Updates Orbital's Antares (Taurus II) & Cygnus

[Orbinaut Pete]

I think we need a dedicated thread for this topic now.

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Spaceflight Now: "Taurus 2 rocket could launch astronaut crews from Florida".

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Here's a great article about Cygnus' PCMs (Pressurized Cargo Modules), currently being assembled by Thales Alenia Space (TAS) in Torino, Italy.

BBC News'/Jonathan Amos' "Spaceman" Blog: "The private spaceships taking shape in Torino".

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Space Travel: "NASA Moves Forward On Commercial Partnership For Rocket Engine Testing".

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Space News: "Orbital's Revenue Rises as Earnings Fall".

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Spaceflight Now: "Orbital plans Taurus 2 test flight with extra money".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

An interesting fact I recently learned about Cygnus is that it will not use a standard ISS USOS CBM (Common Berthing Mechanism) hatch (which is 50" in diameter, to facilitate the transfer of racks). Instead, it will use a smaller hatch, which is 37" in diameter. This new hatch is an exact copy of the CBM hatch, only smaller, and has been developed by Thales Alenia Space especially for Cygnus. The reason for this is that Cygnus cannot accommodate racks! It is only designed to accommodate CTBs (Cargo Transfer Bags). Thus, the large 50" diameter CBM hatch is not needed, and valuable space & up-mass can be saved by using a smaller hatch. There are plenty of other spacecraft that can accommodate racks (HTV, Dragon, and ATV providing it had a CBM). Therefore, there is little point in over-designing Cygnus to do things it doesn't really need to do. By designing Cygnus to only accommodate CTBs (which are called sub-rack level cargo), a lot more upmass can be gained. Interesting!

Here's a great image showing the cargo accommodation inside Cygnus' PCM, taken from a document that Orbital presented to the Augustine Commission last June. As you can see, pretty much all the available volume inside the PCM will be filled with CTBs - which is very efficient!

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Orbital: "Updated Taurus II and COTS/CRS Development & Flight Milestones".

 

[SiberianTiger]

Orbital: "Updated Taurus II and COTS/CRS Development & Flight Milestones".

Cool, Vesta E.T.A. is less than one year now! Do they already have an approach plan in their IMFD?

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Cygnus Update: "Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module Completes Proof-Pressure Testing".

On this page, you can see images of the smaller CBM hatch I posted about earlier.


Parabolic Arc: "FAA Gives Environmental Approval for Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Expansion".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Massive fuel tank arrives at Wallops.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

DoD Buzz: "Orbital Pushes 'Cheap' Taurus Rocket".

Anyone wanna club together & buy one? :lol:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

September update.

Major Software Integration Milestone Completed, PCM Production in Full Gear.

Over the course of three weeks in August and early September, the NASA/Orbital Joint Avionics Test #2 (JT2) was held at the NASA Station Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) near Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This early integration test of the International Space Station (ISS) and Cygnus flight software involved personnel from NASA, Orbital, Boeing and Mitsubishi Electric Company, and Orbital’s processor-in-the-loop testbed (pictured below left).

The purpose of the test was to ensure that Cygnus and ISS flight software were capable of communicating via both berthed and proximity communications system links. The primary objective of the test was to demonstrate basic command and telemetry data routing between the ISS and Cygnus flight software. A number of secondary objectives were included as well.

During the course of the test, Orbital engineers were able to fully demonstrate 16 out of the 21 design verification objectives required to satisfy NASA requirements. This was a remarkable accomplishment given that this was the first time the NASA, JAXA, and Orbital hardware and software had been physically integrated into a working system. Orbital will return to the SDIL in November 2010 with final integration testing slated for March 2011.

Meanwhile, at Thales/Alenia Space in Turino Italy, production of the Pressurized Cargo Modules (PCM) continues at a robust pace as evidenced by the image below right of two PCMs on the production floor. Structure welding on the last standard configuration PCM was completed in late September. Delivery of the first PCM to Orbital is currently planned for Q1 2011.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Space News: "Orbital Warns Investors Prolonged U.S. Budget Battle Will Harm 2011 Earnings".

The Dulles, Va.-based company said its biggest ongoing investment — development of the Taurus 2 medium-lift rocket and the Cygnus cargo vehicle it will launch to the international space station — has encountered more delays. Its inaugural launch from Wallops Island, Va., is now set for between July and September.

