A-ONE: Cygnus Mass Simulator, Dove 1, PhoneSat х3 - Antares-110 - MARS LP-0A - 21.04.2013 21:00 UTC

[Salo]

Атака Гризли пишет:
Кстати, а почему это в пилотируемых полетах?

А где у нас Прогрессы?

ЗЫ: CMS это Cygnus Mass Simulator.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg991586#msg991586

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg991382#msg991382

smith5se пишет:

Tanking test (test 3 of 4) for Antares this weekend, well Friday. :-)

strangequark пишет:

To add to the above. 5K testing has been going well. 7K first thing next year.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/Antares-Cygnus/

Antares Cold Flow Testing Begins and  Antares A-ONE Gets All Dressed Up

December 2012

The Antares team began cold flow testing with a  first stage on the launch pad. The initial cold-flow tests validated the loading and unloading of liquid oxygen to the rocket. The top photo below is a still image captured by the pad video system.

Meanwhile, in the Horizontal Integration facility, the Antares to be employed for the test launch (mission A-ONE) has been dressed up with its logos (middle photo). The bottom image shows the first Antares payload fairing in the foreground with the cores for the A-ONE mission (left) and COTS demo mission (center) behind it.

[Посторонний]

Первый пуск Антареса перенесен на январь 2012 г.
Источник на сайте NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

Updated - Dec. 21, 2012 at 10:30 p.m. EST
 

2013 Launches

Date: January
 Mission: Orbital Sciences Corporation Test Flight
 Launch Vehicle: Antares
 Launch Site: Wallops Flight Facility, Va.
 Launch Pad: 0A
 Description: The Antares is scheduled for a test flight under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services agreement with the company.

[anik]

Руководитель программы МКС в NASA Майкл Саффредини сказал вчера, что ОСИ запланированы в январе, первый пуск - в марте и первый полет к МКС - летом.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=15457.msg1009616#msg1009616

Space Pete пишет:

From Twiter/@jeff_foust:

Culbertson: 1st Antares hot fire test planned for next Tuesday at Wallops; test flight in about a month to 5 weeks after. #faacstc

Culbertson: COTS demo flight planned about 3 months after Antares demo flight; 1st CRS flight 3-4 months after that. #faacstc

So, that gives a loose schedule of:

Hot fire: 12 February
Test flight: 12-19 March
COTS demo: Early-mid June
1st CRS flight: Sep-Oct

[Salo]

anik пишет:
По данным Уилльяма Харвуда, испытательный пуск Antares намечается не ранее 23 марта.

 http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/home/flightdata/calendar.html

[Salo]

4 апреля.

Космос-3794 пишет:

Первая ступень будет оставаться на столе в течении недели (1-й недели марта), затем будет перемещена в МИК, восстановлена (после ОИ) и использована для полета по программме CRS. Неделей позже, полностью собранный Антарес с ГВМ Сигнуса будет установлен на стартовом столе. Сама ракета уже практически готова. Далее две недели проверок и испытаний на столе, потом проверочная заправка и слив топлива.
Повреждения стартовых конструкций (после ОИ) незначительны. До пуска планируется установка дополнительного гелиевого холодильника.
Демонстрационный пуск предварительно запланирован на начало апреля. В случае успеха полет Сигнуса по программе COTS состоится летом, а первый полет по программе CRS в конце этого - начале следующего года. Один двигатель (для CRS) уже прошел приемочные испытания в центре Стенниса, приемка второго состоится в течении месяца. С учетом этого на космодроме будет готовое "железо" для четырех ракет.
За каждый пуск Орбитал выплачивает штату Вирджиния (владельцу космодрома) $1.5 миллиона.

WASHINGTON — Following a successful test firing of its main engine Feb. 25, the Antares rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corp. is in final integration at its Virginia launch site and scheduled to roll out to the pad in mid-March in preparation for an early April debut, a company official said Feb. 28.

