Author Topic: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates  (Read 110353 times)

Offline jsmjr

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #100 on: 03/31/2013 03:18 am »
What hints do we have of a ground track?  (Didn't see one in the A-One brochure, the way ULA usually does.)  Would they mimic an actual ISS COTS mission?

If I understand correctly, ISS missions from Wallops will launch at a south-easterly azimuth - to match a descending node.  That is, roughly at a right angle to what you see out of KSC/CCAFS for ascending nodes.

Thinking that might offer viewing potential for the nearest large population center, in Virginia Beach?  Anyone have some insights?

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #101 on: 03/31/2013 03:31 am »
What hints do we have of a ground track?  (Didn't see one in the A-One brochure, the way ULA usually does.)  Would they mimic an actual ISS COTS mission?

If I understand correctly, ISS missions from Wallops will launch at a south-easterly azimuth - to match a descending node.  That is, roughly at a right angle to what you see out of KSC/CCAFS for ascending nodes.

Thinking that might offer viewing potential for the nearest large population center, in Virginia Beach?  Anyone have some insights?
Published here: http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Antares_Test_Flight/index.shtml
"The goal of the A-ONE mission is to demonstrate the operational Antares launch system, from roll-out of the rocket from its integration facility, through emplacement on the pad and fueling, to launch and delivery of a simulated payload to a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Range listed launch time for all approved days is ~ 1900 UTC and another source give a window opening time of 1856UTC with a two minute cola currently from 1857UTC through 1859UTC just on the 18th, but based on widely available data from sites you are looking at nearly/on 1900 UTC for the T-0 time.

If some can figure out which satellite(s) might require a cola prohibiting this launch for two minutes on the 18th would be great. The data for my only other source is slightly older than the published ~ 1900 UTC T-0 time (source give a window opening time of 1856UTC with a two minute cola currently from 1857UTC through 1859UTC just on the 18th)
« Last Edit: 03/31/2013 03:38 am by russianhalo117 »

Offline GClark

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #102 on: 03/31/2013 07:59 am »
What hints do we have of a ground track?  (Didn't see one in the A-One brochure, the way ULA usually does.)  Would they mimic an actual ISS COTS mission?

If I understand correctly, ISS missions from Wallops will launch at a south-easterly azimuth - to match a descending node.  That is, roughly at a right angle to what you see out of KSC/CCAFS for ascending nodes.

Thinking that might offer viewing potential for the nearest large population center, in Virginia Beach?  Anyone have some insights?

As a resident of Virginia Beach, I'll take this one up...

I have the advantage of working at the oceanfront (3rd shift) and was able to catch the first two Minotaur launches.  TacSat 2 launched right at 7:00 am local and pretty much stopped the oceanfront in its' tracks.  It was visible from the moment it cleared the tower all the way through stg 2/3 staging.  NFIRE was launched at night and appeared as a fast moving light low on the horizon.

1900 UTC will be 3:00 pm local.  Unless there are clouds/haze, the view should be quite good.  Too bad I'll be out of town those days ("$#%^ it, Jim")...

Offline jsmjr

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #103 on: 03/31/2013 01:14 pm »
Published here: http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Antares_Test_Flight/index.shtml
"The goal of the A-ONE mission is to demonstrate the operational Antares launch system, from roll-out of the rocket from its integration facility, through emplacement on the pad and fueling, to launch and delivery of a simulated payload to a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Maths are the reason I'm a lawyer.  At what azimuth do you launch from Wallops for an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees?

I have the advantage of working at the oceanfront (3rd shift) and was able to catch the first two Minotaur launches.  TacSat 2 launched right at 7:00 am local and pretty much stopped the oceanfront in its' tracks.  It was visible from the moment it cleared the tower all the way through stg 2/3 staging.  NFIRE was launched at night and appeared as a fast moving light low on the horizon.

1900 UTC will be 3:00 pm local.  Unless there are clouds/haze, the view should be quite good.  Too bad I'll be out of town those days ("$#%^ it, Jim")...

Where at the Oceanfront? Seems like the liquid-fueled Antares will be a fair bit more difficult to spot at the distance of scores of miles than the plumes of a Minotaur?  Hope the weather is clear!

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Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #105 on: 03/31/2013 08:13 pm »
Published here: http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Antares_Test_Flight/index.shtml
"The goal of the A-ONE mission is to demonstrate the operational Antares launch system, from roll-out of the rocket from its integration facility, through emplacement on the pad and fueling, to launch and delivery of a simulated payload to a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Maths are the reason I'm a lawyer.  At what azimuth do you launch from Wallops for an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees?

I have the advantage of working at the oceanfront (3rd shift) and was able to catch the first two Minotaur launches.  TacSat 2 launched right at 7:00 am local and pretty much stopped the oceanfront in its' tracks.  It was visible from the moment it cleared the tower all the way through stg 2/3 staging.  NFIRE was launched at night and appeared as a fast moving light low on the horizon.

