Antares (rocket)
![]() The launch of an Antares 110 rocket | |
Function | Medium expendable launch system |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Orbital ATK (main) Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (sub) |
Country of origin | United States |
Project cost | $472 million until 2012[1] |
Size | |
Height | 110/120: 40.5 m (133 ft)[2][3] 130: 41.9 m (137 ft) 230: 42.5 m (139 ft)[4] |
Diameter | 3.9 m (13 ft)[5][4] |
Mass | 100 series: 282,000–296,000 kg (622,000–653,000 lb)[3] 230: 298,000 kg (657,000 lb)[4] |
Stages | 2 to 3[5] |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 6,120 kg (13,490 lb)[6] |
Associated rockets | |
Comparable | Delta II |
Launch history | |
Status | 100-series: retired 200-series: operational 300-series: planned/development |
Launch sites | MARS LP-0A |
Total launches | 6 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 1, 230:1) |
Success(es) | 5 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 0, 230:1) |
Failure(s) | 1 (130: 1) |
First flight | 110: April 21, 2013[7] 120: January 9, 2014[8] 130: October 28, 2014 230: October 17, 2016 |
Last flight | 110: September 18, 2013 120: July 13, 2014 130: October 28, 2014 230: October 17, 2016 |
Type of passengers/cargo | Cygnus |
First stage (Antares 100-series) | |
Empty mass | 18,700 kg (41,200 lb)[3] |
Gross mass | 260,700 kg (574,700 lb)[3] |
Powered by | 2 × AJ26-62[9] |
Maximum thrust | 3,265 kN (734,000 lbf)[9] |
Specific impulse | Sea level: 297 s Vacuum: 331 s[3] |
Burn time | 235 seconds[3] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX[9] |
First stage (Antares 200-series) | |
Empty mass | 20,600 kg (45,400 lb)[4] |
Gross mass | 262,600 kg (578,900 lb)[4] |
Powered by | 2 × RD-181 |
Maximum thrust | 3,844 kN (864,000 lbf)[4] |
Specific impulse | Sea level: 311.9 s Vacuum: 339.2 s[4] |
Burn time | 215 seconds[4] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Second stage – Castor 30A/B/XL | |
Gross mass | 30A: 14,035 kg (30,942 lb) 30B: 13,970 kg (30,800 lb) 30XL: 26,300 kg (58,000 lb)[3] |
Propellant mass | 30A: 12,815 kg (28,252 lb) 30B: 12,887 kg (28,411 lb)[3] 30XL: 24,200 kg (53,400 lb)[4] |
Maximum thrust | 30A: 259 kN (58,200 lbf) 30B: 293.4 kN (65,960 lbf)[9][3] 30XL: |
Burn time | 30A: 136 seconds 30B: 127 seconds 30XL: 156 seconds[3][4] |
Propellant | TP-H8299/aluminium[10] |
Antares (/ænˈtɑːriːz/), known during early development as Taurus II, is an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now Orbital ATK) to launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's COTS and CRS programs. Able to launch payloads heavier than 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) into low-Earth orbit, Antares is the largest rocket operated by Orbital ATK. Antares launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and made its inaugural flight on April 21, 2013.[7]
NASA awarded Orbital a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Space Act Agreement (SAA) in 2008 to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. For these COTS missions Orbital intends to use Antares to launch its Cygnus spacecraft. In addition, Antares will compete for small-to-medium missions.[11] Originally designated the Taurus II, Orbital Sciences renamed the vehicle Antares, after the star of the same name,[12] on December 12, 2011.
The first four Antares launch attempts were successful. During the fifth launch on October 28, 2014, the rocket failed catastrophically, and the vehicle and payload were destroyed.[13] The failure was traced to a fault in the first stage engines. After completion of a redesign program, the rocket had a successful return to flight on October 17, 2016, delivering cargo to the ISS.