Спойлер

Antares, developed with financial assistance fr om NASA, will be used to launch Orbital's Cygnus cargo to the international space station (ISS) under an eight-flight, $1.9 billion services contract awarded by the space agency in 2008.
Before Dulles, Va.-based Orbital can begin routine deliveries, however, it must carry out two successful Antares demonstrations, the second of which will carry a station-bound Cygnus capsule. The first will attempt to place a simulated Cygnus capsule into the initial orbit used for space station deliveries.
The Antares team at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority that operates the launch pad will spend the next five to six weeks refurbishing the platform and parsing a mountain of data from the 29-second hot fire of the rocket's core stage.
According to the data examined so far, Antares passed "with flying colors," Mike Pinkston, Orbital's program manager for Antares, said Feb. 28.

Pinkston said the just-fired core stage will remain on the pad through the first week of March, and then be brought back to Orbital's nearby Horizontal Integration Facility, wh ere it will be refurbished for a future station resupply mission. A week later, a fully integrated Antares, carrying a Cygnus mass simulator, will be brought to the pad.
"The test-mission rocket itself is really all but done," Pinkston said. "It's actually tracking to a schedule that's ahead of the activities we've got going on at the pad, so the rocket itself won't be our critical path."
Once raised at the pad, Antares will undergo a roughly two-week series of checks to verify the fully integrated rocket along with its interfaces with the pad and launch range, Pinkston said. "Then we will go through a wet-dress rehearsal, which will fuel and then defuel the rocket."
Pinkston would not say what day Orbital has targeted for launch.

Antares will launch from Pad-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, which is operated by the state of Virginia. The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority leases Pad-0A to Orbital, which last year signed a deal with the state for 10 Antares launches. The state is charging Orbital $1.5 million per launch.
Dale Nash, executive director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, said Pad-0A fared well after the Antares hot fire.
"We thought we would have to do a fair amount of repair to the flame trench, but it really came through well," Nash said March 1 in a phone interview.
The authority, which outfitted Pad-0A to handle the liquid-fueled Antares, has one more construction item on its to-do list ahead of the rocket's debut: connecting an additional helium subcooler to the pad's network of plumbing.
"There is an existing cooler right now that cools liquid oxygen and chills helium," Nash said. "We wanted to get better chilling on the helium, so there's an additional subcooler that's been there that hasn't been hooked in yet."
 During the April demonstration launch, NASA technicians at Wallops will conduct "tracking and telemetry, range safety and surveillance, control center operations, optical support, security, and a host of other facility activities," NASA spokesman Jeremy Eggers said in a Feb. 28 email.
Eggers said representatives from Orbital, NASA and the state of Virginia will meet nine days before the launch for a range readiness review, and again for a launch readiness review two days out.
Assuming Antares is successful, a demonstration mission to the space station would take place sometime this summer, followed by the first contracted cargo delivery mission late this year or early next.
Pinkston said one of the two AJ-26 core-stage engines that would be used for the first contracted delivery has completed acceptance testing at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The second will complete similar testing in about a month, he said.
Each Antares rocket uses two AJ-26 engines — built in Russia and refurbished by Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet — in its Ukrainian-built core stage.
"Roughly speaking, we're about one engine acceptance test away from having four rockets worth of hardware at Wallops," Pinkston said.

[свернуть]

 http://www.spacenews.com/article/first-antares-rocket-to-fly-in-space-%E2%80%98all-but-done%E2%80%99-orbital-sciences-says#.UTG9VDCeOUw

[Salo]

16-18 апреля около 23:00 ЛМВ.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=30922.msg1026775#msg1026775

baldusi пишет:
Tweet : @OrbitalSciences PR just now: Official Antares Test Flight Date Range: NET April 16, targeted date range of April 16 to 18.

ChrisC пишет:

Confirmed by NASA media accreditation email that went out this evening. "Launch is targeted to occur between April 16-18 at approximately 3 p.m. EDT, the day of launch. "

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/mar/HQ_M13-046_Antares_Test_Flight_Accreditation.html

Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0321
trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov
 
Keith Koehler
Wallops Flight Facility, Va.
757-824-1579
keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov
 
Barry Beneski
Orbital Sciences Corp., Va.
703-406-5528
beneski.barron@orbital.com
March 15, 2013
 
MEDIA ADVISORY : M13-046
 
NASA Media Accreditation Open for Test Flight of Orbital's Antares Rocket
 
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- Media accreditation is open for a test flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket fr om the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launch is targeted to occur between April 16-18 at approximately 3 p.m. EDT, the day of launch.