1900 UTC will be 3:00 pm local.  Unless there are clouds/haze, the view should be quite good.  Too bad I'll be out of town those days ("$#%^ it, Jim")...

Where at the Oceanfront? Seems like the liquid-fueled Antares will be a fair bit more difficult to spot at the distance of scores of miles than the plumes of a Minotaur?  Hope the weather is clear!
Here is a lengthy 24 page answer from the FAA for WFF flights to ISS. In short, a dogleg maneuver is required between the Tropics of Capricorn and the Equator to avoid the first stage, as well as in a LOM Failure scenario resulting in loss of the launch vehicle before reaching orbit or the separation of the first stage, from impacting somewhere along the East coast of South America.

EDIT: For WFF: Launch azimuth is constrained to between
85 and 129 degrees and Satellite inclinations between 38 and 52
degrees are achievable from Wallops.

LINK: http://www.satobs.org/faq/Chapter-09.txt

« Last Edit: 03/31/2013 08:16 pm by russianhalo117 »

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #106 on: 03/31/2013 08:27 pm »
a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Maths are the reason I'm a lawyer.  At what azimuth do you launch from Wallops for an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees?

Why bother with numbers when Google Maps provides the "Distance Measurement Tool," which allows drawing straight lines on the Earth's surface? (Hint: place the extreme of the orbit at or near a places around 51.6 S. I chose the Foch and Heard Island areas.)
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Offline jsmjr

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #107 on: 03/31/2013 10:12 pm »
a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Maths are the reason I'm a lawyer.  At what azimuth do you launch from Wallops for an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees?

Why bother with numbers when Google Maps provides the "Distance Measurement Tool," which allows drawing straight lines on the Earth's surface? (Hint: place the extreme of the orbit at or near a places around 51.6 S. I chose the Foch and Heard Island areas.)

Okay, played around with that.  Assuming the geometry works, I reckon that leaves you with about a 135 degree local azimuth for a direct-to-orbit launch. Here are some images showing the local route.  A dog-leg would presumably be a bit more to the east, although I'm not sure that would be at all apparent close to the launch site, when the avoidance zone is almost 4000 miles away.

The result shows why Virginia Beach is not a bad vantage site, and why Tom's Cove could be an excellent local viewing site.




Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #108 on: 04/01/2013 02:20 am »
a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees."

Maths are the reason I'm a lawyer.  At what azimuth do you launch from Wallops for an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees?

Why bother with numbers when Google Maps provides the "Distance Measurement Tool," which allows drawing straight lines on the Earth's surface? (Hint: place the extreme of the orbit at or near a places around 51.6 S. I chose the Foch and Heard Island areas.)
More info (bit old so not sure on how accurate it is now; from September 2011) which might change the flight path a bit more for this flight and possibly couple of more,
Maneuver 1:
First somewhat small dogleg maneuver at the request of Bermuda, for currently just this flight, will result in maneuver (currently to West by one source) to avoid overflight or possible first stage/lv debris impact if failure results within Bermuda's sea border.
Maneuver 2 &3 (already mentioned in a previous post and known):
Second dogleg maneuver turning back SE, but slight more ESE this time will start shortly after passing Bermuda and will allow the LV to clear the easternmost group Caribbean Islands as well as the eastern most point Brazil. The flight path will aim initially toward Cape Verde, but after passing directly east of Antigua, Antares will complete its final maneuver before reaching orbit to place it back to on to its nominal 51.6 deg inclination flight path which will go by South Africa.

Offline Antares

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #109 on: 04/01/2013 07:16 pm »
Sorry, dumb question.  I thought NASA owned the Wallops range and that the USAF Eastern Range has nothing to do with it.  Yet there's talk of USAF ER on here.  What am I missing?
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Offline strangequark

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #110 on: 04/01/2013 07:41 pm »
Sorry, dumb question.  I thought NASA owned the Wallops range and that the USAF Eastern Range has nothing to do with it.  Yet there's talk of USAF ER on here.  What am I missing?

Pretty sure they're still responsible for Range Safety at Wallops.
« Last Edit: 04/01/2013 07:41 pm by strangequark »

Offline Orbiter

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #111 on: 04/01/2013 07:58 pm »
Azimuth to a 51.6 degree orbit from Wallops should be ~50 degrees (ascending) and ~129.9 degrees (descending).
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Offline joek

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #112 on: 04/01/2013 09:16 pm »
Sorry, dumb question.  I thought NASA owned the Wallops range and that the USAF Eastern Range has nothing to do with it.  Yet there's talk of USAF ER on here.  What am I missing?
Pretty sure they're still responsible for Range Safety at Wallops.

NASA is responsible at Wallops.

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #113 on: 04/01/2013 09:49 pm »
Sorry, dumb question.  I thought NASA owned the Wallops range and that the USAF Eastern Range has nothing to do with it.  Yet there's talk of USAF ER on here.  What am I missing?
Pretty sure they're still responsible for Range Safety at Wallops.

