to begin final assembly by early next year. The first pressurized cargo module will be delivered around the same time from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy.

SpaceX has scheduled the first test flight of its Dragon spacecraft for no earlier than Dec. 7, but the mission will be a brief up-and-down voyage that won't visit the space station.

A space station rendezvous demonstration and a berthing mission are planned for no earlier than April and June, but the flights could be combined if the December test meets its objectives.

SpaceX spokesperson Kirstin Brost said the company expects to begin operational resupply missions in 2011.

[АниКей]

http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/20101116205909.shtml

Украина отгрузила в США первую ступень ракеты Taurus-II.[/size]

16.11.2010, Киев 20:59:09 Украина отгрузила в США первую ступень ракеты Taurus-II, сообщили РБК в государственном конструкторском бюро "Южное" (г.Днепропетровск). "Сборка основной конструкции первой ступени ракеты-носителя завершена на Южном машиностроительном заводе им.Макарова (Днепропетровск). Груз отбыл из порта Октябрьск Николаевской области на космодром Уоллопс", - отметили в компании. Начата подготовка к изготовлению второго образца ступени.

КБ "Южное" выпустило в 2007г. эскизный проект первой ступени, в 2008г. защитило его. Контракт с Южмашем на изготовление ступени заключен в 2008г. За 15 месяцев проведены работы от раскройки материала до готового изделия.

Проект реализует американская корпорация Orbital Sciences. Новая ракета имеет две ступени. Она сможет выводить около 7 т груза на низкие орбиты. Первый старт планировался на 2010г. с космодрома на острове Уоллопс в Виргинии, но перенесен на 2011г. Ракета изготавливается по контракту с NASA и предназначена для доставки грузов на Международную космическую станцию. Планируется выполнить восемь пусков стоимостью 1,9 млрд долл.

[Петр Зайцев]

Кстати любопытно какой удар падение доллара нанесет по смете Тауруса 2. Хотя гривна наверное тоже не супер валюта.

[Salo]

Гривна фактически к нему привязана.

[Salo]

[Salo]

[АниКей]

http://kp.ua/daily/191110/254022/

Кучма стал «космическим» академиком[/size]

За процветание космической промышленности!
Американцы оценили вклад экс-президента в освоение Вселенной.
Тарас КОЗУБ — 19.11.2010

Экс-президент Украины Леонид Кучма официально стал академиком Международной академии астронавтики. Диплом, подтверждающий высокое звание, ему вручили в Вашингтоне, где проходил саммит, посвященный 50-летию академии.

Дело в том, что 30 лет назад Кучма был одним из руководителей днепропетровского «Южмаша», производившего сложнейшие компоненты для советских ракет-носителей.

Награждение экс-президента Украины произошло во время официальной части саммита: удостоив Леонида Кучму звания, влиятельная всемирная научная организация тем самым отметила его вклад в развитие ракетно-космической отрасли и сотрудничества между странами в освоении Вселенной.

- Это большая честь для меня. Я оцениваю это как признание достойного вклада в космическую науку всех поколений украинских ученых, - ответил экс-президент. - Заслуга же академии в том, что она способствует объединению авторитетных людей, которые способны понять, насколько хрупок наш общий мир, как бережно мы должны к нему относиться.

Леонид Кучма тут же продемонстрировал, что держит руку «на пульсе» космических программ: он рассказал ученым и экспертам о ходе постройки американской ракеты-носителя «Таурус-II» на мощностях днепропетровского КБ «Южное». По его словам, первый опытный образец ракеты уже отправился на американский космодром Уоллапс, а сегодня «Южмаш» работает над частью первой ступени основной ракеты

[SpaceR]

http://kp.ua/daily/191110/254022/
По его словам, первый опытный образец ракеты уже отправился на американский космодром Уоллапс, а сегодня «Южмаш» работает над частью первой ступени основной ракеты

Под "основной", как я понимаю, тут подразумевается РН для первого пуска.
В общем, я об этом всём уже тут писал, когда ОК 1й ступени отправили с ЮМЗ в порт.

