Orbital's Antares/Cygnus ORB-1 (CRS-1) Pre-Launch Update and Discussion Thread

[dsmillman]

Launch now scheduled on December 17 (local? probably December 18 GMT - should be ~03:00 UTC/10 pm EST) to clear away from the Chinese lunar landing party now rumored on December 16:

Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences
@OrbitalSciences and @NASA have identified December 17, 2013 as the target launch date for Orbital's first ISS commericial resupply mission

When will the rendezvous and berthing take place?

[Fuji]

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html

December 17, Tuesday
9:45 p.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Cargo Mission to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 10:07 p.m. EST) - JSC/WFF (All Channels)
 
December 20, Friday
TBD - Coverage of the Grapple and Berthing of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Cargo Ship to the ISS - JSC (All Channels)

[Fuji]

28 Tiny Satellites Launching Together In December to See Earth from Space
http://www.space.com/23739-tiny-earth-satellite-fleet-launching-december.html

Planet Labs delivered the 28 tiny satellites that will make up its "Flock 1" fleet to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia earlier this month.

The Flock 1 spacecraft will likely be ejected from the orbiting lab in mid-January, Marshall said.

Hi-resolution photo is here.
http://planet-labs.com/static/images/imagery/fullsize/Dove_nest_2.jpg

[kevin-rf]

So cute, can I take one home?

[dawei]

So cute, can I take one home?

Might make a nice Christmas present for many on this forum.  They should have a made a couple (thousand) more...

[Prober]

So cute, can I take one home?

Maybe print a model?  http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29378.msg932729#msg932729

[robertross]

So cute, can I take one home?

I was thinking the same thing too!

Maybe used a Christmas tree ornament? 

[pericynthion]

So cute, can I take one home?

I did actually get to take one home for a night.  We give them names... so I got to take Felicity out to look at the stars, and then she came home with me...

[Danderman]

These are apparently going to be deployed by the Nanoracks deployment system from the JEM airlock.

[AntaresWatcher]

If this mission doesn't launch on the 18th (which is the current projected launch date - right?) - how many back-up days does Orbital have before it gets too close for Christmas and they scrap for several days?

Are there other constraints like only allowing the vehicle to remain on the pad for so long before it has to go horizontal again or other launches/events at the ISS?

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-1/

ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-1)

Launch Date:    No Earlier Than December 17, 2013

Launch Site:    Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, VA

Launch Window:    10:04 - 10:09 pm EST (03:04 - 03:09 am GMT 12/18/13)

Cygnus Arrival at ISS :    No Earlier Than December 20, 2013

An Antares rocket carrying Orbital’s Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft is scheduled to lift-off from Pad-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia no earlier than December 17, 2013. Antares will boost Cygnus to a target orbit of 210 km by 298 km, from which Cygnus will use its on-board thrusters to raise its orbit to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station (ISS). Berthing with the ISS is scheduled to occur on December 20, 2013. For this mission Cygnus will be carrying approximately 1459 kg (3,217 lbs.) of cargo to the ISS for NASA.

The Orb-1 mission is the first of eight commercial cargo resupply missions to the ISS under the NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, under which Orbital is slated to deliver up to 20,000 kg of supplies to the station.

Antares Mission Description

The two-stage Antares space launch vehicle utilizes a liquid-fueled first stage powered by two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines and a solid motor ATK CASTOR 30B upper stage to boost Cygnus into orbit. The powered launch sequence will last about ten minutes from liftoff through the separation of Cygnus from the launch vehicle.

Cygnus Mission Description

After separation from Antares, Cygnus will deploy its solar arrays and undergo initial check-out. The spacecraft will conduct a series of thruster burns to raise its orbit to bring it within 4 km of the ISS prior to receiving authorization to autonomously rendezvous with the station. When the vehicle approaches to within 12 meters, the astronauts will use the station’s robotic arm to grapple Cygnus and berth it to the Harmony node of the station. Cygnus is planned to remain berthed at the ISS for 42 days during which time the station crew will load Cygnus with materials for disposal. At the end of the mission Cygnus will depart the station and reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.

Viewing the Launch

The Orb-1 launch will be broadcast on NASA TV and webcast on www.nasa.gov on launch day. In addition, NASA TV will provide live coverage of the rendezvous and berthing of Cygnus with the ISS.

You can follow the launch on Twitter @orbitalsciences and on Facebook.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-1/MissionUpdate/index.shtml

Friday, December 6

Our Antares and Cygnus teams are in the advanced stages of preparation for the company's first operational resupply mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The launch to the Station originating from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility is currently scheduled for Tuesday, December 17, at approximately 10:04 p.m.

Over the next 11 days, major operational events are scheduled to take place, beginning this weekend with the movement of the Antares rocket to the transporter/erector/launcher (TEL) and the mating of the Cygnus spacecraft with the Antares rocket that will carry it to orbit. Following the mating process, a series of tests to ensure all systems are properly working together will ensue, as will late- and final-loading of cargo, the encapsulation of Cygnus by the rocket's payload fairing, and finally, the roll-out and initial on-pad operations that are currently scheduled for December 15.

[averagespacejoe]

I saw on Orbital's viewing maps for the launch the CRS Orb-1 launch patch I think they did a good job I like the 8 stars on top. Look forward to a standalone image, I don't know enough about photoshop programs to pull it off.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

I saw on Orbital's viewing maps for the launch the CRS Orb-1 launch patch I think they did a good job I like the 8 stars on top. Look forward to a standalone image, I don't know enough about photoshop programs to pull it off.

Done. 

[Jason1701]

What is the significance of the icon near the West Coast on that patch? It looks similar to the Commercial Crew logo.

[woods170]

What is the significance of the icon near the West Coast on that patch? It looks similar to the Commercial Crew logo.

It looks similar, but it is definitely not the logo for the commercial crew program.

[arachnitect]

What is the significance of the icon near the West Coast on that patch? It looks similar to the Commercial Crew logo.

Maybe in honor of the spacecraft's namesake? The late C Gordon Fullerton worked at Dryden.

[psloss]

What is the significance of the icon near the West Coast on that patch? It looks similar to the Commercial Crew logo.

Maybe in honor of the spacecraft's namesake? The late C Gordon Fullerton worked at Dryden.

Good guess, looks like the astronaut pin.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Monday, December 9

The Antares team continued making progress over the weekend toward the launch of Orbital's first CRS resupply mission next week, however ongoing pre-launch testing took a bit longer than expected which resulted in shifting the targeted launch date by one day to December 18. In the next several days, the Antares rocket will be installed on the transporter/erector/launcher vehicle and the Cygnus spacecraft will be mated with the upper stage of the rocket. The launch window on December 18 is from 9:42 to 9:47 p.m.(EST). Additional updates will be posted in the days ahead.

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-1/MissionUpdate/index.shtml

[russianhalo117]

So possibliity of two USA Launches on same day and possibly a few others if foreign launches slip.