Fwd: Ukrainian aerospace company launches own investigation of Antares rocket explosion

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: October 30, 2014 11:44:53 AM EDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Ukrainian aerospace company launches own investigation of Antares rocket explosion

 

Orbital Sciences Corporation Considers Replacing Russian Engine Used on Antares: CEO

The Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft take off from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Wednesday.

© NASA/Bill Ingalls

05:35 30/10/2014

 

 

WASHINGTON, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Orbital Sciences Corporation, that built and launched Antares supply rocket crashed in Virginia, may replace the spacecraft's current AJ-26 Russian rocket engine, once their investigation of the crash is finalized, the company's CEO David Thompson stated.

"Orbital has been reviewing alternatives since the middle of last year and recently selected a different main propulsion system for future use by Antares," Thompson said during a press conference Wednesday. "It is possible that we may decide to accelerate this change if the AJ-26 turns out to be implicated in the failure, but this has not yet been decided."

Orbital along with NASA, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and the National Transportation Safety board are conducting an accident investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash and to recommend corrective actions.

Thompson added that although Orbital was still planning to launch Antares again in April, the scheduled mission could be delayed depending on the investigation.

"At this time it's too soon to know exactly how long this process will take or whether Antares and Cygnus missions, that are scheduled for next year including our next flight, which had been set for early April, will be affected," said Thompson.

The Antares spacecraft that was carrying more than two tons of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), crashed only six seconds after launching from the US Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Hours after the unsuccessful Antares launch, the unmanned Russian Progress supply spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan and successfully docked at the ISS.

The AJ-26 engine, otherwise known as the NK-33 engine, designed in Russia to launch the country's N1 Russian Rocket on lunar missions, is the engine that Orbital currently uses to power Antares.

Despite the crash, NASA says that the ISS will have enough supplies until March 2015, even if other space crafts are unable to make it to the station.

© 2014 RIA Novosti

 

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No invitation to US rocket disaster probe for Russian experts

October 29, 16:17 UTC+3
Specialists from the Samara-based Kuznetsov engine-manufacturer are not in the fact-finding team

 

© EPA/NASA TV/HANDOUT

 

SAMARA, October 29. /TASS/. Russian space rocket engine-makers partnering US constructors of the ill-fated American rocket blown up on launch on Tuesday have not been asked to join the accident inquiry, officials at the firm have announced.

Specialists from the Samara-based Kuznetsov engine-manufacturer are not in the fact-finding team, press service officials said at the firm, producing engines then modified by the American side for launch into space.

Kuznetsov is Russia's leading manufacturer of aviation gas-turbine and liquid-fuel rocket engines, powering Russian manned spaceships Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz and space freighters Progress.

Disaster befell the American Antares carrier rocket on its launch from the NASA agency Wallops Island facility in Virginia on Tuesday. The rocket was lifting off to take the Cygnus space freighter to the International Space Station, delivering two tonnes of food and 720 kilograms of equipment and material for scientific experiments.

Kuznetsov engineers have been advising the US side on adapting the Russian engine but play no part in the modification process or in technical maintenance, the press service told TASS, noting its own engine's successful flight record.

"It would be incorrect to draw definite conclusions on causes behind the crash at this stage," Kuznetsov said.

Infographics Antares rocket explodes

Overnight to October 29, a US Antares carrier rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from the spaceport in Virginia. The rocket was to carry the cargo spacecraft to the orbit and deliver to the ISS more than 2 tons of payload. Infographics by TASS

 

 

© 2014 TASS

 

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Ukrainian aerospace company launches own investigation of Antares rocket explosion

 

October 29, 16:55 UTC+3
Ukraine's Yuzhnoye design bureau developed the first stage of Antares

 

© EPA/NASA/JOEL KOWSKY

 

KIEV, October 29. /TASS/. Experts of the Ukrainian design bureau Yuzhnoye, which took part in designing and manufacturing the Antares carrier rocket, have launched their own investigation of an explosion of the Antares rocket Tuesday seconds after liftoff from a launch pad in Virginia, Ukrinform news agency said quoting officials at the design bureau.