З.Ы. А может просто журналюга слово "основной" не туда подставил...  :roll:

[Salo]

http://space.flatoday.net/2010/11/gao-wait-for-new-rockets-could-delay.html#links

Monday, November 22, 2010
GAO: Wait for new rockets could delay NASA science missions[/size]

Several NASA science missions risk increased costs and delays as Kennedy Space Center's Launch Services Program transitions to new medium class rockets, according to a government watchdog report released today.

Read a summary of the Government Accountability Office report here.

NASA is phasing out use of United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket, which sent 60 percent of its science research satellites into space over since 1998.

The agency has three more Delta II missions on the books through next October -- one launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the other two from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Orbital Science Corp.'s Taurus II, both of which are being developed to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, are expected to eventually fill the medium-lift need.

But each is expected to take at least three years and cost roughly $25 million to certify, including resolving technical issues likely to be raised by the process.

Also, neither of the two new rockets have West Coast facilities needed to launch to polar orbits, as planned by 12 of the 14 medium class science missions through 2020 that are not yet assigned launch vehicles.

GAO identified several science missions approaching their preliminary design reviews -- after which a launch vehicle change is rare -- that face uncertainty if awarded to the Falcon 9. (Taurus II is not yet eligible for awards.)

Until the rockets are ready, ULA's bigger and costlier Atlas V rocket is an alternative.

NASA agreed with the report's recommendations that the agency should budget for the cost to certify the two new rockets, to remedy technical problems and to absorb mission delays.

Image: Liftoff of the Delta II rocket carrying the Kepler spacecraft on March 6, 2009, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

posted by James Dean at 3:40 PM

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11107.pdf

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg662348#msg662348

First Taurus II Stage 1 core arrived at the Port of Wilmington.  Overland trucking to Wallops delayed until after the Thanksgiving long weekend per the Maryland authorities to avoid the holydays traffic.

Next long-duration (50 seconds) AJ-26 ATP firing (with TVC) scheduled for Dec 15 at Stennis.  Data from the first 10-sec "burp" looking great.

Gobble, gobble!...

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/01kodiak/

Alaska sees opportunity to snare more rocket launches[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: December 1, 2010

KODIAK, Alaska -- Nestled on a barren bluff on the southern shore of Kodiak Island - Alaska's emerald isle - a state-owned launch complex is vying to draw space business to America's last frontier.

The Kodiak Launch Complex hosted its first satellite launch in more than eight years Nov. 19, successfully sending a Minotaur 4 rocket into orbit on a $170 million mission with seven government and university satellites.

Another Minotaur 4 rocket is being readied for blastoff in May with a U.S. Air Force technology demonstration satellite, but the spectacularly picturesque and modern facility could then fall silent.

It's up to Dale Nash, a former space shuttle engineer and operations manager, to showcase the perks and benefits of Kodiak to the launch industry.

Nash is chief executive officer of Alaska Aerospace Corp., a state-owned corporation tasked with luring space enterprises to one the least populated states in the union.

Kodiak has one of widest launch ranges in the world, supporting rocket flights flying to the southeast, south and southwest toward polar and other high-inclination orbits. Nash is working on deals with small satellite launch providers and companies with medium-lift rockets to take advantage of Kodiak's geographic fortune.

"From an orbital mechanics point of view, it's a great location," Nash said. "We have azimuths from 110 degrees to 220 degrees, a wide open azimuth to launch in."

The wide open Gulf of Alaska and the adjacent land-free slice of the Pacific Ocean mean officials do not have to worry about overflights of population centers or private property, a key concern for rocket launches.

Satellites launched from Kodiak can reach inclinations from 60 degrees to more than 100 degrees, encompassing popular gravity-neutral, Molniya, tundra and sun-synchronous orbits.

Kodiak is also outfitted to conduct back-to-back responsive suborbital or space launches thanks to a state-of-the-art range and control infrastructure.

AAC, established in 1991, owns and operates the Kodiak Launch Complex. The corporation employs about 50 people, about 30 of which work full time at Kodiak. Another contingent is based in Anchorage, home of AAC's corporate headquarters.