Development
The NASA COTS award was for US$171 million and Orbital Sciences expected to invest an additional $150 million, split between $130 million for the booster and $20 million for the spacecraft.[14] A Commercial Resupply Service contract of $1.9 billion for 8 flights was awarded in 2008.[15] As of April 2012, development costs were estimated at $472 million.[1]
On June 10, 2008 it was announced that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, formerly part of the Wallops Flight Facility, in Virginia, would be the primary launch site for the rocket.[16] Launch pad 0A (LP-0A), previously used for the failed Conestoga rocket, would be modified to handle Antares.[17] Wallops allows launches which reach the International Space Station's orbit as effectively as those from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while being less crowded.[14][18] The first Antares flight launched a Cygnus mass simulator.[19]
On December 10, 2009 Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) test fired their Castor 30 motor for use as the second stage of the Antares rocket.[20] In March 2010 Orbital Sciences and Aerojet completed test firings of the NK-33 engines.[21] On February 22, 2013 a hot fire test was successfully performed, the entire first stage being erected on the pad and held down while the engines fired for 29 seconds.[19]
Design
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Antares_110_rocket_for_A-ONE_mission.jpg/220px-Antares_110_rocket_for_A-ONE_mission.jpg)
First stage
The first stage of Antares burns RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX). As Orbital had little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, the first stage core was designed and is manufactured in Ukraine by Yuzhnoye SDO[14] and includes propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware.[22] Like the Zenit—also manufactured by Yuzhnoye—the Antares vehicle has a diameter of 3.9 m (150 in) with a matching 3.9 m payload fairing.[5]
Antares 100
The Antares 100-series first stage was powered by two Aerojet AJ26 engines. These began as Kuznetsov NK-33 engines built in the Soviet Union in the late 1960s and early 1970s, 43 of which were purchased by Aerojet in the 1990s. 20 of these were refurbished into AJ26 engines for Antares.[23] Modifications included equipping the engines for gimballing, adding US electronics, and qualifying the engines to fire for twice as long as designed and to operate at 108% of their original thrust.[2][21] Together they produced 3,265 kilonewtons (734,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level and 3,630 kN (816,100 lbf) in vacuum.[9]
Following the catastrophic failure of an AJ26 during testing at Stennis Space Center in May 2014 and the Orb-3 launch failure in October 2014, likely caused by an engine turbopump,[24] the Antares 100-series was retired.
Antares 200
Due to concerns over corrosion, aging, and the limited supply of AJ26 engines, Orbital had selected new first stage engines. The new engines were planned to debut in 2017 and allow Orbital to bid on a second major long-term contract for cargo resupply of the ISS. Less than one month after the loss of the Antares rocket in October 2014, Orbital announced that it would no longer fly Antares with AJ26 engines,[25] and the first flight of Antares with new first stage engines would be moved up to 2016.[21] As of August 2016[update], the first flight of the re-engined Antares 230 configuration is anticipated for August 22, 2016,[26] carrying the Cygnus CRS OA-5 cargo to the ISS. However, a new mission update from Orbital ATK's official page said that the mission was delayed to mid-September due to many reasons, including the company’s continuing processing, inspection and testing of the flight vehicle at Wallops Island, and NASA’s scheduling of crew activities on the International Space Station in preparation for upcoming cargo and crew launches. A more specific launch date would be identified in the coming weeks.[27] As of October 2016, the launch was scheduled to happen on October 13, 2016[28] but was delayed due to Hurricane Nicole which formed over the Atlantic Ocean and headed towards Bermuda, the rocket's tracking site. If there are no further problem the launch will occur on October 17, 2016.[29]
In late October 2014, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Orbital Sciences had preliminarily selected the NPO Energomash RD-193 to power the second version of the Antares first stage, and in December 2014 Orbital Sciences announced that the RD-181—a modified version of the RD-191—would replace the AJ26 on the Antares 200-series.[30][31] The first engines are scheduled to arrive from NPO Energomash in summer 2015, where an on-pad 29-second static fire test is projected to occur in fall 2015.[32][33]
