Author Topic: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread  (Read 1065278 times)

Online edkyle99

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1840 on: 01/02/2013 04:06 pm »
From Novosti Kosmonavtiki forum:


O.K.  What is that thing on the far right?

 - Ed Kyle

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1841 on: 01/03/2013 03:29 am »
From Novosti Kosmonavtiki forum:


O.K.  What is that thing on the far right?

 - Ed Kyle
I'm guess proposed version of Atlas since these are all kerolox engines.

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1842 on: 01/03/2013 03:30 am »
From Novosti Kosmonavtiki forum:


O.K.  What is that thing on the far right?

 - Ed Kyle
*or something of that nature. Image is sort of old though with reference to Taurus II ILV
« Last Edit: 01/03/2013 03:31 am by russianhalo117 »

Offline Antares

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1843 on: 01/06/2013 03:23 am »
I guess the only thing to compare it with is Spacex's timetable. 1st F9 launch June/July 2010, 1st COTS demo launch Oct 2010, 2nd/3rd May 2012 1st CRS delivery Oct 2012 (roughly).

However Orbital have much more experience of dealing with new launch vehicles so maybe there more able to anticipate problems and avoid them in the design and test phases prior to launch.

Orbital has no pad fluid experience prior to this project.  SpaceX has plenty of ex-Delta/Shuttle in Hawthorne and Delta/Atlas/Shuttle/Titan at the Cape.  Liberally-sized error bars are prudent in any calendar predictions.
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Offline Danderman

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1844 on: 01/08/2013 02:40 pm »
A very odd choice given all Orbital's experience (AFAIK) is in solids, except for their storable final stages.

The X-34 used LOX/Kerosene. Besides the first stage core is being done by the same Ukrainians who manufacture Zenit.


Orbital was well along in development of "Taurus II" before the COTS selection.

Offline Lars_J

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1845 on: 01/08/2013 05:27 pm »
A very odd choice given all Orbital's experience (AFAIK) is in solids, except for their storable final stages.

The X-34 used LOX/Kerosene. Besides the first stage core is being done by the same Ukrainians who manufacture Zenit.


Orbital was well along in development of "Taurus II" before the COTS selection.

While a "Taurus II" may have been on their drawing boards or in planning stages, I suspect it would have ended up significantly different than the current "Antares" without COTS.

Offline Freddie

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1846 on: 01/11/2013 08:34 pm »
What is the latest information on when Orbital Sciences expects to conduct its hot fire test of the Antares at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport?  Thank you.

Offline simonbp

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1847 on: 01/12/2013 04:34 am »
While a "Taurus II" may have been on their drawing boards or in planning stages, I suspect it would have ended up significantly different than the current "Antares" without COTS.

IIRC, the original motivation for Taurus II was as a Delta II successor, so that Orbital could still sell Delta II-class payloads on a US-led launcher. Without COTS (and assuming it had still been built), I imagine it would have been much more GTO-optimized, with a smaller second stage and larger third.

Offline Joffan

Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1848 on: 01/17/2013 05:23 am »
Antares still waiting in wings for chance to fly

http://articles.dailypress.com/2013-01-14/news/dp-nws-antares-launch-update-20130114_1_mid-atlantic-regional-spaceport-oxygen-and-kerosene-rocket

Quote from: Daily Press
The best guess now from the Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corporation is that its Antares rocket might finally get its dress rehearsal — a test launch — in late February.

"We're in the homestretch for sure," said Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski.

It's impossible to establish a firm test date until ground tests end, perhaps by the end of this month, Beneski said. Then it could take another four to six weeks to get the rocket ready for its test flight.
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Online Galactic Penguin SST

Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1849 on: 01/18/2013 01:44 pm »
I have seen references that at yesterday's briefing Mike Suffredini said that the first launch of Antares has been pushed back to March. Is that correct?
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Offline anik

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1850 on: 01/18/2013 03:29 pm »
I have seen references that at yesterday's briefing Mike Suffredini said that the first launch of Antares has been pushed back to March. Is that correct?

http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8031:iss-program-and-science-overview-briefing&catid=1:latest (04:49 - 06:05; HD 09:52 - 11:08).
« Last Edit: 01/18/2013 03:36 pm by anik »

Offline Joffan

Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1851 on: 01/18/2013 05:39 pm »
I have seen references that at yesterday's briefing Mike Suffredini said that the first launch of Antares has been pushed back to March. Is that correct?

http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8031:iss-program-and-science-overview-briefing&catid=1:latest (04:49 - 06:05; HD 09:52 - 11:08).