"We've begun the 'hotwash' already and are scrutinizing the possible causes of the explosion," the press service of the design bureau said. "The results will be reported later."

The two-stage Antares carrier rocket exploded in the air just seconds after liftoff from NASA's space center on Wallops Island in Virginia. It was carrying the Signus cargo craft with two tonnes of payload to the International Space Station, including 720 kilograms of equipment and materials for research experiments.

Infographics

 

Antares rocket explodes

Overnight to October 29, a US Antares carrier rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from the spaceport in Virginia. The rocket was to carry the cargo spacecraft to the orbit and deliver to the ISS more than 2 tons of payload. Infographics by TASS

One of the experiments was to do chemical analysis of the substances formed by meteorites burning in the Earth's atmosphere.

Yuzhnoye design bureau developed the Antares' first stage.

Antares, which was known as Taurus II in the initial phases of its development, was designed for orbiting small payloads of up to 5,000 kilograms. Its developers are the Orbital Science Corporation and Ukraine's Yuzhmash R & D Group.

Under the terms of the project, the Ukrainian side designed and manufactured the first stage of the rocket, while the US company took charge of the second stage and the ground launch site.

The program was partly financed by NASA and the entire cost of its implementation reached $ 1.9 billion. The first four launches of the Antareses were successful.

 

© 2014 TASS

 

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Antares carrier rocket's explosion to force adjustments in ISS program

 

October 29, 19:08 UTC+3
Resources of water, food, air, and fuel have been mostly lost and all the spare parts used in the maintenance of the life support system of the American segment of the ISS have been lost in full

 

© EPA/NASA TV/HANDOUT

KOROLYOV, Moscow region, October 29. /TASS/. Explosion of the US-Ukrainian Antares carrier rocket that occurred on Tuesday at a NASA space center in Virginia will necessitate changes in the program of experiments at the US segment of the International Space Station, Vladimir Solovyov, the supervisor of the flight program at the Russian section of the ISS told reporters on Wednesday.

"The Americans will now have to adjust their program of experiments," he said.

As for the program of Russia's Progress cargo ships launches, it will not be affected, Solovyov said.

Basic materials needed for experiments at the American segment of the station, resources of water, foods, air, and fuel have been mostly lost and all the spare parts used in the maintenance of the life support system have been lost in full, he said.

"The situation isn't critical if you take the experiments and all of the necessary materials will be delivered by the next cargo ship," Solovyov said.

"And if you take the resources of water, foodstuffs and air at the ISS, "we have their resources aboard the ISS that are enough for three to eight months," he said.

Overnight to October 29, a US Antares carrier rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from the spaceport in Virginia. The rocket was to carry the cargo spacecraft to the orbit and deliver to the ISS more than 2 tons of payload. Infographics by TASS

Impact of Antares explosion on commercial space flights

The Antares accident will not affect further progress of commercial space flights, Solovyov believes.

"I don't think this situation should have any major aftermaths but it's important to clear out the cause of the explosion and to refine the design of the carrier rockets in line with the findings," Solovyov said.

Solovyov also said NASA had not made any requests to Russia in connection with the Antares's explosion.

"We've had no requests from the Americans so far," he said. "They are clearing the situation out on their own."

The Antares project

The Antares, which was known as the Taurus II in the initial phases of its development, was designed for orbiting small payloads of up to 5,000 kilograms. Its developers are the Orbital Science Corporation and Ukraine's Yuzhmash R&D Group.

Under the terms of the project, the Ukrainian side designed and manufactured the first stage of the rocket, while the U.S. company took charge of the second stage and the ground launch site.

The programme was partly financed by NASA and the entire cost of its implementation reached $ 1.9 billion. The first four launches of the Antareses were successful.

 

 

© 2014 TASS

 

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