The Antares 200 and 300 first stages will be powered by two RD-181 engines, which will provide 440 kilonewtons (100,000 lbf) more thrust than the dual AJ26 engines used on the Antares 100. Orbital plans to adapt the existing core stage to accommodate the increased performance in the 200 Series, allowing Antares to deliver up to 7,000 kilograms (15,000 lb)* to low Earth orbit.[34] The excess performance of the Antares 200-series will allow Orbital to fulfill its ISS resupply contract in only four additional flights, rather than the five that would have been required with the Antares 100-series.[32][35][36]
Antares 300
While the 200 series uses the RD-181 by adapting the originally ordered 100 Series stages (KB Yuzhnoye/Yuzhmash, Zenit derived),[34] it requires under throttling the RD-181 engines, which reduces performance. Thus, the 300 series will use a new first stage core designed for the full thrust and performance of the RD-181 engine.[35]
Second stage
The second stage is an Orbital ATK Castor 30-series solid-fuel rocket, developed as a derivative of the Castor 120 solid motor used as Minotaur-C's first stage.[37] The first two flights of Antares used a Castor 30A, which was replaced by the enhanced Castor 30B for subsequent flights. The Castor 30B produces 293.4 kN (65,960 lbf) average and 395.7 kN (88,960 lbf) maximum thrust, and uses electromechanical thrust vector control.[9] For increased performance, the larger Castor 30XL is available[34] and will be used on ISS resupply flights to allow Antares to carry the Enhanced Cygnus.[9][38][39]
Third stage
Antares offers two optional third stages, the Bi-Propellant Third Stage (BTS) and a Star 48-based third stage. BTS is derived from Orbital Sciences' GEOStar spacecraft bus and uses nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine for propellant; it is intended to precisely place payloads into their final orbits.[5] The Star 48-based stage uses a Star 48BV solid rocket motor and would be used for higher energy orbits.[5]
Fairing
The 3.9-meter (13 ft) diameter, 9.9-meter (32 ft) high fairing is manufactured by Applied Aerospace Structures Corporation of Stockton, California, which also builds other composite structures for the vehicle, including the fairing adaptor, stage 2 motor adaptor, stage 2 interstage, payload adaptor, and avionics cylinder.[40]
Configurations and numbering
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Castor_30_test_fire.jpg/220px-Castor_30_test_fire.jpg)
The first two test flights used a Castor 30A second stage. All subsequent flights will use either a Castor 30B or Castor 30XL. The rocket's configuration is indicated by a three-digit number, the first number representing the first stage, the second the type of second stage, and the third the type of third stage.[38]
Number | First digit | Second digit | Third digit |
---|---|---|---|
(First stage) | (Second stage) | (Third stage) | |
0 | — | — | No third stage |
1 | Block 1 first stage (2 × AJ26-62) |
Castor 30A N/A after Block 1[34] |
BTS (3 × IHI BT-4) |
2 | Block 1 first stage (Adapted to RD-181) (2 × RD-181)[34] |
Castor 30B | Star 48BV |
3 | Block 2 first stage (RD-181)[35] |
Castor 30XL | — |
Launch history
Inaugural flight
Originally scheduled for 2012, the first Antares launch, designated A-ONE[41] was conducted on April 21, 2013,[42] carrying the Cygnus Mass Simulator (a boilerplate Cygnus spacecraft) and four CubeSats contracted by Spaceflight Incorporated: Dove 1 for Cosmogia Incorporated (now Planet Labs) and three PhoneSat satellites – Alexander,[43] Graham and Bell for NASA.[44]
Prior to the launch, a 27-second test firing of the rocket's AJ26 engines was conducted successfully on February 22, 2013, following an attempt on February 13 which was abandoned before ignition.[19]
A-ONE used the Antares 110 configuration, with a Castor 30A second stage and no third stage. The launch took place from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. LP-0A was a former Conestoga launch complex which had only been used once before, in 1995, for the Conestoga's only orbital launch attempt.[10] Antares became the largest — and first — liquid-fuelled rocket to fly from Wallops Island, as well as the largest rocket launched by Orbital Sciences.[41]
The first attempt to launch the rocket, on April 17, 2013, was scrubbed after an umbilical detached from the rocket's second stage, and a second attempt on April 20 was scrubbed due to high altitude winds.[45] At the third attempt on April 21, the rocket lifted off at the beginning of its launch window. The launch window for all three attempts was three hours beginning at 21:00 UTC (17:00 EDT), shortening to two hours at the start of the terminal count, and ten minutes later[clarification needed] in the count.[10][46]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Aftermath_of_Antares_Orb-3_explosion_at_Pad_0A_%2820141029a%29.jpg/150px-Aftermath_of_Antares_Orb-3_explosion_at_Pad_0A_%2820141029a%29.jpg)