My transcription:

Quote from: Mike Suffredini
The objective for the first half of this year is to get the Orbital demo flight off - we'd like to see the Cygnus spacecraft at ISS sometime in the summer timeframe. That's going very well - in fact today [17 Jan] they're doing the last step in the cold-flow test, out at the Wallops launch facility. This afternoon, after lunch I think, they'll start the flowing of the propellant in order to test that whole system. That'll be followed up immediately at the end of January by a hotfire test which has been in the works for some time. And then the plan is to have the test flight that we've talked about in roughly the March/early spring timeframe, with a full possible launch of the demo flight hopefully in the summer timeframe. So that's the plan for the Orbital vehicle, and many things have come together with getting the pad ready and the vehicle ready to go fly; they've overcome a number of hurdles and the schedule is starting to stabilize on that system and so we're looking forward to it coming to ISS as well.

Short version:
Cold-flow tests - concluding today
Hotfire test - end of January
Test launch - March/"early spring" (April?)
Cygnus COTS demo to ISS - "Summer timeframe" (July/August?)
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Offline strangequark

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1852 on: 01/18/2013 11:37 pm »
Short version:
Cold-flow tests - concluding today
Hotfire test - end of January
Test launch - March/"early spring" (April?)
Cygnus COTS demo to ISS - "Summer timeframe" (July/August?)

Looks about right.

Offline rayleighscatter

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1853 on: 01/19/2013 12:49 pm »
Quote

Hampton Roads has an unofficial "save the date" from NASA for the much-anticipated commercial launches of the Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft from the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

In a press briefing Thursday from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA officials said April 5 is penciled in for a demonstration launch and attempt to berth with the International Space Station (ISS), and mid-August for the first official resupply mission.

But those dates came with a reality check.

"Many things could happen," said Mike Suffredini, ISS program manager, noting that Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corporation has already overcome a "number of hurdles" to get its technology to this point. "We think the schedule is starting to stabilize."

http://articles.dailypress.com/2013-01-18/news/dp-nws-nasa-rocket-briefing-20130118_1_cygnus-spacecraft-antares-rocket-orbital-spokesman-barron-beneski

Offline Joffan

Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1854 on: 01/20/2013 12:36 am »
Quote

Hampton Roads has an unofficial "save the date" from NASA for the much-anticipated commercial launches of the Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft from the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

In a press briefing Thursday from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA officials said April 5 is penciled in for a demonstration launch and attempt to berth with the International Space Station (ISS), and mid-August for the first official resupply mission.

But those dates came with a reality check.

"Many things could happen," said Mike Suffredini, ISS program manager, noting that Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corporation has already overcome a "number of hurdles" to get its technology to this point. "We think the schedule is starting to stabilize."

http://articles.dailypress.com/2013-01-18/news/dp-nws-nasa-rocket-briefing-20130118_1_cygnus-spacecraft-antares-rocket-orbital-spokesman-barron-beneski

I think the Daily Press reporter misunderstood Suffredini, or they're hung up on past dates. The possible early April launch will not be for rendezvous with the ISS and a speculative August launch would be the Demo (COTS2/3) to the ISS.
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Offline Salo

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1855 on: 01/20/2013 07:10 pm »
JSC "Kuznetsov" has signed an option (a contract in which the potential buyer gets the right but not the obligation, to buy) with Aerojet and Orbital Sciences for 50 newly manufactured engines NK-33 to 2020. According to the press service of the company.

http://vninform.ru/231226/article/kuznecov-podpisal-dogovor-s-aerojet-i-orbital-sciences-na-postavku-50-dvigatelej-nk33.html

Offline Jason1701

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1856 on: 01/20/2013 11:27 pm »
Are the previous NK-33s taken to America all ones manufactured decades ago?

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1857 on: 01/21/2013 04:54 am »
Are the previous NK-33s taken to America all ones manufactured decades ago?
Yes, to my knowledge they have been in storage since N1 program was cancelled. There are like 200+ or so available to Antares and Soyuz launchers prior to their eventual conversion. At least this will clean out the Russian warehouses for new use.

Offline Salo

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1858 on: 01/21/2013 05:12 am »
There are less then 100 engines.

Offline Prober

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Re: Orbital's Antares Development Update Thread
« Reply #1859 on: 01/21/2013 12:36 pm »
There are less then 100 engines.

believe the USA received in the 20"s and Russia has in the 40's left?
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