posted 09-25-2014 06:30 PM               

ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3)

An Antares rocket carrying Orbital's Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Pad-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 28, 2014 at 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT).

Antares will boost Cygnus to its initial target orbit, from which Cygnus will use its on-board thrusters to raise its orbit to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station (ISS) approximately three days after launch. For this mission Cygnus will carry approximately 5,050 lbs. (2,290 kg) of cargo to the ISS for NASA.

Orb-3 is the fourth Cygnus cargo mission to the ISS and the fifth Antares launch in the last 18 months.

The two-stage Antares space launch vehicle utilizes a liquid-fueled first stage powered by two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines and a solid motor ATK CASTOR 30XL upper stage to boost Cygnus into orbit. The powered launch sequence will last about ten minutes from liftoff through the separation of Cygnus from the launch vehicle.

This mission is the first to use the larger, more powerful CASTOR 30XL second stage motor.

After separation from Antares, Cygnus will deploy its solar arrays and undergo initial checkout. The spacecraft will 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 five weeks during which time the station crew will load Cygnus with materials for disposal. At the end of the mission Cygnus will depart the station and reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.

posted 10-07-2014 01:17 PM               

Orb-3 CRS Mission Update

Orbital and NASA on Tuesday (Oct. 7) announced an updated schedule for the launch of the Orb-3 cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.

The launch of the Orb-3 mission is now scheduled for October 24, 2014, with a targeted lift-off time of 7:52 p.m. (EDT) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.

The Orb-3 mission schedule has been revised to account for normal pre-launch processing and testing of the Antares rocket at the Wallops Island launch site, and a busy flight schedule and related activities for the Expedition 41 crew aboard the ISS. Orbital will launch the Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft well ahead of the timeline necessary to accomplish a rendezvous and berthing with the ISS on the earliest possible date, which is November 2.

The launch schedule has been established in order to build flexibility into the overall mission schedule in the event of an unexpected disruption such as adverse weather at the launch site. Following its launch, the Cygnus spacecraft will remain in orbit for approximately eight days before embarking on a series of carefully timed thruster burns to maneuver the spacecraft into close proximity to the ISS before it is grappled by crew members Reid Wiseman and Barry Wilmore who will be operating the Station's robotic arm.

The Orb-3 mission represents the fifth launch of the company's Antares rocket in its first 18 months of operations. It will also be the fourth cargo delivery mission to the ISS by a Cygnus spacecraft, including the 2013 demonstration flight.

For Orb-3, Orbital will deliver its largest load of cargo to date, carrying approximately 5,050 pounds (2,290 kilograms) of cargo to the ISS for NASA. At the conclusion of the Orb-3 mission, the company will have carried a total of 13,378 pounds (6,078 kilograms) of essential supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the ISS and will have removed 13,444 pounds (6,097 kilograms) of disposal cargo, a vital capability for the maintenance and operation of the station.

posted 10-15-2014 05:47 PM               

Orb-3 CRS Mission Update

Due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Gonzalo on the island of Bermuda, where an essential tracking site used to ensure public safety during Antares launches is located, the previously announced "no earlier than" (NET) launch date of October 24 for the Orb-3 CRS mission to the International Space Station for NASA is no longer feasible.

Once the hurricane has passed Bermuda, a team from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Range will return to the tracking site to assess the situation and begin the process of re-enabling the site's functionality to support the launch.

Today, Orbital and NASA together established a NET October 27 for the launch of the Orb-3 mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops. However, depending on the impact of the storm on Bermuda's essential infrastructure systems such as transportation, power and communications, the launch date could be moved later. The launch schedule has been established in order to build flexibility into the overall mission schedule.

For an October 27 launch, lift-off time of the Antares rocket is targeted for 6:44 p.m. (EDT). The rendezvous and berthing of Cygnus with the ISS remains on November 2, with grapple of the spacecraft by the station's robotic arm at approximately 4:58 a.m. (EST).

posted 10-22-2014 06:07 PM               

Orb-3 CRS Mission Update

Following an inspection of the tracking station in Bermuda used for Antares launches after Hurricane Gonzalo, Orbital and NASA have together established Oct. 27 as the launch date for the Orb-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The mission will originate from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. Liftoff of the Antares rocket is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT), with rendezvous and berthing with the ISS early in the morning on Nov. 2.

Taking advantage of the Cygnus' capabilities, Orbital is launching the Orb-3 mission to orbit several days earlier than necessary to preserve schedule flexibility and time its arrival at the station to conform to other visiting vehicle operations.

