An artist's rendering of the Antares rocket at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport |
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| Function | Medium expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 40.5 m (133 ft)[1] |
| Diameter | 3.9 m[2] (12.8 ft) |
| Mass | ~240,000 kg[1] (530,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 to 3[2] |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)[2] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | Athena III Delta II |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Development |
| Launch sites | Pad 0A, MARS |
| Maiden flight | Scheduled for 1st Quarter 2012 |
| Notable payloads | Cygnus |
Antares, known during development as Taurus II, is an expendable launch system being developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It is a two stage vehicle designed to launch payloads weighing up to 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) into low-Earth orbit.[3] It is scheduled to make its first flight in the first quarter of 2012.[4]
NASA awarded to Orbital a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract in 2008 to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. For these COTS missions Orbital intends to use Antares to launch its Cygnus spacecraft. In addition, Antares will compete for small-to-medium missions.[5]
On Dec. 12, 2011 Orbital Sciences renamed the launch vehicle "Antares" from the previous designation of Taurus II, after the star of the same name.[6]
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The NASA COTS award was for US$171 million; Orbital Sciences expects to invest $150 million in addition, split between $130 million for the booster and $20 million for the spacecraft.[7]
On 10 June 2008 it was announced that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, part of the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, would be the primary launch site for the rocket.[8] Launch pad 0A, which is the former launch pad for the failed Conestoga rocket will be modified to handle Antares.[9] A launch from Wallops would reach the International Space Station's orbit as effectively as from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while being less crowded.[7][10] It is currently planned for the first Cygnus flight to be an unloaded demonstration; the first Cygnus flight may or may not be the first Antares flight, pending additional bookings.
On December 10, 2009 Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) test fired their Castor 30 motor for use as the second stage of the Antares rocket.[11] In March 2010 Orbital Sciences and Aerojet completed test firings of the NK-33 engines.[12]
The first stage uses RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants, powering two NK-33-derived engines (sold by Aerojet as AJ-26 engines). As Orbital has little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, some of the Antares first stage work was contracted to Yuzhnoye SDO, designers of the Zenit series. One source claims that includes "main-stage fuel tanks and associated plumbing".[7] The core provided by Yuzhnoye includes propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware.[3] Like Zenit, the Antares vehicle will have a 3.90 m (154 in) diameter.
The second stage is a solid, the Castor 30B, developed by ATK as a derivative of the Castor 120 solid stage, 293.4 kilonewtons (66,000 lbf) average (395.7 kilonewtons (89,000 lbf) maximum) thrust, utilizing electromechanical thrust vector control.[13] An optional Castor 30XL second stage is available.[13] An enhanced second stage is currently being studied by Orbital sciences to lift heavier payloads. Propelled by methane and LOX, it will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney PWR35M rocket engine and will allow Antares to deliver up to 7,600 kg to LEO.
The optional third stage is a hypergolic stage, developed by Orbital as a derivative of prior mission architecture. The hardware will be derived from onboard thruster systems of the OSC Star 48;[13] other elements will use knowledge from the DART mission, of which OSC was the prime contractor.[7] Exact parameters may change as the vehicle develops.
This hypergolic propulsion system is planned to form the basis of the Cygnus spacecraft. The equipment section will likely be topped by a smaller development of the MPLM for pressurized cargo, and possibly a derivative of the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier for unpressurized cargo. Initial production of pressurized modules will take place in Italy. No reentry and return capabilities are planned. Design details are still subject to change.[7]
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