Tag: Cygnus

With Successful Antares Launch, Russian Engines Are Riding High

With Successful Antares Launch, Russian Engines Are Riding High

After a near two year stand down while the launch pad was repaired and the rocket was retooled, Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket made a triumphant return to flight Monday evening. Liftoff from Pad OA at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport took place at 7:45 PM EDT, as the booster lofted a Cygnus cargo vehicle loaded with […]

Update: Retooled Antares 230 Rocket Set to Make its Debut on (Monday) Evening Flight

Update: Retooled Antares 230 Rocket Set to Make its Debut on (Monday) Evening Flight

  Update from NASA: Today’s launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket is postponed  24 hours  due to a ground support equipment (GSE) cable that did not perform as expected during the pre-launch check out. We have spares on hand and rework procedures are in process. The Antares and Cygnus teams are not currently working any […]

Dream Chaser Set to Begin Test Flights Soon

Dream Chaser Set to Begin Test Flights Soon

Sierra Nevada Corporation has announced that it is preparing to ship its Dream Chaser test article to California for a renewed round of flight tests as it works towards a 2019 debut under NASA’s CRS-2 resupply contract. SNC’s press release, included below, highlights the fact that the flight test article will include components and systems of […]

SpaceX, Blue Origin and Orbital ATK Make for Busy Week in Commercial Space

SpaceX, Blue Origin and Orbital ATK Make for Busy Week in Commercial Space

  It is a busy week for commercial space. Orbital ATK  An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vessel departed the International Space Station at 9:30 AM EDT this morning, heading for its usual path of destruction high over the Pacific Ocean, but not before it performs a unique fire in space experiment, as well as releases […]

Posted in: Uncategorized
Cygnus Arrives at ISS, Progress 63P and SpaceX Dragon Set to Follow

Cygnus Arrives at ISS, Progress 63P and SpaceX Dragon Set to Follow

The first of three cargo ships scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station over an exceptionally busy three week time-frame arrived over the weekend. On Saturday, the Orbital ATK Cygnus Cargo Ship S.S. Rick Husband successfully berthed with the Station, carrying, 7,700 lbs. of routine supplies as well as 250 science and research experiments, […]

Atlas V’s RD-180 Shut Down Early on NASA Cargo Launch

Atlas V’s RD-180 Shut Down Early on NASA Cargo Launch

For anyone who was paying extraordinarily close attention to the ULA/Orbital ATK launch of an Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station on Tuesday night, a slight discrepancy in the timing of first stage main engine cutoff might have been noticeable. And if you caught that, then a burn of the Centaur upper stage’s […]

Atlas V Sends Cygnus Cargo Ship on Its Way to International Space Station

Atlas V Sends Cygnus Cargo Ship on Its Way to International Space Station

In case you missed it, here is the official NASA press release from last night’s launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vessel to the International Space Station: March 23, 2016 RELEASE 16-036 NASA Sends Fire, Meteor Experiments to International Space Station on Commercial Cargo Spacecraft The station’s Expeditions 47 and 48 crews will employ […]

Posted in: Uncategorized
Fly By Night: Atlas V Awaiting Cargo Launch to ISS

Fly By Night: Atlas V Awaiting Cargo Launch to ISS

NASA, United Launch Alliance and Orbital ATK are all counting down to tonight’s scheduled launch of the OA-6 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The ULA Atlas V 401 is scheduled to lift off from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 11:05 PM EDT, at the beginning of a 30 minute launch window. This will be […]

ISS Set to Receive Orbital ATK and SpaceX Resupply Missions in Rapid Succession

ISS Set to Receive Orbital ATK and SpaceX Resupply Missions in Rapid Succession

The International Space Station will see quite a bit of traffic in the next few weeks. Later today, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch to the Station from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff of the Soyuz booster and spacecraft is set for 5:26 PM EDT. (3:26 […]

NASA Plan Will Have Cygnus Spaceship Go Down In Flames (Twice)

NASA Plan Will Have Cygnus Spaceship Go Down In Flames (Twice)

Talk about going down in flames. Sometimes it seems that NASA has an inappropriate fascination with destroying its own spacecraft. Cassini comes to mind, but there are quite a few other examples, including the four former SSME’s which will power each of the first few SLS launches. See Related:  Expending Reusable Engines: A Good Thing?  […]

π