The Cygnus spacecraft is fully fueled and loaded with most of its cargo bound for the ISS and has been mated with the Antares rocket that will launch it into low-Earth orbit. The remaining time sensitive "final load" cargo will be placed onboard on Thursday (Oct. 23), prior to fairing encapsulation, which is also scheduled for the same day.

On Friday (Oct. 24), the Antares rocket will be rolled out from the Horizontal Integration Facility to the MARS launch pad 0A located about a mile away.

In addition, Orbital has named the Cygnus spacecraft for the Orb-3 mission the SS Deke Slayton in honor of the decorated U.S. Air Force pilot, NASA astronaut, and early champion of America's commercial space program.

posted 10-27-2014 05:59 PM               

Orb-3 launch delayed due to wayward boat

Orbital Sciences' first attempt at launching its Cygnus spacecraft on the Orb-3 resupply mission to the International Space Station was called off on Monday evening (Oct. 27) due to a sail boat entering the mariner avoidance area.

Orbital will try again Tuesday (Oct. 28) at 6:22 p.m. EDT (2219 GMT).

posted 10-28-2014 06:16 PM               

Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket explodes with space station-bound cargo

An Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket carrying a commercial unmanned cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station exploded just seconds after launching from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Tuesday evening (Oct. 28).

The cause of the mishap, as Orbital described it, is still to be determined.

"What we know so far is pretty much what everyone saw," Frank Culbertson, Orbital's executive vice president and a former astronaut, told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday night. "The ascent stopped, there was some, let's say, 'disassembly' of the first stage, and then it fell to Earth."

"We don't have any early indications of what exactly might have failed. We need some more time to take a look at that," he said.

posted 10-29-2014 06:49 PM               

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Completes Initial Assessment after Orbital Launch Mishap

The Wallops Incident Response Team completed an initial assessment Wednesday of Wallops Island, Virginia, following the catastrophic failure of Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff Tuesday from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

"I want to praise the launch team, range safety, all of our emergency responders and those who provided mutual aid and support on a highly-professional response that ensured the safety of our most important resource -- our people," said Bill Wrobel, Wallops director. "In the coming days and weeks ahead, we'll continue to assess the damage on the island and begin the process of moving forward to restore our space launch capabilities. There's no doubt in my mind we will rebound stronger than ever."

The initial assessment is a cursory look; it will take many more weeks to further understand and analyze the full extent of the effects of the event. A number of support buildings in the immediate area have broken windows and imploded doors. A sounding rocket launcher adjacent to the pad, and buildings nearest the pad, suffered the most severe damage.

At Pad 0A the initial assessment showed damage to the transporter erector launcher and lightning suppression rods, as well as debris around the pad.

The Wallops team also met with a group of state and local officials, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Marine Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Wallops environmental team also is conducting assessments at the site. Preliminary observations are the environmental effects of the launch failure were largely contained within the southern third of Wallops Island, in the area directly adjacent to the pad. Immediately after the incident, the Wallops' industrial hygienist collected air samples at the Wallops mainland area, the Highway 175 causeway, and on Chincoteague Island. No hazardous substances were detected at the sampled locations.

Additional air, soil and water samples will be collected from the incident area, as well as at control sites for comparative analysis.

The Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Resources Commission reported Wednesday they have not observed any obvious signs of water pollution, such as oil sheens. Furthermore, initial assessments have not revealed any obvious impacts to fish or wildlife resources. The Incident Response Team continues to monitor and assess.

Following the initial assessment, the response team will open the area of Wallops Island, north of the island flagpole opposite of the launch pad location, to allow the U.S. Navy to return back to work.

Anyone who finds debris or damage to their property in the vicinity of the launch mishap is cautioned to stay away from it and call the Incident Response Team at 757-824-1295.

posted 10-30-2014 08:57 PM               

Update – October 30, 2014

Launch Site Status:

Based on initial sweeps conducted by an Orbital safety team, it appears a significant amount of debris remains on the site and it is likely substantial hardware evidence will be available to aid in determining root cause of the Antares launch failure. Some of the Cygnus cargo has also been found and will be retrieved as soon as we have clearance to do so to see if any survived intact.

After up close visual inspections by the safety team, it still appears the launch site itself avoided major damage. There is some evidence of damage to piping that runs between the fuel and commodity storage vessels and the launch mount, but no evidence of significant damage to either the storage vessels or launch mount. Detailed evaluations by MARS and their engineering team will occur in the next couple of days.

