Antares (rocket)
| File:TaurusII Wallops.jpg An artist's rendering of the Antares rocket at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | |
| Function | Medium expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 40 m[1] (131 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.9 m[2] (12.8 ft) |
| Mass | ~240,000 kg[1] (530,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 to 3[3] |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 7,000 kg[3] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | Athena III Delta II |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Development |
| Launch sites | Pad 0A, MARS |
| First flight | Scheduled for 1st Quarter 2012 |
| Type of passengers/cargo | Cygnus |
Antares is an expendable launch system being developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It is a two stage vehicle designed to launch payloads weighing up to 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) into low-Earth orbit.[4] It is scheduled to make its first flight in the first quarter of 2012.[5]
NASA awarded to Orbital a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. For these COTS missions Orbital intends to use Taurus II to launch its Cygnus spacecraft. In addition, Taurus II will compete for small-to-medium missions.[6]
On Dec. 12, 2011 Orbital Sciences renamed the launch vehicle ""Antares"" from the previous designation of Taurus II.[7]
Development
The NASA COTS award was for US$171 million; Orbital Sciences expects to invest $150 million in addition, split between $130 million for the booster and $20 million for the spacecraft.[8]
On 10 June 2008 it was announced that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, part of the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, would be the primary launch site for the rocket.[9] Launch pad 0A, which is the former launch pad for the failed Conestoga rocket will be modified to handle the Taurus II.[10] A launch from Wallops would reach the International Space Station's orbit as effectively as from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while being less crowded.[8][11] It is currently planned for the first Cygnus flight to be an unloaded demonstration; the first Cygnus flight may or may not be the first Taurus flight, pending additional bookings.
On December 10, 2009 Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) test fired their Castor 30 motor for use as the second stage of the Taurus II rocket.[12] In March 2010 Orbital Sciences and Aerojet completed test firings of the NK-33 engines.[13]
Layout
The first stage uses RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants, powering two NK-33-derived engines (sold by Aerojet as AJ-26 engines). As Orbital has little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, some of the Taurus II first stage work was contracted to Yuzhnoye SDO, designers of the Zenit series. One source claims that includes "main-stage fuel tanks and associated plumbing".[8] The core provided by Yuzhnoye includes propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware.[4] Like Zenit, the Taurus II vehicle will have a 3.90 m (154 in) diameter.
The second stage is a solid, the Castor 30, to be developed by ATK as a derivative of the Castor 120 solid stage. An enhanced second stage is currently being studied by Orbital sciences to lift heavier payloads. Propelled by methane and LOX, it will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney PWR35M rocket engine and will allow the Taurus II to deliver up to 7,600 kg to LEO.[14] The third stage is a hypergolic stage, to be developed by Orbital as a derivative of prior missions. The hardware will be derived from onboard thruster systems of the OSC Star 2 bus; other elements will use knowledge from the DART mission, of which OSC was the prime contractor.[8] Exact parameters may change as the vehicle develops.
This hypergolic propulsion system is planned to form the basis of the Cygnus spacecraft. The equipment section will likely be topped by a smaller development of the MPLM for pressurized cargo, and possibly a derivative of the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier for unpressurized cargo. Initial production of pressurized modules will take place in Italy. No reentry and return capabilities are planned so far, but as with the rest of the project, details are still subject to change.[8]
See also
- Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
- Cygnus spacecraft
- NASA
- Orbital Sciences Corporation
- Taurus rocket
References
- ^ a b Kyle, Ed. "Taurus 2". Space Launch Report.
- ^ "Taurus II". Orbital Sciences Corporation.
- ^ a b "Taurus II Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation.
- ^ a b "Taurus II User's Guide, Rev. 1.2" (PDF). Orbital. December 2009.
- ^ Orbital Sciences Corporation
- ^ Aviation Week and Space Technology, Feb. 25, 2008, p. 22
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c d e B. Bergen, Space News, February 25, 2008, p. 12
- ^ "Governor Kaine announces 125 new jobs for Virginia" (Press release). Commonwealth of Virginia. June 9, 2008.
- ^ Kennedy, Jack, Taurus-2 Launch Pad to be Ready in 18-Months at Wallops Island Spaceport, Spaceports
- ^ Glass, Jon W. (February 20, 2008). "Wallops up for big role with firm's NASA contract". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ "Orbital Sciences Successfully Tests Second Stage Rocket Motor" (Press release). Orbital. December 10, 2009.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (March 15, 2010). "Aerojet confirms Russian engine is ready for duty". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
- ^ "Taurus II Brochure" (PDF). Orbital Sciences.