fredymac said:
Well after about a year they're getting close to trying another launch. Here is the promo for the Cygnus cargo vehicle being prepared.


No, this is for an Atlas V launch and not Antares
 
Byeman said:
fredymac said:
Well after about a year they're getting close to trying another launch. Here is the promo for the Cygnus cargo vehicle being prepared.


No, this is for an Atlas V launch and not Antares


I stand corrected. I didn't read far enough into the article to note that Orbital has purchased 2 Atlas V launchers while they go through the process of qualifying a new engine for Antares. I was under the assumption that they were simply fixing the problem on the existing engine and continuing to use them. I would guess they are still obligated to charge NASA at the Antares/Cygnus price level.


The shipment comes nearly one year after Orbital ATK’s last space station supply flight crashed seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia, aboard the company’s own Antares booster. Orbital ATK engineers blame the failure on one of the Antares main engines, and officials purchased two Atlas 5 rockets from United Launch Alliance to keep the Cygnus missions flying while a new engine model is added to the Antares.
 
http://www.space.com/31278-cygnus-spacecraft-launch-orbital-atk-return-to-flight.html
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=prHddcCBRbI
http://gizmodo.com/cygnus-has-safely-made-it-to-the-iss-1747048063​
 
pcukidqqkw3fez5sy9ei.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/cygnus-is-the-cutest-of-the-space-station-cargo-craft-1755079722​
 
http://www.space.com/31929-mold-contamination-delays-orbital-atk-cargo-flight-to-iss.html
 
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Dragon_and_Cygnus_To_Meet_For_First_Time_In_Space_999.html
 
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ULA_to_name_cause_of_Atlas_V_early_booster_shutdown_in_week_999.html
 
Looks like they are getting ready to try another Antares launch this time using Russian RD-181 engines:

"Orbital ATK ordered RD-181 engines from Russia’s NPO Energomash, the builder of the Atlas 5 rocket’s RD-180 engine, in the wake of a catastrophic launch failure moments after a liftoff from Virginia in October 2014. The Antares rocket crashed near the Antares launch pad, toppling two of the facility’s lightning protection towers and carving a huge crater just northeast of pad 0A’s elevated launch mount."

No word from McCain so far.

Launch is targeting the July timeframe. Full story here: https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/09/key-return-to-flight-milestone-looms-for-antares-rocket/
 
The Antares isn't doing national security payloads, so McCranky doesn't have much say in it.
 
http://www.space.com/33207-antares-rocket-return-to-flight-launch-delay-likely.html
 
orbital-sciences-cygnus-antares-130916a-02.jpg

http://www.space.com/20526-antares-rocket-cygnus-spacecraft-explained.html

http://www.space.com/34394-orbital-atk-antares-rocket-return-to-flight.html
http://www.space.com/34400-antares-rocket-launch-glitch-delay.html
 
Was supposed to launch today (Sunday). Delayed 24 hours to Monday.
 
T-32, NASA-TV livestream here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdmHHpAsMVw
 
http://www.space.com/34417-blastoff-upgraded-antares-rocket-launches-cygnus-to-space-station-video.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=socialtwitterspc&cmpid=social_spc_514648
 
NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman $187 million to design the habitat module for the space agency's lunar Gateway, a planned moon-orbiting space station for astronauts.

We learned last year that NASA had tapped Virginia-based Northrop Grumman to build Gateway's pressurized crew cabin, called the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO). The company will base HALO on its Cygnus spacecraft, which has been flying contracted robotic cargo missions to the International Space Station for NASA since 2014.

On Friday (June 5), the space agency announced some terms of the deal: Northrop Grumman will receive $187 million to fund HALO's design through a key milestone called preliminary design review, which is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

"This contract award is another significant milestone in our plan to build robust and sustainable lunar operations," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "The Gateway is a key component of NASA’s long-term Artemis architecture, and the HALO capability furthers our plans for human exploration at the moon in preparation for future human missions to Mars."
Orion will provide life support for astronauts aboard the Gateway, along with HALO, which will provide about as much living space as a small studio apartment.
 
Last edited:
07/19/2021

Negotiations on the supply of RD-181M to the USA will allow to continue cooperation in the field of engine building

Approval by the Government of the Russian Federation of the proposal of the State Corporation "Roscosmos" to negotiate a contract with an interested customer for the supply of Russian RD-181M engines produced by the Scientific and Production Association "Energomash" named after Academician V.P. Glushko (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) for the American company Orbital Sciences LLC will allow, despite the existing sanctions, to continue mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in the field of rocket propulsion. The United States receives reliable and unsurpassed rocket engines for its launch vehicles.

It should be recalled that RD-181 engines have been supplied to the United States since 2015; this is already the second export engine produced by NPO Energomash, supplied for American launch vehicles. With the help of a Russian engine, the American Antares launch vehicle delivers cargo to the International Space Station. All launches in the USA using our RD-180 and RD-181 engines have been successful.

The new RD-181M engine, for which Roscosmos has received an export permit, represents the next stage in the development of the RD-181. Its analogue RD-191M, used for Russian launch vehicles, will be installed on a manned version of the Angara-A5P heavy space rocket.

NPO Energomash partners can be sure of the quality and reliability of Russian engines. Roscosmos State Corporation and NPO Energomash confirm their reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality high-tech products.

 

Northrop Grumman says it has backup plan for ISS resupply, but silent on details​

Northrop Grumman says it has a backup plan to fulfill the company’s contract to resupply to the International Space Station if the war in Ukraine continues to disrupt the supply of Russian engines and Ukrainian booster cores for the company’s Antares rocket.

The company has hardware in its inventory for two more Antares resupply launches — currently scheduled for August and early 2023 — but needs engines and booster tanks imported from Russia and Ukraine for additional Antares flights.

NASA announced in March an award to Northrop Grumman for six additional cargo missions to the International Space Station, beyond the next two Antares flights already under contract. Northrop Grumman has launched 17 cargo missions to the space station using the company’s Cygnus supply freighter under the umbrella of two Commercial Resupply Services contracts, with eight more Cygnus flights now on the books.

Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman’s president and CEO, said in an April 28 earnings call that the company has “some exposure” to the fallout from the war in Ukraine on the NASA resupply contract.

“We have what we need for the next two launches,” Warden said. “So there isn’t immediate disruption, and we have a plan in place that we could use other sources if needed, beyond those two launches.”
 
Here is the Backup Plan

Next three Cygnus launches will be done by SpaceX Falcon 9

Firefly Aerospace cooperate with Northrop Grumman to modified the Antares 330 rocket
to full US build rocket

View: https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1556688871546568705
 
Antares 330 related:

 

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