Company’s Partnership with U. S. Air Force Focused on New Intermediate- and Large-Class Space Launch VehiclesNew Launchers to Use Company’s Industry-Leading Solid Rocket Propulsion Technology and Other Modular ElementsDulles, Virginia 3 April 2017 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced that it has made important progress over the past 18 months in developing advanced solid rocket propulsion and other technologies to be used in a new generation of intermediate- and large-class space launch vehicles. Through a combination of internal investment and government funding from an Air Force contract awarded in late 2015 by the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Systems Directorate, the company’s Flight Systems Group recently completed design reviews, facility upgrades and tooling fabrication, and has now begun early production of development hardware for its Next Generation Launch (NGL) system. The company’s modular NGL rocket family will be capable of launching a wide variety of national security payloads, as well as science and commercial satellites that are too large to be launched by its current fleet of Pegasus, Minotaur and Antares space launch vehicles. The NGL vehicles will operate from both east and west coast launch facilities and will share common propulsion, structures and avionics systems with other company programs, including its smaller space launch vehicles as well as missile defense interceptors, target vehicles and strategic missile systems. “The NGL program is a great example of how industry and government can work together to develop an American launch system to support national security space launch requirements,” said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. “Orbital ATK is well-positioned to introduce an intermediate- and large-class family of launch vehicles by leveraging the strengths of the merged company to achieve low-cost assured space access for current and future national security payloads and other satellites.”Through commonality of hardware and other economies of scale, Orbital ATK’s proposed launch system will also reduce the cost of other U.S. Government rocket and missile programs managed by the Air Force, Navy, NASA and Missile Defense Agency, saving taxpayers up to $600 million on these programs over a ten-year period.Over the past 18 months, Orbital ATK has successfully completed critical design reviews for major elements of the company’s solid propulsion stages, along with preliminary vehicle-level and launch site infrastructure reviews. The company has also refurbished a 60,000-square-foot production building, including installation of automated tooling, cranes and other equipment to enable the manufacture of large-diameter composite-case rocket motors. Recently, the company completed the manufacturing of prototype motor test articles to be used in verification activities this summer.“The Orbital ATK NGL team, which now numbers several hundred engineers and technicians, has made tremendous progress since late 2015. Building on this work, we are looking forward to providing the Air Force and other customers with a highly-reliable and cost-effective launch system within the next four years,” said Lehr.The next phase of the program is expected to commence when the Air Force awards Launch Services Agreements in early 2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at company facilities in Promontory and Magna, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; Chandler, Arizona; and Kennedy Space Center, Florida.About Orbital ATKOrbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,500 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
from a distance the bottom pic looks like an Atlas V 521 on 39B
Really curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.
Quote from: IanThePineapple on 04/04/2017 12:26 amfrom a distance the bottom pic looks like an Atlas V 521 on 39BYep. I'm curious what Vandenberg pad they are hoping to use, though. There is no Shuttle heritage infrastructure left there.
Not stated but US is likely to be BE3U powered with possibility Blue will build complete stage.
Quote from: GWH on 04/04/2017 12:36 amReally curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.Super 4 Segment Cygnus?
Even more interesting is ability to deliver payloads direct to GEO, something only ULA have offered and will be with ACES.
This long lived US may also be capable of delivering payloads direct to DSG.
Super 4 Segment Cygnus?
Quote from: GWH on 04/04/2017 12:36 amReally curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.It's usually between 2.5X~3X GTO performance. So this should be somewhere between 15 and 25 tonnes. The big uncertainty is due to the GTO undertainty. But yes, a 4.2m diameter evolution of the Cygnus could very well do up to something equivalent to the ATV performance (~20tonnes of cargo).
I am also highly interested in the LEO and DRO payloads. I would love to see an set of trades on an OATK Deep Space Gateway. Course i'd also like to see trades on an "All of the above" Commercial DSG.
Orbital ATK’s business case requires five or six launches of the rocket per year for the military, NASA, or commercial customers, he said.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/27/details-of-orbital-atks-proposed-heavy-launcher-revealed/QuoteOrbital ATK’s business case requires five or six launches of the rocket per year for the military, NASA, or commercial customers, he said.uh. that's worse than I thought.I figured the selling point for this project was going to be viability at a glacial launch rate. Like 2 or 3 launches per year.