Launches from Kodiak began in 1998, and Friday's mission marked the 15th flight originating from the 3,700-acre facility. Besides space launches, Kodiak has also been the site of missile defense tests.

Nash said the federal government has invested about $150 million in the complex, while the state of Alaska has provided approximately $25 million.


Aerial file photo showing Kodiak's launch pad facility. Credit: AAC
 

The Missile Defense Agency announced earlier this year plans to move target missile launches to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, leaving Kodiak without an anchor customer.

The Air Force agreed to two Minotaur 4 rocket launches from Kodiak, including the Nov. 19 flight. Rocket motors for another Minotaur 4 rocket are already at Kodiak for launch of the military's TacSat 4 payload in May, according to Lou Amorosi, the Orbital Sciences Corp. executive vice president for the Minotaur rocket program.

Amorosi said TacSat 4 is the only other Minotaur rocket mission currently scheduled to launch from Kodiak.

The MDA's contract with AAC provided sustaining funds to keep the launch complex operating, but the Air Force deal includes a lesser daily utilization pay rate. The state of Alaska may need to funnel more money into AAC to ensure Kodiak's future availability.

"It's challenging, but it's optimistic with the Air Force and the small launches that are coming through," Nash said. "I have asked for some sustaining budget from the state as well as asked for backing to really go approach Orbital or SpaceX to get them to be an anchor tenant."

SpaceX is already planning to locate polar launches of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., but Nash said his company continues a dialogue with the start-up firm.

Orbital Sciences' Taurus 2 rocket, a medium-lift liquid-fueled launcher, is the other target customer for Kodiak's potential expansion into a larger class of boosters. Orbital has not selected a West Coast launch site for the Taurus 2, but the company is considering Kodiak and two facilities at Vandenberg for polar missions.

The stakes are high in the bid for Falcon 9 and Taurus 2 flights.

"If you win it, you win it for a generation," Nash said. "The unfortunate part is if you lose it, you lose it for a generation and it might be 25 more years before any more rockets come around."

A new launch pad built to handle liquid-fueled rockets will cost about $80 million. Surveyors have already selected a site adjacent to Launch Pad No. 1, Kodiak's existing space launch facility tailored for solid rockets such as the Minotaur, Athena and Taurus families.

A new solid motor storage facility was built at Kodiak to house Minotaur and Athena stages, supporting a backlog of missions if the manifest gets busier. Lockheed Martin Corp. has identified Kodiak as the primary West Coast launch site for the reincarnated light Athena 1 and 2 rockets, but the Athena does not have any confirmed customers.

Kodiak's first orbital launch in 2001 was an Athena 1 rocket.

"That was the rocket this facility was designed for, but not the only one," Nash said.

   

Artist's concept of a Taurus 2 rocket on the launch pad in Virginia. Credit: Orbital Sciences

Polar satellite launches of civil government Earth observation and weather monitoring spacecraft are a key segment of the medium-lift rocket business.

A Government Accountability Office report last week identified more than a dozen science missions through 2020 awaiting rocket assignments. Many of those satellites will likely be placed on Falcon 9 and Taurus 2 rockets launching from Vandenberg or Kodiak.

SpaceX and Orbital are already operating or developing launch pads at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Wallops Island, Va., respectively. Working under agreements and contracts with NASA, the companies are launching early rocket test flights from those sites before starting commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station.

The GAO concluded the retirement of the venerable Delta 2 rocket, which flies from Florida and California, could force delays and rising launch costs for Earth observation missions as the new Falcon and Taurus vehicles are tested and readied for commercial service.

"I don't think that market is going away," Nash said. "That's been our workhorse forever."

[SpaceR]

Stage One Core Arrives in U.S.[/size]
November 2010
The Taurus II stage one core structure arrived at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware on November 21 after completing a cross-Atlantic trip from Ukraine, where it was manufactured. The Core was off-loaded onto a specially designed trailer for its journey to the Wallops Island, Virginia launch facility. Due to highway restrictions during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the core remained in Wilmington and will be transported to Virginia in early December.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg665571#msg665571