![]() Launch of an Antares 230 | |
Function | Medium expendable launch system |
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Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman (main) Pivdenmash (sub) [1] |
Country of origin | United States, Ukraine |
Project cost | US$472 million until 2012 [2] |
Cost per launch | US$80−85 million [3] |
Size | |
Height | |
Diameter | 3.9 m (13 ft) [7] [6] |
Mass | |
Stages | 2 to 3 [7] |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) [8] |
Associated rockets | |
Comparable | Delta II, Atlas III |
Launch history | |
Status |
|
Launch sites | MARS, LP-0A |
Total launches | 18 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 1, 230: 5, 230+: 8) |
Success(es) | 17 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 0, 230: 5, 230+: 8) |
Failure(s) | 1 (130: 1) |
First flight |
|
Last flight |
|
Type of passengers/cargo | Cygnus |
First stage (Antares 100-series) | |
Empty mass | 18,700 kg (41,200 lb) [5] |
Gross mass | 260,700 kg (574,700 lb) [5] |
Powered by | 2 × NK-33 [9] |
Maximum thrust | 3,265 kN (734,000 lbf) [9] |
Specific impulse | Sea level: 297 s Vacuum: 331 s [5] |
Burn time | 235 seconds [5] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX [9] |
First stage (Antares 200-series) | |
Empty mass | 20,600 kg (45,400 lb) [6] |
Gross mass | 262,600 kg (578,900 lb) [6] |
Powered by | 2 ×RD-191 |
Maximum thrust | 3,844 kN (864,000 lbf) [6] |
Specific impulse | Sea level:311.9 s Vacuum: 339.2 s [6] |
Burn time | 215 seconds [6] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Second stage –Castor 30A/B/XL | |
Gross mass |
|
Propellant mass | |
Maximum thrust | |
Burn time | |
Propellant | TP-H8299/aluminium [11] |
Antares has been launched a total of 18 times since April 2013. All of the launches have been successful,except for Cygnus CRS Orb-3.
Antares ( /ænˈtɑːriːz/ ),known during early development as Taurus II,is an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later part of Northrop Grumman) and the Pivdenne Design Bureau to launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's COTS and CRS programs. Able to launch payloads heavier than 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) into low Earth orbit,Antares is the largest rocket operated by Northrop Grumman. Antares launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and made its inaugural flight on April 21,2013. [12] Antares 100 was retired in 2014 and series 200 was retired in 2023 due to component unavailability. As of January 2024 [update] Antares 300 is under development.
NASA awarded Orbital a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Space Act Agreement (SAA) in 2008 to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. Orbital (and later Northrop Grumman) used Antares to launch its Cygnus spacecraft for these missions. As of August 2023 [update] it has only been used for Cygnus launches to the ISS,despite it being intended for commercial launches. Originally designated the Taurus II,Orbital Sciences renamed the vehicle Antares,after the star of the same name, [13] on December 12,2011.
Out of 18 total launches,Antares has suffered one failure. During the fifth launch on October 28,2014,the rocket failed catastrophically,and the vehicle and payload were destroyed. [14] The rocket's first-stage engines were identified as the cause for the failure. A different engine was chosen for subsequent launches,and the rocket had a successful return to flight on October 17,2016.
The Antares has flown two major design iterations,the 100 series and 200 series. Both series have used a Castor 30XL as an upper stage but have differed on the first stage. [15] The 100 series used two Kerolox powered AJ26 engines in the first stage and launched successfully four times. The 100 series was retired following a launch failure in 2014. [16] The 200 series which first flew in 2016 also featured a Kerolox first stage but instead used two RD-181 engines along with other minor upgrades. The 200 series future became uncertain following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to the first stage being produced in Ukraine and the engines in Russia,future production of the rocket was unable to be continued. [15] As a result Northrop Grumman entered into an agreement with Firefly Aerospace to build the first stage of the Antares 300 series. Northrop also contracted with SpaceX for 3 Falcon 9 launches. [17]
Flight No. | Date / time (UTC) | Rocket variant | Launch site | Payload, Spacecraft name | Payload mass | Orbit | Launch contractor | User | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | April 21, 2013 21:00 | Antares 110 | MARS Pad 0A |
| Low Earth | Orbital Sciences Corporation | NASA | Success | |
Antares A-ONE, Antares test flight, using a Castor 30A second stage and no third stage. [12] [18] | |||||||||
2 | September 18, 2013 14:58 | Antares 110 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (standard) Orb-D1 G. David Low [19] | 700 kg (1,543 lb) [20] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital Sciences Corporation | NASA | Success |
Orbital Sciences COTS demonstration flight. First Antares mission with a real Cygnus capsule, first mission to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station, second launch of Antares. The rendezvous maneuver was delayed due to a computer data link problem, [21] but the issue was resolved and berthing followed shortly thereafter. [22] [23] | |||||||||
3 | January 9, 2014 18:07 | Antares 120 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-1 C. Gordon Fullerton [19] | 1,260 kg (2,780 lb) [24] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital Sciences Corporation | NASA | Success |
First Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) mission for Cygnus, and first Antares launch using the Castor 30B upper stage. [25] [26] | |||||||||
