Orbital ATK’s [OA] Antares rocket is back in business following a successful launch the night of Oct. 17 on a NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission.
Launch took place at 7:45 p.m. EDT from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Va., according to a NASA statement. The re-engined Antares lifted the company’s Cygnus capsule toward orbit. Cygnus was scheduled to arrive at ISS on Oct. 23.
This is both the first flight on the re-engined Antares and the first launch from Wallops Island following an Antares launch failure in late 2014. The rocket now features Russian-developed RD-181 engines as opposed to AJ-26s, which were NK-33s refurbished by Aerojet Rocketdyne [AJRD]. NK-33s were designed to launch the N1 Russian rocket on lunar missions. An issue with the AJ-26 contributed to the late 2014 Antares failure.
The Oct. 17 mission, known as OA-5, was also the third flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft featuring greater payload capacity, new fuel tanks and UltraFlex solar arrays. Cygnus will remain at ISS until November before its destructive re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, disposing of about 3,000 pounds of trash.
The Oct. 17 launch is Orbital ATK’s sixth cargo delivery under NASA’s CRS program, which lasts through 2018. Orbital ATK has five more missions remaining under its CRS contract, according to company spokeswoman Trina Helquist. The company is also under contract for CRS-2, which is set to begin in 2019. CRS-2 will be at least six missions.