Updates Orbital Sciences' Cygnus CRS Flight 1 through Flight 8 updates.

[MaverickSawyer]

Deleted

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

An AJ-26 engine planned for a future Antares flight has blown up just several hours ago during test firing at Stennis Space Center. Well errrr that's exactly why the team do engine test firings...... :shifty:

 

[Donamy]

Hopefully it was something new being over tested.

Rocket scientist: "...Let's see what happens, when I do this."

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Does this affect the June 10 launch date?

BTW, wasn't the next SpaceX CRS mission pushed to June 11?

 

[ISProgram]

Does this affect the June 10 launch date?

Well, it shouldn't, since Orb-2's AJ-26s were already certified for launch. The one that failed was supposedly being tested for a 2015 flight...

 

[Kyle]

Does this affect the June 10 launch date?

BTW, wasn't the next SpaceX CRS mission pushed to June 11?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8&feature=kp

No. Next CRS mission is on August 8th. The next Falcon 9 launch is scheduled for June 11th with the Orbcomm satellites.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Not surprisingly.....

Mission Update - May 28, 2014

Orbital has rescheduled the launch of its Antares rocket for the Orb-2 mission to a date of no earlier than (NET) June 17, 2014. Orb-2 is the second of eight cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station under Orbital’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The new launch schedule has been established to allow the engineering teams from the main stage propulsion supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital to investigate the causes of an AJ26 engine failure that occurred last week at NASA’s Stennis Space Center during customary acceptance testing. That engine was designated for use in a mission slated for 2015 and was undergoing hot fire testing that all Antares AJ26 engines are subject to in order to ensure nominal performance and acceptance for use in Antares missions. The NET June 17 is a planning date. The determination of a new firm date will depend on progress of the investigation team, so please check back to this page for further updates.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Despite earlier reports that a rather firm launch date of June 20 has been set....it looks like investigation of the AJ-26 engine accident has not been completed and the Cygnus mission has slipped into July.

Mission Update - June 9, 2014

Orbital has updated its Antares launch schedule for the Orb-2 mission to a date no earlier than (NET) July 1, 2014. Orb-2 is the second of eight cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The new launch schedule reflects the timing of the investigation into the cause of an AJ26 engine failure that occurred in late May at NASA’s Stennis Space Center during customary acceptance testing. All other elements of the Orb-2 mission are prepared to move forward, including the Cygnus spacecraft, which is fueled and, except for late-load cargo, is packed with its manifest of ISS cargo.

The engine that failed was designated for use in a 2015 CRS mission and was undergoing hot fire testing that all Antares AJ26 engines are subject to in order to ensure nominal performance and acceptance for use in Antares missions. The investigation into the failure is being led by the Antares main stage propulsion supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, with Orbital and NASA engineers also supporting the effort. Once the investigation team reaches the point in their process that they can clear Antares to launch the Orb-2 mission, a targeted launch date will be established. For now, NET July 1 is simply a planning date. Please check back to this page for further updates.

 

[Kyle]

Yea, bad time for them to be having engines blowing up on the test stand (like there's ever a good time for that to happen).

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

From Orbital:

Mission Update – June 23, 2014

Orbital has updated its launch schedule for the Orb-2 mission to a date no earlier than July 10, 2014. Orb-2 is the second of eight cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The new launch schedule reflects progress in the investigation into the cause of an AJ26 engine test failure and identification of specific actions to clear the Orb-2 mission for flight.

The Antares team will inspect the AJ26 engines installed on the Orb-2 rocket this week, and a decision to proceed toward launch will be based on the results of the inspections. All other elements of the Orb-2 mission are prepared to move forward, including the Cygnus spacecraft, which is fueled and, except for late-load cargo, is packed with its manifest of ISS cargo.

Launch time for July 10 is 2:20:51 pm EDT (18:20:51 UTC) - the next Arianespace Soyuz rocket launch is scheduled just 35 minutes later.... :hmm:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Mission Update – July 3, 2014

Orbital has established July 11, 2014 as the targeted date for the launch of the Orb-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the second operational cargo resupply mission under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The targeted launch time from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on July 11 will be 1:40 p.m. (EDT).

The engineering team that is investigating the failure of an AJ26 engine during an acceptance test at Stennis Space Center recommended that certain inspections be performed on the two AJ26 engines that are currently integrated on the Antares rocket. These inspections were recently completed and program officials have cleared the rocket for flight.

