Launch News Orbital's Antares Maiden Flight & ORB-D "G. David Low" Cygnus Demo updates.

[Kyle]

Awesome.

 

[orb]

NASAtelevision:

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Any thoughts as to whether some aspect of this launch might be visible from Cape Cod Massachusetts? I can make arrangements to be sea side at launch time if there is.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Any thoughts as to whether some aspect of this launch might be visible from Cape Cod Massachusetts? I can make arrangements to be sea side at launch time if there is.

Well if things go wrong it might be...

That would be fairly close to an ISS inclination wouldnt it? (KSC past Massachusetts)

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Any thoughts as to whether some aspect of this launch might be visible from Cape Cod Massachusetts? I can make arrangements to be sea side at launch time if there is.

Unfortunately Antares always fly towards the descending node towards south-east on ISS inclination flights (look up a map of Virginia and see why), so I don't think you will see any Antares flights, at least during the next few years.

Better wait for a morning/evening Dragon launch....

 

[RGClark]

Rollout tomorrow! :woohoo:

Meanwhile the first "tin can beer mug swan" (as it shall ever be known to me ) is being integrated as the cargo and service modules are put together at Wallops:

Thanks for that great photo.
Here's to a successful launch! :thumbup:

Bob Clark

 

[Kyle]

The A-ONE launch date is still solid for April 17th, with a window from 2100UT - 2400UT.

Cygnus ORB D-1 launch date is scheduled for June 5th.

 

[orb]

NASA News Release:
MEDIA ADVISORY : M13-059
NASA Sets TV Coverage for Antares Test Flight

April 9, 2013

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- NASA's commercial partner, Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., is scheduled to launch its first Antares rocket from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, April 17.

NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 4 p.m. EDT. Liftoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. with a daily launch window that runs until 8 p.m. If needed, back-up launch opportunities are available April 18-21.

The Antares test flight is the first of two missions Orbital is scheduled to conduct this year under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Program. This mission will demonstrate the Antares launch system beginning with its April 6 rollout and placement on the launch pad through its fueling, launch, and delivery of a mass simulator payload into orbit.

The mass simulator matches the weight and dimensions of the Cygnus spacecraft, which Orbital has developed to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. The simulator carries instruments to collect data about the launch environment during the Antares flight.

In advance of the launch, NASA will host a media briefing to discuss the Wallops Flight Facility, Orbital's activities under NASA's COTS and Commercial Resupply Services initiatives, and the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A. It will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at the Wallops Visitors Center. At 3 p.m., NASA will host a prelaunch news conference about the test launch and mission. Both briefings will be carried live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

{...}

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Let's hope that the AJ26s don't fail. That would ruin an near-perfect record for Aerojet engines.

 

[orb]

Source: Orbital

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Source: Orbital

Hmmm, thats too bad. Maybe the second orbit will take it over southern Ontario though?

 

[Alfastar]

Maybe a bit off-topic question, but why every pic and link from the Orbital sciences site don't works for my?

 

[orb]

Wet dress rehearsal was aborted at T-16 seconds due to a valve issue. EDIT: Meeting in progress to discuss the issue and possible impact on the launch date.

 

[orb]

Orbital Sciences:

Orbital's Antares Wet Dress Rehearsal Test Identifies Engine Valve That Needs To Be Replaced

April 2013

On Saturday, Orbital conducted the wet dress rehearsal for the Antares rocket in preparation its Test Flight scheduled for later this week on April 17. Late in the countdown, at about T-16 minutes, the test was halted because the launch team had detected a technical anomaly in the process. Orbital has determined that a secondary pyro valve aboard one of the two first-stage engines used in the propellant chilldown process was not functioning properly. A replacement unit will be installed within 24 hours with the goal of maintaining the April 17 launch date. Orbital will issue additional updates as warranted.​

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: Orbital’s Antares: An eye on the present and the future

 

[orb]

OrbitalSci:

 

[MaverickSawyer]

There's a bunch of folks here in Sacramento that are going to be sitting on pins and needles until the first stage is jettisoned. Hope that those NK-33s/AJ26s run flawlessly, and don't crack a fuel manifold like the failed test fire about a year ago...

 

[Urwumpe]

There's a bunch of folks here in Sacramento that are going to be sitting on pins and needles until the first stage is jettisoned. Hope that those NK-33s/AJ26s run flawlessly, and don't crack a fuel manifold like the failed test fire about a year ago...

Don't summon disaster. :facepalm:

 

[Kyle]

I wish I still lived in Virgina, always dreamed of being able to see something like this when I was a kid up there. Last I heard we are looking at a 45% go for launch due to weather. Low clouds are the primary concern. If need be, the launch window extends from April 18th-21st.

Now at L-1 day and counting, godspeed Antares.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Hey, I trust the folks at Aerojet to make sure that things go right. After all, they have an outstanding track record with their engines.