Antares is undergoing testing that will enable the rocket to eventually carry experiments and supplies to the International Space Station aboard a Cygnus cargo spacecraft. This test flight will not launch a Cygnus spacecraft or rendezvous with the space station. A demonstration flight of Cygnus to the orbiting laboratory is planned for later this year.

International news media representatives without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials to cover the prelaunch and launch activities by March 29. Early accreditation is necessary to process international media credentials. For media representatives who are U.S. citizens, the deadline to apply is April 10.

Media should email their accreditation requests to Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov. For questions about accreditation or additional information, contact Koehler by email or call him at 757-824-1579.

NASA also is inviting 25 social media users to apply for credentials for the Antares launch. Social media users sel ected to attend will be given the same access as journalists. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Registration for social media accreditation is open online. Because of the security processing deadline, registration is lim ited to U.S. citizens. For U.S. social media, the application deadline is 5 p.m. March 29. For more information about NASA social media accreditation requirements and to register, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/social

Orbital Sciences Corp. is building and testing its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. After successful completion of a COTS demonstration mission to the station, Orbital will begin conducting eight planned cargo resupply flights to the outpost through NASA's $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract with the company.

NASA initiatives, such as COTS, are helping to develop a robust U.S. commercial space transportation industry. NASA's Commercial Crew Program also is working with commercial space partners to develop capabilities to launch U.S. astronauts fr om American soil during the next several years.

For more information about the upcoming Orbital test flights and links to NASA's COTS and Commercial Crew programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orbital

[Salo]

Посторонний пишет:
 http://www.orbital.com/Antares-Cygnus/

Orbital Sets Antares "A-One" Test Flight Launch Date Between April 16th and 18th
 March 2013
Orbital's Antares team is working toward carrying out the test flight (dubbed the "A-One" Mission) no earlier than April 16 with a targeted range of the 16th to the 18th. The test flight of America's newest medium-class launcher will originate from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia.
For an overview of the A-ONE Mission, click HERE to download a PDF version of the mission overview shown below.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/Antares-Cygnus/files/AONE-Mission-Overview.pdf

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/03/orbitals-antares-debut-a-one-mission-april/

Stars align for Orbital's Antares – A-One debut set for mid-April
March 17, 2013 by Chris Bergin

Orbital's Antares rocket is finally set to make its debut flight into space, following the approval of a launch window that opens on April 16. Dubbed the A-One mission, Antares will be tasked with a 603 second validation mission to loft a Cygnus mass simulator payload to a target orbit of 250 km x 300 km with an inclination of 51.6 degrees.

Antares road to Launch:

Orbital's new medium class launcher was set to launch in 2012. However, the schedule was delayed several times, as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) team at the Wallops launch site struggled with the completion of construction work on the pad's propellant handling and pressurization systems.

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/SpaceflightInc/status/306880665624924161/photo/1

[Посторонний]

удалил

[Salo]

АниКей пишет:

Первый тестовый полет ракеты "Антарес" намечен на середину апреля
 
 17:36 21.03.2013
Запуск с площадки Среднеатлантического регионального космопорта (MARS) на острове Уоллопс, штат Виргиния, состоится не раньше 16 апреля, ориентировочно 16-18 числа. Ракета, которая ранее успешно прошла огневые испытания, должна вывести демонстрационный груз на орбиту в 250-300 километров.
 
