Tag: ATK
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Pegasus celebrates quarter of a century milestone
In an era of new launch system development, Orbital ATK’s Pegasus has shown her staying power, passing the milestone of 25 years of operation. The air-launch system will continue to provide a unique role until at least 2017 and her heritage may also live on as part of the Stratolaunch system that is currently under…
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ULA and Orbital ATK team up for SPP mission
NASA has selected the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to loft its Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The July, 2018 launch will utilize ULA’s Delta IV Heavy rocket, augmented by Orbital ATK’s Star-48 solid motor as a third stage, in order to cope with the extremely high energy required for this flagship mission.…
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QM-1 shakes Utah with two minutes of thunder
Orbital ATK’s Qualification Motor -1 (QM-1) test has conducted a key firing on Wednesday, on the path towards the debut launch of the Space Launch System (SLS). The five segment solid rocket booster came to life at the Promontory test site in Utah, concluding a long path to its big day, involving a major investigation –…
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Orbital ATK targets resumption of Antares launches in March 2016
An Antares rocket lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia, in July 2014. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Space station resupply missions launched from Virginia’s Eastern Shore are set to resume in March 2016, after Orbital ATK integrates newly-built rocket engines into the Ukrainian-made booster stage of the company’s commercial Antares rocket and puts it through an on-pad…
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QM-1 Test Date Set: SLS Program Joy with Solid Solution
ATK’s test facility in Promontory, Utah is now officially looking forward to the next full-scale test of a five-segment solid rocket motor – set to take place at 9:30 am local time on March 11, 2015. The realigned date was set following a lengthy investigation – and resolution path – into problems found in the…
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ATK expand on its domestic alternative to Atlas V’s RD-180
ATK has provided additional details about its domestic alternative to the Russian-built RD-180 engine currently in use on the venerable Atlas V rocket of United Launch Alliance (ULA). While ULA has aligned with Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine, ATK proposal of a solid-fueled first stage – as a reliable, cost-effective, and commercial alternative to the RD-180…
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Antares rocket’s enhanced upper stage debuts Tuesday
Updated after the scrub of Monday’s launch attempt. The Antares rocket on launch pad 0A at Wallops Island, Va. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp. An upgraded Castor 30XL upper stage motor will provide the Antares rocket with an extra boost during launch Tuesday with supplies and experiments for the International Space Station, a critical upgrade Orbital…
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ATK making progress on SRB propellant void issue
A year after discovering small voids between the solid propellant and the outer casing of the aft segment of a test motor for the massive 5-segment SRBs for NASA’s upcoming Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, ATK is making firm progress in their investigation and the mitigating factors toward correcting the issue ahead of the Qualification Motor -1…
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Orbital and ATK form space flight super group
Orbital and ATK have merged forces to form a joint company that will combine the talents and resources of two well-known space industry stalwarts. To be known as Orbital ATK Inc. – the deal will give birth to a new Global Aerospace and Defense Systems Company that will result in the further merging of synergies with…
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NASA to evaluate ISS resupply options through 2024
With the lifespan of the International Space Station (ISS) extended to at least 2024, NASA officials have begun evaluating options for the next phase of Commercial Resupply Services (CRS), allowing for the orbital outpost to be stocked up with supplies and equipment after the current CRS deal with SpaceX’s Dragon and Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft expires.…