-
#820
by
Kryten
on 02 Mar, 2021 08:49
-
-
#821
by
JEF_300
on 02 Mar, 2021 11:45
-
If this is true then it means NG have decided to end Antares, and it puts a hard limit on the last flights at the 2024 maiden launch target of Neutron.
Now don't quote me here cause I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the infrastructure at Wallops, but I don't see any particular reason why Antares and Neutron couldn't share the pad. It's not like they'd use the same strong-back.
-
#822
by
jstrotha0975
on 02 Mar, 2021 11:57
-
Sharing pad 0A will be faster and cheaper than building their own pad from scratch. Maybe Neutron will launch in 2024 after all.
-
#823
by
Lars-J
on 02 Mar, 2021 20:47
-
If this is true then it means NG have decided to end Antares, and it puts a hard limit on the last flights at the 2024 maiden launch target of Neutron.
Now don't quote me here cause I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the infrastructure at Wallops, but I don't see any particular reason why Antares and Neutron couldn't share the pad. It's not like they'd use the same strong-back.
The way the Antares sits on the pad makes that tricky. Its launch mount is basically a cylinder that detaches the rocket (sere image below). But this cylinder is the same 3.9m diameter as the Antares, and would likely not be a great fit for Neutron that has a diameter of 4.5m.
So while it is possible, it would require a significant pad rebuild. I don't see it happening.
IMO the only way Neutron launches from 0A is if NG retires Antares and makes the pad available. NG has made no such announcement.
-
#824
by
russianhalo117
on 02 Mar, 2021 22:12
-
If this is true then it means NG have decided to end Antares, and it puts a hard limit on the last flights at the 2024 maiden launch target of Neutron.
Now don't quote me here cause I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the infrastructure at Wallops, but I don't see any particular reason why Antares and Neutron couldn't share the pad. It's not like they'd use the same strong-back.
The way the Antares sits on the pad makes that tricky. Its launch mount is basically a cylinder that detaches the rocket (sere image below). But this cylinder is the same 3.9m diameter as the Antares, and would likely not be a great fit for Neutron that has a diameter of 4.5m.
So while it is possible, it would require a significant pad rebuild. I don't see it happening.
IMO the only way Neutron launches from 0A is if NG retires Antares and makes the pad available. NG has made no such announcement.
RL toured the available MARS LA-0C site when they toured for their LA-0A/2 spot and placed a dibs reservation at the time that still stands.
-
#825
by
edzieba
on 03 Mar, 2021 11:31
-
If this is true then it means NG have decided to end Antares, and it puts a hard limit on the last flights at the 2024 maiden launch target of Neutron.
Now don't quote me here cause I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the infrastructure at Wallops, but I don't see any particular reason why Antares and Neutron couldn't share the pad. It's not like they'd use the same strong-back.
The way the Antares sits on the pad makes that tricky. Its launch mount is basically a cylinder that detaches the rocket (sere image below). But this cylinder is the same 3.9m diameter as the Antares, and would likely not be a great fit for Neutron that has a diameter of 4.5m.
So while it is possible, it would require a significant pad rebuild. I don't see it happening.
IMO the only way Neutron launches from 0A is if NG retires Antares and makes the pad available. NG has made no such announcement.
If you look at the Antares during rollout, you can see the 'reaction frame' (not sure the OSC/NG parlance, but it's the same concept) is carried as part of the integrated TE. When the TE erects, that frame sits down onto the pad itself and the TE strongback is bolted to the fixed pivots, then the transport bolts are removed to allow the TE to move back at time of launch. To convert 0A to a multiple occupancy pad, the seat for the 'reaction frame' would need to be widened (you can already see the existing mount 'necks down' to a narrower diameter), and the Antares reaction frame would need to be enlarged to sit on the wider seat. Neutron would also need a wider set of TE pivot points installed. The harder part would be that all the tail service plumbing would need to be made modular to allow swapping between vehicle configurations.
It's not an impossible task, and depending on expected Antares launch rate even a painful switchover could be tolerable if the once (an on occasion twice) a year launch rate continues.
-
#826
by
russianhalo117
on 03 Mar, 2021 15:09
-
If this is true then it means NG have decided to end Antares, and it puts a hard limit on the last flights at the 2024 maiden launch target of Neutron.
Now don't quote me here cause I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the infrastructure at Wallops, but I don't see any particular reason why Antares and Neutron couldn't share the pad. It's not like they'd use the same strong-back.
The way the Antares sits on the pad makes that tricky. Its launch mount is basically a cylinder that detaches the rocket (sere image below). But this cylinder is the same 3.9m diameter as the Antares, and would likely not be a great fit for Neutron that has a diameter of 4.5m.
So while it is possible, it would require a significant pad rebuild. I don't see it happening.
IMO the only way Neutron launches from 0A is if NG retires Antares and makes the pad available. NG has made no such announcement.