Whether that flight serves only to demonstrate Taurus 2’s abilities or also carries the Cygnus freighter will depend on whether the U.S. Congress appropriates the money for a rocket-only flight when it finally enacts NASA’s budget for 2011. If that money, which would come out of the additional $300 million NASA has requested for its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, is forthcoming, a successful Taurus 2-only demonstration could be followed, about three months later, with a Taurus 2 Cygnus launch to the space station.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Cygnus Primary Structure Completes Static Load Testing.

The Cygnus Service Module primary structure successfully completed its static load testing in October at Applied Aerospace Structures Corp. in Stockton CA. The test program applied loads to the structure to simulate the forces that it will experience during a Taurus II launch while carrying a fully loaded Pressurized Cargo Module on top. For the load case that simulated the maximum axial acceleration of the rocket, almost 90,000 lb were applied to the cargo module interface ring, which is equivalent to supporting a dry Boeing 737 on top of the structure. Other load cases applied about 35,000 lb to the sides of the structure. The structure performed well during the test and is now being prepared for shipment to Dulles to start integration and test.

---------- Post added at 11:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------

NASA: "NASA Test Fires New Rocket Engine For Commercial Space Vehicle".

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.

For more information about NASA exploration, visit:
www.nasa.gov/exploration

For information about Stennis, visit:
www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis

---------- Post added 11th Nov 2010 at 11:00 PM ---------- Previous post was 10th Nov 2010 at 11:27 PM ----------

NASA TV Video: Rocket Engine for Commercial Space Vehicle Test Fired at Stennis.​

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpLb-bifrZ8"]YouTube - Rocket Engine for Commercial Space Vehicle Test Fired at Stennis[/ame]

 

[SiberianTiger]

One such engine isn't spectacular enough. The real show begins when 30 of them burn together!

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: Orbital attains engine feat, targets 2012 for cargo flights.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Aviation Week: "Bolden Sees Future At Dulles Mission Control Center".

 

[Urwumpe]

One such engine isn't spectacular enough. The real show begins when 30 of them burn together!

Absolutely true

http://aerojet.com/capabilities/spacelift.php
http://www.astronautix.com/engines/nk33.htm

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

OSC: "Orbital Opens Mission Operations Center for NASA's Commerical Cargo Services Program".

-- Control Center for International Space Station Cargo Resupply Missions Now Fully Functional at Company’s Dulles, Virginia Facilities --

-- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden On Hand for Opening Ceremony --​

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that it held a formal dedication ceremony earlier today to mark the completion of a new facility that will serve as the Mission Operations Center (MOC) for the company’s cargo logistics missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA that begin in 2011. The ribbon-cutting event was attended by NASA’s Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and several other senior representatives of the space agency.

“After nearly three years of developing the Taurus II rocket and the Cygnus spacecraft, we are less than a year away from our first scheduled launch to the ISS,” said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The Mission Operations Center dedicated to the COTS and CRS programs is a critical element in our overall system architecture, providing us with robust command and control systems for the upcoming missions, as well as providing direct connectivity capabilities with our Houston-based customers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.”

While at Orbital’s Dulles, VA facilities, the NASA delegation viewed a full-scale mock-up of the Cygnus spacecraft, which will carry essential cargo to the ISS following its launch aboard Orbital’s Taurus II rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Eastern Virginia. In addition, Administrator Bolden and the other NASA officials toured Orbital’s Mission Control Complex, which includes three additional MOCs that support the company’s extensive manifest of other satellite and launch vehicle missions. The delegation also visited Orbital’s satellite manufacturing facility, at which four NASA scientific satellites – Glory, NuSTAR, OCO-2 and GEMS – are in various stages of design, production and testing by the company’s technical operations team.

COTS and CRS Overview

Under a 2008 cooperative research and development agreement with NASA in its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, Orbital is developing a new autonomous spacecraft and related launch vehicle and ground infrastructure for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the ISS. The COTS program encompasses the full-scale development and flight demonstration of a commercial cargo delivery system that consists of a Taurus II medium-class space launch vehicle, a Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft, and ground-based command and control systems.

With the award of the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract in late 2008, NASA selected Orbital to carry out eight cargo logistics missions to the ISS from 2011 to 2015. For NASA, CRS will provide an automated cargo delivery service, produced and operated in the United States, for ISS logistics support. The new system will complement Russian, European and Japanese ISS cargo vehicles.

