Author Topic: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014  (Read 158761 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

Launch Coverage Sponsored by ATK:



June 22, 2010

CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-036

NASA AWARDS LAUNCH SERVICES CONTRACT FOR OCO-2 MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp. of
Dulles, Va., to launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)
mission. The spacecraft will fly in February 2013 aboard a Taurus XL
3110 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total cost of the OCO-2 launch services is approximately $70
million. The estimated cost includes the task-ordered launch service
for a Taurus XL 3110 rocket, plus additional services under other
contracts for payload processing, OCO-2 mission-unique support,
launch vehicle integration, and tracking, data and telemetry support.


OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon
dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas
driving changes in the Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide the first
complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and
"sinks," the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and
stored. It will map the global geographic distribution of these
sources and sinks and study their changes over time. The OCO-2
spacecraft will replace OCO-1, lost during a launch vehicle failure
in 2009.

The OCO-2 project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida is responsible for launch vehicle program
management of the Taurus XL 3110 rocket.

For more information about NASA and agency missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov 

« Last Edit: 07/01/2014 08:57 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Lee Jay

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This one's going to go better, I trust (and hope).  Best of luck to Orbital!

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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This one's going to go better, I trust (and hope). 

Shh! Don't jinx it!  ;)
"Oops! I left the silly thing in reverse!" - Duck Dodgers

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The time for words has passed; The time has come to put up or shut up!
DON'T PROPAGANDISE, FLY!!!

Offline bolun

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NASA Suspends Payments on Launch Contract with Orbital

Thu, 23 June, 2011

WASHINGTON — NASA is suspending payments on a nearly $70 million contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. for launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 environmental satellite aboard a Taurus XL rocket, which failed in its last two missions.

Dulles, Va.-based Orbital remains under contract to build OCO-2, a duplicate of the $200 million carbon-mapping satellite destroyed in a 2009 Taurus XL launch failure blamed on payload-fairing separation error. However, the $68.1 million NASA had budgeted for a February 2013 Taurus XL launch of OCO-2 has been “temporarily put on hold” as the agency evaluates “launch services options for the OCO-2 mission,” according to NASA’s 2011 initial operating plan.

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110623-nasa-suspends-payments-orbital.html

Offline sdsds

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NASA Suspends Payments on Launch Contract with Orbital

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110623-nasa-suspends-payments-orbital.html

Ouch.

Quote
“I would go more than recertified, personally,” Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, told Space News in May. “I would go demonstrated.”

Is there another payload that could be launched by Taurus XL?  What customer would accept the risks (that Freilich apparently won't accept) of riding on a demonstration flight?
— 𝐬𝐝𝐒𝐝𝐬 —

Offline Malderi

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Probably one that gets a substantial discount.

Offline Antares

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Iridium?
If I like something on NSF, it's probably because I know it to be accurate.  Every once in a while, it's just something I agree with.  Facts generally receive the former.

Offline HMXHMX

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Offline A_M_Swallow

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Possibly a test payload containing recording equipment, cameras and other sensors that permits what the fairing actually does to be seen.

Offline sdsds

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Does this enable OCO-2?

Quote
Thompson also said Orbital has completed a review of the March failure of its smaller Taurus XL rocket, whose fairing malfunctioned for the second consecutive time. In both cases the principal payloads were NASA science satellites whose combined cost is estimated at more than $600 million.
http://www.spacenews.com/launch/110722-taurus-debut-delayed.html
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Online ugordan

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Enable it in what way?

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Enable it in what way?

ORS-1 launch used modified fairing that worked successfully

Quote
Thompson also said Orbital has completed a review of the March failure of its smaller Taurus XL rocket, whose fairing malfunctioned for the second consecutive time. In both cases the principal payloads were NASA science satellites whose combined cost is estimated at more than $600 million.

Orbital’s June 29 flight of a Minotaur rocket, a converted ICBM, used a fairing that had been redesigned to account for the two Taurus XL failures. The launch, carrying the U.S. Defense Department’s Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite into low Earth orbit, was a success

Online ugordan

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Wasn't the same fairing previosuly successfully flown on Minotaurs also flown on the first ill-fated Taurus?

In any case, I doubt this "enables" OCO-2. Methinks NASA is still going to go by the old fool me once... saying.
« Last Edit: 08/08/2011 09:43 pm by ugordan »

Offline zaitcev

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According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

Offline William Graham

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According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small

Doubt if they can piggy-back it on an Atlas or Falcon launch to SSO, and they'd be paying for a lot of excess capacity if they opt for a dedicated launch. I doubt if F1e could be ready in time even if SpaceX were actively developing it. I'm also not sure if Athena needs to be requalified given that it has been out of service for so long, and now has a different second stage. Pegasus can't carry it, and Minotaur can only be used if NASA can prove that no other rocket is capable of launching it.

ULA do have a few unassembled Delta II rockets in reserve, and OCO has been linked with it in the past. A 7320 would still have plenty of room for secondary payloads, but it does seem the most likely option.

Online Skyrocket

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According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small

Doubt if they can piggy-back it on an Atlas or Falcon launch to SSO, and they'd be paying for a lot of excess capacity if they opt for a dedicated launch. I doubt if F1e could be ready in time even if SpaceX were actively developing it. I'm also not sure if Athena needs to be requalified given that it has been out of service for so long, and now has a different second stage. Pegasus can't carry it, and Minotaur can only be used if NASA can prove that no other rocket is capable of launching it.

ULA do have a few unassembled Delta II rockets in reserve, and OCO has been linked with it in the past. A 7320 would still have plenty of room for secondary payloads, but it does seem the most likely option.

Minotaur-IV could be an alternative, if no other acceptable launch vehicles are available (e.g. LADEE on Minotaur V). The Minotaur I mentioned above is likely not powerful enough.

Offline Zed_Noir

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According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small


What do you mean by too big? In terms of lift capacity or cost?

Online ugordan

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Copied from another thread:

If this happens, is Delta II is only launch vehicle (in this class) certified to launch NASA scientific payloads?

Delta II is in Taurus class as much is Atlas V is in Delta II class

So basically, OCO-2 is going up on a Minotaur IV?

Offline TheMightyM

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Falcon 1 is also very likely too small. Would take a Falcon 1e, which is unproven.

Another possibility besides a Minotaur IV would be to fly OCO-2 and another payload on a Delta 7320.

Offline edkyle99

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Does this mean the end of Taurus?

If so, that would be two U.S. small-sat launchers that have bit the dust in recent months.

Could a Delta 2 even be ready to fly by "mid-2014"?

Minotaur 4 really is the right match for this payload in terms of basic capability and proven flight history, but will the Pentagon approve such a launch?  Athena 2c might be a good match too, but it hasn't flown.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 02/11/2012 03:30 pm by edkyle99 »

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