An Orbital-led team has begun cataloging and documenting the location of all pieces of debris over the next several days after which the debris will be relocated to storage bays on the island for further evaluation.

Antares Data Review:

Telemetry data has been released to Orbital and our engineers presented a very quick look assessment to the Accident Investigation Board at the end of the day.

It appears the Antares vehicle had a nominal pre-launch and launch sequence with no issues noted. All systems appeared to be performing nominally until approximately T+15 seconds at which point the failure occurred.

Evidence suggests the failure initiated in the first stage after which the vehicle lost its propulsive capability and fell back to the ground impacting near, but not on, the launch pad. Prior to impacting the ground, the rocket's Flight Termination System was engaged by the designated official in the Wallops Range Control Center.

posted 11-03-2014 05:52 PM               

Antares Accident Investigation Board members

Over the weekend, Orbital confirmed the participation of the following individuals who will serve on the Antares launch failure Accident Investigation Board (AIB), which is being led by Orbital under the oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The composition of the AIB is as follows:

Chairman

• David Steffy, Chief Engineer of Orbital's Advanced Programs Group

Members

• David Swanson, Senior Director of Safety and Mission Assurance for Orbital's Technical Operations organization
  
• Wayne Hale, Independent Consultant and Former NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager
  
• David Cooper, Member of Orbital's Independent Readiness Review Team for the company's Launch Systems Group
  
• Eric Wood, Director of Propulsion Engineering for Orbital's Launch Systems Group
  
• Tom Costello, Launch Vehicle Assessment Manager in the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center
  
• Matt Lacey, Senior Vehicle Systems Engineer for NASA's Launch Services Program

FAA Oversight Team

• Michael S. Kelly, Chief Engineer, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
  
• Marcus Ward, Mishap Response Coordinator, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation

The AIB is initially focused on developing a "fault tree" and a timeline of the important events during the launch sequence. Due to the large amount of data available, the AIB is able to work with a rich source of information about the launch. One of the initial tasks for the AIB is to reconcile the data from multiple sources, a process that is now underway, to help create the launch sequence timeline.

Launch Site Status:

Over the weekend, Orbital's Wallops-based Antares personnel continued to identify, catalogue, secure and geolocate debris found at the launch site in order to preserve physical evidence and provide a record of the launch site following the mishap that will be useful for the AIB's analysis and determination of what caused the Antares launch failure. The debris is being taken to a NASA facility on Wallops Island for secure and weather resistant storage.

posted 11-05-2014 08:28 AM               

Orbital Announces Go-Forward Plan for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Program and the Company's Antares Launch Vehicle

Revised Approach Will Maintain Required ISS Cargo Deliveries in 2015 and 2016

Accelerated Propulsion System Upgrade of Antares to be Implemented at Wallops

Orbital Sciences Corporation, one of the world's leading space technology companies, today announced comprehensive plans to fulfill its contract commitments under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program as well as to accelerate an upgrade of the Antares medium-class launcher's main propulsion system. Under the new approach and in line with Orbital's existing CRS contract, all remaining cargo will be delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of 2016. There will be no cost increase to NASA and only minor adjustments will be needed to the cargo manifest in the near term.

Orbital's Antares launch failure Accident Investigation Board (AIB) is making good progress in determining the primary cause of last week's failure. A preliminary review of telemetry and video data has been conducted and substantial debris from the Antares rocket and its Cygnus payload has been collected and examined. While the work of the AIB continues, preliminary evidence and analysis conducted to date points to a probable turbopump-related failure in one of the two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 stage one main engines. As a result, the use of these engines for the Antares vehicle likely will be discontinued.

To maintain the CRS program's critical ISS supply line, Orbital plans an early introduction of its previously selected Antares propulsion system upgrade in 2016. This will be preceded by one or two non-Antares launches of the company's Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS in 2015-2016, employing the spacecraft's compatibility with various launch vehicles and its flexibility to accommodate heavier cargo loads as launcher capacity permits. In addition, the company expects repairs to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch complex at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility to be undertaken quickly, allowing launch operations to continue at Wallops Island with the upgraded Antares beginning in 2016.

"Orbital is taking decisive action to fulfill our commitments to NASA in support of safe and productive operations of the Space Station. While last week's Antares failure was very disappointing to all of us, the company is already implementing a contingency plan to overcome this setback. We intend to move forward safely but also expeditiously to put our CRS cargo program back on track and to accelerate the introduction of our upgraded Antares rocket," said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

"Exact financial impacts to Orbital will depend on which of several specific options for near-term launches is selected, but they are not expected to be material on an annual basis in 2015. In all cases, no significant adverse effects are projected in 2016 or future years, in part because the cost of the Antares propulsion system upgrade was already part of our internal investment plan during that time," he added.

