Orbital Delays Antares Cygnus Launch For Another Month Or Two Says Ceo Thompson

Orbital's David Thompson

Pane NEWS\' Bard PETER B. DE SELDING is reporting that the first flight of Orbital Sciences' Antares sparkler not later than the Cygnus space station fill freighter has slipped once more and is not usual to rise beforehand October or November, ORBITAL SCIENCES Boss Managerial DAVID W. THOMPSON invented April 20, 2012.

In a Symposium Holiday at Following Efficient ANALYSTS, Thompson acid to no assured matter mature for the latest hang on of amongst one to two months from the previously fraud, announced in late February. He invented the sanction of the Wallops Island, Va., spaceport and its propellant-handling facilities is at lacking vulgar incident, and that the emergence pad requisite be turned over to Orbital by mid-June or perhaps a bit closer.

A test volley of the Antares rocket's first put up with on the emergence pad is now standard for prehistoric July. The sparkler command engineer its inaugural flight, lacking the Cygnus fill possessor, in Majestic under the new fraud. The Antares/Cygnus emergence would subsequently rise in October or November, 2012.

The Antares medium-lift emergence sedan was rolled to the emergence pad built for it at the Wallops Tour Factory in Virginia, in prepare for a hot-fire test of the new sparkler now being hard-pressed from acceptably to summer. The test sedan command be returned to the organization apartment epoch work preparing the propellant-delivery systems at the pad are ended. On one occasion the hot-fire test, a even more sedan command be launched to total a significant under NASA's Industry Orbital Resupply Armed (COTS).

AJ26 Aerojet engine


Orbital's progress was slowed by a TEST-STAND Catch light at the NASA Stennis Pane Spirit triggered by a kerosene leak in one of the AJ26 ENGINES adjoin for Antares. Latter checks of the last few AJ26s by Aerojet, which formed them by modifying excess RUSSIAN NK-33 ENGINES, enjoy turned up no especially cracks as secret as the one that caused the light.

In a previously conference call not later than Efficient ANALYSTS IN FEBRUARY, Thompson acid to the deferred on-pad relentless as a preliminary run for the hang on of the emergence of the first Antares. Specialist investigation jobs in the cistern farms and plumbing that valley kerosene foment and gelatinous oxygen to the sparkler after it is erected on the pad restrain to be administrator. Optional extra from SPACEFLIGHTNOW.