Quote from: Coastal Ron on 06/29/2017 02:44 pm... And they don't have experience being a launch provider....Pegasus. Taurus. Minotaur. Antares.
... And they don't have experience being a launch provider....
Quote from: Lars-J on 06/30/2017 12:27 amIt all depends on on how silo'd (separated) off the Orbital and ATK parts of the company are. OATK hasn't exactly warmly embraced Antares until perhaps recently. Also, past history of an organization is no guarantee that the current employees have retained that skill-set. There are lots of examples of that.David Thompson, Orbital co-founder, is at the helm of this merged company. He moved Scott Lehr, from the ATK side of the house, into the lead of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group, which is developing NGL (and operating Antares, Pegasus, Minotaur, etc.). It seems to me to have been a purposeful move designed to help tear down the old walls.No guarantees, but this merger seems to me to have many synergies. Motor builder joins company that uses motors. - Ed Kyle
It all depends on on how silo'd (separated) off the Orbital and ATK parts of the company are. OATK hasn't exactly warmly embraced Antares until perhaps recently. Also, past history of an organization is no guarantee that the current employees have retained that skill-set. There are lots of examples of that.
I keep reading "LNG rocket" hence a rocket running on liquid natural gas (refueled and launched from a LNG ship ?)
The Be3U powered US would be the most challenging for OA as they don't have LH experience. Nothing poaching engineers from ULA or Blue couldn't fix. Blue may even offer help if it results in BE3 sales.
Systems Engineering position (among several) for ULA Vulcan and Orbital ATK Next Generation Launcher (NGL) USAF New Entrant Certification in Los Angeles, CA. This is likely a job for a contractor working for the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) in El Segundo, CA at Los Angeles Air Force Base. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/388507126 - Ed Kyle
Orbital ATK plans to compete its proposed NGL intermediate- and heavy-lift rockets in future Air Force competitions. So far, the company has passed crucial design reviews and is working toward a static fire of its four-segment heavy-lift booster in about 2022. The company expects that rocket to be operational in 2024.Orbital ATK sees NGL as a natural progression from its smaller rockets, such as Pegasus and Antares. Antares currently delivers supplies for NASA to the International Space Station.“We have made very incremental steps in improving our capability,” said Mark Pieczynski, vice president of business development and strategy for Orbital ATK’s flight systems group. “We’re now ready to move into the intermediate and heavy class.”Orbital ATK and the Air Force together are investing more than $200 million to develop the launch system.
Quote from: Archibald on 07/01/2017 10:26 amI keep reading "LNG rocket" hence a rocket running on liquid natural gas (refueled and launched from a LNG ship ?) What do you think about a expendable TSTO with BE-4U engine upper-stage? (Instead of Castor300+BE-3UEN 3th stage) Could LOx and LNG alu or plastic COPV propallent tanks be produced using the same tooling as for the Castor X00 solid casings?
Jeff Foust @jeff_foust 2m2 minutes ago[Orbital ATK's David] Thompson: expecting joint go/no-go decision with the Air Force late this year or early next year on next phase of Next Generation Launcher.
Is there a reason the Ares 1 vibration issues won't also be a problem on NGL? The XL version is pretty similar in design.
Quote from: envy887 on 08/03/2017 02:54 pmIs there a reason the Ares 1 vibration issues won't also be a problem on NGL? The XL version is pretty similar in design.Different stage lengths for starters.
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 08/03/2017 04:31 pmQuote from: envy887 on 08/03/2017 02:54 pmIs there a reason the Ares 1 vibration issues won't also be a problem on NGL? The XL version is pretty similar in design.Different stage lengths for starters.The NGL 500 XL has the same size motors as the STS SRBs, which experienced significant thrust oscillation that was largely damped by the stiffness ET thrust beam and the mass of the ET. NGL doesn't have a ET or a thrust beam.It is also the same size as the Ares 1-X booster, which apparently didn't have any significant problems related to thrust oscillation.
In our flight systems segment, the company and the Air Force are now in the second year of what may well be a thought year, jointly funded program to create a new intermediate and large class launch vehicle.As I mentioned before, our objective, our joint objective is to develop a family of vehicles capable of launching both defense as well as commercial and scientific satellites that are larger heavier than those that can be accommodated by our current Antares rocket and have those new launchers ready for initial flights in 2020 or 2021.Our investments last year and this year together with those of the Air Force that covered the preliminary phases of design and facility expansion, we're expecting a joint go no go between the Air Force and Orbital ATK late this year or early next year concerning the next phase to actually move into full-scale development and testing of these vehicles in advance of commencing production and launch operations around the end of the decade.