October 2014 incident
On October 28, 2014, the attempted launch of an Antares carrying a Cygnus cargo spacecraft on the Orb-3 resupply mission failed catastrophically six seconds after liftoff from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.[47] An explosion occurred in the thrust section just as the vehicle cleared the tower, and it fell back down onto the pad. The Range Safety officer sent the destruct command just before impact.[13][48] There were no injuries.[49] Orbital Sciences reported that Launch Pad 0A "escaped significant damage,"[50] though initial estimates for repairs were in the $20 million range.[51] Orbital Sciences formed an anomaly investigation board to investigate the cause of the incident. They traced it to a failure of the first stage LOX turbopump, but could not find a specific cause. However, the refurbished NK-33 engines, originally manufactured over 40 years earlier and stored for decades, were suspected as having leaks, corrosion, or manufacturing defects that had not been detected.[52]On October 6, 2015, almost one year after the accident, Pad 0A was restored to use. Total repair costs were about $15 million.[53]
Following the failure, Orbital sought to purchase launch services for its Cygnus spacecraft in order to satisfy its cargo contract with NASA,[25] and on December 9, 2014, Orbital announced that at least one, and possibly two, Cygnus flights would be launched on Atlas V rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[54][full citation needed] As it happened, Cygnus OA-4 and OA-6 were launched with an Atlas V and the Antares 230 performed its maiden flight with Cygnus OA-5 in October 2016. Further missions will see one more Atlas launch in March 2017 (OA-7), fulfilling Orbital's contractual obligations towards NASA, followed by regular service by Antares 230 with OA-8E in July 2017 and further missions from their extended contract.
List of missions
List includes only currently manifested missions. All missions are launched from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Launch Pad 0A.
# | Launch date, Time (UTC) | Mission | Payload | Cygnus version | Rocket version | Ref. | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | April 21, 2013. 21:00 | Antares A-ONE | Standard (mass simulator) | Antares 110 | [7][55] | Success | |
Antares test flight, using a Castor 30A second stage and no third stage. | |||||||
2 | September 18, 2013. 14:58 | Orb-D1 | G. David Low Cygnus | Standard | Antares 110 | [56][57][58] | Success |
Orbital Sciences COTS demonstration flight. First Cygnus mission, first mission to rendezvous with ISS, first mission to berth with ISS, second launch of Antares. The rendezvous between the new Cygnus cargo freighter and the International Space Station was delayed due to a computer data link problem,[59] but the issue was resolved and berthing followed shortly thereafter.[60] | |||||||
3 | January 9, 2014. 18:07 | CRS Orb-1 | C. Gordon Fullerton Cygnus | Standard | Antares 120 | [8][38][57][58] | Success |
First Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) mission for Cygnus, and first Antares launch using the Castor 30B upper stage. | |||||||
4 | July 13, 2014. 16:52 | CRS Orb-2 | Janice Voss Cygnus | Standard | Antares 120 | [38][58][61] | Success |
Spacecraft carried 1,664 kg (3,668 lb) of supplies for the ISS, including research equipment, crew provisions, hardware, and science experiments. | |||||||
5 | October 28, 2014. 22:22 | CRS Orb-3 | Deke Slayton Cygnus | Standard | Antares 130 | [38][62] | Failure |
LOX turbopump failure T+6 seconds. Rocket fell back onto the pad and exploded.[63][47][49]First Antares launch to use Castor 30XL upper stage. In addition to supplies for the International Space Station, payload included a Planetary Resources Arkyd-3 satellite and a NASA JPL/UT-Austin CubeSat mission named RACE.[64][65][66] | |||||||
6 | October 17, 2016. 23:45 | CRS OA-5 | Alan G. Poindexter Cygnus | Enhanced | Antares 230 | [36][38][67][68][69][70] | Success |
First launch of Enhanced Cygnus on Orbital's new Antares 230. | |||||||
7 | 6 July 2017 |
CRS OA-8E | Enhanced | Antares 230 | [69] | Scheduled | |
8 | December 2017 |
CRS OA-9E | Enhanced | Antares 230 | [71] | Planned | |
9 | June 2018 |
CRS OA-10E | Enhanced | Antares 230 | [71] | Planned | |
10 | February 2019 |
CRS OA-11E | Enhanced | Antares 230 | [71] | Planned | |
Note: Cygnus CRS OA-4, the first Enhanced Cygnus mission, and OA-6 were propelled by Atlas V 401 launch vehicles while the new Antares 230 was in its final stages of development. Cygnus CRS OA-7 was also switched to an Atlas V scheduled for March 2017.