4 | July 13, 2014 16:52 | Antares 120 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-2 Janice Voss [27] | 1,494 kg (3,293 lb) [28] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital Sciences Corporation | NASA | Success |
Spacecraft carried supplies for the ISS, including research equipment, crew provisions, hardware, and science experiments. [29] | |||||||||
5 | October 28, 2014 22:22 | Antares 130 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-3 Deke Slayton [30] | 2,215 kg (4,883 lb) [31] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital Sciences Corporation | NASA | Failure |
LOX turbopump failure T+6 seconds. Rocket fell back onto the pad and exploded. [32] [33] [34] First Antares launch to use Castor 30XL upper stage. In addition to ISS supplies, payload included a Planetary Resources Arkyd-3 satellite [35] and a NASA JPL/UT Austin CubeSat mission named RACE. [36] | |||||||||
6 | October 17, 2016 23:45 | Antares 230 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-5 Alan G. Poindexter [37] | 2,425 kg (5,346 lb) [38] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital ATK | NASA | Success |
First launch of Enhanced Cygnus on Orbital's new Antares 230. [39] [40] [41] [42] | |||||||||
7 | November 12, 2017 12:19 | Antares 230 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-8E Gene Cernan [43] | 3,338 kg (7,359 lb) [44] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital ATK | NASA | Success |
8 | May 21, 2018 08:44 | Antares 230 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-9E J.R. Thompson [45] | 3,350 kg (7,386 lb) [46] | Low Earth (ISS) | Orbital ATK | NASA | Success |
Spacecraft carried ISS hardware, crew supplies, and scientific payloads, including the Cold Atom Lab and the Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology experiment. [46] The Cygnus also demonstrated boosting the station's orbital velocity for the first time, by 0.06 meter per second. [47] | |||||||||
9 | November 17, 2018 09:01 | Antares 230 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-10 John Young | 3,416 kg (7,531 lb) | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
Largest number of satellites launched on a single rocket (108). Cygnus NG-10, CHEFsat 2, Kicksat 2, 104 Sprite Chipsats (deployed from Kicksat 2), MYSAT 1. | |||||||||
10 | April 17, 2019 20:46 | Antares 230 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-11 Roger Chaffee [48] | 3,447 kg (7,600 lbs) | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
Launched the last mission under the Commercial Resupply Services-1 for Cygnus. [48] | |||||||||
11 | November 2, 2019 13:59 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-12 Alan Bean [49] | 3,728 kg (8,221 lbs) | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
Cygnus NG-12 is the first mission under the NASA Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. NG-12 is also the first to use upgraded launcher, Antares 230+. | |||||||||
12 | February 15, 2020 20:21 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-13 Robert Lawrence, Jr. | 3,377 kg (7,445 lbs) | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
13 | October 3, 2020 01:16 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-14 Kalpana Chawla | 3,458 kg (7,624 lbs) [50] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
Spacecraft carried ISS hardware, crew supplies, and scientific payloads, including a new toilet (Universal Waste Management System, UWMS), Ammonia Electrooxidation, radishes for Plant Habitat-02, drugs for targeted cancer treatments with Onco-Selectors, and a customized 360-degree camera to capture future spacewalks. [51] [50] | |||||||||
14 | February 20, 2021 17:36 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-15 Katherine Johnson | 3,810 kg (8399 lbs) [52] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
This mission carried over 8,000 pounds of cargo including roundworms to study muscle loss and the Spaceborne Computer 2, as well as an experiment to study the protein-based manufacturing of artificial retinas. [53] | |||||||||
15 | August 10, 2021 22:01 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-16 Ellison Onizuka | 3,723 kg (8210 lbs) [54] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
16 | February 19, 2022 17:40 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-17 Piers Sellers | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) [55] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
17 | November 7, 2022 10:32 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-18 Sally Ride | 3,652 kg (8,051 lb) [56] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
18 | August 2, 2023 00:31 | Antares 230+ | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-19 Laurel Clark | 3,729 kg (8,221 lb) [57] | Low Earth (ISS) | NGIS | NASA | Success |
Final Antares 230+ launch. |
Note: Cygnus CRS OA-4, the first Enhanced Cygnus mission, and Cygnus OA-6 were propelled by Atlas V 401 launch vehicles while the new Antares 230 was in its final stages of development. Cygnus CRS OA-7 was also switched to an Atlas V 401 and launched on April 18, 2017
Date / time (UTC) | Rocket variant | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | User |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2025 [58] | Antares 330 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-23 | Low Earth (ISS) | NASA |
First flight of the Antares 330. | |||||
January 2026 [59] | Antares 330 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-24 | Low Earth (ISS) | NASA |
Second flight of the Antares 330. | |||||
2026 [60] | Antares 330 | MARS Pad 0A | Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-25 | Low Earth (ISS) | NASA |
Third flight of the Antares 330. |
Note: Cygnus NG-20 was, Cygnus NG-21 and Cygnus NG-22 will be propelled by Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicles while the new Antares 330 is in development.
