So there will be a thrust increase to 100 percent for the entire first stage flight, did they ever look at increasing the tank capacity given the new engines both are more efficient and put out more thrust? That seems like an easy way to increase performance. Only reason not to would be if from a ground handling it would create issues.
So there will be a thrust increase to 100 percent for the entire first stage flight, did they ever look at increasing the tank capacity given the new engines both are more efficient and put out more thrust? That seems like an easy way to increase performance. Only reason not to would be if from a ground handling it would create issues.
That is what the 300-series was planned to be. According to Dr. Elias (CTO of OATK, I spoke with him last year), that is off the table for now, not sure of the reason.
Probably a cost benefit issue, current planned upgrades should have minimal impact on GSE while mild increases in performance, enough to meet their needs, versus tank length changes probably have a lot more cost involved and not enough business case to justify them. Especially with the possibility of NGL.
So there will be a thrust increase to 100 percent for the entire first stage flight, did they ever look at increasing the tank capacity given the new engines both are more efficient and put out more thrust? That seems like an easy way to increase performance. Only reason not to would be if from a ground handling it would create issues.
That is what the 300-series was planned to be. According to Dr. Elias (CTO of OATK, I spoke with him last year), that is off the table for now, not sure of the reason.
Awesome article, CTO answered a lot of burning questions on how OATK was continuing with CRS2. // I would guess it wouldn't be worth it for Orbital ATK & Yuzhnoye to have the stretched tanks changing tooling from factory for one off, since they won't be making Zenit stages & Atlas 5 only got few years left in her; Pad & GSE upgrades. financially it not worth it if they are selling to NASA at break-even or a lose money on. Not worth the effort if they are going all in for Omega.
Would be interesting to know if OMEGA can deliver Cygnus to LOP-G and with what payload capability.
Would be interesting to know if OMEGA can deliver Cygnus to LOP-G and with what payload capability.
Cygnus would have to do LOI. The standard Omega would likely do about 6,000 kg to TLI. The XL version would almost double that but will not be available until 2024 at best.
Would be interesting to know if OMEGA can deliver Cygnus to LOP-G and with what payload capability.
Cygnus would have to do LOI. The standard Omega would likely do about 6,000 kg to TLI. The XL version would almost double that but will not be available until 2024 at best.
What about adding a Star upper stage? By my napkin math a Star 48 would provide almost 750 m/s delta v to a 6.5 ton payload (max payload to LEO for Antares 230). NRHO insertion from TLI is, IIRC, a single ~550 m/s burn, so thats easily doable. Star 48 already exists, would need minimal work to adapt to OmegA, and can last days, and its only a bit over 2 tons
Though ULA seems to think Vulcan-ACES will be doing cislunar Cygnus launches, and I think if they were wrong about that OATK would have asked them to stop using Cygnus in 90% of their ACES renders
Probably a cost benefit issue, current planned upgrades should have minimal impact on GSE while mild increases in performance, enough to meet their needs, versus tank length changes probably have a lot more cost involved and not enough business case to justify them. Especially with the possibility of NGL.
This plan also probably avoids a significant amount of re-certification and re-licensing work with both NASA and the FAA.
FEATURE ARTICLE: Orbital ATK looks ahead to CRS2 Cygnus flights, Antares on the commercial market -
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/06/orbital-atk-crs2-cygnus-flights-antares-commercial/
- By Chris Gebhardt
Antares render leading the article by Nathan Koga for NSF/L2 
Nice interview and article!
I know most of the reporting since the introduction of the Antares 230 has been that, beyond reserving the option to do so, NASA wasn't giving any signals that it was imminently going to ask for any Atlas V launches on CRS2 missions. But I won't be surprised if NASA does ask for their fourth CRS2 flight to be on Atlas (would be OA-15). In fact, I was kind of expecting them to do so for the third one. Here's why:
-STMD currently has a Tech Demo Mission called
Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID)--in previous incarnations, this mission was called HIAD (Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator) on ULA (HULA) or HIAD-TDM. LOFTID is baselined for FY2021 in the latest notional
NASA 5-year budget plan (FY2019)[.PDF].
-
This tweet from Jeff Foust reporting on a comment made at the 2018 Goddard Memorial Space Symposium on 2018-03-15 by ULA's Chief Technologist of Advanced Programs.
John Reed, ULA: we’re working with NASA on LOFTID, an aerodynamic decelerator with a 6-meter diameter; proves out technology needed for recovery of engines on Vulcan. #Goddard18
-While HULA reference mission was a polar launch out of VAFB, LOFTID is currently planned for a Cygnus launch on Atlas V. A document found on FBO.gov (attached .PDF) and dated November/December 2017 justifying the sole-source selection of the company to build the HIAD aeroshell said the following:
...This task order supports LOFTID's technology demonstration project by providing the detailed design, fabrication, and testing of a 6-meter diameter inflatable aeroshell that will be integrated with the re-entry vehicle, launched as Atlas V secondary payload, and de-orbited for Earth re-entry....The LOFTID test vehicle, inclusive of the aeroshell, will be a secondary payload on an Atlas V launch vehicle as part of an International Space Station (ISS) Cargo resupply mission for Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) with launch services provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA)....After launch and reaching Earth orbit, the LOFTID aeroshell will be deployed and the re-entry vehicle will be released from Centaur second stage of the Launch vehicle, for Earth re-entry, descent, and recovery using Mid-Air Retrieval (MAR)....
In order to meet the Atlas V launch date provided by ULA and integration schedule, the aeroshell flight unit must be delivered in August 2019....
Th HIAD-TDM project must commit to a launch opportunity from ULA launch manifest that can accommodate the re-entry vehicle as a secondary payload. The ULA has provided a launch date of May 2020 with launch from CCAFS and launch services provided by ULA. Based on information from ULA, no other launch opportunities are currently available in the manifest. Add'l details are included in the Technical Exchange Document between NASA and ULA under Amendment No. 2 to Space Act Agreement SAA-QA-14-18884....Delivery of the inflatable aeroshell from the contractor to NASA must be in August 2019 to begin re-entry vehicle final assembly, integration, and testing.
The latest HULA mission overview I have seen can be found from June 2017 @ IPPW 14:
https://pub-lib.jpl.nasa.gov/docushare/dsweb/Services/Document-3435
Bumping for brief update on LOFTID:
NORFOLK, Va. (NASA PR) — Testing of a key component of NASA’s Low-earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) is on track, thanks in part to Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia.
LOFTID is a cross-cutting technology designed to enable delivery of heavy cargos to any planet with an atmosphere. In a few years, the project will launch a six-meter inflatable heat shield into low-Earth orbit on an Atlas V rocket and collect data during re-entry.
To get ready for its first flight test, LOFTID is conducting testing of an engineering version of the spring that will release the data recorder during the demonstration. Testing must be conducted continuously for a period of 60 days to capture the necessary data.
http://parabolicarc.com/2019/04/22/inflatable-heat-shield-project-spring-step/