Launch sequence
The following table shows a typical launch sequence of Antares-100 series rockets, such as for launching a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.[72]
T Minus | Event | Altitude |
---|---|---|
T- 03:50:00 | Launch management call to stations | |
T- 03:05:00 | Poll to initiate liquid oxygen loading system chilldown | |
T- 01:30:00 | Poll for readiness to initiate propellant loading | |
T- 00:15:00 | Cygnus/payload switched to internal power | |
T- 00:12:00 | Poll for final countdown and MES medium flow chilldown | |
T- 00:11:00 | Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) armed for rapid retract | |
T- 00:05:00 | Antares avionics switched to internal power | |
T- 00:03:00 | Auto-sequence start (terminal count) | |
T- 00:02:00 | Pressurize propellant tanks | |
T- 00:00:00 | Main engine ignition | |
T+ 00:00:02.1 | Liftoff | 0 |
T+ 00:03:55 | Main engine cut-off (MECO) | 102 km (63 mi) |
T+ 00:04:01 | Stage one separation | 108 km (67 mi) |
T+ 00:05:31 | Fairing separation | 168 km (104 mi) |
T+ 00:05:36 | Interstage separation | 170 km (106 mi) |
T+ 00:05:40 | Stage two ignition | 171 km (106 mi) |
T+ 00:07:57 | Stage two burnout | 202 km (126 mi) |
T+ 00:09:57 | Payload separation | 201 km (125 mi) |
See also
References
- ^ a b Rosenberg, Zach (April 30, 2012). "Orbital Sciences development costs increase". Flight International via Flightglobal.com.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ a b Kyle, Ed (May 14, 2011). "Taurus 2". Space Launch Report.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Antares (100 Series)". SpaceFlight101. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Antares 200 Series – Rockets". spaceflight101.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Antares Medium-class Launch Vehicle: Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Antares" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ a b c Perrotto, Trent J. (April 21, 2013). "NASA Partner Orbital Sciences Test Launches Antares Rocket" (Press release). NASA. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ a b "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-1)". Orbital Sciences Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Antares Medium-Class Launch Vehicle: Brochure" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- ^ a b c Graham, William (April 21, 2013). "Antares conducts a flawless maiden launch". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Aviation Week and Space Technology: 22. February 25, 2008.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - ^ Beneski, Barron (December 12, 2011). "Orbital Selects "Antares" as Permanent Name for New Rocket Created by the Taurus II R&D Program" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation.
- ^ a b Queally, James; Hennigan, W. J.; Raab, Lauren (October 28, 2014). "Rocket bound for space station blows up just after liftoff". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c Bergin, Chris (February 25, 2008). "none". Space News. p. 12.
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- ^ Hickey, Gordon (June 9, 2008). "Governor Kaine announces 125 new jobs for Virginia" (Press release). Commonwealth of Virginia via YesVirginia.org.
{{cite press release}}
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(help) - ^ Kennedy, Jack (June 13, 2008). "Taurus-2 Launch Pad to be Ready in 18-Months at Wallops Island Spaceport". Spaceports. Blogspot.com.
- ^ Glass, Jon W. (February 20, 2008). "Wallops up for big role with firm's NASA contract". The Virginian-Pilot via HamptonRoads.com.
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(help) - ^ a b c Bergin, Chris (February 22, 2013). "Hot fire success for Orbital's Antares". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ Beneski, Barron (December 10, 2009). "Second Stage Rocket Motor Of Orbital's Taurus II Launcher Successfully Ground Tested" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation.
- ^ a b c Clark, Stephen (March 15, 2010). "Aerojet confirms Russian engine is ready for duty". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Antares User's Guide, Rev. 1.2" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. December 2009.
- ^ "Antares First-stage Engines Available Long Term, Aerojet Rocketdyne Chief Says". SpaceNews.com.