About Orbital

Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company’s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary exploration spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to U.S. Government agencies and laboratories. More information about Orbital can be found at www.orbital.com

Note to Editors: High-resolution photographs of the dedication ceremony and the COTS/CRS Mission Operations Center are available on Orbital’s web site at: www.orbital.com/images/High/Dulles_MOC 07_high.jpg

 

[SiberianTiger]

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

Ukraine shipped the first stage of Taurus II rocket to the USA

16.11.2010, Kiev
Ukraine shipped the first stage of Taurus II rocket to the USA, as RBC news agency reporter was told in the State Design Bureau Yuzhnoye (Dnepropetrovsk), "Assembling of the 1st stage's main structure is completed at Yuzhnoye Machine Building Plant named after Makarov (located in Dnepropetrovsk). The cargo departed from Oktyabr'sk sea port to Wallops Space Center" - notified us in the company. Preparations for production of the second production item of the same type begun.

In 2007, Yuzhnoye Company released a draft project of the second stage, and in 2008 approved it. The contract with Yuzhmash Plant for producing a 1st stage for Taurus rocket was signed also in 2008. It took 15 months to proceed from first cut of metal to obtaining a ready product.

The entire project is undertaken by American corporation Orbital Sciences. The new rocket has two stages. It can deliver about 7 tons of payload to low orbits. The first launch was planned for 2010 from Wallops island space center, but had later been postponed to 2011. The rocket is built in accordance with a contract with NASA and is intended for delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. As of now, 8 launches costing 1.9 billion dollars are planned.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Parabolic Arc: "Ukraine Ships First Stage of OSC's Taurus II to Virginia".

 

[orb]

Examiner.com: New rocket taking shape at Virginia spaceport:

December 6th, 2010 5:10 pm ET

A 90-foot rocket stage arrived safely at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Friday. The structure is part of the new Taurus II rocket, under development by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp.

{...}

Delmara Now: Stage 1 of rocket arrives at Wallops.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Orbital: "Stage One Core Arrives at Wallops, Launch Site Development Update".

The core structure of the Taurus II first stage arrived at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Eastern Virginia on Dec 3, 2010. The core structure was manufactured in Ukraine by Orbital's subcontractor Yuzhmash. After arrival by a transoceanic cargo ship at the Port of Wilmington, DE, it was transported by overland to the NASA Wallops launch site and was off-loaded into Building H-100 where it will undergo checkout and integration testing. The initial stage 1 core structure is scheduled to be used for a series of tests at the launch pad, including propellant flow operations to demonstrate the filling of the vehicle’s tanks, for ground tests that simulate the in-flight propellant flow to the dual AJ-26 engines that provide the propulsion for Stage 1, and for a hot-fire demonstration during the final lead up to the first launch scheduled in the third quarter of 2011.

In addition to the progress being made on the Taurus II rocket, construction continues at a brisk pace at the Wallops Island launch site. Installation of interior infrastructure at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), where Taurus II will be assembled and tested, nears completion with occupancy of the facility slated for January 2011. At the launch pad, the majority of the concrete has been poured and installation of fuel storage tanks and feed lines continues. Prominent features visible in the photos below include the flame deflector, the launch mount and two of the pad's four lightning towers.

Click here for photos.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

NASA: "NASA Moves Forward In Commercial Rocket Engine Testing".

NASA conducted a test fire Friday of the liquid-fuel AJ26 engine that will power the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle. The test at the agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi supports NASA's Commercial Transportation Services partnerships to enable commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station.

Orbital's Taurus II uses a pair AJ26 rocket engines built by Aerojet to provide first stage propulsion. Friday's test on the Stennis' E-1 test stand involved a team of Orbital, Aerojet, and Stennis engineers, with Stennis employees serving as test conductors.

"Once again, the Orbital and Aerojet team have achieved a major milestone with the AJ26 engine," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This success moves Orbital closer to its goal of providing NASA with commercial space transportation services to the space station."

The 55-second firing was the second in a series of verification tests being conducted at the south Mississippi facility. A third hot-fire test also is planned to verify tuning of engine control valves.

"This second test of the AJ26 engine not only moves Orbital's commercial space transport plans a step ahead, but also demonstrates again the quality and versatility of Stennis facilities and the expertise of our test and support team," Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann said.

The AJ26 engine is designed to power the Taurus II space vehicle on flights to low Earth orbit. NASA's partnership with Orbital 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.

For more information about NASA exploration, visit:
www.nasa.gov/exploration

For information about Stennis, visit:
www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis