News Archive / Tagged: Orbital Sciences

• 31st Annual Space Symposium – Review of ‘Day 3’

  Scott JohnsonApril 16th, 2015

  COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Day three of the 31st Annual Space Symposium wrapped up yesterday, April 15, and SpaceFlight Insider was on hand to take in more of the action. The exhibit halls were again packed and there were many panels, media briefings, and other activities throughout the day.

• ULA rep: Atlas V will help Orbital ATK’s Cygnus get back in the game

  Jason RhianMarch 16th, 2015

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — After the Oct. 29, 2014, loss of an Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares booster, the Cygnus spacecraft and the estimated 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) of cargo it carried, one of the first questions many had asked was: “What will they do now?” The firm, based in Dulles, Virginia, was relying on its Antares launch […]

• Aerojet Rocketdyne contracted to provide XR-5 electric propulsion for Orbital satellites

  Rae Botsford EndFebruary 7th, 2015

  SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Earlier this week, Aerojet Rocketdyne received a contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital ) to deliver XR-5 electric propulsion systems over the next three years for Orbital’s GEOStar-3 satellites. The satellites, which are commercial communications satellites designed for geostationary orbit, are part of the GEOStar line that is currently used for purposes such as television […]

• Orbital Sciences Corp.’s stockholders approve Feb. 9 merger with ATK

  Jason RhianJanuary 27th, 2015

  Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation’s stockholders have approved a merger with the Aerospace and Defense Groups of Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK ), based out of Utah. The newly-formed Orbital-ATK will officially begin operations on Feb. 10 – the day after the merger is officially closed. The announcement comes after a special meeting held on Jan. […]

• Orbital Sciences chooses RD-181 as AJ-26 engine replacement

  Scott JohnsonDecember 18th, 2014

  Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital ) has confirmed that it will replace the engines powering its Antares rocket, the AJ-26, with RD-181 engines supplied by Russia’s NPO Energomash. While other U.S.-based launch service providers are moving away from Russian-made rocket engines, Orbital has made the decision to move from one Russian-made engine to another.

• Wallops Island to receive $20 million from federal budget to repair damaged the MARS Pad 0A

  J.D. TaylorDecember 12th, 2014

  The October explosion of the Orbital Science ORB-3 resupply mission rocket destined to the International Space Station caused an estimated $20 million in damage to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s (MARS) Pad 0A. It was not clear where the funding would come from to repair the damage. The state Virginia had stated that they did not […]

• Cygnus spacecraft will return to flight atop Atlas V in 2015

  SpaceFlight InsiderDecember 10th, 2014

  Following a catastrophic explosion on Oct. 28, resulting in the loss of a Cygnus spacecraft complete with valuable crew supply items and scientific experiments, Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital ) has announced plans to return to Wallops Flight Facility in 2016. On Dec. 9, the company announced a plan to fulfill its commercial resupply agreement with […]

• Orbital’s Cygnus – on a SpaceX Falcon 9?

  Jason RhianNovember 24th, 2014

  SpaceFlight Insider has received word that the potential prime “contender” to ferry Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Cygnus spacecraft to orbit, and thus allow Orbital to complete its requirements under the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS ) contract – is none other than fellow CRS participant – SpaceX. If this turns out to be true, it […]

• Stunning new images of Orbital Antares rocket’s fiery destruction released

  Jason RhianNovember 24th, 2014

  As NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation worked to determine the root cause of the Oct. 28 failure of an Antares rocket with its payload of a Cygnus spacecraft packed with about 5,000 lbs of supplies – photojournalists waited to have their remote cameras returned to them. These devices were at Wallops Flight Facility’s Pad-0A – […]

• NASA details Orbital’s requirements to complete CRS contract

  Jason RhianNovember 18th, 2014

  SpaceFlight Insider asked NASA to provide specifics as to what is next for Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation in terms of the $1.9 billion contract that the aerospace firm has with the space agency. It was unclear under the original phrasing of what was required of Orbital if the company still had six flights left […]

• BREAKING: Orbital ends use of AJ 26, plans Cygnus flights on different rocket

  Jason RhianNovember 5th, 2014

  In response to Tuesday’s loss of the Antares rocket carrying the SS Deke Slayton Cygnus cargo craft, the rocket’s manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corporation, has issued a statement that it will stop using Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AJ-26 engine. The company did not stop there, however. In an effort to fulfill its obligations under the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services […]

• Orbital’s Antares disaster aftermath – what now?

  Tomasz NowakowskiNovember 1st, 2014

  NASA’s Wallops Incident Response Team has completed an initial assessment of Wallops Island, Virginia, following the explosion of Orbital’s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff at 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT) Tuesday, Oct. 28, from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The overall findings indicate the major elements of the […]

• Antares accident: Could decades old, Russian-made AJ-26 be to blame?

  Scott JohnsonOctober 31st, 2014

  As has been widely reported, Orbital Sciences Corporation’s (Orbital’s) Orb-3 Antares rocket failed, on Oct. 28, a few seconds after liftoff. The rocket appeared to explode and then fall back onto Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, destroying the rocket and its 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) of cargo — intended for resupply of the […]

• Stunning new video of catastrophic loss of Antares and Cygnus

  Jason RhianOctober 29th, 2014

  One of SpaceFlight Insider’s newest members, JD Taylor began his tenure with our firm with the launch of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket and its payload of the SS Deke Slayton, Cygnus, spacecraft bound for the International Space Station with about 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) of cargo. It would never make it. At approximately 12 seconds into […]

• Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes less than a minute into flight

  Britt RawcliffeOctober 28th, 2014

  WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va — On Tuesday, Oct. 28,  Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital ) suffered the loss of one of the Dulles, Virginia-based firm’s Antares launch vehicles, along with the SS Deke Slayton, Cygnus, spacecraft at 6:22 p.m. EDT (1822 GMT). The anomaly happened within the first minute of flight, which left the launch pad covered in fire, smoke, and the […]