NASA is responsible at Wallops.
According to what I found both are responsible with only NASA being completely responsible for range assets and operations regarding sounding rockets. For orbital and other non sounding rockets USAF holds primary responsibility in most cases. Commercial launches are overseen by USAF. NASA only missions with prior approval from DoD before each mission may assume Eastern Range responsibility for that launch if approval is granted.
If this has changed since 2011 I would be inclined to learn about the change.

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #114 on: 04/01/2013 10:45 pm »
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/news/Bermuda.html

Quote
NASA’s mobile tracking station in Bermuda provides telemetry, radar, and command and control services. It will support the launch of rockets carrying supplies to the International Space Station

Is it fair to assume "command and control" in this context is range destruct signalling? If so then the only question is whether the RSO is employed by NASA or the USAF.
« Last Edit: 04/01/2013 10:50 pm by sdsds »
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Offline joek

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #115 on: 04/01/2013 11:04 pm »
Wallops RSO is NASA.  edit: Just to note that "range safety" includes lots of stuff besides actually flying (or terminating) the rocket.
« Last Edit: 04/01/2013 11:19 pm by joek »

Offline Jim

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #116 on: 04/02/2013 01:30 am »

According to what I found both are responsible with only NASA being completely responsible for range assets and operations regarding sounding rockets. For orbital and other non sounding rockets USAF holds primary responsibility in most cases. Commercial launches are overseen by USAF. NASA only missions with prior approval from DoD before each mission may assume Eastern Range responsibility for that launch if approval is granted.
If this has changed since 2011 I would be inclined to learn about the change.

No, Wallops is its own independent range and the USAF is not involved on site.  But like all orbital missions, assets from other ranges are used.  The Eastern Range may supply assets for Antares but Wallops is still the lead range.

Offline jsmjr

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #117 on: 04/02/2013 06:19 pm »
Range safety for this flight appears quite different from what we might know for CCAFS launches.  I've done a bit of research and will lay out my understanding of legal complexities.  Please feel free to correct me.

Range safety for launches from WFF does not fall under the rules for the Eastern Range, which were codified together with the Western Range as a Range Safety Requirements document called EWR 127-1.  (It is now referred to as Air Force Space Command Instruction AFSCI 91-700). There is instead an equivalent document called the "Range Safety Manual for Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility" which I'll call the RSM.  The RSM states the NASA management authorities for various aspects of range safety, including the RSO and FSO (who has the FTS button).

So far, so good.  However, in the case of the A-One mission, Orbital has a specific FAA license of its own (LLS 11-077) to fly Antares and the Cygnus mass simulator.  Furthermore, the flight technically originates from a Pad 0-A, part of a commercial launch site operated by WFF tenant VCSFA (d/b/a MARS) under license LLO 02-007.  So does the RSM - which is a NASA document - apply?  Good question.

The FAA has its own range safety rules codified in 14 CFR Parts 415 et seq, which differ depending on whether the launch is to be conducted from a Federal range or a non-Federal launch site.  If the former, the launch operator may contract with the range to provide the safety-related launch services, as long as an FAA launch site safety assessment (LSSA) shows that the range's launch services and launch property satisfy FAA requirements.  In the case of a non-Federal launch site, the launch operator is obligated to prepare their own safety plan and prove that it meets a litany of requirements.  (Unlike with Federal ranges, the rules don't contemplate that range safety services would necessarily be provided by the site/range operator, but I suppose it's possible.)

Orbital's launch license application does not appear to be publicly available, so it's hard to be certain what method they used to clear the range safety requirements with the FAA. I also could not determine whether any agreement exists that obligates commercial MARS users generally or Orbital specifically to follow the RSM. However, given that there is an established NASA-run range safety program at WFF, which almost certainly qualifies under an FAA LSSA, it's hard to believe Orbital would handle this any other way. 

That's a pretty tortuous analysis of the regulations, but it comes back to a commonsense assumption: That NASA has range control over A-One under the RSM.  Anyone have other ideas?

P.S. The latest version of the WFF RSM I can find online is from 2008.  Surely there's a more recent version?  http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code803/rso.html

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #118 on: 04/02/2013 07:04 pm »
If Orbital were following the timeline shown in "Attachment 2" of the WFF RSM (Data Requirements and Review Schedule), then at L-14 days they would conduct a "Mission/Range Readiness Review." If L is April 17 then L-14 is April 3, i.e. tomorrow.

Are there indications that Orbital is following that timeline, and/or that an L-14 review will take place?
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Offline Jim

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Re: LIVE: Orbital's Antares A-One Processing Flow Updates
« Reply #119 on: 04/02/2013 09:43 pm »
Furthermore, the flight technically originates from a Pad 0-A, part of a commercial launch site operated by WFF tenant VCSFA (d/b/a MARS) under license LLO 02-007.  So does the RSM - which is a NASA document - apply?  Good question.


No different than a commercial launch from CCAFS on the Eastern Range.   Pad 0-A is still on the Wallops range.

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