 МОСКВА, 21 мар — РИА Новости. Первый тестовый запуск ракеты "Антарес" (Antares) американской частной компании Orbital Sciences состоится 16-18 апреля, говорится в сообщении компании.
Запуск с площадки Среднеатлантического регионального космопорта (MARS) на острове Уоллопс, штат Виргиния, состоится не раньше 16 апреля, ориентировочно 16-18 числа. Ракета, которая ранее успешно прошла огневые испытания, должна вывести демонстрационный груз на орбиту в 250-300 километров.
В случае успешного тестового запуска Orbital продолжит подготовку к следующему демонстрационному полету ракеты с кораблем Cygnus ("Лебедь" )  , который, как ранее сообщало НАСА, предварительно запланирован на начало лета.
Ракета Antares создавалась при участии украинского предприятия "Южмаш" с использованием разработок, опробованных на ракете "Зенит". Она будет выводить в космос Cygnus, также создаваемый Orbital Sciences, грузоподъемностью от 2 до 2,7 тонны.
Orbital Sciences наряду с компанией SpaceX в 2008 году получила от НАСА контракты по доставке грузов на МКС — CRS-контракты (Commercial Resupply Services), на долю Orbital Sciences пришлось восемь рейсов. Конкуренты компании, SpaceX, 1 марта запустили второй плановый грузовой рейс к Международной космической станции. http://ria.ru/science/20130321/928404521-print.html

[Salo]

http://www.militaryparitet.com/perevodnie/data/ic_perevodnie/4286/

Новая ракета-носитель Antares готовится к старту

22 марта 2013 г.

     «Военный Паритет». Компания Orbital Sciences Corp. готовит к первому старту в следующем месяце свою новейшую и самую большую ракету-носитель, сказал пресс-секретарь компании Баррон Бенески (Barron Beneski).

    Старт ракеты среднего класса Antares запланирован на 16-18 апреля с испытательного центра на острове Уоллопс, шт. Вирджиния. Точные дата и время будут объявлены ближе к запуску, сказал Бенески.

     Двухступенчатая ракета-носитель, первоначально разрабатывавшаяся для военного назначения, будет запущена в интересах НАСА. После прекращения полетов «челноков» в 2011 году НАСА обратилась к частным компаниям, таким как Orbital и SpaceX, создать ракету-носитель для доставки грузов на Международную космическую станцию (МКС). Компания Orbital имеет контракт с агентством стоимостью 1,9 млрд долларов на, по крайней мере, восемь грузовых миссий к МКС.

     Летное испытание ракеты-носителя Antares предусматривает вывод на орбиту прототипа космического корабля Cygnus. Если все пройдет хорошо, компания планирует отправить первую миссию на станцию где-то летом и начать регулярную доставку грузов до конца года. Успешные полеты в интересах НАСА могут привести к получению компанией военных контрактов.

     В первой ступени ракеты используются два жидкотопливных двигателя AJ26 компании Aerojet (входит в GenCorp Inc., Калифорния). Они представляют собой модифицированные версии двигателей НК-33, изготовленных в России более четырех десятилетий назад для своей неудачной лунной программы. Aerojet купила около 40 НК-33 в середине 1990-х годов и по контракту с Orbital модифицировала их специально для ракеты-носителя Antares. Вторая ступень ракеты использует твердотопливную двигатель компании Alliant Techsystems Inc. в Арлингтоне, шт. Вирджиния.

     Компания Orbital также изготавливает космические аппараты, которые также могут выводиться ракетой Antares на фоне сокращения запусков ракет-носителей Delta-II кампании United Launch Alliance LLC – совместного предприятия, принадлежащего компаниям Lockheed Martin и Boeing.

     Ракета-носитель Antares может стать претендентом на такие военные программы ВВС США, как Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 (OSP-3) и Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV).

     Компания Orbital также планирует в этом году еще два запуска на Уоллопсе, в т.ч. в интересах ВВС США, в результате чего с этого центра будет проведено пять запусков, сказал Бенески.

