Author Topic: LIVE: Orbital ATK Minotaur 4 - ORS-5 - August 25 2017, SLC-46  (Read 95305 times)

Online jacqmans

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U.S. Air Force’s ORS-5 Satellite to Launch on Minotaur 4

WASHINGTON – Orbital ATK has won a $23.6 million contract to launch a small space-surveillance satellite for the U.S. Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office aboard a Minotaur 4 rocket in 2017.

Orbital ATK will launch the satellite from Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, according to a spokeswoman at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.

The launch will mark the first for a Minotaur rocket, a vehicle based in part on excess missile hardware, from Cape Canaveral and the first from that particular pad since 1999.

- See more at: http://spacenews.com/u-s-air-forces-ors-5-satellite-to-launch-on-minotaur-4/#sthash.c3GbeZ0b.dpuf
« Last Edit: 08/26/2017 08:50 am by input~2 »
Jacques :-)

Offline Star One

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I wonder what decided them on a Minotaur 4 over say Pegasus XL.

Offline Jim

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I wonder what decided them on a Minotaur 4 over say Pegasus XL.

$23M is cheaper than a Pegasus. 

Offline arachnitect

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Offline edkyle99

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I wonder what decided them on a Minotaur 4 over say Pegasus XL.
I wonder why Cape Canaveral rather than Wallops.  Is it the 0 degree inclination goal?

Happy to see LC 46 used again.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 07/11/2015 02:50 am by edkyle99 »

Offline Star One

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I wonder what decided them on a Minotaur 4 over say Pegasus XL.
I wonder why Cape Canaveral rather than Wallops.  Is it the 0 degree inclination goal?

Happy to see LC 46 used again.

 - Ed Kyle

Appears to be as they were talking about even possibly using more equatorial launch sites.

Online jacqmans

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Orbital ATK Awarded $23 Million Contract to Launch ORS-5 Mission for U.S. Air Force

Orbital ATK’s Minotaur IV will Launch SensorSat Space Vehicle to Orbit

Dulles, Virginia 14 July 2015 – Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, received a $23.6M contract from the U.S. Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office to launch the ORS-5 SensorSat spacecraft in mid-2017, using a rocket from the company’s Minotaur Launch Vehicle Family.

The ORS-5 mission will employ an Orbital ATK Minotaur IV rocket lifting off from Launch Complex-46, operated by Space Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This will be the first time a Minotaur vehicle will have flown from this range.   

“Launching from the Cape adds another capability to our program and brings us to four ranges from which Minotaur can launch,” said Rich Straka, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Launch Vehicles Division. “This flexibility and multiple vehicle configurations enables Minotaur launch vehicles to be tailored to meet mission requirements while offering the lowest cost flight-proven launch vehicles available to the U.S. government.”

This Minotaur IV rocket uses retired Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Peacekeeper boosters for the first three stages and Orbital ATK Orion 38 solid rocket motors for the upper stages. Orbital ATK integrates the vehicle using flight-proven avionics, structures, software and other components that are common among Orbital ATK’s space launch vehicles.

Using a launch vehicle comprised of solid rocket motors requires minimal pad infrastructure, which helps lower mission costs.  The team will integrate the final launch vehicle using the Orbital ATK team at the Cape with a team comprised of employees from both Orbital and ATK heritage companies.

“This is a prime example of where the synergies from the Orbital ATK merger are providing  real benefits to our customers, by being able to deploy one launch team that possesses expertise from critical propulsion and avionics subsystems, to the full systems engineering understanding of the vehicle,” said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group.

The award was won as a competitive commercial launch contract for the Operationally Responsive Space Office and will be licensed by the FAA.

The Minotaur family of vehicles has carried out 25 consecutive launches with a 100% mission success record and has placed a total of 74 satellites into orbit. Employing a combination of U.S. government-supplied rocket motors and Orbital ATK's proven commercial launch technologies provides incredible cost-savings for government payloads, enables the U.S. to compete with other countries who use their retired assets for commercial launch and keeps a critical skilled workforce employed.

Jacques :-)

Offline russianhalo117

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Looks like they are going throw this config under Minotaur IV+ as a new option.

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Space Florida Approves Orbital ATK use of SLC-46 for ORS-5  launch at Cape Canaveral:

Quote
The Space Florida Board of Directors last week approved a plan to allow Orbital ATK to use Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46) at Cape Canaveral for Minotaur launches. The board instructed staff members to complete negotiations and enter into a contract with the Virginia-based company.

The board’s approval clears the way for Orbital ATK to launch the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Operationally Responsive Space’s ORS-5 SensorSat spacecraft in mid-2017.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/12/19/space-florida-approves-minotaur-launches-florida/
« Last Edit: 12/21/2016 05:18 pm by Ronsmytheiii »

Online jacqmans

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Jacques :-)

Online jacqmans

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Out at LC 46 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with Beyel Bros Crane and Rigging and Orbital ATK . Photo Julian Leek

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1469811513042691&set=a.250322358324952.67608.100000415698613&type=3&theater
Jacques :-)

Online jacqmans

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Photo: Matthew Travis


Minotaur pathfinder vehicle at LC-46 this morning.

https://www.facebook.com/aresinstitute?fref=ts
Jacques :-)

Offline IanThePineapple

oooh, I assume they'll launch Minotaurs out of there eventually? I wonder what will happen to the Minotaur pad at Wallops

Online jacqmans

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Orbital ATK ‏@OrbitalATK 

The media is getting a behind the scenes look at the preps for the upcoming #ORS5 launch of our #MinotaurIV from @SpaceFlorida's LC-46!

pic.twitter.com/h5xHB7lwXu

Jacques :-)

Offline Kryten

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oooh, I assume they'll launch Minotaurs out of there eventually? I wonder what will happen to the Minotaur pad at Wallops
They have a contract for a launch from there later this year, ORS-5; the payload needs to go to an equatorial orbit, which isn't doable from Wallops. Probably they'll keep it open for other near-equatorial missions, but it's doubtful it'll effect Wallops operations.

Offline edkyle99

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Terrific to see SLC 46 back in action.  This will be the fourth launch center, to host a Minotaur 4/5 launch.  Not many launch vehicles can make that claim.  (R-7/Soyuz.  Pegasus.  Any others?)

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 02/12/2017 07:08 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Zed_Noir

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Terrific to see SLC 46 back in action.  This will be the fourth launch center, to host a Minotaur 4/5 launch.  Not many launch vehicles can make that claim.  (R-7/Soyuz.  Pegasus.  Any others?)

 - Ed Kyle

The product from Hawthorne whenever they get the South Texas site into service. Unless you count KSC & CCAFS as one center.

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Quote
Teams practice for Cape Canaveral's first launch of Minotaur 4 rocket #ORS5 @OrbitalATK http://spaceflightnow.com/2017/02/12/teams-practice-for-cape-canaverals-first-launch-of-minotaur-4-rocket/
(Pic by @LaunchPhoto)

https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/830900599059255298

Offline rayleighscatter

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AA-2 (Ascent Abort 2) which will conduct the Orion launch abort system test in flight will also launch from this complex on top of what will essentially be a Minotaur as well.

Offline Welsh Dragon

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Hang on, they're putting a 5 m Orion on a 2.3 m SR118? That'll look.... interesting.

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