- ^ "SpaceflightNow". Engine turbopump eyed in Antares launch failure. Retrieved February 2015.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Orbital's Cygnus – on a SpaceX Falcon 9?". spaceflightinsider.com. November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
Orbital has announced that it is planning to use another engine on Antares and that it will likely not use any more of the 40-year-old AJ-26 engines on the rocket's next flight – which Orbital hopes to conduct in 2016.
- ^ "Mission Update: OA-5 Space Station Cargo Resupply". www.orbitalatk.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ "OA-5 Mission Page". www.orbitalatk.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Critical Antares rocket launch set for Friday night – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ "Hurricane Nicole Delays Private Rocket Launch to No Earlier Than Sunday". Space.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ "Orbital Sciences likely to choose Russian engine for new Antares rocket". TASS. October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ "Orbital Sciences signs contract for new Antares engines". Spaceflight Now. 2015-01-22. Retrieved February 2015.
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(help) - ^ a b Morring, Frank, Jr. (December 16, 2014). "Antares Upgrade Will Use RD-181s In Direct Buy From Energomash". Aviation Week. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Orbital Sciences Orders RD-181 Engines for Antares Rocket". Space News. December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
Satellite and rocket builder Orbital Sciences Corp. on Dec. 16 confirmed that it has contracted with Russia's Energomash to provide RD-181 engines to power the first stage of Orbital's Antares rocket, replacing the AJ-26 engine, also from Russia
- ^ a b c d e "Antares Medium-class Space Launch Vehicle factsheet" (PDF). orbital.com. Orbital Sciences. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c Bergin, Chris (August 7, 2015). "Cygnus set for December Atlas V ride ahead of Antares return". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
"LSP Vehicle Systems Engineering, Propulsion Engineering, Stress, Avionics and SMA (Safety and Mission Assurance) participated in the Antares Stage 1 CDR for the modifications necessary to integrate the RD-181 engine at both the 230 and 330 thrust levels."
- ^ a b "Orbital ATK Team on Track for Fall 2015 Cygnus Mission and Antares Return to Flight in 2016". Orbital ATK. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "CASTOR 30-A Multi-use Motor". ATK.com. Retrieved July 2014.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Bergin, Chris (February 22, 2012). "Space industry giants Orbital upbeat ahead of Antares debut". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (March 5, 2013). "CASTOR 30XL prepares for static fire ahead of providing Antares boost". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
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- ^ Clark, Stephen (April 21, 2013). "Antares test launch paves new highway to space station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "PhoneSat v2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "PhoneSat v1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Weil, Martin (April 21, 2013). "Wind postpones rocket launch at Wallops Flight Facility". The Washington Post.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (April 21, 2013). "Orbital's Antares rocket makes test flight". BBC News. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b "Antares explodes moments after launch". Spaceflight Now. October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
- ^ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3)". Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2014. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ a b Wall, Mike (October 28, 2014). "Private Orbital Sciences Rocket Explodes During Launch, NASA Cargo Lost". Space.com. Purch. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
- ^ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3)" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014.
no evidence of significant damage
{{cite press release}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ http://spacenews.com/42620virginia-may-seek-federal-funds-for-wallops-spaceport-repairs/
- ^ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3)". Orbital Sciences Corporation. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/10/06/workers-complete-15-million-in-repairs-to-antares-launch-pad/
- ^ http://www.space.com/27962-cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-new-rocket.html
- ^ "Antares Cold Flow Testing Begins and Antares A-ONE Gets All Dressed Up". Orbital Sciences Corporation. December 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
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{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Dunn, Marcia (September 22, 2013). "Computer mishap delays space station supply ship Cygnus". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (September 28, 2013). "Orbital's Cygnus successfully berthed on the ISS". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/orb3_irt_execsumm_0.pdf
- ^ Wilhelm, Steve (October 16, 2014). "First step toward asteroid mining: Planetary Resources set to launch test satellite". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
- ^ "RACE Mission". NASA. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "RACE Satellite Launching to ISS". University of Texas at Austin. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
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{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Orbital Announces Go-Forward Plan for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Program and the Company's Antares Launch Vehicle". orbital.com. Orbital Sciences Corporation. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Clark, Stephen (September 21, 2016). "Spaceflight Now — Launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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- ^ a b c "International Space Station Calendar". Spaceflight 101. October 24, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
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External links
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