     «В этом году это будет очень оживленное место», сказал он.

http://defensetech.org/2013/03/21/orbital-to-fly-new-rocket-with-old-russian-engines/

[Salo]

http://www.universetoday.com/100778/powerful-private-rocket-crucial-to-iss-set-for-maiden-april-blast-off-from-virginia-launch-pad-gallery/

Powerful Private Rocket Crucial to ISS Set for Maiden April Blast Off from Virginia – Launch Pad Gallery

by Ken Kremer on March 23, 2013


The first stage of the privately developed Antares rocket stands erect at newly constructed Launch Pad 0-A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility during exclusive launch complex tour by Universe Today. Maiden Antares test launch is scheduled for mid-April 2013. Later operational flights are critical to resupply the ISS.
Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

The most powerful rocket ever to ascend near major American East Coast population centers is slated to blast off soon from the eastern Virginia shore on its inaugural test flight in mid April.

And Universe Today took an exclusive inspection tour around the privately developed Antares rocket and NASA Wallops Island launch complex just days ago.

NASA announced that the maiden flight of the commercial Antares rocket from Orbital Sciences is slated to soar to space between April 16 to 18 from the newly constructed seaside launch pad dubbed 0-A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The two stage Antares rocket is absolutely pivotal to NASA's plans to ship essential cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) in the wake of the shutdown of the Space Shuttle program in July 2011.


No admittance to the Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket without permission from the pad manager. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

Antares stands 131 feet tall and serves as the launcher for the unmanned commercial Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

Both Antares and Cygnus were developed by Orbital Sciences Corp under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to replace the ISS cargo resupply capability previously tasked to NASA's now retired Space Shuttle's. The goal is to achieve safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS and low-Earth orbit (LEO).

I visited NASA Wallops for an up close personal tour of the impressive Antares 1st stage rocket erected at the launch pad following the successful 29 second hot fire engine test that cleared the last hurdle to approve the maiden flight of Antares. Umbilical lines were still connected to the rocket.


Antares rocket 1st stage and umbilical lines at NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

The pads protective seawall was rebuilt following significant damage from Hurricane Sandy, NASA Wallops spokesman Keith Koehler told me.

Launch Complex 0-A sits just a few hundred yards (meters) from Virginia's eastern shore line on the Atlantic Ocean. It's hard to believe just how close the low lying pad complex is to the beach and potentially destructive tidal surges.

Barely 400 meters (1300 feet) away lies the adjacent Launch Pad 0-B – from which Orbital's new and unflown solid fueled Minotaur 5 rocket will boost NASA's LADEE lunar science probe to the Moon in August 2013 – see my upcoming article.

The maiden Antares test flight is called the A-One Test Launch Mission. It will validate the medium class rocket for the actual follow-on flights to the ISS topped with the Cygnus cargo carrier starting later this year with a demonstration docking mission to the orbiting lab complex.


1st stage of private Antares rocket erect at new Launch Pad 0-A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. This rocket will be rolled back to the hanger to make way for the complete Antares booster due to blast off in mid-April 2013. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

The Antares first stage is powered by dual liquid fueled AJ26 first stage rocket engines that generate a combined total thrust of some 680,000 lbs. The upper stage features a Castor 30 solid rocket motor with thrust vectoring. Antares can loft payloads weighing over 5000 kg to LEO.

The launch window opens at 3 p.m. and extends for a period of time since this initial test flight is not docking at the ISS, Orbital spokesman Barry Boneski told Universe Today.

Antares will boost a simulated version of the Cygnus carrier – known as a mass simulator – into a target orbit of 250 x 300 kilometers and inclined 51.6 degrees.

Antares A-One will fly on a southeast trajectory and the Cygnus dummy will be instrumented to collect flight and payload data.

The simulated Cygnus will separate from the upper stage 10 minutes after liftoff for orbital insertion.

"All launches are to the south away from population centers. Wildlife areas are nearby," said Koehler.

The goal of the ambitious A-One mission is to fully demonstrate every aspect of the operational Antares rocket system starting from rollout of the rocket and all required functions of an operational pad from range operation to fueling to liftoff to payload delivery to orbit.


Orbital Sciences Antares rocket and Launch Complex 0-A at the edge of Virginia's shore at NASA Wallops are crucial to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). . Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

Antares/Cygnus will provide a cargo up mass service similar to the Falcon 9/Dragon system developed by SpaceX Corporation – which has already docked three times to the ISS during historic linkups in 2012 and earlier this month following the tension filled March 1 liftoff of the SpaceX CRS-2 mission.

