After its Antares launch disaster, Orbital Sciences Corporation has purchased an Atlas V 401 launch plus option from the United Launch Alliance, in order to fulfil its contract obligations to NASA to carry cargo to the international space station. The launch, scheduled for the fourth quarter 2015, may use an extended version of the Cygnus cargo craft carrying more cargo given the Atlas V’s better lifting performance. A follow on launch option has also been agreed for 2016, depending on the progress Orbital Sciences has had with its re-engining of its Antares launch vehicle. The new engine for this was later confirmed as the NPO Energomash RD-181, two of which will replace the pair of NK-33 engines refurbished to AJ-26 standard.
Atlas V steps in to launch Cygnus cargo craft (Updated)
About Seradata
Seradata produce the renowned Seradata database. Trusted by over 100 of the world’s leading Space organisations, Seradata is a fully queryable database used for market analysis, failure/risk assessment, spectrum analysis and space situational awareness (SSA).
For more information go to https://www.seradata.com/product/
Related Articles
Having been launched at 0459 GMT on the morning of 21 September it later filtered out that the Ceres-1 Y11 Read more
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA at 0338 GMT on 20 September Read more
Rocket Lab launched Electron KS from Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand, at 0655 GMT on 19 September 2023. The Electron was Read more
China successfully launched a Long March 2D/2 (CZ-2D/2) from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan Province, China at 0312 GMT on Read more
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA at 0338 GMT on 16 September Read more
Soyuz MS-24 was launched via a Soyuz 2-1a rocket into orbit at 1544 GMT on 15 September 2023 from Baikonur Read more
There was an unexpected launch of the Firefly Alpha rocket (its third flight) which took place from Vandenberg, California, at Read more
Following on from similar US Congressional hearings on UFOs which appeared to have footage of flying UFOs, at a Mexican Read more
Launching at 0430 GMT on 10 September a Chinese Long March 6A (CZ-6A) rocket carried the Yaogan 40 mission into Read more