Tag: Orbital
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Orbital sign up ATK for solid partnership with Stratolaunch ALV
ATK are now officially on board with the Stratolaunch system, following a deal with the launch vehicle’s main partner, Orbital Sciences Corporation. ATK will provide the first and second stages for the vehicle – nicknamed Pegasus II – that will be air-launched from a huge carrier plane, with test flights set to begin as early…
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Orbital’s Pegasus XL successfully lofts IRIS spacecraft
Orbital Sciences Corporation launched their Pegasus-XL rocket Thursday night, carrying NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite. The launch occurred at 19:27 PDT (02:27 UTC on Friday), followed by confirmation of a successful spacecraft separation. Pegasus Mission: The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, is a small satellite which will be used to observe the…
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NASA told to slow down CRS payment schedule for Orbital’s cargo runs
NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a report that recommends the Agency should slow down its payments to Orbital for their Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions. Despite Orbital’s successful test flight of their Antares launch vehicle, the OIG is concerned by the “financial risk” of paying the company too far ahead of schedule.…
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Stratolaunch and Orbital – The Height of Air Launch
New details into the Stratolaunch system have revealed an exciting pairing of a huge carrier aircraft and a highly capable Orbital rocket nicknamed Pegasus II. The “Any Time, Any Orbit” air-launch system will be capable of lofting payloads up to 13,500 lbs to Low Earth Orbit. Stratolaunch: Stratolaunch was founded by inventor, investor and…
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Cygnus ISS debut provisionally moved to September
The debut mission for Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft – known as ORB-D – is now tracking a provisional launch date of September 28. The slip relates to an engine change out on the Antares that will launch Cygnus en route to the ISS, along with the Station’s busy Visiting Vehicle schedule and Solar Beta Angle cut-out…
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Antares conducts a flawless maiden launch
Orbital Sciences Corporation have – at the third launch attempt – launched their new Antares rocket’s maiden flight on Sunday. Following two scrubs over the past few days, an issue-free count was followed by a flawless debut mission, as Antares successfully lofted a Cygnus Mass Simulator into orbit. SCRUB 1: Liftoff from Launch Pad…
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Orbital’s Antares: An eye on the present and the future
Orbital are still hoping to launch their Antares rocket on its debut trip into space this coming week, despite an issue during its Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR). Elsewhere, the Castor 30XL upper stage motor – that will fly with Antares on later flights of the Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS – enjoyed a successful static…
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Stars align for Orbital’s Antares – A-One debut set for mid-April
Orbital’s Antares rocket is finally set to make its debut flight into space, following the approval of a launch window that opens on April 16. Dubbed the A-One mission, Antares will be tasked with a 603 second validation mission to loft a Cygnus mass simulator payload to a target orbit of 250 km x 300…
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CASTOR 30XL prepares for static fire ahead of providing Antares boost
ATK’s CASTOR 30XL Upper Stage motor is deep into preparations for a static fire test, set to take place this spring at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. The large Upper Stage was designed and built by ATK within a two year period, with six production units on order to boost the power of…
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Hot fire success for Orbital’s Antares
Orbital’s Antares vehicle has enjoyed a successful hot fire test on Friday. The success followed last week’s scrubbed attempt at at T-1.5 seconds – related to a low pressure purge condition ahead of engine ignition. With the issue resolved, the Antares came to life for the first time, firing its engines for 27 seconds. Antares…