The Dragon is still docked to the ISS and is due to make a parachute assisted return to Earth on March 26.
The first stage of the privately developed Antares rocket stands on the pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

Antares rocket 1st stage and huge water tower at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

Orbital has eight commercial resupply missions manifested under a $1.9 Billion contact with NASA to deliver approximately 20,000 kilograms of supplies and equipment to the ISS, Orbital spokesman Barry Boneski told me.

Tens of millions of American East Coast residents in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions have never before had the opportunity to witness anything as powerful as an Antares rocket launch in their neighborhood.

Watch for my continuing reports through liftoff of the Antares A-One Test flight.

Ken Kremer


NASA Wallops Launch Control Center. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)


Ken Kremer & Antares rocket at NASA Wallops launch pad at the Virginia Eastern Shore. Only a few hundred feet of beach sand and a low sea wall separate the pad from the Atlantic Ocean and Mother Nature. Credit: Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com)

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Antares_Test_Flight/index.shtml

Antares Test Flight (A-ONE Mission)

Launch Date:    No Earlier Than April 17-19, 2013
Launch Site:    Wallops Island, Virginia





The first launch of Orbital's new Antares medium-class space launch vehicle, the A-ONE mission, is currently scheduled to occur no earlier than April 17, with a targeted date range of April 17 to 19. The A-ONE Mission will originate from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

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.

For an overview of the A-ONE Mission, click HERE.

A successful test launch will lead to Orbital's Demonstration Mission of cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS). The Demonstration Mission is the final operational milestone under the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) agreement. Following the successful completion of the COTS research and development program, Orbital is slated to deliver up to 20,000 kg of supplies to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.

The A-ONE and COTS demonstration missions represent the culmination of Orbital's largest product development in the 30-year history of the company.

Viewing the Launch

The A-ONE launch will be broadcast on NASA TV and webcast on www.nasa.gov. Details of the broadcast will be issued closer to the launch date.

[Salo]

Искандер пишет:
Спецы, кто смотрел профиль выведения первого Antares?
 http://www.collectspace.com/review/orbital_a-one_overview01-lg.jpg
Между выключением ДУ первой ступени и стартом ДУ второй 98 секунд!!!    
В чем смысл? Для чего? Компенсация отсутствия полезного груза в тестовом полете по причине использования твердотопливной второй ступенью?
Если так, то кривовато как-то получается...

Груз там есть: ГВМ Лебедя под названием CMS (Cygnus Mass Simulator).
А баллистическая пауза в 98 с объясняется коротким активным участком траектории второй твердотопливной ступени (всего 157 с).

[Salo]

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=40475

Media Invited to NASA Commercial Partner Antares Rocket Rollout April 6

    Source: NASA HQ
    Posted Wednesday, April 3, 2013

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- News media are invited to cover the scheduled Saturday, April 6, morning rollout of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares launch vehicle to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.

Orbital is testing the Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. A demonstration flight of Antares and Cygnus to the International Space Station is planned for later this year. Following the successful completion of the COTS demonstration mission to the space station, Orbital will conduct eight cargo resupply flights to the orbiting laboratory through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The rollout, which is scheduled to begin at about 4:45 a.m. EDT, is in preparation for the launch vehicle's test flight later this month. Pad operations to raise the rocket to a vertical position will begin at about 6 a.m. will take two to three hours to complete. The launch window for Antares' test flight is between April 17 and 19.

Media representatives interested in covering the Antares rollout and pad operations must contact Rebecca Powell at 757-824-1139 or rebecca.h.powell@nasa.gov by 4 p.m., April 5. A media escort will leave Wallops' main gate at 4:30 a.m. for vehicle rollout. Orbital and NASA representatives will be available for comment. All times are tentative, and reporters should contact Wallops for up-to-date information.

NASA initiatives like COTS are helping develop a robust U.S. commercial space transportation industry with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station and low-Earth orbit. In parallel, NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with commercial space partners developing capabilities to launch U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil in the next few years.