Antares, known during early development as Taurus II, is an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and the Pivdenne Design Bureau to launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's COTS and CRS programs. Able to launch payloads heavier than 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) into low Earth orbit, Antares is the largest rocket operated by Northrop Grumman. Antares launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and made its inaugural flight on April 21, 2013. Antares 100 was retired in 2014 and series 200 was retired in 2023 due to component unavailability. As of January 2024 Antares 300 is under development.
Cygnus is an expendable American cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation but manufactured and launched by Northrop Grumman Space Systems as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program. It is usually launched by Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility, although three flights were on ULA's Atlas V and three are planned for SpaceX's Falcon 9, in both cases launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It transports supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) following the retirement of the American Space Shuttle. Since August 2000, ISS resupply missions have been regularly flown by the Russian Progress spacecraft, as well as by the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, and the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. With the Cygnus spacecraft and the SpaceX Dragon, NASA seeks to increase its partnerships with domestic commercial aviation and aeronautics industry.
Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft. The first CRS contracts were signed in 2008 and awarded $1.6 billion to SpaceX for twelve cargo Dragon and $1.9 billion to Orbital Sciences for eight Cygnus flights, covering deliveries to 2016. The Falcon 9 and Antares rockets were also developed under the CRS program to deliver cargo spacecraft to the ISS.
OA-4, previously known as Orbital-4, was the fourth successful flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its third flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. With the Antares launch vehicle undergoing a redesign following its failure during the Orb-3 launch, OA-4 was launched by an Atlas V launch vehicle. Following three launch delays due to inclement weather beginning on 3 December 2015, OA-4 was launched at 21:44:57 UTC on 6 December 2015. With a liftoff weight of 7,492 kg (16,517 lb), OA-4 became the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V. The spacecraft rendezvoused with and was berthed to the ISS on 9 December 2015. It was released on 19 February 2016 after 72 days at the International Space Station. Deorbit occurred on 20 February 2016 at approximately 16:00 UTC.
OA-6, previously known as Orbital-6, is the sixth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 23 March 2016 at 03:05:52 UTC.
OA-7, previously known as Orbital-7, is the eighth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventh flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The mission launched on 18 April 2017 at 15:11:26 UTC. Orbital and NASA jointly developed a new space transportation system to provide commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS). Under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.
OA-8E was the ninth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 12 November 2017 at 12:19:51 UTC. Orbital and NASA jointly developed a new space transportation system to provide commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS). Under the Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) program, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.
OA-9E was the tenth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its ninth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services with NASA. The mission launched on 21 May 2018 at 08:44:06 UTC. Orbital ATK and NASA jointly developed a new space transportation system to provide commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station. Under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.
NG-10, previously known as OA-10E, is the eleventh flight of the Northrop Grumman uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its tenth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 17 November 2018, at 09:01:31 UTC. This particular mission is part of an extension of the initial CRS contract that enables NASA to cover the ISS resupply needs until the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract enters in effect.
NG-11, previously known as OA-11, is the twelfth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eleventh flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 17 April 2019 at 20:46:07 UTC. This is the last mission from the extended CRS-1 contract; follow-up missions are part of the CRS-2 contract. Cygnus NG-11 was also the first mission to load critical hardware onto Cygnus within the last 24 hours prior to launch, a new Antares feature.
NG-12, previously known as OA-12, was the thirteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its twelfth Commercial Resupply Services flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. The mission launched on 2 November 2019 at 13:59:47 UTC). This was the first launch of Cygnus under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract.
NG-13, previously known as OA-13, was the fourteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its thirteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 15 February 2020 at 20:21:01 UTC after nearly a week of delays. This is the second launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
NG-14, previously known as OA-14, was the fifteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 3 October 2020, at 01:16:14 UTC.
NG-15, previously known as OA-15, was the fifteenth launch of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 20 February 2021 at 17:36:50 UTC. This is the fourth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
Cygnus NG-16, previously known as Cygnus OA-16, was the sixteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 10 August 2021 at 22:01:05 UTC, for a (planned) 90-day mission at the ISS. This was the fifth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
Cygnus NG-17, previously known as Cygnus OA-17, was the seventeenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its sixteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 19 February 2022 at 17:40:03 UTC. It was the sixth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
NG-18 was the eighteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission successfully launched on 7 November 2022 at 10:32:42 UTC. This was the seventh launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
NG-19 was the nineteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 2 August 2023 at 00:31:14 UTC. This was the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
NG-20 is the twentieth flight of the Cygnus robotic resupply spacecraft and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS). It launched on 30 January 2024. It is contracted to Northrop Grumman under the Commercial Resupply Services II (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The capsule launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Cygnus NG-21 is the twenty-first planned flight of the Cygnus robotic resupply spacecraft and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS). It is planned to launch in late July 2024. It is contracted to Northrop Grumman under the Commercial Resupply Services II (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The capsule is scheduled to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
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