"We very much appreciate the tremendous support Orbital has received from NASA and Virginia's MARS commercial spaceport team over the last seven years on our Antares rocket and CRS cargo programs. We look forward to working closely with them to quickly recover from last week's setback," Thompson concluded.

posted 10-29-2015 02:49 PM               

NASA Team Provides Summary of its Review of Orbital ATK Accident

A NASA team that independently reviewed the unsuccessful launch last year of Orbital ATK's third commercial resupply services mission intended to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) has completed its report and publicly released an executive summary of its findings.

Shortly after 6:22 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014, Orbital ATK's Antares rocket suffered an anomaly during launch from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia that resulted in the loss of the rocket and its cargo and damage to the launch pad. No workers or members of the public were injured as a result of the accident.

The launch was conducted under a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In accordance with the contingency action plan established between NASA, the FAA, and commercial partners resupplying the space station, the launch operator is responsible for leading an investigation for any accident that does not result in injury to members of the public or public property damage, and where no NASA workers are injured or NASA property is significantly damaged. As a result, Orbital ATK immediately convened an Accident Investigation Board (AIB) that included participants from both the FAA and NASA.

However, to inform and amplify the learning for the NASA team, the agency established an independent review team. The goal of this team was to independently determine the technical root cause of the failure, validate the contractor-led AIB efforts, inform the agency's risk posture to support Orbital ATK's return-to-flight efforts, and make recommendations on how to develop, operate, and acquire more reliable systems.

"The thorough work of the NASA team is essential to ensure the agency continues to learn and improve," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "This unfortunate event provides a tremendous opportunity for the industry and NASA team to improve vehicle development, acquisition, and operations. The findings from this team will provide a basis to begin discussions on future areas for improvement. Even though not all recommendations will be implemented as written, all the recommendations will enable positive lessons for the agency."

The 12-person team, supported by 31 additional employees, began its work in November 2014 and was given access to the telemetry, data, documents and key personnel. Additionally, as part of its technical investigation efforts, the independent NASA team collected hundreds of documents, briefings, and data packages; conducted site visits and technical reviews with Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, Aerojet Rocketdyne in Sacramento, California, and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia; reviewed vehicle telemetry, photo and video evidence from the launch and previous Antares missions; performed extensive engine system hardware forensic analysis; developed a comprehensive fault tree for the entire Orbital ATK Antares launch system; performed detailed analyses supporting root cause identification; reviewed engine design and qualification data including test history and failures; developed and assessed numerous failure scenarios; and generated multiple independent models and analyses. As part of its programmatic assessment efforts, the team had discussions with about 20 NASA individuals significantly involved in the development and execution of the Orbital ATK system and resupply missions.

The team determined the proximate cause of the Antares launch vehicle failure was an explosion within the AJ-26 rocket engine and identified three credible technical root causes, any one or combination of which could have resulted in the engine failure. The team outlined six technical findings and made seven recommendations to address those technical findings. In addition, since Orbital ATK was in the process of procuring and testing new engines to replace the AJ-26 for future Antares flights while the investigation was ongoing, the team provided several recommendations for Orbital ATK and the ISS Program that were used to support those testing activities and to reduce overall risk for Antares return-to-flight and follow-on mission efforts. The NASA team's findings are consistent with the AIB's findings.

In addition, the team evaluated NASA's programmatic approach to ensuring the space station is supplied with necessary cargo and the important science and research to be conducted on the unique microgravity laboratory. The team enumerated eight findings and made six programmatic recommendations.

The team praised the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office and the ISS Program Office for implementing a program to develop and operate new commercial cargo space transportation systems in support of human exploration endeavors.

Orbital ATK has shown continued progress in its efforts to return to flight and a strong commitment to fulfilling its contract with NASA. To do so, Orbital ATK has contracted with United Launch Alliance for Atlas V rockets to launch two commercial resupply missions that will use an enhanced variant of the company's Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft.

In 2016 Orbital ATK plans to return to launching Cygnus aboard its Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility. Orbital ATK will be required to submit a modification to its existing license to the FAA for review and subsequent approval, prior to conducting future flights from Virginia.

The official report of the independent review team contains information restricted by U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations and company-sensitive proprietary information. As a result, the team has prepared an executive summary with an overview of publicly releasable findings and recommendations.