If you look at the Antares during rollout, you can see the 'reaction frame' (not sure the OSC/NG parlance, but it's the same concept) is carried as part of the integrated TE. When the TE erects, that frame sits down onto the pad itself and the TE strongback is bolted to the fixed pivots, then the transport bolts are removed to allow the TE to move back at time of launch. To convert 0A to a multiple occupancy pad, the seat for the 'reaction frame' would need to be widened (you can already see the existing mount 'necks down' to a narrower diameter), and the Antares reaction frame would need to be enlarged to sit on the wider seat. Neutron would also need a wider set of TE pivot points installed. The harder part would be that all the tail service plumbing would need to be made modular to allow swapping between vehicle configurations.
It's not an impossible task, and depending on expected Antares launch rate even a painful switchover could be tolerable if the once (an on occasion twice) a year launch rate continues.
The Reaction Frame and top side Launch Mount Adapter are presently sized to the Zenit/Antares booster diameter but the bottom portion of the LMA is built wider than Proton as Mayak family diameter is equal or wider than Proton (depending upon year of specifications thus being capable with minimal modifications of supporting the proposed 4.5m Neutron stage 1 diameter and not much more. Note that Ukrainian manufactured launchers to Russian cosmodromes is 4.1m (disassembled Proton) for electrified railway and Far East tunnels but 4.5m (fuzzy memory) for non electrified railway to Baikonur and 6m by road and sea (though not practical cost wise). That said the entire pad is designed around a Zenit derived TEL with capped off fluid boom connections and mounting points for the originally proposed and deferred liquid Stage 2.
-
#827
by
JEF_300
on 04 Mar, 2021 02:37
-
Pad 0-A confirmed 
Very curious how Rocket Lab managed to secure that extraordinary deal...
Neutron will fly from Pad 0-A from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, the pad currently used by Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and next to Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 pad for its Electron rocket. Using that pad, Beck said, avoids the expense of building a new launch complex.
“Leveraging the $100 million of wonderful investment by the state into a launch pad that’s used very infrequently just makes good business sense,” he said, a reference to the current Antares flight rate of two missions a year. “It saves a whole lot of time and risk out of development program.”
Rocket Lab will build a factory for Neutron as close as it can to that launch pad to minimize issues with transporting the vehicle, such as bridge clearances when transporting rockets by road.
https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-says-spac-deal-will-accelerate-development-of-neutron-rocket/
And they were pad-mates.
-
#828
by
RocketTamerPaul
on 01 Jun, 2021 16:13
-
It [Antares after it completes its contracted CRS2 Cygnus launches] might win some military launches out of Wallops due deconflciting with Cape etc, but economically and politically (Russian engines) it's not got a long life ahead of it.
-
#829
by
Simon90
on 05 Jun, 2021 15:51
-
Which other rocket would be a direct capability comparison to Antares for such payloads? Then Wallops would be the only unique difference.
-
#830
by
lrk
on 05 Jun, 2021 17:42
-
Isn't Neutron (launching from Wallops, supposedly even from the same pad) supposed to be similar in capability but at a lower cost?
[Neutron: pad 0-A
Antares: pad 0-B]
-
#831
by
Carl Richards
on 22 Jul, 2021 05:22
-
Is there any other rocket that sideways moves away from the mount like this one does at launch?
-
#832
by
darkenfast
on 22 Jul, 2021 08:34
-
The Shuttle moved in the direction opposite the orbiter. The openings for the solid boosters were rectangular, and the excess area was covered in water-filled bags which were blown away as the vehicle shifted. The movement delayed the impingement from the very hot-burning and angled main engines on their side of the launch platform until the vehicle had lifted a bit, but I think there were other reasons as well. You can see all of this in the slow-motion engineering videos posted elsewhere on this site. Pretty interesting stuff to watch!
-
#833
by
KEdward5
on 20 Sep, 2021 14:38
-
Is Antares in the class to take up some Vulcan missions if the BE-4 continues to be delayed?
-
#834
by
jstrotha0975
on 20 Sep, 2021 17:55
-
Is Antares in the class to take up some Vulcan missions if the BE-4 continues to be delayed?
No, Antares can only do 8000kg to LEO.
-
#835
by
TrevorMonty
on 31 Dec, 2021 20:41
-
-
#836
by
Robotbeat
on 12 Jan, 2022 18:24
-
Is Antares in the class to take up some Vulcan missions if the BE-4 continues to be delayed?
No, Antares can only do 8000kg to LEO.
Depends on the mission. Atlas V has done many missions of about that class.
-
#837
by
Robotbeat
on 12 Jan, 2022 18:25
-
Which other rocket would be a direct capability comparison to Antares for such payloads? Then Wallops would be the only unique difference.
RocketLab Neutron.
-
#838
by
JEF_300
on 14 Jan, 2022 20:13
-
Which other rocket would be a direct capability comparison to Antares for such payloads? Then Wallops would be the only unique difference.
RocketLab Neutron.
The current Firefly Beta would also be competition, assuming it happens. Soyuz is in the same class too.
-
#839
by
JEF_300
on 06 Feb, 2022 19:00
-
Antares is getting RD-181Ms. What do we know about them?
The only thing I'm sure of is that they use only Russian components.
Very curious how Rocket Lab managed to secure that extraordinary deal...