Cygnus Orb-2 (CRS2) - Antares-120 - MARS LP-0A (о.Уоллопс) - 13.07.2014 16:52 UTC

[Salo]

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

AJ26 Engine Acceptance Test Successfully Conducted

August 2013

On August 8, 2013 Orbital and its Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA teammates successfully conducted a 54 second hot fire acceptance test of an AJ26 engine. The AJ26 used in this test will be one of two engines that will power the first stage of Orbital's Antares rocket in its second mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) agreement with NASA. The mission, dubbed Orb-2, is scheduled to occur in 2014. The test was conducted at NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. (NASA photo)

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1401/14orbital/#.UtbAGPs2NeI

Some improvements will be introduced as soon as the next Cygnus resupply mission, named Orb-2 and tentatively scheduled for launch May 1.
DeMauro said engineers will install a U.S.-built software-defined radio on the Orb-2 mission to replace a radio from a European subcontractor. And the Orb-2 flight will see the debut of a new navigation sensor to aid the craft's approach to the space station.
The TriDAR sensor, developed and built by Ottawa-based Neptec Design Group, is a next-generation rendezvous aid tested on three space shuttle flights, including the final mission in July 2011.
The Cygnus spacecraft's existing laser navigation system measures the distance and closing rate of the spaceship by bouncing light signals off of reflectors mounted on the space station's Japanese lab module. The TriDAR system does not need reflectors, instead determining the Cygnus spacecraft's position by creating a three-dimensional thermal map of the station and comparing it with a model embedded in the system's software.
The TriDAR is also effective at greater distances from the space station, according to Neptec engineers.
Orbital will use the radio and TriDAR in backup mode on Orb-2. If they perform well, they will be used operationally on the Orb-3 resupply mission in October.
...

According to DeMauro, the Cygnus service module for Orb-2 is finishing up testing at the company's headquarters here and will be moved to the launch site at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore in March. The pressurized cargo module, built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, will be shipped to Wallops aboard an Antonov An-124 transport plane in late January, he said.

[Space Alien]

Сигнус доставили на космодром

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.764148203615283.1073741865.191575794205863&type=1

 

[Salo]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.764148203615283.1073741865.191575794205863&type=1

Cygnus Arrival
Обновлено в четверг

In gearing up for the May 1 Antares mission, the Cygnus PCM arrived today at Wallops on the Antonov. The snow made for a lovely background. (NASA Photos)

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/OrbitalSciences/status/428948772744216576/photo/1

Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences
 
Speaking of the #Orb2 #CRS mission. PCM arriving at @NASA_Wallops today. Service module near completion at Dulles pic.twitter.com/SzMFGdzGuu

 


 
 
9:52 - 30 янв. 2014 г.

[Salo]

Пуск ожидается 1 мая.

[Bizonich]

Salo пишет:
Пуск ожидается 1 мая.

Именно поэтому срок Dragon CRS3 поехал вправо?

[Александр Ч.]

Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences 16 мин.
 
In May, for #Orb2, the 3rd #Cygnus spacecraft will be launched in an 8 month period. Demonstrates discipline/efficiency of commercial space
 

  Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences 21 мин.
 
The CRS #Orb2 mission will be the 4th launch of the #Antares rocket in its first 13 months of operations. @NASA
 

  Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences 25 мин.
 
#Orb2 CRS mission launch time on May 6 is targeted for 3:44 pm (EDT), with a 5 minute window to 3:49 pm @NASA @NASA_Wallops
 

 
  Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences 28 мин.
 
Update on #Orb2 CRS mission schedule: We're targeting Tues. May 6 for the launch of the cargo resupply mission from @NASA_Wallops for @NASA

[Александр Ч.]

Прошла информация, что если у SpaceX задержек не будет, то Orb2 уйдет в право из-за стыковки Дракона.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/antares/orb2/140422delay/#.U1dH_aL-5eI

Next Orbital Sciences resupply mission slips to June
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: April 22, 2014

The second space station resupply run by Orbital Sciences Corp. has been reset for June after NASA officials juggled the outpost's visiting vehicle manifest to accommodate delays in launching a SpaceX cargo craft, the company announced Monday.
 
File photo of an Antares rocket launch. Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
 
 Launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft is set for no earlier than June 10 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
If liftoff occurs June 10, the launch time would be approximately 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT). The launch time is determined by the orbit of the space station.
Orbital Sciences was preparing for launch was soon as May 6 in case SpaceX was unable to launch its resupply mission by late April, but Sunday's arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule at the space station allows Orbital to stand down and reschedule its launch for June.
The decision to delay the launch to June was expected.
NASA officials wanted at least one of the two commercial resupply ships to reach the space station in the next few weeks to bolster the space station's stocks of food, provisions and research experiments.
The Orbital Sciences mission's move to June avoids a scheduling conflict with the ongoing Dragon mission, a Soyuz crew rotation in May, and high solar angles on the space station's orbit in early June.
"The Antares and Cygnus teams have made great progress in preparing for this mission," Orbital Sciences wrote in a mission update on the company's website.
About 65 percent of the cargo manifested for the Cygnus supply mission, known as Orb-2, is already loaded inside the spacecraft's Italian-built pressurized cargo module. NASA has identified 1,650 kilograms, or 3,637 pounds, of cargo to be carried to the space station on the Orb-2 mission.
Earlier in April, technicians attached the Cygnus craft's cargo cabin and service module.
"The team has also been completing final Cygnus closeouts and has transferred the integrated Cygnus spacecraft from the payload processing facility on the Wallops main base to the fueling facility on Wallops Island," the company wrote in the update. "Fueling will take place in the near future. The remaining cargo, some of which is time-sensitive, will be loaded just prior to the encapsulation of the spacecraft within the Antares rocket's fairing."
Officials said final testing is nearing completion on the Antares rocket for the Orb-2 mission, and teams will soon move on to preparing the next Antares launcher for the Orb-3 resupply mission scheduled for launch in October. The two rockets are located inside the Horizontal Integration Facility about one mile north of the Antares launch pad.
Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA for eight Cygnus resupply flights through 2016.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-2/

ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-2)
Launch Date:    No Earlier Than June 10, 2014
Launch Site:    MARS Pad 0A Wallops Island, VA

Antares Launch

Mission Status - April 21, 2014

Orbital's upcoming cargo logistics mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA is now scheduled for no earlier than June 10. With the successful berthing of the SpaceX Dragon capsule at the Station, a crew rotation and a "solar beta cutout" also to occur in May, the earliest date that Orbital can launch will be during the second week in June.

The Antares and Cygnus teams have made great progress in preparing for this mission. The Cygnus spacecraft is currently loaded with 1083 kg of NASA cargo, approximately 65% of the planned total cargo load. The team has also been completing final Cygnus closeouts and has transferred the integrated Cygnus spacecraft from the payload processing facility on the Wallops main base to the fueling facility on Wallops Island. Fueling will take place in the near future. The remaining cargo, some of which is time sensitive, will be loaded just prior to the encapsulation of the spacecraft within the Antares rocket's fairing.

The Antares team continues to prepare the rocket for the mission, conducting final testing and preparing for the integration of Cygnus with the vehicle's upper stage. In addition, the team will also be making progress on the rocket that will conduct the Orb-3 resupply mission later this year. While not as far along as the Orb-2 rocket, the Antares ground team is working on both rockets in parallel at the Wallops Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF).

The Cygnus and Antares team also completed the Flight Readiness Certification Review (FRCR) on April 15. The FRCR is a comprehensive review of the current status of the spacecraft and the rocket and the team's readiness to support the Orb-2 mission operations.

Mission Description

Cygnus will be boosted into orbit by a two-stage Antares rocket from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The launch sequence will last about ten minutes from liftoff through the separation of Cygnus from the Antares vehicle.

Once in orbit, Cygnus will deploy its solar arrays and undergo initial check-out. The spacecraft will then conduct a series of thruster burns to raise its orbit to bring it within 4 km of the ISS prior to receiving authorization to autonomously rendezvous with the station. When the vehicle approaches to within 12 meters, the astronauts will use the station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus and berth it to the Harmony node of the station.

Cygnus is planned to remain berthed at the ISS for approximately 40 days during which time the station crew will unload cargo from Cygnus and subsequently load it with materials for disposal. At the end of the mission Cygnus will depart the station and reenter the Earth's atmosphere.

 Mission Info

Launch Site:
MARS Pad 0A
Antares Launch Sequence:
Approximately 10 minutes
Cygnus ISS Rendezvous:
Approx. 2.5 days from launch
Cygnus Stay at ISS:
Approximately 40 days
 

[Salo]

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/20140414_HEOC_ISS.pdf
 

[Sonic]

 Читаю-читаю эти новости, и решил спросить... А чем slip отличается от scrub ? Сроками ?

[Старый]

Sonic пишет:
Читаю-читаю эти новости, и решил спросить... А чем slip отличается от scrub ? Сроками ?

Слип - перенос (сдвиг), скраб - отмена (на неопределённое время) Вобщем отличается переносом на определённое или неопределённое время.

[Ну-и-ну]

Sonic пишет:

А чем slip отличается от scrub

Я бы перевёл как "сползание сроков" (выявленное за недели-дни до пуска) и "отмена запуска" (непосредственно на старте).

[igorvs]

Большая новость. ATK объединяются с Orbital Sciences. Новую компанию назвали Orbital ATK

[igorvs]

Orbital and ATK form space flight super group
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/04/orbital-atk-form-space-flight-super-group/#.U2BpNwmAaAc.twitter

[Александр Ч.]

Orbital Sciences ‏@OrbitalSciences 5 мин.
Orbital and @NASA are targeting June 10 at 2:07 a.m. for the #Antares launch of the #Orb2 cargo mission from @NASA_Wallops to the #ISS

Более подробно http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-2/

[Victor123]

Придется им у SpaceX покупать двигатели и баки.

[anik]

Все ли там нормально с датой запуска?