Leading up to the launch, the Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft will be mated to the rocket today. After the loading of the final time sensitive cargo and installation of the rocket’s payload fairing, Antares will be rolled out to the launch pad on July 9. A launch on July 11 will result in a rendezvous and berthing with the ISS on July 15. The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver 1,657 kg of cargo to the ISS and will be loaded with approximately 1,346 kg of material for disposal upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Almost there.....

Mission Update – July 9, 2014

Orbital announced today that the launch of Antares for the Orb-2 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 12 at 1:14 p.m. EDT. Due to severe thunderstorms in the Wallops area the night of Tuesday, July 8, the rollout of the Antares rocket to its launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport scheduled for this morning was delayed resulting in a compression of the operational schedule leading to the launch. This afternoon, the company’s launch team determined the best course of action would be to postpone the launch one day to allow for normal launch operations processing. Despite the one day schedule slip, Cygnus will still arrive at the ISS on July 15 with berthing scheduled at approximately 7:24 a.m. EDT.

An "Orb-1 mission look back in pictures" exhibition, followed by Orb-2 updates, is coming soon...... :tiphat:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

The rocket's already out of the barn:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Another small slip - launch now expected 2 hours before the World Cup Final!

Antares Launch
Mission Update – July 11, 2014

Orbital announced this morning that the launch of the Antares rocket for the Orb-2 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station for NASA has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 13 at 12:52 p.m. EDT. Over the past several days, Orbital’s launch team has made great progress in preparing the rocket for the Orb-2 mission, which will be the fourth flight of Antares in the past 15 months. However, severe weather in the Wallops area has repeatedly interrupted the team’s normal operational schedule leading up to the launch. As a result, these activities have taken longer than expected.

Orbital has decided to postpone the Orb-2 mission by an additional day in order to maintain normal launch operations processing. With its launch moved to Sunday, Cygnus is now scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday, July 16 with grapple by the Station’s robotic arm scheduled for approximately 6:37 a.m. EDT. Cygnus is carrying about 3,300 pounds of supplies for the Station including research investigations, crew provisions, hardware, and science experiments from across the country.

An image gallery for the launch campAntares Launch
Mission Update – July 11, 2014
Orbital announced this morning that the launch of the Antares rocket for the Orb-2 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station for NASA has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 13 at 12:52 p.m. EDT. Over the past several days, Orbital’s launch team has made great progress in preparing the rocket for the Orb-2 mission, which will be the fourth flight of Antares in the past 15 months. However, severe weather in the Wallops area has repeatedly interrupted the team’s normal operational schedule leading up to the launch. As a result, these activities have taken longer than expected.

Orbital has decided to postpone the Orb-2 mission by an additional day in order to maintain normal launch operations processing. With its launch moved to Sunday, Cygnus is now scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday, July 16 with grapple by the Station’s robotic arm scheduled for approximately 6:37 a.m. EDT. Cygnus is carrying about 3,300 pounds of supplies for the Station including research investigations, crew provisions, hardware, and science experiments from across the country.

 

[Kyle]

And less than 24 hours before the Falcon 9 launch.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Does anyone know what the launch azimuth will be? I'm wondering if this will be visible from the shore in New England that day.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Does anyone know what the launch azimuth will be? I'm wondering if this will be visible from the shore in New England that day.

There's probably some very small chance that you will catch the smoke trail, I'm afraid - all Cygnus flights goes south-east. Still you may check out how to see it along the East Coast....

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

So it's launch day! Take a look at the rocket at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops/ right now and wait for NASA TV coverage at about 30 minutes before launch!

Weather is pretty clear today:

Weather Forecast for Wallops Island, Virginia on July 13, 2014 (1 p.m.)

A mix of clouds and sun, with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High 29C. Winds S at 25 to 40 kph.

Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
1 PM|29°C|22°C|67%|2%|0%|47%|1019 hPa|23 km/h S|

Partly Cloudy

Next up - a review of the flight of the last Cygnus in January - February this year :tiphat:

 

[Kyle]

The backup data line at Bermuda appears to be down, which is a constraint to launch.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

The backup data line at Bermuda appears to be down, which is a constraint to launch.

Already back to green status (though there are ships in the drop zones right now so the Coast Guard is dealing with it right now - should be clear within 30 minutes..... :lol

So what is being carried on this Cygnus flight?

BTW in line with the tradition established during the first two Cygnus spacecraft, this Cygnus is also named after a deceased astronaut - this time it's 5-time spaceflight veteran Janice Voss.